Nowadays, isekai anime are inescapable. For every Sword Art Online and Overlord, there is a great but underrated isekai anime.
The rules of the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror universes depicted in many anime can differ from those of the real world in innumerable ways. Sometimes the world presented is an alternate history where only the royal lineages of Europe differ; sometimes it’s an alien ecosystem where even gravity behaves in new and confounding ways.
Isekai anime drop the protagonist into a new and difficult world, allowing the audience to explore and learn through their eyes. This fish-out-of-water tale is a classic format with countless examples, and it’s easy for even high-quality stories to fall through the cracks. There’s nothing wrong with popular successes, but fans of the genre owe it to themselves to sample isekai’s unsung heroes.
Updated October 20, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The Fall 2024 season is well underway, and it is packed with isekai anime sequels. Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Demon Lord, Retry!, and As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World are all airing new seasons, and they are all relatively well-known. The first three are among Fall 2024’s biggest anime, and they are likely to overshadow the lineup’s other genre members.
Due to contending with so much stiff competition, Fall 2024’s newcomers could very well be destined to become underrated isekai anime. However, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History and Loner Life in Another World have been mostly just fine, so it would be premature to officially include them. That said, the former is shaping up to be a decent villainess otome game entry, while the latter can produce the occasional chuckle.
A Summer 2024 anime has been added to the article.13 No Longer Allowed in Another World
Overall, Summer 2024 was a pretty terrible season for isekai anime. Putting aside That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, which was a Spring 2024 leftover, none of the lineup’s new offerings amounted to much. Suicide Squad Isekai and Dahlia in Bloom are watchable but nothing more. Failure Frame is mostly carried by a handful of « hype » moments and an edgy overpowered protagonist, both of which can be seen as cringe-worthy depending on the viewer. A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring and The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord’s Army Was a Human are just forgettable and kind of dull. Quality Assurance in Another World has interesting ideas and is worth a watch if somebody is specifically looking for a « trapped in a game » anime.
From the season’s new series, No Longer Allowed in Another World was pretty comfortably the best, despite being far from an all-time great. Frequently funny and surprisingly touching at times, this anime initially starts as a full-blown parody that happens to feature a protagonist very clearly inspired by Osamu Dazai. Poking fun at tropes like truck-kun and the danger of OP otherworlders, No Longer Allowed in Another World has a wicked sense of humor that is carried entirely by its nihilistic MC and his mostly likable supporting players.
While losing some momentum during its middle portion, this series rediscovers its way during the final stretch, especially when it begins to tell more personal stories revolving around other summoned heroes. 12 The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash
« Underrated » might not be the perfect word to describe The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash, as the anime is well-liked for the most part. However, the series spent most of Winter 2024 just a few steps away from significant momentum, inspiring occasional but inconsistent discourse. By the end of March 2024, this slow-life story had grown into one of the season’s most memorable new isekai anime; more importantly, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash presents a surprisingly refreshing take on the theme, and it is even a great option for people who have grown tired of the typical tropes.
In a world where somebody’s value is determined by their stars, which essentially refers to their skill level, Ivy’s starless nature makes her worthless. Knowing that death awaits, the young girl runs away from her village, and she sets out to survive while living in the wilderness and making the most of her weak tamer ability. Intense as its early sections are, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash eventually slips into a relaxing slice-of-life rhythm that allows Ivy’s warmth and innocence to shine through. Studio Massket’s animation is also shockingly good.11 Ishura
In a fantasy world that has its share of visitors with ridiculous powers, wars are decided by a select few people rather than expansive armies.
