The rules of the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror universes depicted in anime can differ from those of reality in innumerable ways. Sometimes the world presented is an alternate history where only the royal lineages of Europe differ; sometimes it's an alien ecosystem where even gravity behaves in new and confounding ways.
Every New Isekai Anime Of 2025
Isekai anime is inescapable, with each season containing a couple of shows. Here are all the 2025 isekai anime series.
Isekai anime drop the protagonist into a new and difficult world, allowing the audience to explore and learn through their eyes. This fish-out-of-water tale is a classic format with countless examples, and it's easy for even high-quality stories to fall through the cracks. There's nothing wrong with popular shows, but fans of the genre owe it to themselves to sample the more overlooked isekai anime.
Underrated is a vague term; in this case, it refers to series that do not get much love either in terms of actual views or positive discourse. MyAnimeList's scores and user counts will be used to provide some direction for the picks. To be considered, an anime has to have fewer than 65K users or a score lower than 7.5/10; ideally, both.
Also, this article highlights isekai anime that are either forgotten, overlooked, or so polarizing that they are worth a watch.
Updated March 23, 2025, by Mark Sammut: The Winter 2025 season is nearly done, and two of its more underrated isekai anime deserve to be spotlighted as they might otherwise be forgotten to time.
15 My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!
Humor That Is Either Hilarious Or Boring
My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 5, 2024
- Japanese Title
- Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n desu ga.
- Studio
- Okuruto Noboru
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Tsuyoshi Fujitaka
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
- MyAnimeList Score
- 6.38
OK, this is a bit of a strange one. My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Is pretty much a full-blown isekai parody, one that specifically tears down the theme's overreliance on OP characters. The anime is ridiculous, repetitive, devoid of anything resembling tension, and features surprisingly uninteresting protagonists. Along with all his other classmates, Yogiri arrives in a fantasy world, where he is initially left for dead alongside a girl named Tomochika as they do not seem to receive any powers like the other students. However, in truth, Yogiri is already a Lovecraftian monster that can kill anybody and anything with a single thought.
My Instant Death Ability was the most polarizing isekai anime of 2024. Nearly all the humor revolves around a character archetype arriving on the scene, only to be immediately wiped out by Yogiri. He even kills a few powerful characters by accident. As comedy is particularly subjective, this show's value will vary greatly from person to person. As such, this anime is worth a try, just to see if it falls on somebody's good or bad side.
14 The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World
A Love Letter To Sentai Sent from An Isekai World
The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru
- Studio
- Satelight
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Koyoshi Nakayoshi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Although not filled with classics, the Winter 2025 season told a few good new isekai stories. From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated and Zenshu are both fun shows that fans of the theme should seek out, but they cannot be described as underrated isekai anime. In comparison, The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World does not reach the same heights as either of those series, and it is pretty far from a "must-watch." Yet, the anime warrants a mention for two reasons.
7 Strongest Isekai Anime Protagonists Of Winter 2025, Ranked
The Winter 2025 anime season does not have as many overpowered isekai protagonists as usual, but these MCs are still very strong.
Firstly, it is consistently amusing. Nothing amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but the characters are likable, the action has a few clever moments, and the writing can be witty at times. Secondly and most importantly, it is filled with sentai goodness. Honestly, this show is primarily a recommendation for sentai rather than isekai fans, even though it should still manage to entertain the latter. As the title suggests, a Red Ranger lands head-first in a fantasy world, and he decides to just continue being a hero. As he is powered by friendship (aka bonds), he eventually forms a party with three archetypes, all of whom are allowed to shine.
13 Otaku Elf
A Cute Slice Of Life Reverse Isekai Anime
Otaku Elf
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 8, 2023
- Japanese Title
- Edomae Elf
- Studio
- C2C
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Akihiko Higuchi
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.26
Compared to its more popular sibling, reverse isekai is underutilized as a concept. At most, each season might have one anime that fits the theme, and they tend to not attract anywhere near as much attention as the standard variant. Case in point, Otaku Elf, a charming 2023 series that beat Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon in capitalizing on the recent boom in elf-driven content.
Summoned to Earth centuries before the events of the story, Elda lives as a Tokyo shrine's goddess, with the Koganei family's shrine maidens acting as her caretakers. Currently, Koito is in charge of supporting the timid elf, and she has been trying to push Elda out of her comfort zone. While they do not always get along perfectly, they have a generally wholesome and supportive relationship, one built on mutual respect. Otaku Elf is pleasant, surprisingly mature, and frequently funny.
12 No Longer Allowed in Another World
Starts Strong, Loses Some Steam, And Ends Strong
No Longer Allowed in Another World
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Ryuta Imaizumi
- Japanese Title
- Isekai Shikkaku
- Studio
- Atelier Pontdarc
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Hiroshi Noda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.28
Overall, Summer 2024 was a pretty terrible season for isekai anime. Putting aside That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, which was a Spring 2024 leftover, none of the lineup's new offerings amounted to much. Suicide Squad Isekai and Dahlia in Bloom are watchable but nothing more. Failure Frame is mostly carried by a handful of "hype" moments and an edgy overpowered protagonist, both of which can be seen as cringe-worthy depending on the viewer. A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring and The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human are just forgettable and kind of dull. Quality Assurance in Another World has interesting ideas and is worth a watch if somebody is specifically looking for a "trapped in a game" anime.
