10 Best Starter Anime to Get Your Friends Into Isekai
Any genre of anime needs a handful of excellent titles to make a good impression on newcomers. Introductory anime need to be high quality to impress new fans, while also giving viewers a clear and fair idea of what a certain genre is like. The action genre has titles like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and slice-of-life has the likes of Horimiya and K-On!, so now fans want to know what kind of introductory titles the isekai genre has.
Isekai is home to some stellar titles like Re:Zero and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, but those titles are rather complex and deep, meaning they’re better for established isekai fans. Then there’s iffy or forgettable isekai like Black Summoner and My Isekai Life, which don’t make strong enough of an impression to convince new fans to get involved in the isekai genre. Fortunately, this saturated genre has a number of titles that aren’t too long, too weird, or too weak to draw in new fans.
Konosuba is a Satirical Impression of What Isekai is Like
On one hand, getting into a genre via a subversive title like Konosuba may seem like an odd strategy. It’s often best to become familiar with a genre and its rules before deconstructing everything. Then again, the Konosuba anime is highly entertaining and still hits all the isekai beats, even if it’s making fun of everything along the way.
Regardless of the goofy comedy in Konosuba, new isekai viewers will still get the idea of how this genre works, from reincarnation and meeting goddesses to joining a guild and fighting monsters. It helps that Konosuba is silly enough so most viewers will get the point that isekai isn’t usually this outrageous. And just in case, a new isekai viewer can always have this distinction explained to them by a friend.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Shows the More Constructive Side of Isekai
It’s fair to say that a lot of isekai anime focus on fantasy action — perhaps too many. Anyone getting into isekai will see that for themselves, but they must also know that isekai has much more to offer. That’s why newcomers are encouraged to try a title like Ascendance of a Bookworm, a series where magic and monsters mean almost nothing at all.
The young heroine Myne is also the total opposite of isekai powerhouses like Rimuru Tempest and Ainz Ooal Gown, instead being a sympathetic, vulnerable underdog who has constructive dreams in mind. Myne was reborn into a working-class family with no access to books, but the book-loving Myne is going to change all that when she works to make volumes of her own. It’s one of those inspiring anime about someone pursuing a passion project, and at times, it hardly even feels like isekai.
Inuyasha is a Classic Isekai, Romance, and Fantasy Anime
Inuyasha helped get a lot of anime fans used to the general idea of isekai in the 2000s, with heroine Kagome Higurashi being a modern girl who fell into a time travel well into feudal Japan. The best part about Inuyasha is that while it checks off many isekai boxes, it’s not nearly as formulaic as some other isekai titles are, with Inuyasha being written as an action/fantasy/romance that happens to involve another world.
Thus, Inuyasha is a great blend of isekai as fans know it and more general fantasy and romance, broadening its appeal a great deal. If new isekai fans are keen on the more creative and less formulaic series, then Inuyasha is a must, and more casual fans might actually start and end their isekai exploration with Inuyasha. This anime is just that good, with or without fillers, and it avoids some of isekai’s more annoying or problematic tropes.
No Game No Life is a Short and Sweet Introduction to Isekai
No Game No Life is a strong introductory isekai anime for a few reasons, including its modest length. For devoted isekai fans, it’s actually a real bummer how No Game No Life only has a 12-episode season and a movie to its name. If newcomers just need a strong and accurate first taste of isekai, though, No Game No Life does the job quite well. And in any case, all fans can continue the story in light novel form.
No Game No Life hits all the right isekai beats with elements such as strong protagonists who dominate a new world, a colorful realm to explore, and an open-ended narrative. The twist is how No Game No Life focuses on high-IQ gaming rather than violence to progress the story and resolve conflicts, just as Tet intended. It’s a new kind of power trip that’s much more fun than OP swords or spells, with even overpowered fighters like Jibril the Flugel being forced to play games in peace, no fighting allowed.
Trapped in a Dating Sim Shows How Delightfully Bizarre Isekai Can Be
Some isekai anime are arguably a little too weird and rely too much on off-the-wall gimmicks in a bid to stand out, such as having people get reincarnated as vending machines. Then there’s Trapped in a Dating Sim, which is wacky enough to be delightfully fun and refreshing without feeling like it’s trying too hard. Even devoted isekai fans might see the story of Leon Bartfort as a much-needed change of pace.
