Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation has quickly established itself as one of the most popular Isekai series in recent memory. The series follows a man who gets a second chance at life after being reincarnated in a fantasy world. However, despite reincarnation, he retains his old knowledge, allowing him to change the world and forge new friendships.
For fans who've finished Mushoku Tensei and are desperate for something similar to watch, here are five anime that are worth checking out.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
One of the most popular currently-airing Isekai series, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, features some unique twists on fantasy and Isekai tropes. The series follows 37-year-old salaryman Satoru Mikami, who, after getting murdered, wakes up in a fantasy world. However, Satoru isn't a human in this new world. In fact, he is a lowly slime monster. This is a problem as slimes are weak, blind, and deaf, meaning that, at first, it seems that Satoru's new life is a downgrade. However, he quickly learns to use his new abilities to his advantage and starts making friends and exploring.
Mushoku Tensei and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime share similar plot beats. Both feature likable protagonists who, despite having their lives totally reset, embrace their new situation. They both use their newly-discovered magical skills to navigate their fantasy world, encountering many different people and creatures along the way.
Dr. Stone
Written by Riichiro Inagaki and animated by TMS Entertainment, Dr. Stone offers another story that Mushoku Tensei fans will enjoy. 3,700 years after a large flash petrified nearly all human life, a young genius called Senku Ishigami is randomly revived. Senku quickly learns that all traces of human civilization and progress have been erased by time. But, after working out how to restore petrified people, Senku quickly gets to work. Senku plans to create a new society focused on science. However, some people disagree with this, and soon Senku is fighting for his ideals and dream future.
While not an Isekai in a traditional sense, Dr. Stone offers a lot that Isekai fans will like. Senku and Rudeus Greyrat have a surprising amount in common as both aim to make the best of their second chance at life. Both also make many new friends on their journey who become crucial to the plot's overall progression. They also have to fight for what they believe in, as despite having noble goals, they often encounter people with very different ideologies. This means that their stories avoid being straight-up power-fantasies.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Based on the light novel written by Miya Kazuki, Ascendance of a Bookworm has often been described as a gender-flipped Mushoku Tensei, and it isn't hard to see why. Urano Motosu has always dreamed of being a librarian, and after graduating from school, she quickly starts to work towards her dream. However, mere weeks before she becomes a librarian, an earthquake hits, and Urano gets crushed under a pile of books. She wishes to be reincarnated in a world where she can read forever with her last breath.
When Urano wakes up, she finds that she is in another world. However, Urano quickly realizes she has been placed in the body of a 5-year-old girl called Myne. Urano is excited about this, she but quickly realizes that Myne lives in a medieval world where books are rare and only available to the rich. However, unable to live in a world without reading, Myne decides to write her own books.
Like Mushoku Tensei, Ascendance of a Bookworm sees a likable protagonist using their modern knowledge to live the life of their dreams, reshaping the world around them in the process. However, Ascendance of a Bookworm is much slower and less action-oriented than Mushoku Tensei.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Based on the light novel written by Carlo Zen, The Saga Of Tanya the Evil follows an atheist Japanese salaryman. When he fires a subordinate due to their poor performance, the subordinate snaps, and murders the salaryman. After death, the salaryman meets a being that declares itself to be god. This god chastises the salaryman for not having faith, and the salaryman responds by disbelieving the god.
God then punishes the salaryman by reincarnating him in a world where he will struggle, hoping to force him to respect divinity. The man is put in the body of Tanya Degurechaff, an orphan who lives in an alternative version of imperial Germany. However, the man is told that if Tanya does not die a natural death or refuses to have faith in God, both of their souls will go to hell. Thus, the new Tanya quickly acts to protect herself, not caring who she hurts in the process.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil is basically the dark version of Mushoku Tensei, as while both follow someone who uses their renewed youth to shape a whole new life, Mushoku Tensei follows a man who wants to make a happy new life. While Tanya follows someone willing to do anything to get ahead, no matter the cost.
Welcome to the N.H.K.
Produced by Gonzo and based on the novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto, Welcome to the N.H.K. is a series quite unlike anything else on offer. The show follows Tatsuhiro Satō, a hikikomori who rarely leaves the house. However, Takimoto is convinced that his situation is due to a grand conspiracy perpetrated by the N.H.K. One day, Tatsuhiko meets Misaki Nakahara, a girl who offers to help cure Tatsuhiko of his hikikomori lifestyle, provided he agrees to meet with her every day until his issue is resolved. While it isn't an Isekai, both Mushoku Tensei and Welcome to the N.H.K. follow relatable losers trying to make new lives for themselves. This forces them into strange and unexpected situations as they attempt to adapt to their changing circumstances.
