Isekai has taken the anime world by storm,with at least two or three series a seasonhaving isekai tropes or elements in some way. Many of these isekai series are born from light novels, particularly those that came from the website Shosetsuka ni Naro, where users can upload stories and read them for free.
RELATED:Great Light Novels That Never Got An Ending
While most isekai anime are usually adaptations of these light novels, that doesn’t mean that every anime with isekai elements comes from a light novel. Some are based on other media like manga, while others are original. Here are some anime with isekai elements that don’t originate from light novels.
10Ixion Saga DT
Game-loving loser Kon Hokaze receives a request from a beautiful girl in an online game and believes he has finally managed to get a girlfriend. Instead, he is transported to another world, where he ends up guardian to a young princess who is heading to be married to a neighboring king.
Ixion Saga DTis an isekai comedybased on an online game calledIxion Saga, which was developed by Capcom. The series is a lighthearted parody that often veers into the obscene, and it can be appreciated even by those who aren’t fans of isekai.
9Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Two residents of the shopping district Abenobashi, Satoshi and Arumi, find themselves swept away from their home in Osaka and into a bizarre world where the people they are so familiar with have become completely different people. The two children are forced to travel from world to world until they can finally find their way home.
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashiis another comedic isekai series, and an original project created by Gainax ofNeon Genesis Evangelionfame. The series abounds with plenty of Gainax’s signature sense of aesthetics, including surreal imagery, nonsensical humor, and sensually-drawn characters.
8Marchen Awakens Romance
Ginta Toramizu is a young boy who is suddenly summoned to the world of MAR Heaven. A fantastical place filled with the stuff of fairy tales, Ginta soon finds Babbo, an ARM that has its own personality and will. Ginta and Babbo become traveling partners and get wrapped up in a battle that could decide the fate of the world.
Marchen Awakens Romanceis a fantasy anime series that was adapted from a manga written by Nobuyuki Anzai. The series is full of fairy tale tropes and elements, with many characters being based on popular fairy tales and similar fantasy stories.
7Magic Knight Rayearth
Hikaru Shindo, Umi Ryuzaki, and Fuu Hououji are visiting the Tokyo Tower with their respective schools when they are suddenly transported to the magical world of Cephiro. The girls learn that they have been summoned by the Princess Emeraude, and are told they will be returned to Tokyo once they defeat Zagato, the man who has abducted her.
RELATED:Best Magical Girl Light Novels With No Anime Adaptations
Magic Knight Rayearthis a fantasy isekai anime based on two manga series written bythe legendary mangaka group CLAMP. The series takes elements from not only isekai but also magical girl and mecha stories to create a tale that is both epic and emotional.
6Fushigi Yugi
Miaka Yui and her best friend Yui Hongo discover a strange book in the library that transports them to the world inside the novel, which is reminiscent of ancient China. While Yui is sent back immediately, Miaka ends up becoming the Priestess of Suzaku and learns that if she can summon Suzaku, she will be able to obtain three wishes.
Fushigi Yugiis yet another isekai anime that is adapted from a manga written by Yuu Watase, who has also written works likeCeres, Celestial Legend, andAbsolute Boyfriend. The series is great for those who enjoy romance stories in a fantasy setting.
5Uncle From Another World
Takafumi Takaoka goes to see his uncle in the hospital, who has just woken up from a 17-year-long coma. Initially reluctant to take care of him due to a lack of funds, he changes his mind when he learns his Uncle was in another world the entire time he was asleep and retained his magical powers.
Uncle from Another Worldis another isekai anime that parodies and lampoons isekai tropes. It is based on a manga, and the series generally involves Uncle telling Takafumi and his friend Fujimiya about his adventures in the other world.
4Drifters
Shimazu Toyohisa sacrifices his life in order to give his uncle time to escape from the Battle of Sekigahara. However, instead of dying, he is sent to a strange world where he meets two other historical figures, Oda Nobunaga and Nasu no Yoichi. The three are considered Drifters and have been summoned to save the world from total destruction.
RELATED:Isekai Anime With The Best Action
Driftersis an isekai series based on a manga written by Kouta Hirano, the creator of the legendary vampire seriesHellsing.Driftersis action-packed and full of bloody, violent fighting, as to be expected of the authorbehind characters like Alucard.
3The Boy And The Beast
After his mother’s death, Ren runs alone into the streets of Shibuya, while Kumatetsu, in the running for successor to the grandmaster, is told to find a disciple. The two meet and soon become friends, with Ren following Kumatetsu to his home in the Beast Kingdom.
The Boy and the Beastis an anime movie written and created by Mamoru Hosoda,a filmmaker known for movies likeSummer Wars,Wolf Children, andThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It is a coming-of-age story that features fantastical and otherworldly elements.
2The Vision Of Escaflowne
Hitomi Kanzaki is a normal high school girl who loves fortune-telling. She wants to confess to her crush on the track team, but the sudden appearance of a giant knight interrupts these plans, taking her to the world of Gaea instead. Now entwined with Prince Van, the machine’s pilot, Hitomi attempts to survive in this new world while trying to find a way home.
The Vision of Escaflowneis a classic mecha anime created by Sunrise, the same production studio behindGundam. While the series had a manga come out before the anime,Escaflowneis an anime original project andone of the best known isekai mecha seriesto come out of the 90s.
1Digimon Adventure (1999)
Seven high school kids get transported to another world while on a field trip. There, they encounter mysterious creatures called Digimon and learn that the world they have arrived in is called the Digital World. In order to survive and find a way home, the children bond with the Digimon and become partners in battle.
Digimon Adventurewas the first anime adaptation based on theDigimonpet game franchise,and it was a massive hit. WhileDigimonhas continued to create new anime adaptations,Digimon Adventureremains one of the most beloved entries in the franchise, and for good reason.
