Another year, another billion isekai anime. Surprising absolutely nobody, the most overexposed genre in anime has had a huge 2025, with each season seeing a plethora of characters find their way to new worlds or games. We saw an unlucky loser become an emperor, an average middle-aged guy assemble a quick harem, a red ranger drop headfirst into a fantasy world, and a vending machine get a second season before Tanya von Degurechaff.
We received numerous sequels, even more new isekai stories, and even a couple of anime originals. We celebrated fantastic continuations, relished trash, and mourned what could have been when one of the best webtoons was adapted into one of the worst shows of the year. Most of 2025's isekai anime will not be remembered once 2026 rolls around, but the best of the bunch should stand the test of time. If nothing else, they are at least worth a watch, even if you are sick of otherworldly adventures.
Some criteria:
- If the anime aired in 2025, it qualifies.
- No borderline cases like Solo Leveling or To Your Eternity. If you need to ask if an anime qualifies as isekai, then it probably does not.
- Some shows are not Japanese. If they aired on Crunchyroll, they will be included.
- Fall 2025 is still ongoing, so some of its shows might get better (or worse) in their last few episodes. However, as they have released most of their episodes, we are going to include them. Their rankings are unlikely to change.
- Only series, not movies.
- That said, an honorary mention to Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood, a delightful short film bursting with emotion. Maybe it is because I have spent most of my adult life living in a different country from my family, but this movie hit home.
Honorable Mentions
On another day, the following 2025 isekai anime would have easily made the top 10.
- I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
- Isekai Quartet 3
- Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2
- The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4
- The Water Magician
10 My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's
2025's Best "Trash" Isekai Anime
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 6, 2025
- Japanese Title
- Ansatsusha de Aru Ore no Status ga Yuusha yori mo Akiraka ni Tsuyoi no da ga
- Studio
- Sunrise, TMS Entertainment
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Matsuri Akai
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Your mileage with My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's will come down to your tolerance for isekai archetypes, as this is another series with a super cool MC who has an elf beauty as a cheerleader and a powerful demon familiar who constantly calls him master. Along with the rest of his class, Akira is summoned to a fantastical realm by a king, who informs them about their destiny to defeat the demon lord. However, Akira quickly realizes that something is fishy, and he also notices that his assassin class comes with impressive stats and shadow skills. Long story short, he is framed for a murder, exiled from the kingdom, and vows to get revenge on the king, all the while trying to learn about this world's culture and races.
Full disclosure, I am a sucker for a good old-fashioned trashy power fantasy, and My Status as an Assassin is right up my alley. It also tweaks the OP MC formula enough to be slightly memorable, although just slightly.
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Akira does not start with full control of his shadow abilities, and he has to work a bit on his development while occasionally going up against enemies who are far more powerful than him. I would not call him deep, but he is likable, especially since he clearly wants to go back home to reunite with his sister and mother. Although coming across like the token female waifu at times, Amelia is bolstered by an interesting family backstory and a unique skill that gives her importance beyond just being Akira's plus one. Heck, even a few of Akira's classmates are decent. Night, Akira's familiar, is the show's best character (and cat).
9 Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!
2025's Best Reverse Isekai Anime
Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- AT-X
- Japanese Title
- Nihon e Youkoso Elf-san.
- Studio
- Zero-G
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Makishima Suzuki
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Compared to the regular variant, 2025 did not have all many reverse isekai anime, which is a shame as these stories tend to lean more into comedy and slice of life. Case in point, we have Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!, a show all about promoting the country's beauty, culture, and food. Admittedly, these types of anime can feel like travel ads at times, but they can still be enjoyable.
Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Sets itself apart by splitting its time between Earth and a fantasy world, as Kazuhiro (human) and Maria (elf) take turns acting as each other's guides. While the segments set in the isekai world are, frankly, boring, the Earth episodes are absolutely delightful, largely thanks to Maria's wide-eyed excitement and contagious positivity. If you are craving a relaxing, slow-life story, do not skip this series.
