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So, let’s go over some of the best examples of the year and talk about why exactly they’re the cream of the crop.
8 Banished From The Hero’s Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside
The isekai genre is so overpopulated these days that it’s actually creating sub-genres within it. Banished From The Heroes Party, in that sense, fits pretty well into the “overpowered MC in a slice-of-life setting” sub-genre along with series like Cheat Pharmacist’s Slow Life: Making a Drugstore in Another World and Parallel World Pharmacy.
But, what sets this one apart from all the other niche slice-of-life isekai is that it has a lot more substance than it might seem at first glance. Gideon’s or “Red’s” world has a lot of consistent rules to it, there’s a lot of subtle world-building, and the viewers’ suspension of disbelief is never really broken. Plus, as an added bonus, there’s a cute romance in it that isn’t drawn out over the course of the entire story.
7 The Faraway Paladin
Here’s the thing about The Faraway Paladin, it’s a fantastic story that is massively underrated, and the anime adaptation is okay, but it isn’t amazing. When compared to other high-quality isekai adaptations like That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and Jobless Reincarnation, The Faraway Paladin doesn’t quite stack up in any category.
The pacing is odd, the animation is a little sparse, and the fight choreography is confusing. Still, the story of William G. Maryblood is one of the more interesting isekai stories out there, and still has a long way to go, so it’s still well worth a watch or at the very least a read.
6 Jobless Reincarnation
With Jobless Reincarnations’ second season wrapping up during its air airing back at the end of 2021, people are desperate for other isekai series of its quality to fill the gap. Now, Jobless Reincarnation isn’t exactly the easiest show to recommend to the more casual anime fanbase due to the polarizing nature of some of its more adult content, but the show is still absolutely worth at least a look regardless thanks to excelling in every other respect.
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Part two of Rudeus Greyrat’s story is a lot more “grim” than part one, and fans get to see more of this fantastical isekai world as Rudeus, Eris, and the Superd Ruijerd journey back to their home from the Demon Continent.
5 How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom
Much like The Faraway Paladin, the anime adaptation of How A Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom isn’t the best. Still, the concept of it, the interesting new ideas it adds to the isekai genre, and the overall interesting main character Kazuya Souma more than makeup for it.
Once again, similar to Banished From The Hero’s Party,Realist Hero neatly fits into another sub-category of isekai series. This time, it’s the “socio-political isekai” type of show along with other series like Gate or Log Horizon. And, while it doesn’t quite match these two shows, it does get very close.
4 The Dungeon Of Black Company
Usually, a typical isekai series tells the story of a main character who is unsatisfied with their life getting reincarnated, or being transported to a new fantasy world. But, The Dungeon of Black Company tells the opposite with an MC who is wrenched from his amazing life in the real world and thrown into the horrible life of a corporate dystopian isekai world.
That unique concept alone makes Dungeon of Black Company worth at least a glance. But, add on a nihilistic capitalist fantasy setting, a ton of dark humor, and a unique MC, and Dungeon of Black Company easily earns a spot as one of the more memorable isekai anime of 2021.
3 Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
Following this same pattern of sub-category isekai, Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy is the penultimate version of the “protagonist becomes immediately overpowered in an isekai world” stereotype of this genre. Quite literally, Makoto is dropped into his fantasy world already more than capable of taking down an ancient Dragon or stopping an age-old demon spider. And, this power only increases with each passing day as the story goes on.
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Thankfully, because of the unique way this story is told and the non-stop comedic aspects of the show, Tsukimichi never gets boring like other stories with an overpowered protagonist would, and it’s always interesting to see just how absurd Makoto becomes by the next episode.
2 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Who can forget about this high-quality isekai anime that was running for almost the entirety of 2021? That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is essentially the “de facto” premiere isekai of the last few years, and its quality has maintained or perhaps even grown in the second course of its second season.
This patch of the absurdly strong Rimuru Tempest’s story is a lot darker than fans of the first season were likely expecting, but that’s what makes it so great. And, because of these darker narrative elements, there are a lot of chances for new characters to fight or appear.
1 So I’m A Spider, So What?
The year 2021 was when the anime community as a whole was introduced to the roller coaster ride that is So I’m A Spider, So What? The modern icon of the “non-human isekai reincarnation” sub-category, SIaSSW is an anime almost entirely held up by the main lead Kumoko’s ability to monologue and joke to herself.
It’s an odd story, to be sure, and one that isn’t the most “well-animated” given its over-dependence on acceptable yet very noticeable CGI, but it’s just so fun to watch! The video-gamey aspect of its leveling system (though it’s not set in a game) and the constant progression of Kumoko up the dungeon always have the viewers craving for more, which is why it’s so beloved.
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