Trapped in a Dating Sim somehow crashes the mecha genre and otome game genre into a goofy package, all in a world where thirdborn sons like Leon have it tough as they negotiate high society’s cutthroat social events. The action and would-be romance might not enhance each other in Trapped in a Dating Sim, but at least these genres get along, and it all enhances the comedic tone. Fans may also enjoy how balanced Leon is, since he’s unbeatable in mecha combat but is more of an underdog in the other major arena: social maneuvering.
Saga of Tanya the Evil Should Appeal to Fans of Historical Anime and War Epics
Saga of Tanya the Evil is another popular isekai anime that didn’t get enough episodes, but at least new and experienced isekai fans alike can check out the source novel to continue the adventure. Also, even if the anime is rather short, it’s still enough material to give new isekai fans a solid impression of how this genre works.
Like many isekai leads, Tanya Degurechaff was once a Japanese person, only to be flung into a new realm due to the machinations of a deity. The cool twist is how Tanya’s new world is enveloped in a magical World War I that dragged into the 1920s, creating a weird historical setting that may appeal to war and history buffs. That helps make the setting and action just grounded enough to balance out the fantastical elements.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss Shows What Villainess Isekai is Like
Isekai is home to the concept of villainess stories, where the female lead gets reborn not as the heroine in an otome game, but as the antagonist. This is appealing partly to twist expectations, and partly because more than a few anime fans like a bad girl. These isekai villainess leads might lean into their antihero role, or they might totally reinvent who they are and surprise everyone around them.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is one of the best and most approachable examples of villainess isekai, not to mention one of the most charming. Aileen d’Autriche is a kind person who ditches the obnoxious prince in favor of the gentle and misunderstood demon lord, giving rise to a delightful romance that faces a few external obstacles. Another fun twist is how Aileen isn’t the only isekai guest in the game world, with her counterpart being far more willing to manipulate things with her meta-knowledge.
Log Horizon Stars a Smart Gamer Who’s Ready to Change a New World
A variety of isekai anime feature a gamer who gets sucked into the game world with no way out, an obvious yet effective appeal to the gamers in the anime community. More specifically, anime like Log Horizon reach out to fans of MMORPGs, which is a smart idea since RPGs are open-ended by nature, just like the isekai genre itself.
Log Horizon is far from the only isekai anime to trap its hero in a game world as a real-life character, but it’s still one of the best. That’s because Shiroe, the anime’s protagonist, is smart and powerful in constructive and cool ways, relying less on OP magic and more on his knowledge in how to build a society. That makes Log Horizon appealing to fans of Civilization and other games that are about running a society, not just indulging in a power trip.
I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years Demonstrates Isekai’s Power of Friendship
Some isekai anime tap into the power of friendship, and not just to give the OP hero a main party to hang out with. I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years is a great pick for fans of easygoing, heartfelt anime where kindness and companionship matter more than power, with Azusa Aizawa building up a household of monster friends to call her own, from dragon girls to ghosts.
Another amusing part of I’ve Been Killing Slimes is how Azusa cautiously and patiently built her way up to max stats only by killing slimes, and she never got a big head because of it. She is OP mainly just for survival’s sake, and she would rather not go on an epic quest to change the world. Thus, Azusa has just enough fight scenes to show off and help her maintain the peace, while also making it clear Azusa vastly prefers a cozy life over conquest.
Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill Introduces Viewers to Isekai’s Comforting Side
There’s plenty of comfort to be found in anime like I’ve Been Killing Slimes, and fans can get even more of that in Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill. In this anime, combat skills matter for very little, and male lead Mudoka is a grown man who knows better than to go on some childish power trip — not that he even can. True to its title, Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill is about culinary delights, and little else.
Newcomers to isekai will soon see how popular the concept of fantasy food is, including non-isekai fantasy titles like Delicious in Dungeon. There is something gently yet profoundly comforting about food, and that is why Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill is such a fine introduction to isekai’s gentler side. That, and fans may love the novelty of a majestic canine creature like Fel humbles himself as Mudoka’s companion and #1 fan of his cooking.
