New Anime Report Officially Crowns the Top 9 Isekai Series Ever Made

Isekai has been a mainstay genre in anime for more than a decade at this point, as its greatest hits continue to break into the forefront of top ongoing series. While the genre has seen more competition lately, it still regularly produces breakout and niche hits for the medium. This results in Japan regularly showcasing its biggest hits.

The latest ranking of the most popular isekai anime came from Abema via PR Timeswhere they dubbed November 12 as “Good Isekai Day”, celebrating nine isekai anime with the highest viewership. Ranked among them are all the usual suspects, but only one true winner, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, could reign supreme.

Abema Crowns the Top Isekai Anime in Latest Japanese Rankings

While it’s not entirely surprising which series wound up being the most popular on Abema’s streaming service, it’s clearly in line with many of the most popular isekai anime in the West as well. While Slime took the crown, other acclaimed favorites like Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and Sword Art Online showed an impressive tonal spread.

1. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
2. Overlord
3. The Eminence in Shadow
4. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
5. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
6. Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World
7. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
8. The Rising of the Shield Hero
9. Sword Art Online

These anime frequently rank among the most popular isekai here as well, although DanMachi’s placement at #5 is suspect, especially given that it’s not technically an isekai. While it’s thus an imperfect ranking, the other picks are wholly unsurprising, with even their most controversial series being perfect for discussion.

Abema celebrated this occasion by giving the winning shows a limited free streaming period for users. This is partly to draw additional viewership for other new offerings, such as My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s and A Wild Final Boss Appeared! Among these, or perhaps outside the usual box, could be the next isekai sensation, though.

Japan’s Isekai Output Has Emerging Rivals

While the popularity of the above nine series (or eight for the isekai purists) is highly unlikely to die anytime soon, new competitors are retaining viewership at an impressive rate. While quirky, overly-gimmicky isekai about vending machines have impressive staying power, one uniquely popular newcomer, Lord of Mysteries, comes out of China’s donghua medium.

Part of Lord of Mysteries’ appeal, beyond an immensely popular and established following for his novels, is his elegant adaptation by B.CMAY PICTURES. With plans for six seasons and a movie, alongside three special episodes, the donghua is rapidly turning heads. However, it’s also a signal for Japanese studios to step up their game, however dense and hard-to-follow it is.

So naturally, celebrating Japan’s best isekai carries another tone, reminding viewers of who did it first, and who did it best. With Moose Tensei season 3 coming, even as the continuously top-tier That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime gets ready to bow out, many, if not all of these anime, are not in danger of fading.