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Whether the protagonist is the character sent through time and space or a friendly fighter met along the way, isekai anime feature some incredibly strong lead characters who prove it doesn’t matter where you come from. All that matters is how hard one can fight.
Updated January 24, 2022 by John Charron: Isekai anime has exploded in popularity the past few years, with countless shows and manga following the “fish out of water” formula. Some are certainly better than others, but the genre’s reach has expanded into countless other subgenres, from fantasy to sci-fi and historical fiction. The protagonists thrust into strange new worlds are central to an isekai anime’s success, with some following the stereotype of a hapless goofball more so than others. Regardless of where these isekai anime protagonists begin, where they end up on their journey is ultimately more important.
15 Hitomi Kanzaki – The Vision Of Escaflowne
Tarot is a lot of fun to play around with, but when things start coming true it gets a little freaky. Hitomi was a normal high-schooler before she was transported into the magical realm of Gaea, an alternate version of Earth.
Hitomi has several awesome powers, including clairvoyance via her tarot cards and the general ability to see into the future. The strange nature of her powers adds to The Vision of Escaflowne’s ethereal vibes.
14 Kazuma Sato – KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World!
A classic case of the shut-in going on an adventure in a strange world, basically the ideology from which the isekai genre is based on. Thrown into an RPG world, Kazuma avoids becoming just another pawn in the game by not choosing a starting class, allowing him to learn and use abilities that would otherwise be exclusive to their respective classes.
As such, Kazuma turns out to be pretty overpowered, although this is mostly shown in the movie and not the TV series.
13 Subaru Natsuki – Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World
Subaru is a salty dog; moody and resistant to the social world of the living. Of course, all that changes when he is transported into a fantasy world while coming back home from the store.
Subaru has a unique power though, when he dies he can go back in time a little (basically returning to a previous checkpoint). The power might not seem as action-oriented as some other isekai protagonists, but it comes in handy more than audiences might first expect. That said, it does have plenty of shortcomings.
12 Seiya RyÅ«gÅ«in – Cautious Hero – The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious
As the name of the anime suggests, Seiya is basically overpowered in every RPG category, except one: his own suspicions. Seiya doesn’t seem to trust anyone or anything, despite his immense strength and skill. Seiya’s fear is the source of some hilarious comedy in The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious, but also some interesting use of his own abilities as a protagonist.
11 Sora And Shiro – No Game No Life
No doubt two of the smartest characters in anime, these step-siblings are unbeatable as a team thanks to their calculating logic. The pair find themselves thrown into a strange dream-like world where games and gambling determine everything.
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No Game No Life is a fun anime, but protagonists Sora and Shiro are the ones who make the show so entertaining at the end of the day.
10 Inuyasha – Inuyasha
One of the best-known examples of Isekai anime, Inuyasha is a classic cartoon that was a first for many anime fans back in the 2000s. The series revolves around a young girl who is magically transported from modern-day Tokyo to the Sengoku period of feudal Japan where she meets many strange folk, including the titular character, Inuyasha.
Inuyasha is a half-demon, half-human hybrid who is adept at using his demon powers of strength and agility to vanquish foes. However, he doesn’t always know his own strength, as he is prone to letting his demon blood take over his human side.
9 Rimuru Tempest – That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one of the goofier isekai anime series; even the title of the show is silly. But the series is fantastic and is something of a clever parody of the genre.
An ordinary joe in Japan finds himself lost in a strange fantasy world after being murdered, with one big change: he’s now a slime. Rimuru is no one-hit-kill slime though. He possesses the ability to mimic foe’s appearances and skills, making him more dangerous than he looks. It’s an interesting take on the genre, and definitely worth a watch.
8 Mamako – Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
It’s one thing for a character to be transported into a strange surreal fantasy world, but it’s a completely different ballgame when their Mom joins them too. This is exactly the plot of this isekai anime series, following a mother and her son’s adventures inside an online video game where stats are king.
Mamako might be a caring and loving mother first and foremost, but she is an extremely capable fighter as well. She never hesitates to put herself in harm’s way for her party members.
7 Chihiro – Spirited Away
Though she’s not the most powerful isekai protagonist ever, Chihiro still deserves recognition for the sheer amount of personal growth she undergoes during the classic anime movie, Spirited Away.
Beginning as a mild-mannered and unsuspecting little girl, Chihiro changes into a bold and fearless woman by the end of the film. She muscles through each challenge in the spirit realm with courage and smarts to overcome the surreal adversity of her new setting.
6 Kumoko – So I’m A Spider, So What?
It’s common in isekai anime for the protagonist to start off the series as a low-leveled punching-bag. Even for this type of anime, though, a dungeon spider seems a bit harsh.
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Kumoko was a high school girl just minding her own business when a magic spell hit her entire class, bringing her and all her classmates into a fantasy world of demons and heroes. Kumoko is one tough cookie, considering she has to fight for her survival every step of the way.
5 Tanya – The Saga Of Tanya The Evil
Another reincarnation gone awry tale, The Saga of Tanya the Evil follows a Japanese businessman without much faith in the world, who is murdered and reincarnated as an orphan in a strange war-torn industrial society.
Never one to shy away from the battle, the newly dubbed Tanya makes her way through the military rankings to rise to power and control her own destiny. Tanya is also in the running for creepiest isekai anime protagonist of all time, being a coldhearted man in the form of a little girl.
4 Ainz Ooal Gown – Overlord
Taking over the body of their RPG player is something most gamers have thought about before, but the isekai anime, Overlord, actually makes it a reality.
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After being sucked into his favorite online role-playing game, an overpowered guild leader finds that life is different when you are leveled up to the max. Sometimes, being the strongest player in the game can actually be pretty boring.
3 Sadao Maou – The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
Not every isekai protagonist is some businessman or high school student — even Satan can get thrown into the mix every once in awhile. When the Demon Lord is transported from his sanctuary and into the real world, he has to get a job.
The irony of Satan working at a fast food joint is not lost on anyone, but that’s not to say he has forgotten all of his tricks. If anything, the foray into human life has only made him smarter and wiser.
2 Shiroe – Log Horizon
Log Horizon is another video game isekai anime in which players are sucked into the virtual world and forced to survive via the game’s rules. Shiroe was once an awkward student who preferred playing his favorite MMORPG over studying, but now he’s living in it.
Shiroe’s years of experience make him incredibly strong, especially with magic. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the game world, he creates and leads the Log Horizon Guild in an attempt to restore order.
1 Azusa Aizawa – I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level
Azusa Aizawa was once a workaholic employee who eventually died from her own overworking, and was reincarnated as a witch in a fantasy world. Looking to live as stress-free as possible, she simply kills slimes for a few hundred years – only to determine that she has become too powerful for her own good when trouble comes knocking.
Once her ridiculously high level is discovered, Azusa is swept up into adventures involving dragons, slime spirits, and plenty of other creatures in this fantasy universe. Her life never stays quiet for long.
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