Key Takeaways
- One Piece showcases expansive world-building with a huge cast, influencing the fate of the protagonist.
- Isekai genre lends itself well to high stakes and detailed settings, as shown in Knight's And Magic and Now And Then, Here And There.
- Mushoku Tensei and That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime demonstrate vast scale through world-changing conflicts and power growth.
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Some anime shows set themselves apart from all others due to their sheer size. This has nothing to do with the number of episodes, but how expansive the stories feel. One of the best examples of this is One Piece, which, in addition to a mind-boggling number of episodes, features a huge cast and an even larger world where the fate of the protagonist has affected everything.
There are shows that do this in almost every genre, and isekai is no exception. Isekai lends itself well to this premise, as the very idea of being in another world introduces the potential for very high stakes in an expansive, detailed setting.
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7 Knight's And Magic
Isekai And Mecha Make A Great Combination
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Knight's & Magic: The Complete Collection
Action
Fantasy
Mecha
Isekai
- Release Date
- July 2, 2017
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- 8bit
- Based On
- Novel & Light Novel
- Creator
- Hisago Amazake-no
- Number of Episodes
- 13
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Knight’s And Magic is a 2017 anime in which an otaku programmer who loves mechanical robots, dies and is reincarnated in a new world where the people fight using giant robots called Silhouette Knights powered by magic.
Now known as Ernesti Echevarria and blessed with impressive magical abilities, the protagonist looks to fulfill his ambition of being able to build mechs. The world of Fremmevilla starts out small, but as the episodes go on, it expands as more kingdoms are introduced and the shadow of war looms over everything.
6 Now And Then, Here And There
A Look Into A Dystopian World
Now and Then, Here and There
Isekai
Drama
War
- Release Date
- October 14, 1999
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- AIC
- Japanese Title
- Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
- Number of Episodes
- 13
Now And Then, Here And There is one of the older isekai series, and came out before the genre became as popular as it is today. It tells the story of Shuu, who finds himself in another world in a bid to save a girl he has just met, Lala-Ru.
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These anime series take place in worlds devastated by war, invasion, or apocalyptic events, forcing their characters to fight to survive.
The show uses Shuu to take the viewer into a world ravaged by war, suffering, and scarcity. Watchers experience Shuu’s torture, pain, and resilience with him while also realizing the large-scale consequences of his actions. The sense of feeling small and helpless in a world that isn’t fair to anyone, is something Now And Then, Here And There does beautifully.
5 Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia
Anything Involving A Multiverse Is Huge
Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia
Action
Fantasy
Isekai
Supernatural
- Release Date
- October 5, 2019
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- CloverWorks
- Based On
- Game
- Number of Episodes
- 21
- Japanese Title
- Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia
Some might object to calling Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia an isekai. However, it meets the genre criteria in the same way that Inuyasha does, and Inuyasha is considered an isekai in many circles. As part of the Fate franchise, FGO already has a sense of scale that spans across multiple timelines.
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The show looks to immerse viewers in the world of 2655 BC Mesopotamia where Gilgamesh rules and is looking to protect his city. Throw in some demonic beasts threatening the peace of Uruk, and everyone gets an epic showcase.
4 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Rudeus Is Involved In World-Changing Conflicts
Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation
Isekai
Action
Adventure
Drama
- Release Date
- January 11, 2021
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- Studio Bind
- Based On
- Novel & Light Novel
- Creator
- Rifujin na Magonote
- Number of Episodes
- 39+
- Japanese Title
- Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
Mushoku Tensei is one of the most popular isekai currently airing, and part of its appeal is its vast sense of scale. Viewers follow Rudeus literally from the day he is born in the new world. While the early episodes of Mushoku Tensei suggest a small-scale story of an overpowered character growing up in a small town, it shifts rather suddenly.
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Related
8 Ways Mushoku Tensei Stands Out Among Various Isekai Anime Series
Mushoku Tensei is notable for departing from the norm of the isekai genre in the following ways.
Rudeus has to leave home, and then travel to different parts of the world with different races and powers. This gives Mushoku Tensei an amazing sense of being a small part of a huge tale. The involvement of powerful entities, such as the Dragon god, also add to the scale of the story.
3 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Rimuru Tempest Grows To Become A World Power
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Action
Adventure
Isekai
- Release Date
- October 2, 2018
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- Eight Bit
- Japanese Title
- Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken
- Based On
- Novel & Light Novel
- Creator
- Fuse
- Number of Episodes
- 72
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime starts off simply enough: a salaryman winds up murdered and transported to another world where he is now a slime. While gimmicky on the surface, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime slowly builds up to an incredible climax.
Slowly, Rimuru Tempest (the name the slime assumes) starts building his own society. Soon, he comes into conflict with other empires and societies. The political intrigue, drama, and intrigue develop over time, immersing up the viewer as they see this expansive world Rimuru inhabits come to life.
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2 Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
Makoto’s Lone Adventure Expands Splendidly
Tsukimichi - Moonlit Fantasy
Isekai
Comedy
Fantasy
- Release Date
- July 7, 2021
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- C2C (Season 1), J.C.Staff (Season 2)
- Japanese Title
- Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Kei Azumi
- Number of Episodes
- 37
Tsukimichi is also an isekai with some of the common tropes that everyone is used to now. The protagonist is transported to another world, imbued with a useless power, but is somehow able to become overpowered, and all the ladies fawn over him.
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However, Makoto is a much more likable main character than most. As he begins to build an empire where outcasts like himself can dwell in peace, the second season comes along and raises the stakes. It introduces other heroes from Makoto’s world and more empires, kingdoms, and races, all slowly coming to grips with the growing influence of Makoto and his empire.
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1 The 12 Kingdoms
Youko’s Rise From Normie To Queen Is Epic
The Twelve Kingdoms
Isekai
Fantasy
Action
- Release Date
- April 9, 2002
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Japanese Title
- Juuni Kokuki
- Based On
- Novel
- Creator
- Fuyumi Ono
- Number of Episodes
- 45
The 12 Kingdoms uses its simple isekai premise to craft an intricately detailed world. When Youko Nakajima is whisked away from her mundane life to become the queen of a kingdom in another world, she feels out of her element.
Youko’s path to becoming queen is not a simple one, and she is soon embroiled in a conflict that involves the most powerful forces in the country she is to rule with some intrigue from the other kingdoms. However, the story doesn’t focus entirely on Youko. Viewers get to see the world through the eyes of other individuals, some in completely different empires located in the same world. This goes a long way in creating a grand sense of scale for the series. The series is fondly remembered as one of the most well put-together isekai shows of the generation.
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5 Best Kingdom Building Isekai Anime, Ranked
Kingdom-building isekai anime are not that common, but there are a few great series out there.
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