Many of the light novel and anime series released in recent years fall within the Isekai genre, such as The Ascendance Of A Bookworm and High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World. In addition, the vast majority of light novels to anime adaptations are Isekai, with the numbers at roughly 85%.
Light novels can also have over 20 volumes, making it difficult for studios to fit stories into one or two seasons. All of this, combined with the inconsistent and slow releases of light novels, means that some Isekai anime series never finish adapting their source material.
8 Gate
Gate does not follow the usual Isekai trope of the protagonist dying in a car accident or suddenly waking up in a new world. Instead, it brings the realm of fantasy to the real world. The story begins when a portal opens up in modern-day Tokyo, bringing a medieval army and a legion of monsters ready to attack the city. However, the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) repel the attack and set up a base of operations in the new world.
The Gate light novel series ran from 2010 to 2015, producing ten original volumes, and the anime series only adapted the first three volumes. Nevertheless, it is a refreshing take on the Isekai genre and is a good read and watch for fans.
7 The Ambition Of Oda Nobuna
The Ambition of Oda Nobuna follows Yoshiharu Sagara, an average high school student, who suddenly finds himself amid a heated battle during the Sengoku Era. However, just before he is killed, he is saved by the man who would eventually become Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan’s Unifiers. Determined to restore the altered timeline, Yoshiharu joins the Oda clan and discovers that its head is not Nobunaga Oda but a beautiful young woman named Nobuna Oda.
Besides the apparent gender-swapping, the anime series does an excellent job of representing the Sengoku Era. The comedic elements of the show also make it fun to view. Unfortunately, with only one twelve-episode season dedicated to the anime adaptation, it barely scratched the surface of the light novel series, adapting only four of the 22 volumes.
6 Aesthetica Of A Rogue Hero
The story of Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero is told from a somewhat different perspective by focusing on the hero's return from their trip to the new world rather than their time there. The central premise of Aesthetica is that the inhabitants of the leading world are constantly sent to other worlds to gain supernatural powers and abilities.
The show's attempt at double reverse isekai gives its viewers the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the show ended without fully adapting its source material and may never get a real ending, as the anime only adopted three of the 11 volumes.
5 Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is an isekai anime series that excellently executes a story of adventure and discovery. It revolves around an overworked computer programmer who finds himself unexpectedly inside his video game setting. He later joins a group to explore this new game world while attempting to keep his true identity and the extraordinary abilities he has gained hidden.
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody’s light novel is still ongoing and has up to 26 volumes. However, the anime only ran for one season with twelve episodes that only covered the first three volumes, and with the anime ending five years and no news of renewal, the odds of it getting a follow-up season are slim.
4 Amagi Brilliant Park
Another anime that takes the “re-isekai” route follows Seiya Kanie, a good-looking perfectionist coerced by a young woman to go on a date to an amusement park called Amagi Brilliant Park. The Park is in a state of financial ruin and faces the threat of being shut down for good. Also, unbeknownst to the Park’s customers, it is staffed by refugees from another world known as Maple Land, and it harvests the magical energy from happy customers. To save the Park, they must attract 250,000 customers within three months.
The light novel series from which the anime is adapted has just eight volumes, the least on this list. However, the anime adapts just the first three volumes from the light novel series, and there is no news of a second season in the works.
3 Grimgar Of Fantasy And Ash
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash’s anime series was on for just a single season of 12 episodes that covered just two volumes. However, the light novel series is still ongoing and has up to 19 books. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is an isekai anime that tackles the harsh reality of suddenly being transported to a new world. The anime tells the story of a group of rookie adventurers transported from modern-day Earth to a fantasy world known as Grimgar.
It adequately portrays the characters' dread and hopelessness as they realize they may be out of their depth. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is an exciting take on isekai and is one every fan of the genre should experience.
2 The Saga of Tanya The Evil
The Saga of Tanya The Evil follows the story of a prepubescent girl named Tanya, a prodigy tactician and a soldier of the Imperial German Army. Her superiors consistently give her absurd and impossible orders to carry out, but due to her skill and pure rage, Tanya always manages to come out on top.
However, it is revealed Tanya is simply a disgruntled salary man who a vengeful coworker murders and is reincarnated as a 12-year-old girl by a spiteful being. The anime’s philosophical themes set it apart from other anime produced within its genre. The Saga of Tanya The Evil’s light novel series is still ongoing with 13 volumes, and the anime series ended back in 2017.
1 No Game No Life
Despite its enormous popularity, No Game No Life only had twelve anime episodes and a prologue film. However, notwithstanding the light novel series releases at a slower pace than most, ten volumes of the light novel series have currently been released.
Fans are even more perplexed by the show's discontinuation because the anime only covered the first three volumes of the light novel. Despite more than enough content to make and a demand for further episodes of this franchise, it looks to be the end of the road for the No Game No Life anime series.