{{Short description|Japanese fantasy subgenre about travel to another world}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Anime and manga}} {{Nihongo|'''Isekai'''|異世界||{{translation|'different world', 'another world', or 'other world'}}|lead=yes}} is a subgenre of Japanese high fantasy fiction that revolves around a person or people who are transported to and have to survive in another world. In the new world, the person usually gains formidable powers or some other importance that they did not have in the previous world. The transition between worlds may occur through death and reincarnation or through summoning by an object, god, or person in the alternate world. A common setting is a medieval-like world populated with humans, humanoids, and monsters. In a reverse isekai, a person from another world is transported to planet Earth.
The concept of isekai started in Japanese folktales, such as the story of Urashima Tarō, and Western fantasy literature. The first modern isekai works were Haruka Takachiho's novel ''Warrior from Another World'' and the anime television series ''Aura Battler Dunbine'', while ''The Twelve Kingdoms'' and ''Sword Art Online'' helped to popularize the genre. Since the 2000s, isekai novels are increasingly published online on websites like Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Isekai is one of the most popular genres of anime and has been noted for its appeal to salarymen as a form of escapism.
==History== [[File:Matsuki Heikichi(1899)-Urashima-p09.jpg|thumb|Urashima Tarō returns to his village by riding a turtle. The folktale is one of the earliest origins of the isekai genre.]] The origins of the isekai genre are traced back to the Japanese folktale of fisherman Urashima Tarō, where he saves a turtle and is rewarded by being brought to a wondrous undersea kingdom. After spending what he believed to be several days there, Urashima returns to his home village only to find himself 100 years in the future.<ref>{{cite web|title=How Isekai Became Anime's Most Popular Genre|url=https://gamerant.com/how-isekai-genre-became-so-popular/|website=Game Rant|last=Stalberg|first=Allison|date=November 12, 2021|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=February 19, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260219184059/https://gamerant.com/how-isekai-genre-became-so-popular/|url-status=live}}</ref> Isekai's origins are also traced to Western fantasy literature, notably ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.<ref name="Toole 2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2019-01-21/.142332|title=The Mike Toole Show Old School Isekai|website=Anime News Network|last=Toole|first=Michael|date=January 21, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=May 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512184259/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2019-01-21/.142332|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=solomon>{{cite web|title=Seeking Better Lives in Alternate Worlds: The Rise of Isekai Anime|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/12/seeking-better-lives-in-alternate-worlds-the-rise-of-isekai-anime/|website=Animation Magazine|last=Solomon|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Solomon (animation historian)|date=December 19, 2025|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=December 20, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251220001117/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/12/seeking-better-lives-in-alternate-worlds-the-rise-of-isekai-anime/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The first modern Japanese isekai story is considered to be ''Warrior from Another World'' (1979) by Haruka Takachiho,<ref name="Toole 2019"/><ref name=jan>{{cite web|title=Isekai Anime Explained: Unraveling Japan's Beloved Fantasy Genre|url=https://us.oricon-group.com/news/1402/|website=Japan Anime News|last=Shoji|first=Satoru|date=August 9, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2026}}</ref> while the first Japanese isekai anime is considered to be ''Aura Battler Dunbine'' (1983).<ref name="Toole 2019"/> In the 1990s, ''The Twelve Kingdoms'' gained widespread popularity, which helped to popularize the genre.<ref name=jan/>
