While isekai has increased in popularity throughout the years, the genre really boomed in the 2010s. As one of the most popular anime genres currently on the market, many isekai shows became instant hits like Sword Art Online and The Rising of the Shield Hero. However, given the sheer amount of isekai, some of the genre's hidden gems fell out of anime's collective memory. Here are five of the best underrated isekai anime titles from the 2010s.
High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World
Coming in at the end of the decade, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World had the potential to be the next big isekai series after its first season aired in 2019. This entertaining anime stars seven internationally renowned and famous prodigies who excel in different fields. When the seven prodigies are brought together on a plane ride, they suddenly crash into a medieval world named Freyjagard. They soon discover fantastical beings who struggle to get along, and they're forced to gather as much intel on their new world as possible.
After surveying both the geographical and political landscape of this fantasy world, the seven prodigies set out to use their knowledge and abilities to make the world a better place for all. Given its complex and intriguing premise, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World deserves far more recognition and acclaim than it currently has.
Drifters
Airing in 2016, Drifters stars Shimazu Toyohisa, who successfully kills Ii Naomasa in the Battle of Sekigahara. Despite being a skilled and powerful warrior, Toyohisa is greatly injured from the battle and gets transported to a mysterious corridor full of doors. After entering through the nearest door, he finds himself in a fantasy world full of other mighty warriors who were summoned to create a group called "Drifters."
With both human and fantastical beings, this new world is plagued by conflict as a skilled yet barbaric group aims to kill all Drifters. With this brutal and powerful group called the "Ends" threatening the world, it's up to the Drifters to put an end to their ruthless tyranny.
Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits
As both an isekai and kitsune anime airing in 2018, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits is a mystical series starring Aoi Tsubaki and charming yōkai. Aoi is a college student who inherits her grandmother's ability to see yōkai in the modern world. When she accidentally stumbles upon an ogre who takes her to the Hidden Realm to marry him, she negotiates a new deal to cover her grandmother's former debt.
After agreeing to work at the ogre's Tenjin-ya bed and breakfast in the Hidden Realm, Tsubaki meets a handsome kitsune yōkai named Ginji. While showcasing the spirit realm and Tsubaki's interactions with spirits, this isekai offers stunning visuals alongside its magical storyline.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
First airing in 2019, Ascendance of a Bookworm is a book isekai starring a college girl named Urano Motosu who dies after being crushed by a pile of books during a deadly earthquake. As she's dying, she wishes to be reincarnated in a world and life where she can simply read all day long. She soon finds herself reincarnated as a fragile five-year-old named Myne in a world where books are uncommon and hoarded by the elites.
Given her new life and the memories of her past one, Motosu decides to create her own books so that she's able to read again and eventually become a librarian. While this series still fights to gain popularity today, isekai fans can rejoice, as Ascendance of a Bookworm is currently ongoing with a third season on the horizon.
Kamigami no Asobi
While many fans of reverse-harems are familiar with Kamigami no Asobi, this 2014 anime isn't well-known among general isekai fans. The series stars Yui, who's transported from the modern world to the world of gods and deities through an ancient sword she finds at her family's shrine. She soon discovers that Zeus rules over this world, and he demands that she attend school with the young gods so they can learn the importance of humans and their humanity.
These young and handsome classmates consist of gods from various cultures, including Hades, Apollo, Dionysus, Thoth, Anubis, Thor, Balder, Loki, Tsukito and Takeru. Not only do fans get treated to heartwarming romance and magical isekai, but they also learn about these different gods and cultures for educational purposes.
