Interest Stacks

This stack contains non-isekai fantasy anime that you could easily mistake for being an isekai.


Isekai means "different world" and is a Japanese genre of portal fantasy and science fiction. It is a bit hard to define, but generally revolves around a person (or multiple people) who are transported or reincarnated into another world.
Since this definition is fairly broad, you'll find some shows like "Sonny Boy" or "Bakemono no Ko" that are technically isekai, but may not seem like it, as they do not share the most common tropes that you'll see in other isekai anime like “Death March”, “Kenja no Mago”, “Isekai smartphone” or “Mushoku Tensei”. While these shows are not completely identical, they do share a number of tropes, like having a male protagonist enter a medieval fantasy world filled with monsters and magic where they either start with powerful abilities or slowly gain them, similarly to progressing in a fantasy RPG. It is also common for similar isekai shows to include game mechanics like ability stats, skill names, UI screens or even an infinite inventory. Another common trope is for the protagonist to be a chosen or summoned hero who goes on a quest to save the world, ending up with great powers, great riches and a harem of love interests.


This is a list of shows that could be mistaken as isekai since they share a lot of the most common tropes, but missing the element of being transported to another world.


A great example is “Danmachi” where the protagonist already exists in a fantasy world, has a unique and powerful ability and explores a dungeon full of monsters, gaining new stats and skills as though he was the protagonist of a fantasy RPG. Other examples include powerful protagonists being reborn within the same world or shows mostly taking place within a VRMMO.

Feel free to send me a message if I’ve included an actual isekai by mistake, or if you have any suggestions!

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