8 A Wild Last Boss Appeared!
2025's Best Traditional OP MC Isekai Anime
A Wild Last Boss Appeared!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 27, 2025
- Japanese Title
- Yasei no Last Boss ga Arawareta!
- Studio
- WAO World
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Firehead
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
If someone is remotely familiar with isekai, they can probably predict most of A Wild Last Boss Appeared's plot beats, especially if they worship Ainz Ooal Gown. So, yeah, this is basically gender-bent Overlord, a description that should immediately tell you if this show is for you. A guy wakes up as his overpowered female video game character, Lufas, in a world that resembles the original MMORPG but seems to be set hundreds of years later. Alone but determined to rebuild his kingdom, the MC sets out to reunite with his character's former subordinates, while periodically engaging in battles that more closely resemble massacres than duels.
A Wild Last Boss Appeared knows exactly what it wants to be, and it makes sure to indulge in its strengths whenever possible. Lufas is unfazed by nearly anything, and her fight sequences are one-sided but still spectacular. The world-building is fairly fascinating, as the MC gradually learns how the kingdoms have evolved during their absence, and the secondary characters bounce off Lufas well.
7 From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!
2025's Best Villainess Isekai Anime
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Japanese Title
- Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan
- Studio
- Ajia-do
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Michiro Ueyama
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
As isekai grew, subgenres began to blossom, ones that receive new anime in nearly every quarter. Although the concept took quite a long time to make the jump from light novels, isekai villainess anime are now inescapable, and they will not be going away anytime soon. In fact, this subgenre has become big enough that we are now receiving parodies, and From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated! Works as both a traditional representative and a subversion.
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As suggested by the title, a father is reincarnated as the villainess of a school-based otome game, and he has to use his wits, experience, and dad jokes to survive until the end. The premise is ripe for hilarity, and the show mostly lives up to that promise. Kenzaburo/Grace is relentlessly charming as a lovable teddy bear who not only parents his way into the hearts of the other students, but also inadvertently sets up a harem for himself. Everything that happens within the game is great, but what really pushes From Bureaucrat to Villainess over the edge is what happens in the real world. While Kenzaburo becomes the greatest female dad ever, his wife and daughter play through the game to try and help him out.
6 Ishura Season 2
2025's Most Improved Isekai Anime Sequel
Ishura
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Passione, Sanzigen
- Based On
- Novel & Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Keiso
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
As much as I loved 2024's Ishura, its opening half was too messy to warrant a spot among last year's best isekai anime. Therefore, I'm grateful that season 2 not only exists but improves upon nearly every aspect of its predecessor. For the uninitiated, this series basically pits overpowered archetypes against each other, with some of them being visitors from another world. Although each season sort of has a designated protagonist, the story shifts lanes so frequently that a dozen characters get to shine and, more importantly, seem expendable.
While the world-building and lore have depth, Ishura's selling point is its fight sequences, and they are constantly impressive. Unlike season 1, the sequel wastes little time on prep and gets to the actual showdowns quickly. We get to see a talkative mecha face off against a being close to a zombie, while a living calamity approaches them. A vampire massacres a house, and a sniper struggles against a skeleton. Characters with ridiculously overpowered abilities battle it out in nearly every episode, and they can all die at any given moment.
5 Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Season 2
2025's Best Comfort Food Isekai Anime
Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2023 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Ren Eguchi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Sometimes, you want to see heroes struggle against the odds in intense conflicts that are jaw-dropping in every sense of the word. Other times, you just want to sit back and relax as a normal dude cooks delicious-looking food for his pet Fenrir, slime, and dragon. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is the pitch-perfect slow-life isekai anime that offers a tension-free escape from reality that is constantly endearing and never dull.
Building on its predecessor's solid foundation, season 2 does not shake up the formula in any notable way, instead opting to reinforce what worked before. Tsuyoshi gains another familiar (the adorable Dora) and gets to cook a plethora of new monster dishes, including a dragon that takes up a hefty portion of the first few episodes. We get to visit a dungeon and spend time in a few different cities, all of which make for a fun and cozy time.