From the season's new series, No Longer Allowed in Another World was pretty comfortably the best, despite being far from an all-time great. Frequently funny and surprisingly touching at times, this anime initially starts as a full-blown parody that happens to feature a protagonist very clearly inspired by Osamu Dazai. Poking fun at tropes like truck-kun and the danger of OP otherworlders, No Longer Allowed in Another World has a wicked sense of humor that is carried entirely by its nihilistic MC and his mostly likable supporting players.
While losing some momentum during its middle portion, this series rediscovers its way during the final stretch, especially when it begins to tell more personal stories revolving around other summoned heroes.
11 Ishura
Once The Action Gets Going, It Is Fantastic
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
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 6.68 (Season 1)
Ishura is a difficult isekai anime to get into, but it is worth sitting through a few rough episodes to get to the good parts. Rather than adhering to convention, the show utilizes a unique storytelling structure by basically rejecting a standard protagonist. Instead, a bunch of overpowered characters are spotlighted in half-episode segments, all in preparation for an eventual conflict that will bring all these beings together.
The first half of season 1 cycles through roughly a dozen characters who exist in a dark fantasy world that is on the verge of a war between an empire and an independent state that is looking to break away under the banner of a false demon king. While these episodes can be confusing since they do not connect all that well, they build up to an explosion of action during the second half of the season, which is dedicated entirely to the war. At that point, Ishura becomes an action epic devoted entirely to OP vs OP characters, and it is awesome.
Season 2 is even better than its predecessor, although that mostly has to do with the latter setting the groundwork.
10 Now And Then, Here And There
A Cult Classic That Handles Heavy Themes Well
Now and Then, Here and There
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 14, 1999
- Japanese Title
- Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
- Studio
- AIC
- Number of Episodes
- 13
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.59
Helping strangers is important. Altruism is an admirable trait. Going out of one's way to save a strange girl from the machines trying to kidnap her is still above the call of duty for most people. Not so for Shuu Matsutani.
7 Dark Isekai Light Novels Worth Reading
These light novels delve deeper than other isekai-based ones, taking readers to a darker setting than they may be used to.
It turns out that's exactly the kind of impulsive heroism that gets one whisked away to a desert world, attacked by soldiers, and accused of stealing a magical, water-making pendant. Though the animation is a little dated, Now and Then, Here and There has more than enough to make up for it. The themes are sometimes darker than its childish appearance would suggest, but those comfortable venturing into a grim world will be grateful for the journey.
9 Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast For Spirits
A Calm & Comforting Snack
Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2017
- Japanese Title
- Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi
- Studio
- Gonzo
- Number of Episodes
- 26
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Midori Yūma
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.54 (Season 1)
Whether the ability to see spirits is a blessing or a curse depends very much on the story. For college student Aoi, it's a little bit of both. Aoi is walking past a shrine when a spirit sitting there asks her for food. She feeds him, only for the spirit, an Ogre named Odanna, to kidnap her and take her away to the Hidden Realm where all spirits dwell.
It is there that Aoi learns that her grandfather owed the Ogre a debt, and Odanna intends to take Aoi's hand in marriage as compensation. Instead, Aoi convinces the Ogre to let her work at his inn. It might not have the depth of a great psychological anime, but Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits is still among the finest isekai around.
8 El Hazard: The Magnificent World
Early Isekai Anime That Holds Up Pretty Well
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1995 - 1996-00-00
- Directors
- Hiroki Hayashi, Seiji Mizushima, Akihiko Nishiyama, Shigeru Yamazaki
- Writers
- Ryôe Tsukimura
- Japanese Title
- Shinpi no Sekai El-Hazard
- Studio
- AIC
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.25 (El Hazard: The Magnificent World)
An OVA series that produced two seasons, El Hazard is not always great, but it is consistently entertaining. Makoto and Jinnai do not get along, largely thanks to the latter being jealous of the former; during a school confrontation, the two students find themselves dragged to a magical world by a mysterious woman, and they are accompanied by two other people.
El Hazard offers silly over-the-top nonsense. While not for everyone, the show's comedy regularly hits the mark, provided a viewer does not mind its unabashedly "1990s" presentation. Nowadays, this underrated isekai anime is difficult to find, but it is worth watching if someone stumbles across it.
7 Brave Story
A Rare Isekai Anime Movie
Brave Story
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 8, 2006
- Director
- Koichi Chigira
- Studio
- Gonzo
- Based On
- Novel by Miyuki Miyabe
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.40
A forgotten mid-2000s anime movie, Gonzo's Brave Story is an isekai adventure that follows a young boy as he heads to the magical world of Vision to alter the trajectory of his family life. The latter has taken a terrible turn in recent days, forcing the innocent and good-natured boy to see change from an unlikely source.
Brave Story is a pretty good film that does not quite achieve excellence, mostly as the adaptation struggles to condense a fairly long story into roughly two hours. While the CGI is somewhat dated, Gonzo's animation is generally solid, and the main characters go through a proper arc throughout the story.
6 Outbreak Company
Embrace Geek Culture
Outbreak Company
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2013
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Feel
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Ichirō Sakaki
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE, Hoopla, Spectrum
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.17
An odd mashup of harem, comedy, and parody anime, Outbreak Company is about the protagonist's quest to spread the news of otaku culture in a fantasy world where it doesn't exist. Treating such a doomed and pointless mission as worthy of a series is hilarious in itself, and Outbreak Company capitalizes on its own absurdity at every opportunity.
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Shnishi is a missionary for otaku culture in a world with zero interest in his passion. Because of this, the plot of Outbreak Company may ring true for otaku viewers who can sympathize with a hero who just wants to share their love for a beloved fictional something. This relatability may be the series' greatest strength: it's a geeky show, the entire mission of which is to demonstrate that geekiness is valid.