The isekai genre in anime has never been abandoned since it blew up last decade with its fresh aura. Every season, there are several from the genre that pop up. Even if you just got into the vast world of anime, you there’s a good chance you already know about it. Arguably the most popular genre after shounen and slice of life, such anime have been flooding the scene with some of the best anime of the last decade.
The anime all have a common theme – the main character is somehow transported into another world, which is mostly not on Earth. It may be some other universe, a game, or an imaginary reality. They go around the world and become important figures in it. This is the basic gist of the isekai genre.
As mentioned in the beginning, there is a plethora of isekai anime out there. But some of them are a just level above the rest. In this article, we are going to list the 10 must-watch isekai anime in 2023.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer’s personal views and might contain spoilers.
10 best isekai anime explored in 2023: Re: ZERO – Starting life in another world, Overlord, and more
1) Re: ZERO – Starting life in another world
Natsuki Subaru gets transported into a magical world where everyone is stronger than him. The only power he gets is the ability to return from death at a certain checkpoint in his life. Compared to his powerful allies, this does not seem to be something with which he can go to a battle. But that is all he’s got, as he constantly blames his weakness for the enormous suffering he is going through.
The anime gets pretty dark very quickly as scenes of death, gore, blood, and violence are very prevalent. Re: ZERO comprises of a total of two seasons with 50 episodes. It is a dark fantasy and psychological anime that is surely different from most others on this list.
2) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
This story portrays a 34-year-old man who dies as a failure after leading an underwhelming life on Earth. He gets transported into a magical land as a kid named Rudeus, who is a genius in magic from a very young age. He starts training under an expert wizard named Roxy, a young girl. One day while training, a mysterious light comes down and his town gets destroyed. All the people get thrown off into some different place, and it is now Rudeus’s goal to find all his loved ones.
The anime contains a plethora of ecchi references and scenes, thus it might not be suitable for viewers of a young age. But the story is by far one of the best in the isekai anime genre. You will get a touch of freshness from the tale, which takes a break from the usual hero-centric tropes. Mushoku Tensei is 24 episodes long.
3) KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!
Satou Kazuma dies in vain as he tries to save a girl from an incoming tractor, where in reality, it was nowhere near her. In his afterlife, the goddess Aqua tells him that he died in vain and laughs at him for his disappointing death. He even wet himself when he died due to trauma. Angered by this mockery, Kazuma chooses to take Aqua along with him to his isekai world, instead of choosing any power. They form a party with two other members, Megumin and Darkness, and go on life-threatening quests as a team of useless characters.
KonoSuba is arguably the funniest isekai anime of all time. The characters and their choice of dialogue offer an attractive and funny setting to each episode, something the isekai fans will surely love. Having goofy characters, even the villains heaves a breath of fresh air to the isekai anime genre. It comprises of 20 episodes and a movie.
4) No Game No Life
The anime chronicles the story of Shiro and Sora and their journey into an isekai game. They are an unstoppable duo in an online game and have quite a reputation. Upon receiving and going to a suspicious chess invitation, and of course, winning, the game god “Tet” transports them into a world ruled by games. It is now Shiro and Sora’s mission to defeat the god and rule over the world.
No Game No Life is a show where the world-building and character cast is magnificent. Shiro and Sora are very intelligent and give off a feeling of superiority. This was the show that also started the meme of “No season 2?” as it still does not have one. Fans can only hope for a sequel at this point. It has 12 episodes and a movie.
5) Overlord
Suzuki Satoru, a teenage boy who plays the DMMO-RPG game “YGGDRASIL” is one day trapped inside the game and is unable to log out. His character is pretty overpowered and is known as Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz, previously known as Momonga, is an enormously powerful wizard and looks like a skeleton. The NPCs of the game suddenly come to life as Ainz plays the ruler of his dark guild and the main villain of the anime. He fights against the human race while searching for his lost friends who used to play with him.
Overlord captured the essence of being overpowered. As an isekai anime, it never failed to show how dangerous Ainz is as a character and how he can evaporate any enemy he wants. This anime has 52 episodes and is recommended if you like to watch power-scaling anime, and want some adrenaline boosters.
6) That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Mikami is a normal man who is fed up with his grueling day-to-day routine. One day he gets attacked by a bandit and is wounded mortally. While at death’s door, he makes a last request to his co-worker – to delete his computer history.
He gets transported into a new world after this request as a slime. Being depressed with his blob-like appearance, he befriends a legendary dragon called Veldora. He absorbs Veldora within himself and helps him escape a cage. Mikami then sets out to make his kingdom and thrive in his new dynasty.
The world-building and character development in this anime are top-notch. Moreover, the power scaling here is off the charts as most of the characters are very overpowered in the later stages. Fans love this anime due to its great progression and characters, and you may too. It has 48 episodes in total.
7) The Vision of Escaflowne
Hitomi, an ordinary high school girl is interested in cards and clairvoyance. One day she predicts the arrival of a hero on Earth who will defeat the dragon that invades the planet.
Surprisingly, a hero named Van does show up and defeats the dragon after it spawns above Hitomi, after which they get transported to The Land of Gaea. Van is the prince of this land and is under attack by an evil dynasty. His mission is to protect the kingdom with Hitomi and the help of the humungous mechanical suit, Escaflowne.
The Vision of Escaflowne is the oldest isekai anime on this list as it was released in 1996 and is also the least popular by far. This fact makes it one of the most underrated isekai anime as it chronicles a beautiful story and a very interesting plot. It has 26 episodes in total.
8) The Rising of the Shield Hero
Naofumi, a normal teenage boy, gets transported into another world while reading a light novel. His new home is in a country called Melromarc.
After getting know to know that he is one of the four Cardinal Heroes, the Shield Hero, he realizes that he is not respected due to not having any combat abilities. His first partner Malty, the king’s daughter betrays him, worsening his bad reputation. Disgusted with everything, Naofumi buys a diseased slave called Raphtalia to fight alongside him against the Waves. His mission is to save his country from the horrifying monsters of the Waves.
This is one of the best isekai anime on this list. You will love this too if you like to watch a weak protagonist fight it out against all odds. The power-scaling is not over the top and the character development is pretty good too. A solid choice for someone who wants to have a taste of this genre. It has 38 episodes in total.
9) Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
This is the story of Seiya and how a goddess named Ristarte summons him for a job. He is very strong from the beginning but with one fault – he is overly cautious and takes days to prepare for battles, never holding back even for the simplest of tasks. Ristarte still has to make him do her job, but his overly cautious nature is always a big problem.
This isekai anime is a funny turn to an overpowered main character and does overwhelm the audience with enormous acts of strength. It is based on the relationship between Seiya and Ristarte. If you are into comedy and isekai, this anime is the choice for you. It comprises of 12 episodes in total.
10) Welcome to Demon School, Iruma Kun
Iruma, a young human was sold to a demon named Sullivan by his parents. Sullivan was the principal of a Demon School called Babyls. Sullivan wants Iruma to act as his grandchild and attend Babyls. Iruma has to keep a low profile as he is a human lurking among demons. No one knows what will be the consequences if his identity is flashed out.
This anime is a staple isekai anime and follows a pretty linear plot with great comedy. The good character developments and funny moments in this anime make it a great contender to be a part of this list. This anime has 65 episodes in total.
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