With each season bringing in at least one new isekai show, the genre is just completely taking over. And with there being so many shows, studios have to get really creative for any new anime to stick out. And that’s what we’re covering in this list. Here’s my picks for the most unique isekai that anime has to offer.
10. Re: ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
We’re going to start things off with an absolute isekai powerhouse – Re: Zero. The main hook this show has to offer is completely confined to the MC. For one, he doesn’t follow the usual isekai trope of being the most powerful dude around. In fact, he’s probably among the weakest. And secondly, he does not die when he’s killed. I mean, he does, but he comes right back to a predetermined spawn point. This dynamic leads to a rather morbid game of cat and mouse where the MC dies repeatedly, learning something new each time – and eventually overcoming whatever obstacle was standing in his way. However, the emotional damage he takes along the way can’t be reset as easily. This brings up a rather interesting dynamic where the rest of the cast can never truly tell whether he’s a genius or clinically insane. Overall, the rest of the Re: Zero world is about what you’d expect – with all the fantasy tropes you know and love. But since we’re seeing everything through the eyes of the MC, it makes the experience just different enough to warrant a placement on this list.
9. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
This show follows a rather similar logic to the last one. The world itself is as basic as they come (with all of the tropes you know and love) but the MC is a bit special. We’ve seen shows where the isekai protagonist gets stuck inside of a game that they’ve already played. But this usually just relates to knowing the items/magic spells that make you a literal god. In this show, however, the MC knows the story of the game itself – and can therefore pretty much predict the future. As the title might have suggested, the MC doesn’t really want the original story to go through (as it literally leads to her doom) so she has to metagame her life in order to survive. The show is really fun and this unique concept leads to a lot of funny situations. It also helps that the main cast is full of the goofiest, most lovable characters you could ever imagine.
8. Ascendance of a Bookworm
In the past few years, we’ve seen an interesting niche of isekai crop up – the “doing a regular job but in another world” niche. Ascendance of a Bookworm is probably the most popular and the best written out of the bunch but perhaps not the most unique. As the title would suggest, this show is all about writing/reading/loving books with the caveat of the MC being like five years old and in another world. That being said, this is one of the most wholesome and laid-back isekai shows you’ll ever find. Who cares about slimes and ogres when you can just watch with glee as the MC slowly builds up her personal library? It might sound like a simple concept, but they did manage to squeeze three well-received seasons out of it already. So they must be doing something right.
7. Restaurant to Another World
This show is our second example of a “regular job but fantasy”. And if you really take a second to ponder the title of this show, you might just have a guess as to what that job is. However, I’ll point out that it does get a bit more creative than the previous pick. Instead of just having the MC transport into another world and open up a restaurant there, the show jumps back and forth between the two worlds. And it’s not some accidental magic or omnipotent whim that makes these transfers happen – in fact, jumping to the other world is literally in the restaurant’s itinerary. Once the jump has been made, the show also goes in for a rather relaxed and slow-paced story – with lots of mythical creatures just enjoying their meal and telling stories. Overall, it’s a really fun watch. And definitely a lot more unique than the usual “kill the demon king” storyline we’re all used to seeing.
6. Parallel World Pharmacy
Probably the most creative show in this job niche is this one – because how the hell did we run out of ideas so quickly that running a pharmacy managed to get a shot? And do you know what the worst part is? This is the SECOND isekai to have done it! Drug Store in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist is a show that already exists. However, even though Cheat Pharmacist came first, this show is way better overall, so it gets the spot. At the time of writing this ranking, the show has just begun – so there isn’t much to say. The MC kind of just creates medication in order to help those in need. And I will probably never truly get over the fact that we have two pharmacy anime.
5. Uncle from Another World
I’m honestly surprised that we didn’t get a show like this sooner. The twist is very simple and very effective – the aftermath of an isekai. All of the action takes place in the real world, where the MC’s uncle comes out of a coma after many years. Plot twist – he was isekaid the entire time and even managed to retain most of his abilities. So like every other god-like creature, he starts a YouTube channel and shows off his powers in order to get that sweet Ad sense money. Even just him being a YouTuber would’ve honestly classified this show as a certified unique gem. But the show does much more than that. Even his isekai life is as far away from the usual archetype as you can get. For one, he’s ugly, and everyone in the other world just straight-up hates him. Two, he’s dense as bricks and doesn’t have a single heroic bone in his body – meaning that he constantly makes situations worse just by being there. And seeing the MCs reactions (who funnily enough knows all of these tropes) as his uncle fails at all of them – it’s just priceless. If you’re looking for a really good comedic twist on the isekai formula, this show should be on your radar.
4. GATE
This show is rather interesting, as it’s technically a double whammy isekai. Instead of a modern person getting sent to a fantasy world or an ancient samurai getting transported to modern Japan, it does both. A gate just pops up in Japan as a constant threshold between a medieval fantasy world and modern society. The main cast can go to either end when they want and fighting is pretty much guaranteed. The show also stands out in the sense that it depicts full-scale wars, as opposed to the usual 1 MC vs 10 unnamed bandits archetype. You even get some politics thrown into the mix! Overall, GATE feels like fanservice for every person that has ever wondered “how many tanks would it take to take down a dragon?” – and I have to give it some respect for that.
3. Saga of Tanya the Evil
Since we’re already on the topic of mass destruction and politics, let’s take a look at Tanya the Evil. This show honestly had me hooked from episode one just because of how ridiculous the MC is. The dude literally dies, talks to God (or being X), and is still like “Nah, I’m an atheist through and through”. This then prompts said God to yeet him into a fantasy world where magic is a thing. And he also turns him into a little impoverished girl for good measure. The spite between these two characters alone made this a must-watch for me. Especially since it’s hardly a one-time occurrence. Being X even makes the MC pray whenever he wants to use his power just to spite him even further. And said magic is then used to kill thousands of people like it was nothing. Say what you will about this show, but you have to admit that the base concept is pretty nuts. Plus the action scenes and the world-building are surprisingly decent.
2. Drifters
I’m honestly devastated that there isn’t a video somewhere on the internet of how this show was initially pitched. So, at first, you get the usual “person dies, meets some sort of god, and then wakes up in another world” archetype. Okay, we’ve seen it countless times. You then get to see some of the new world and you see all the usual fantasy tropes, like demi-humans and elves. Also, nothing new. But then the show just hits you with “oh, and the rest of the cast is comprised of feared historical figures” and you honestly don’t know what to do anymore. Seeing Nobunaga in the same scene with some elves? Yes, please! I’m pretty sure this is why anime was created in the first place! All of this coupled with an uncharacteristically grimy art style and more gore than you’d know what to do with makes the show really stand out. I never knew we needed a Hellsing x isekai x a history textbook crossover, but boy am I glad that we got one!
1. No Game, No Life
If you’ve been an anime fan for any amount of time, you’ll know that Madhouse could literally break the internet by dropping the second season of this show. This is probably why it’s never going to happen. The show’s hook is so simple and yet so brilliant – make it so that in the new world, everything has to be decided through a game. It’s like a family-friendly Kakegurui! And it’s not just some custom but rather a law laid down by the universe’s god! So, it opens the door for some of the most interesting fights anime has to offer. From chess where the pieces have feelings to a paintball match against an assassin demi-human, the show truly never gets stale. And it honestly infuriates me that more shows don’t have the courage to implement completely different world laws in their fantasy worlds. Because what can spice up a story more than a world where things fundamentally don’t even function the same as in ours? For this reason, I’m giving No Game, No Life the crown of most unique.
