The best isekai anime on Hulu generate heavy competition for any new isekai that the streaming platform considers licensing due to the robust nature of Hulu’s selections. There are more than 20 series available for streaming that fall under the genre, and close to 30 with some creative interpretation of the word “isekai.”
In Japanese, “isekai” directly translates to “another world,” but anime in this genre can be a lot more diverse than expected. Although there are common tropes and clichés that carry across franchises, the versatility of the genre falls on the flexibility of the term “world.” A soul may travel across universes and inhabit another body, or a character may walk through a metaphorical portal to traverse worlds. As a result, there are a lot of ways that isekai can be bent to create new ideas, and that is exactly what the best series do.
Related
10 Best Isekai Anime on Netflix
With the departure of many popular series, plenty of hidden isekai gems on Netflix have finally have their space to shine.
10 Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is a Modern Classic
Based on the manga by Toyota Saori and Tuchihi Light
Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is an isekai anime through and through, hitting all the checkmarks for tropes and characteristics, but still leaving room for a creative spark to shine. The biggest twist that this series brings is the personality of Ryuuguuin Seiya, the main character. In earlier and more mainstream-conforming isekai series, the protagonist is often overpowered due to some stroke of luck or God-granted ability gained through traveling worlds. Seiya is still an overpowered isekai protagonist but the reason is his own cautiousness, which undermines the “cheat” trope in isekai. After persistent training, Seiya decimates enemies and earns a spot on this list.
WATCH ON Hulu
9 BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense is the Real Shield Isekai
Based on the light novel by Koin and Yuumikan
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense follows protagonist Honjou Kaede, a young girl with no gaming experience, who is dragged into the popular VRMMO, NewWorld Online, by her friend Risa. BOFURI is a fun and light-hearted twist on the virtual reality sub-genre of isekai through its portrayal of an inexperienced main character. In series like Sword Art Online, lives are on the line and Kirito is a beta tester chock-full of secrets that give him an advantage. However, Kaede is just a curious girl whose experiments paid off and made her an indestructible tank.
WATCH ON Hulu
8 Overlord Leans into the Evil Protagonist Persona
Based on the light novel by Maruyama Kugane and So-bin
The anime Overlord takes an initially straightforward isekai route, utilizing the popular “stuck in a game” concept, but finds its uniqueness in the vessel in which the protagonist finds himself. The protagonist, first named Momonga, decides to enjoy the last operating hours of the game, Yggdrasil, before its servers shut down. The time for termination comes, but unexpectedly, nothing happens. Thus starts the life of the max level skeleton lord who has nothing better to do than to play with NPCs who have gained a surprising amount of personal substance. Momonga renames himself as Ainz Ooal Gown and embarks on a fantastic and somewhat villain-esque adventure.
Related
Massive Isekai Franchise Is Set To Return In 2024 With Sequel Movie
Overlord will return in 2024 with a movie that will adapt the Holy Kingdom arc from the popular isekai light novel series.
WATCH ON Hulu
7 Inuyasha is the Isekai Everyone Forgets About
Based on the manga by Takahashi Rumiko
Inuyasha aired in the year 2000 and featured some of the concepts seen in isekai anime coming out today, but blended it perfectly into the narrative. As a result, the tropes present in most isekai do not come off as a distraction in Inuyasha and viewers can comfortably follow the perilous adventures of modern-day high schooler Kagome and half-demon Inuyasha as they search for the sacred jewel. As an added bonus, Inuyasha boasts fight scenes on the level of the best shonen anime, while leaving ample time to develop multi-faceted characters who find themselves having to reckon with the existence of respective parallel worlds.
WATCH ON Hulu
6 Mushoku Tensei Worldbuilds Around a NEET
Based on the light novel by Rifujin na Magonote and Sirotaka
The story of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation revolves around a 34-year-old shut-in who reincarnates in a world of magic as an infant named Rudeus Greyrat. An interesting part of this series is that the narrative follows the antics of a reincarnated soul from infancy through adolescence, whereas other isekai choose to move quickly towards the protagonist’s most powerful state. Although Mushoku Tensei embraces the overpowered protagonist trope, it does not let it control the series, leaving much room for exquisite worldbuilding and premise setting. The series can be weird or cliché at times, but Rudeus’ journey across new lands keeps audiences enthralled.
WATCH ON Hulu
5 Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Paints the Demon World in a Comedic Light
Based on the manga by Nishi Osamu
When discussing demon worlds in isekai, initial impressions include gory, magical, and explosive images, but never any quite like the world constructed by Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun. The story of Iruma-kun follows a very unlucky 14-year-old boy who has unbounded optimism. However, his luck turns for the worst after his parents sell him to a demon, specifically the chairman of the demon school Babyls. However, the situation is not as bad as it seems, as Sullivan is actually a caring and doting grandfather figure. Through interactions between Iruma and Sullivan as well as other demons, the somewhat idiosyncratic and amusing demon world unveils its personality and welcomes Iruma-kun.
WATCH ON Hulu
4 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Reconstructs the Weak Protagonist
Based on the light novels by Fuse and Mitz Vah
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime immediately became a meme-producing, culture-altering hit isekai through its seemingly weak, but overpowered protagonist. Mikami Satoru, an average middle-aged Japanese salaryman, is killed and reborn as a slime, a creature understood as one of the weakest of fantasy worlds. However, this anime takes the “weak protagonist becomes strong” trope to the next level, giving Rimuru (the new name of the protagonist) an uncanny ability to devour anything and gain its powers. Through this ability, Rimuru became the key to the series’ success, establishing many modern isekai tropes.
WATCH ON Hulu
3 No Game No Life Redefines the Game Isekai Genre
Based on the light novel by Kamiya Yuu
The anime No Game No Life is an explosion of satisfying neon colors that tears down the isekai game trope and replaces it with high-stakes game-theory-driven interactions and ideas never seen before in the genre. Series such as Overlord and BOFURI both exhibit their own unique twists to isekai gaming, but No Game No Life takes the player out of the first person. The main characters are a brother-sister duo who share the moniker “Blank,” and they excel at all games, from chess to first-person shooters. The premise of the series takes a final step forward, christening these seemingly mundane games as the laws of the world.
WATCH ON Hulu
2 Log Horizon is a Better SAO
Based on the light novel by Touno Mamare and Hana Kazuhiro
With the video game isekai taking anime by storm, Log Horizon slips under the radar, but has qualities that trump all other similar series. The immensely popular Sword Art Online was quick to rise, but just as quick to fall, as fans blasted the series for its narrative direction, abused tropes, and lackluster sequels. However, Log Horizon aired on a similar timeline as Sword Art Online, but did all the same things just with more intention and depth. Protagonist Shiroe is more than a protagonist with an unfair starting point. He dives into Elder Tale’s political sphere, where the stakes are much less straightforward than life or death, producing the most interesting tensions.
WATCH ON Hulu
1 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World is the Perfect Comedy Isekai
Based on the Light Novel by Mishima Kurone and Akatsuki Natsume
While the main objective of isekai anime is not laughter and comedy, KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World carves itself a spot as one of the greatest isekai through such a medium alone. The story follows Kazuma, the series’ isekai’d individual, after he tricks the goddess Aqua into accompanying him through his fantasy adventure. Unlike most isekai, the main characters in KonoSuba remain weak, even if they do pick up an ability or two, and this sets the stage for some of the most ingenious jokes and situations. Through panty-grabbing magic and unnecessary, but artful explosions, KonoSuba blasts itself into the number one destination on Hulu for Isekai lovers.
WATCH ON Hulu
