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.
Isekai animedrop 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 moreoverlooked 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 August 04, 2025, by Mark Sammut:TheWinter 2025 seasonis nearly done, and two of its moreunderrated isekai animedeserve to be spotlighted as they might otherwise be forgotten to time.
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 Abilitywas 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.
Although not filled with classics, theWinter 2025 season told a few good new isekai stories.From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been ReincarnatedandZenshuare both fun shows that fans of the theme should seek out, but they cannot be described asunderrated isekai anime. In comparison,The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another Worlddoes 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.
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.
Compared to its more popular sibling,reverse isekaiis 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 beatFrierenandDelicious in Dungeonin 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 Elfis pleasant, surprisingly mature, and frequently funny.
Overall, Summer 2024 was a pretty terrible season for isekai anime. Putting asideThat 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 IsekaiandDahlia in Bloomare watchable but nothing more.Failure Frameis mostly carried by a handful of “hype” moments and anedgy overpowered protagonist, both of which can be seen as cringe-worthy depending on the viewer.A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While AdventuringandThe Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord’s Army Was a Humanare just forgettable and kind of dull.Quality Assurance in Another Worldhas 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 Worldwas 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 Worldhas 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.
Ishurais 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,Ishurabecomes 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.
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.
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 Therehas 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.
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 agreat psychological anime,butKakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spiritsis still among the finest isekai around.
An OVA series that produced two seasons,El Hazardis 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 Hazardoffers 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, thisunderrated isekai animeis difficult to find, but it is worth watching if someone stumbles across it.
A forgotten mid-2000sanime movie, Gonzo’sBrave Storyis 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 Storyis 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.
An odd mashup of harem, comedy, and parody anime,Outbreak Companyis 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,andOutbreak Companycapitalizes on its own absurdity at every opportunity.
Shnishi is a missionary for otaku culture in a world with zero interest in his passion.Because of this, the plot ofOutbreak Companymay 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.