In the 2000s, isekai novels began to be published online on novel posting sites like Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with ''The Familiar of Zero'' and ''Mushoku Tensei'' being among the first novels to popularize this format.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Iida|first=Ichishi|last2=Ma|first2=Scott|date=Summer 2025|title=Japanese Web Novels: Media History, Platform, and Narrative|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/960865/figure/fig03|journal=Mechademia|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|volume=17|issue=2|pages=150-167|via=Project MUSE}}</ref><ref name="Morrissy">{{cite web|last=Morrissy|first=Kim|title=Mushoku Tensei Is Not the Pioneer of Isekai Web Novels, But...|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2021-03-19/mushoku-tensei-is-not-the-pioneer-of-isekai-web-novels-but/.170429|access-date=March 24, 2021|website=Anime News Network|date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410085119/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2021-03-19/mushoku-tensei-is-not-the-pioneer-of-isekai-web-novels-but/.170429|url-status=live}}</ref> Isekai web novels gained more prominence following the release of the anime adaptation of ''Sword Art Online'' in 2012. Although its creator disputes this, ''Sword Art Online'' is considered to be a modern pioneer of the isekai genre.<ref name="Morrissy"/><ref name=slj>{{cite web|title=Eight Essential Isekai Manga for Beginners|url=https://www.slj.com/story/eight-essential-isekai-manga-for-beginners|website=School Library Journal|last=Alverson|first=Brigid|date=January 21, 2021|access-date=March 22, 2026}}</ref> ''Sword Art Online'' is also sometimes considered to be the start of the modern isekai boom<ref>{{cite web|title=A Beginner's Guide to Isekai|url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2019/07/15/beginners-guide-isekai-manga|publisher=New York Public Library|last=Pagan|first=Amanda|date=July 15, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=May 17, 2026|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3Lpc8|url-status=live}}</ref> and around this time is when the term ''isekai'' started to be used.<ref name=state/>
In May 2021, Kadokawa announced they would open an "Isekai Museum" in July of the same year.<ref>{{cite web|title='Isekai Museum' Featuring Re:Zero, Overlord, Konosuba, Saga of Tanya the Evil Releases PV|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2021-05-04/isekai-museum-featuring-re-zero-overlord-konosuba-saga-of-tanya-the-evil-releases-pv/.172414|website=Anime News Network|last=Morrissy|first=Kim|date=May 4, 2021|access-date=May 4, 2021|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028181606/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2021-05-04/isekai-museum-featuring-re-zero-overlord-konosuba-saga-of-tanya-the-evil-releases-pv/.172414|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2024, the word ''isekai'' was added into the ''Oxford English Dictionary''.<ref>{{cite web|title='Isekai' Transported Into the Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-03-29/isekai-transported-into-the-oxford-english-dictionary/.209348|website=Anime News Network|last=Iikura-Gross|first=Ken|date=March 29, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=May 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250512230726/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-03-29/isekai-transported-into-the-oxford-english-dictionary/.209348|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Characteristics== {{See also|List of isekai works}} [[File:Truck-kun drawing January 2022.jpg|thumb|300px|right|In isekai stories where the protagonist is killed, getting hit by a truck is a common cause of death, which spawned the Truck-kun meme.]] In isekai stories, a person from the real-world, usually one with negative elements in their life, is somehow transported to an alternate world where they obtain formidable powers or some other importance that they did not have in reality.<ref name=solomon/> Often this involves skills and knowledge they learned in their previous life, which are far more advanced in the modern world than in the world they are sent to.<ref name="bestworst"/> In some cases, when a character enters the new world, they gain or manifest special powers or abilities that are often referred to as "cheats", which allow them to adapt to this new world more easily and to become strong more quickly.<ref>{{cite web|last=Muhamed|first=Fatuma|date=2020|title=Rewriting Your Own Narrative: Isekai as a Contemporary Coming of Age Tale|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2437216337/abstract/5B27B9FDA8D34B27PQ/1?accountid=13360&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses|url-status=live|access-date=October 16, 2025|website=ProQuest|publisher=University of Washington|page=15|isbn=9798664710557}}</ref>
