Warning: Spoilers for The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy is a HIDIVE exclusive series that combines Isekai with popular tropes from classic shonen series throughout its completed first and only season. On top of that, this anime even delves into the vampire genre, and one of its reincarnations already has a unique twist.
In most Isekai, protagonists are forcibly transported to a new world beyond their control. In The Demon Sword Master, the demon lord Leonis Death Magnus not only voluntarily reincarnates but does so through the rare process of statis, whereby he awakens 1,000 years in the future as a 10-year-old human boy.
This unconventional reincarnation isn’t strictly a reverse Isekai. Leonis goes into stasis in a fantasy-based land and awakens in a futuristic world in a very similar way to the protagonist of Dead Mount Death Play. However, this “modern” future features so-called Voids that share a resemblance to ancient monsters (although wrongly named) and Holy Swords, which are essentially hyper-focused magical spells.
The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy Has A Protagonist With A Classic Shonen Background
Based on the light novel series by writer Yū Shimizu and illustrator Asagi Tōsaka
This rare form of reincarnation is then complemented by the other main character, Riselia Ray Crystalia, who shares the same background as many shonen protagonists. Like My Hero Academia‘s Deku and Black Clover‘s Asta, Riselia dreams of being powerful like everyone else, but isn’t gifted with the abilities that make this possible. Like them, Riselia later gains power but only by unconventional means, putting a blemish on her subsequent accomplishments, even though Riselia appears to be fine with this, so long as she can save lives.
However, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy augments this well-known shonen trope even further by first presenting it through the lens of a story that’s not proprietary to anime – where the heir to a prestigious family doesn’t live up to their expectations. Next, the series dresses it up by adding vampires to the mix. Even those who aren’t receptive to vampires will likely enjoy this twist, since the series doesn’t explore the subject traditionally, even though blood-sucking is still involved.
If this weren’t enough, the series also dabbles in another enjoyable Isekai trope that sees the protagonist’s original enemies join them in the new world, further connecting both worlds and therefore complicating their overall dynamic rather than keeping them separated. The series also adds some more concrete correlations by beginning almost every episode with a flashback of Leonis’ exploits before his reincarnation. Even though only one season of The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy has been released thus far, HIDIVE is currently simulcasting the dubbed version and will hopefully resume the production of this underrated Isekai overall, as the original light novel series is still ongoing.
The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy is streaming exclusively on HIDIVE
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