Best Shonen Isekai Anime & Manga

There’s a reason why the isekai genre in anime, manga, and light novels is as popular as it is. It serves as the perfect power fantasy. Who doesn’t want to be transported into a fantasy world where they’re more than just a regular human being? Who hasn’t wished to live in their favorite video game world?



With so many isekai works, finding one that caters to a specific demographic shouldn’t be too difficult. With shonen isekai in particular, the protagonists are often teenage boys, and the works themselves borrow some elements from battle shonen. These tend to have a much more idealistic tone than seinen isekai, and are more action-heavy than shojo works.

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10 Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

MyAnimeList Score: 6.45

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody anime characters

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Release Date
January 11, 2018

Creator
Hiro Ainana

Studio
SILVER LINK., Connect

Number of Episodes
12

Japanese Title
Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody follows a programmer named Ichirou Suzuki, who gets transported to a fantasy world after falling asleep. He discovers the world is like the fantasy RPGs he was debugging, and despite gaining incredible powers, he wants to live a peaceful life.

Ichirou decides to make the most of his situation since he has no way to return home. He meets new friends, embarks on adventures, and explores the mysteries of the new world he’s found himself in.

9 Sword Art Online

MyAnimeList Score: 7.20

An image of Kirito and Asuna

Sword Art Online

Release Date
July 8, 2012

Creator
Reki Kawahara

Studio
A-1 Pictures

Number of Episodes
96

Possibly the best-known isekai, Sword Art Online tells the story of Kazuto ‘Kirito’ Kirigaya, who gets trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG in its beta test phase. Since he can’t log out, he and other players are forced to band together to face the game’s challenges.

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Sword Art Online is considered responsible for the explosive popularity of the isekai genre. It is a huge franchise in and of itself, inspiring several spin-offs, video games, and an upcoming Netflix live-action series.

8 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious

MyAnimeList Score: 7.48

Cautious Hero anime rista

Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious

Release Date
October 2, 2019

Creator
Light Tuchihi

Studio
White Fox

Number of Episodes
12

Japanese Title
Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru

Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is a comedic take on the isekai genre. A goddess named Ristarte has summoned a human named Seiya Ryuuguuin to protect her world from the Demon Lord. Seiya has incredible stats, but he is a little too cautious about everything.

He demands multiple sets of armor, refuses to enter even the world’s safest areas, and uses his strongest powers to kill the weakest enemies, just to be on the safe side. Given the kind of world Gaeabrande is, though, Seiya’s overly-cautious nature might be justified.

7 Tsukimichi ~Moonlit Fantasy~

MyAnimeList Score: 7.71

Tsukimichi Moonlit Fantasy

Tsukimichi – Moonlit Fantasy

Release Date
July 7, 2021

Creator
Kei Azumi

Studio
C2C (Season 1), J.C.Staff (Season 2)

Number of Episodes
37

Japanese Title
Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu

Tsukimichi ~Moonlit Fantasy~ is about an average high school student named Makoto Misumi. Having parents who hail from a fantasy world, he is summoned to the land of Elysion by a goddess. However, the vain goddess immediately rejects him due to his unremarkable appearance.

Forced to fend for himself in the strange land, Makoto befriends all sorts of beings, from dwarves to orcs to dragons. They decide to form a community and go on many adventures.

6 The Devil is a Part-Timer!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.74

sadao maou from The Devil Is a Part Timer

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

Release Date
April 4, 2013

Creator
Satoshi Wagahara

Studio
White Fox, Studio 3Hz

Number of Episodes
37

Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll , Hulu , Tubi , Funimation

Japanese Title
Hataraku Maou-sama!

Plenty of isekai stories are about a regular person who gets transported into a fantasy world, but what about a series that does the reverse? The Devil is a Part-Timer! follows Satan after his plans to dominate his land get foiled. He is forced to retreat through a dimensional portal to modern-day Tokyo.

Now living as a regular human named Sadao Maou, he takes a part-time job as a fast food worker at an off-brand version of McDonalds. Alongside his loyal general Ashiya, the two former demons struggle to adapt to the mundanity of human life.

5 Inuyasha

MyAnimeList Score: 7.86

An image of Inuyasha and accomplice from Dog Demon

Inuyasha

Release Date
October 16, 2000

Creator
Rumiko Takahashi

Studio
Sunrise

Number of Episodes
193

Created by the legendary Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha tells the story of Kagome Higurashi, a teenage girl who lives on the grounds of a Shinto shrine with her family. One day, she gets pulled into a well by a demon, and she’s sent 500 years back to the past. There, she finds out she’s the reincarnation of Kikyo, a priestess who carries the wish-granting Shikon Jewel.

After accidentally shattering the jewel, she is forced to team up with a half-demon named Inuyasha to recover its pieces. The series’ popularity and legacy inspired an anime-only spin-off called Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.

4 Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.75

Welcome To Demon School Iruma-kun the misfit class

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun

Release Date
October 5, 2019

Creator
Osamu Nishi

Studio
Bandai Namco Pictures

Number of Episodes
65

Japanese Title
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

Fourteen-year-old Iruma Suzuki is kind, but gullible. His lazy, neglectful parents mistreat him in ridiculous ways, and finally end up selling him to a demon. Fortunately for Iruma, the demon Sullivan just wants a grandson and adopts him as one. He sends him to an academy called Babyls School for Demons, where Iruma tries to conceal his human identity from the demon students.

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun! has inspired several spin-off manga. It was adapted into an anime in 2019, with a second and third season in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and a fourth season in April 2024.

3 Log Horizon

MyAnimeList Score: 7.92

An image of Akatsuki, Shiroe, Naotsugu, Lenessia, and Crusty

Log Horizon

Release Date
October 5, 2013

Creator
Mamare Touno

Studio
Satelight, Studio Deen

Number of Episodes
62

After the release of a new expansion pack for the popular MMORPG Elder Tale, players are transported into the world of the game. Unable to log out, they are forced to adjust to their new circumstances. A socially awkward but intelligent student named Shiroe and his friends must team up with other players to make the most of their situation.

The Log Horizon web novel was adapted into a light novel series, several manga, and a 25-episode anime in 2013. The anime got a second season in 2021.

2 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

MyAnimeList Score: 8.14

main characters in That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Release Date
October 2, 2018

Creator
Fuse

Studio
Eight Bit

Number of Episodes
48+

Japanese Title
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken

37-year-old Satoru Mikami is perfectly content with his life as a corporate worker. However, an altercation on the street leads to him being reincarnated in a fantasy world as a slime. He gains the power to absorb and mimic other creatures, and soon stumbles upon a sealed monster named Veldora.

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The slime befriends and promises to free the monster, and as thanks, Veldora bestows him with the name ‘Rimuru Tempest’. Both the manga and the anime adaptation have received several accolades, with the second season of the anime winning ‘Best Fantasy’ at the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

1 Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!

MyAnimeList Score: 8.11

konosuba statistics chart characters

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!

Release Date
January 14, 2016

Creator
Natsume Akatsuki

Studio
Studio Deen

Number of Episodes
20

Japanese Title
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!

One of the finest and funniest isekai parodies, Konosuba follows a NEET named Kazuma Satou, who gets a second chance at life after being hit by a truck. The goddess Aqua gives him an offer to be reincarnated into a fantasy world, and even tells him he can pick any item to aid him in his adventures. To her shock, Kazuma chooses her.

Kazuma and Aqua are accompanied by Megumin, a mage with ‘explosive’ abilities, and Darkness, a masochistic crusader. The four of them go on many (mis)adventures, including accepting quests to pay back their debt and taking on the Demon King.

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