4 The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess
2025's Gorgeous Story-Book Isekai Anime
The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 28, 2025
- Studio
- Colored Pencil Animation
- Based On
- Novel & Manhwa
- Creator
- Plutus, Spoon
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
If I had to pick 2025's nicest isekai surprise, it would have to be The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess. Maybe I was just living under a rock, but this Chinese animated series came completely out of nowhere and then promptly delivered some of the year's prettiest animation. Beyond its stunning aesthetic, this show tells a fairy tale-style story about a princess who wants to connect with her cold and distant father, all in the hopes of avoiding a bad ending. How does she know about the latter? Well, she gains memories of a past life that reveals she is now living inside a novel, and her character's future is not bright.
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The Fated Magical Princess follows the protagonist throughout her childhood and early adolescence, showing how she grows into her role while exploring her latent magical ability. Athanasia's relationship with her father serves as the story's beating heart, and it is mostly handled well, although the latter takes a bit too long to actually become somewhat pleasant. Fortunately, Athanasia is more than lovable enough to carry the series until then.
3 Zenshu
2025's Best Original Isekai Anime
ZENSHU
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Zenshuu.
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator(s)
- Kimiko Ueno, Mitsue Yamazaki
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
We don't get original anime often, so we need to cherish the exceptions. Zenshu might be the greatest original isekai anime of all time, and it was among 2025's most well-rounded stories. Natsuko, a burned-out animator, chokes on her food and, somehow, ends up in the world of her favorite anime, which is notorious for its grim ending that kills off all its main characters. Armed with a magic pen that brings to life her drawings (with limitations), Natsuko sets out to change the course of fiction, a journey that not only thrusts her into the role of a hero but also forces her to let down her personal walls.
While losing steam during its middle portion, Zenshu is bookended by excellence, with the anime starting and ending with two of the year's best episodes in the genre. A refreshingly flawed protagonist who is constantly pushed out of her comfort zone, Natsuko is relatable and just all-around fantastic, and she is hardly the anime's only great character.
2 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3 (Episodes 9–16)
2025's Best Isekai Anime (Kind Of)
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
- Studio
- White Fox
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Tappei Nagatsuki
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
In 2025, the best isekai anime of all time released arguably its worst batch of episodes, a statement entirely fueled by Re:Zero's absurdly high standards rather than a substantial dip in quality. After spending half a cour setting the stage for a full-on war between Subaru's party and the Sin Archbishops, part 2 paid off that hype beautifully, delivering what could be described as Re:Zero's battle shonen arc.
Season 3 jumped back and forth between predictable but intense battles that highlighted nearly all the core characters, while also spotlighting new-ish figures who needed some depth, like Priscilla. With top-notch animation, great dialogue, and villains who are inherently hateable, Re:Zero is still amazing even when it is playing things safe.
1 Lord of Mysteries
2025's Best Isekai Anime (Sort Of)
Lord of Mysteries
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- June 28, 2025
- Creator(s)
- Cuttlefish That Loves Diving
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
If your definition of "anime" consists strictly of Japanese shows, then Re:Zero was 2025's best isekai series. However, if we can stretch things to also include Donghua, then Lord of Mysteries was extra special. Based on a webnovel, the story follows Zhou as he finds himself in a Victorian dimension with his soul trapped in the body of a guy named Klein. While trying to find his way home, he performs a ritual that drops him in a haunting realm where powerful entities meet, and he has to pretend to be their organizer. Eventually, Klein gains Tarot-based powers, becomes a Beyonder, and starts to work on cases that involve terrifying beings with similar reality-warping abilities.
Lord of Mysteries is initially overwhelming, and the first episode, in particular, moves at a blistering pace while incorporating all sorts of in-universe terminology that only kind of makes sense. However, the story goes from strength to strength after that point, and things really begin to click when the focus shifts to Klein's cases. These episodes essentially follow a monster-of-the-week format, but they also help explain most of the core concepts introduced in the opening episode. Lord of Mysteries is dense in the best possible way, and if you are like me, you will come out of this series with a desire to track down the source material. Oh, the animation is arguably the best of the year (for isekai), and the Victorian setting is awesome.
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