''Japan Anime News'' divided isekai stories into two categories: reincarnation into another world, where the protagonist is reborn in another world with memories of their past life, and transition into another world, where the protagonist moves from the real world to the isekai world.<ref name=jan/> According to an analysis by Paul Price of the ''Journal of Anime and Manga Studies'', adult men are the most common isekai protagonists, with the ratio of male to female protagonists being 2.4 to 1 and the ratio of adult to teenage protagonists being 1.4 to 1.<ref name=jams/> He also divided the method of transportation into the new world into six categories: reincarnation, divine act, summoning, specific tool, pulled into a game, and no explanation.<ref name=jams/> In some stories, the protagonist may enter a liminal space between worlds, often with a god, where the role of the protagonist is decided. Occasionally, the protagonist may enter as part of a group rather than by themselves, though this is less common.<ref name=jams/>
Most of the time, the summoning was malicious or accidental and the protagonist usually rejects the assigned purpose they are given.<ref name=jams/> In most stories, the protagonist's body is somehow changed, such as taking a non-human form or remaining a human but with small changes (gaining magical powers or being a bit more athletic) or major changes (changing gender or becoming an infant).<ref name=jams/> In most stories, the protagonist forms a group where they are the central individual.<ref name=jams/>
The setting of an isekai story varies, though the majority are set in a medieval-like world populated with humans, humanoids, and monsters. In this world, magic exists and technology is limited.<ref name=jams/> This setting can contain LitRPG elements and draws heavily from JRPG video games.<ref name=jan/><ref name=slj/> Other settings include dating sims, battle royale games, non-gaming fantasy worlds, other planets, and dream worlds.<ref name=jams/>
Isekai stories are often mixed with a variety of different genres and themes.<ref name="bestworst"/> One common approach is the "slow life", where the protagonist was overworked in their previous life, so they decide to take it easy in the next.<ref name="bestworst">{{cite web|title=The Best (and worst) Isekai Light Novels|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-04-13/the-best-isekai-light-novels/.130186|website=Anime News Network|last=Morrissy|first=Kim|date=April 13, 2018|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707193823/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-04-13/the-best-isekai-light-novels/.130186|url-status=live}}</ref> Sometimes the protagonist uses the new world to explore an interest, hobby, or goal they had in the previous world but were unable to achieve, such as opening a business, like in ''Restaurant to Another World''.<ref name="bestworst"/> Another common approach is the isekai villainess anime, where the protagonist takes the role of the villainess in an {{Transliteration|ja|otome}} game.<ref>{{cite web|title=Isekai Villainess Anime: A Fresh Perspective in a Stale Genre|url=https://gamerant.com/isekai-villainess-anime-fresh-perspective-stale-genre/|website=Game Rant|last=Nasir|first=Ahmed Rehan|date=November 15, 2023|access-date=March 22, 2026}}</ref> Isekai stories are considered to be distinct from time travel and VRMMORPG stories.<ref name=jan/><ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:異世界転生よりも"VRMMO"が痛快？ 『シャンフロ』に惹き付けられる理由|url=https://realsound.jp/book/2021/07/post-809707.html|website=Real Sound|last=Taniguchi|first=Ryuichi|date=July 9, 2021|access-date=March 22, 2026|language=ja|archive-date=March 12, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260312192803/https://realsound.jp/book/2021/07/post-809707.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In stories where the protagonist dies before being transported, a common method of death is being run over by a truck and dying, which spawned the meme of "Truck-kun", a truck which appears in many isekai series that kills the protagonist, which leads to them reincarnating into a different world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Heath|first=David|title=8 Anime Characters That Were Victims Of Truck-Kun|url=https://gamerant.com/anime-characters-victims-truck-kun/|access-date=November 2, 2022|website=Game Rant|date=August 25, 2022|archive-date=November 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102231702/https://gamerant.com/anime-characters-victims-truck-kun/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Several isekai works have long titles. J-Novel Club CEO Samuel Pinarsky said that this is caused by Shōsetsuka ni Narō listing chapters by title only, so writers felt they needed to have a more descriptive title to attract readers.<ref name=slj/>
