At this point, we’re all a little sick of Isekai anime. What started off as a fairly novel conce[pt eventually snowballed into a tropey, cookie-cutter genre that had more misses than it did hits. It’s more than fair for any anime fan to feel the Isekai fatigue and have it turn them off from whatever the genre has to offer.
But there are still plenty of amazing Isekai anime out there that not only build off of the great series that came before them, but work to add new wrinkles to the formula in the hopes of standing out in a sea of long-winded titles and familiar setups. The 2010s were a great decade for anime fans interested in the Isekai genre, with some classics dropping throughout the decade. Here’s a look at the standouts from each year of the decade.
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2010: Digimon Fusion
It’s hard to believe now, with the over-saturation of Isekai out there, but 2010 was actually pretty slim pickings for Isekai anime. The only series that can really count as an Isekai that year is Digimon Fusion.
The series follows middle schooler Taiki Kudo, who, after saving a seriously injured Digimon named Shoutmon, is sent into the Digital World with his friends Akari and Zenjirou. Now stuck and far away from home, Taiki and his friends set out to stop the Bagra Army from taking over the Digital World with some help from their new companions.
2011: Dog Days
Dog Days is a pretty standard Isekai setup. Shinku Izumi is summoned to an alternate version of Earth called Flonyard, where the people all have animal tails and ears. Shinku has been summoned by the Princess of the dog-like Biscotti Republic, Millhiore, in order to fend off an attack from the cat-like Galette Leo Knights.
There’s nothing all that special about Dog Days, but it is a fun throwback and an enjoyable enough watch. It’s an incredibly tropey anime, but as far as early 2010s Isekai go, it gets the job done.
2012: The Familiar of Zero F
It’s a series many anime fans have either forgotten about or just never heard of, but The Familiar of Zero was highly influential in popularizing the Isekai genre. The light novel’s popularity and the subsequent popularity of fan fiction based on the novel are what paved the way for the modern Isekai boom. Some writers, like Re:Zero’s Tappei Nagatsuki, would graduate from writing Familiar of Zero fan fics and create their own original works and find great success in doing so.
The Familiar of Zero F is the final season of the anime adaptation, with Saito and Louise taking off King Joseph following the events of the third season. At only 12 episodes, it comes off as a bit of a rushed product, but it’s still an enjoyable conclusion for the most part. If you’re an Isekai fan and have never heard or gotten around to checking out The Familiar of Zero, it should absolutely be on your watchlist.
2013: The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Unlike everything else you’ll see on this list, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is a reverse-Isekai series, taking beings from another world and placing them on Earth instead. The series follows the Demon Lord from a world called Ente Isla and his general, Alciel, who flee to Earth during a conflict with the hero Emilia and her forces. Powerless on Earth, the Demon Lord (who goes by Sadao on Earth) begins working as a part-timer at a fast food chain restaurant called MgRonald’s, while Alciel takes on the role of housekeeper. But when they run into the hero Emilia on Earth, the trio’s past lives in Ente Isla start to catch up to them.
The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is a really fun series. It’s not just a great reverse-Isekai, but it also stands as one of the better comedy anime of the 2010s. The dynamic between Sadao and Emilia (Emi) is an interesting one, as the two’s animosity from their lives in Ente Isla turns into a more light-hearted rivalry on Earth that drives a lot of the series’ comedy.
2014: No Game, No Life
No Game, No Life is one of the more unique Isekai you’ll watch, but the series does have its issues. It follows shut-in step-siblings Sora and Shiro, who have earned a reputation as prolific online gamers under the moniker ‘Blank’. But when the duo receives a mysterious message, they’re transported to another world called Disboard.
Rather than focus on intense combat and massive battles, No Game, No Life focuses on various games, with Sora and Shiro challenging various members of Disboard’s 16 species on behalf of humanity, with the ultimate goal of challenging the world’s God, Tet. The games themself are really engaging, and having an Isekai be less combat-focused is a breath of fresh air. But No Game, No Life suffers from some pretty egregious fan service that will turn fans away from it.
2015: Overlord
Even if you aren’t really a fan of the Isekai genre, you’ve likely heard of Overlord before. It’s one of the biggest anime of the 2010s, with over 50 episodes throughout four seasons and a movie titled The Sacred Kingdom, which was released in 2024.
When the long-running virtual reality MMORPG YGGDRASIL announces that it will be shutting down its servers, Momonga, the leader of one of the game’s strongest guilds, Ainz Ooal Gown, decides to stay in the game as the servers shut down. But when the shutdown time passes, Momonga remains conscious, with the NPCs having become sentient. Now trapped in his avatar’s body, Momonga sets out to figure out what happened.
2016: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
While most Isekai feel pretty formulaic and stale, Re:ZERO stands out for taking some pretty big swings with its narrative and characters. The series follows a shut-in named Subaru Natsuki, who is inexplicably brought to another world called the Kingdom of Lugunica. After befriending a girl named Emilia, Subaru is killed and revived hours before his death. With this new ‘Return by Death’ ability, Subaru sets out to help Emilia in her journey to become Lugunica’s next ruler while also trying to piece together the truth behind his powers and why he was sent to Lugunica.
It’s easy to see why Re:ZERO is up there as one of the most well-known Isekai. It takes a pretty standard setup and does some really interesting things with it, standing out in the ocean of tropey and formulaic Isekai that would come before and after it. Subaru is a really well-written protagonist, lacking many of the typical Isekai overpowered, self-insert traits, and is instead presented as a very flawed, normal person who struggles to navigate his traumatic power.
2017: KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 2
Had Re:ZERO not come out in the same year, KonoSuba would’ve definitely been the top choice for best Isekai of 2016. Though season 1 was great, season 2 really managed to build on everything that made the first season great and delivered some incredible laughs.
KonoSuba follows Kazuma Satou, yet another shut-in who is transported to a magical world. Kazuma is given the chance to start a new life in an RPG-like world after dying in an embarrassing way on Earth. After being demeaned by the goddess Aqua, Kazuma spitefully drags her with him to the town of Axel, where the two have nothing and struggle to make ends meet. Eventually, they team up with Darkness, a masochistic crusader who has a hard time hitting anything, and Megumin, a young mage who can only use incredibly powerful but draining explosion magic. While it seems like everyone else is out having their own amazing adventures, Kazuma finds himself stuck with his dysfunctional party, trying desperately to make ends meet in this new world.
2018: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
One of the most popular Isekai series that’s still going strong, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime stands as one of the best the genre has to offer. While titles like Re:ZERO and KonoSuba have found a great deal of success, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is in a league of its own.
The series follows salaryman Satoru Mikami, who, after being murdered on the street, hears a strange voice he cannot understand. When he wakes up, Satoru finds that he’s now a slime capable of mimicking the appearance of anything he consumes. After befriending a dragon named Veldora, he is given the name Rimuru Tempest. As Rimuru gets accustomed to his new body, he sets out on an exciting adventure.
2019: Isekai Quartet
By the end of the 2010s, there were a ton of different Isekai series that had come around and earned large followings. The decade was ruled by the Isekai craze, and right at the end of it, anime fans got to see all their favorite series in one show.
Isekai Quartet is a crossover series featuring characters from Re:ZERO, Konosuba, Overlord, Saga of Tanya the Evil, as well as Rising of the Shield Hero and Eminence in Shadow later on. The anime puts leading characters from each series in yet another strange, new world, with everyone interacting in a high school setting this time. Isekai Quartet is a fun watch, but it might be more enjoyable if you’re familiar with most, if not all, of the series it covers.
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