===Reverse=== Reverse isekai is a subgenre of isekai that follows beings from a futuristic or fantasy world who have been transported to Earth and have to adjust to everyday life.<ref name=jan/><ref>{{cite web|title=More and More Manga: An Updated Primer on Japanese Comic Books and Graphic Novels|url=https://www.slj.com/story/more-and-more-manga-an-updated-primer-on-japanese-comic-books-and-graphic-novels|last=Alverson|first=Brigid|website=School Library Journal|date=May 12, 2022|access-date=April 5, 2024}}</ref> Reverse isekai stories are sometimes considered to predate isekai ones, with Mitsuteru Yokoyama's ''Sally the Witch'' (1966) cited as an early example.<ref name=jan/>
==Analysis== A survey of isekai viewers in Japan found the average age to be 46, while a 2024 survey of isekai viewers in English-speaking territories found the average age to be about 30.<ref name=solomon/><ref name=state/> Kadokawa editor Satoshi Arima stated that isekai stories appeal to salarymen who want to switch jobs as a form of escapism since the protagonists are able to live their lives the way they desire.<ref name=scmp/> Animation critic Charles Solomon wrote that the genre appeals to people who fantasize about starting their lives over again with a new career and identity.<ref name=solomon/> For young adults, isekai can serve as a release for those frustrated with being stuck in a rigid life plan.<ref name=slj/> The 2024 survey in English-speaking territories found that 65 percent of isekai viewers are male and some isekai stories have been noted as catering to male-centered sexual desires.<ref name=state/><ref>{{cite journal|title=Analysis of Characteristics in Japanese 'Isekai' Web Novels Through Data and Examination of Sexual Ethics in Texts|last1=Nam|first1=Yoomin|last2=Yu|first2=Jaejin|date=March 2025|journal=Forum for World Literature Studies|volume=17|issue=1|pages=84-97|id={{Gale|A836879329}}}}</ref> Due to the large number of isekai stories with similar plot points, the genre has been described as an example of database consumption.<ref name=jams/>
Stevie Suan of ''The Japan Times'' argued that isekai can be seen as an allegory for globalization. Suan felt that anime being released in a foreign country and having to adapt to that culture is similar to the premise of isekai stories and that Cool Japan, an initiative to promote Japanese culture abroad, was launched around the time isekai stories became popular. He noted that in ''As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World'', Ars Louvent forms a multiethnic coalition to support him in a manner similar to the way anime is outsourced to other countries for part of its production. Suan also pointed to ''That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime'', where Rimuru creates a city modeled after Japan while also befriending and allying with various different ethnicities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Isekai anime offers a key to understanding globalization|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/01/11/tv-streaming/isekai-anime-globalization/|website=The Japan Times|last=Suan|first=Stevie|date=January 11, 2025|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=December 20, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251220030924/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/01/11/tv-streaming/isekai-anime-globalization/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Popularity== [[File:Akihabara Electric Town 9999 281.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Advertisements for ''Re:Zero'' and ''The Rising of the Shield Hero'' in Akihabara in 2019.]] Isekai is one of the most popular genres of anime.<ref>{{cite web|title=Isekai, the Popular Manga and Anime Genre, Is Now in the Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/isekai-the-popular-manga-and-anime-genre-is-now-in-the-oxford-english-dictionary|website=IGN|last=Colbert|first=Isaiah|date=March 28, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=April 8, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260408225053/https://www.ign.com/articles/isekai-the-popular-manga-and-anime-genre-is-now-in-the-oxford-english-dictionary|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Price, from 2017 to 2019, 385 isekai manga series were published in English, which is about one new series every three days. During the same time, 39 isekai anime were broadcast, which is about one per month.<ref name=jams>{{cite journal|last=Price|first=Paul|date=November 29, 2021|title=A Survey of the Story Elements of Isekai Manga|url=https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/article/view/808|journal=Journal of Anime and Manga Studies|volume=2|pages=57–91|doi=10.21900/j.jams.v2.808|s2cid=244748444|access-date=March 22, 2026|doi-access=free|hdl=2142/113397|hdl-access=free|archive-date=January 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116070729/https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/article/view/808|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, isekai anime were 14 percent of all new anime releases, while also being the second most popular genre in English-speaking territories, just behind action.<ref name=state>{{cite web|title=The State of Isekai Anime|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2025-01-22/the-state-of-isekai-anime/.219776|website=Anime News Network|last=Atherton|first=Miles Thomas|date=January 22, 2025|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=March 20, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260320045041/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2025-01-22/the-state-of-isekai-anime/.219776|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to Japan, isekai stories are popular in the United States and China.<ref name=jams/><ref name=scmp>{{cite web|title=What is isekai? How the Japanese anime genre in which down-and-out characters are transported into a new life is exploding in popularity|url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3218533/what-isekai-how-japanese-anime-genre-which-down-and-out-characters-are-transported-new-life|website=South China Morning Post|date=April 29, 2023|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=April 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430222712/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3218533/what-isekai-how-japanese-anime-genre-which-down-and-out-characters-are-transported-new-life|url-status=live}}</ref> Isekai elements are also common in manhwa (Korean comics).<ref>{{cite web|title=Mighty Manhwa!|url=https://www.slj.com/story/mighty-manhwa-stellar-panels-korean-chinese-comics|website=School Library Journal|last=Alverson|first=Brigid|date=March 27, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=February 10, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260210213448/https://www.slj.com/story/mighty-manhwa-stellar-panels-korean-chinese-comics|url-status=live}}</ref>
The isekai genre became so popular during the 2010s that it began to generate backlash from those who felt like it started to overcrowd the greater manga and anime market.<ref>{{cite web|title=Step into another world with isekai, the fantasy subgenre ruling the manga market|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2020/08/01/books/isekai-fantasy-manga/|website=The Japan Times|last=Margolis|first=Eric|date=August 1, 2020|access-date=March 22, 2026|archive-date=April 11, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260411200517/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2020/08/01/books/isekai-fantasy-manga/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, a Japanese short story contest organized by {{ill|Bungaku Free Market|ja|文学フリマ}} and Shōsetsuka ni Narō placed a blanket ban on any entries involving isekai.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2016-06-30/short-story-contest-bans-traveling-to-an-alternate-world-fantasy/.103755|title=Short Story Contest Bans 'Traveling to an Alternate World' Fantasy|website=Anime News Network|last=Whalen|first=Amanda|date=June 30, 2016|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320110004/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2016-06-30/short-story-contest-bans-traveling-to-an-alternate-world-fantasy/.103755|url-status=live}}</ref> The publisher Kadokawa banned isekai stories as well in their own anime/manga-style novel contest in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://soranews24.com/2017/05/22/anime-style-novel-contest-in-japan-bans-alternate-reality-stories-and-teen-protagonists/|title=Anime-style novel contest in Japan bans alternate reality stories and teen protagonists|date=May 22, 2017|website=SoraNews24|last=Baseel|first=Casey|access-date=March 21, 2018|archive-date=March 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321192645/https://soranews24.com/2017/05/22/anime-style-novel-contest-in-japan-bans-alternate-reality-stories-and-teen-protagonists/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == * {{annotated link|Chuanyue}} * {{annotated link|Magical realism}} * {{annotated link|Portal fantasy}} * {{annotated link|Suspended animation in fiction}} * {{annotated link|Xianxia}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.bookoffonline.co.jp/files/lnovel/pickup/pickup_isekai-history.html The History of Isekai Fantasy Novels]—Book Off Online {{in lang|ja}}
{{Science fiction}} {{Fantasy fiction}} {{Film genres}}
Category:Isekai Category:Anime and manga about parallel universes Category:Anime and manga genres Category:Anime and manga terminology Category:Fantasy genres Category:Fiction about parallel universes Category:High fantasy Category:Science fiction genres