As any current anime fan would know, isekai is taking the community by storm. Something about underdog protagonists thriving in a fantasy world is striking a chord with audiences around this world, and its success isn't stopping anytime soon. Not only is Winter 2022 going to be an incredible season for anime, it is also jam-packed with isekai both returning and new. Here are some of the top isekai anime of the upcoming season.
Arifureta: From Common Place to World's Greatest - Season 2
Despite the mixed criticism Arifureta has faced, it is one of the most anticipated anime of Winter 2022 according to MyAnimeList. From cringey CGI monsters to horrid pacing, this anime has had a tough premiere. Nonetheless, it is scheduled to return and people seem to be excited about it. This may be because it has crossed the so-bad-its-good threshold, and fans are willing to wait it out to see if it can get better.
Arifureta is about an underdog otaku, Nagumo Hajime, who was suddenly transported into the fantasy world of Tortus with his classmates. After the class attempts to clear a labyrinth together, Hajime is betrayed and falls into the seemingly inescapable Abyss. Desperate to survive, he discovers that eating monsters gives him extraordinary powers. He starts to change physically and mentally, becoming a white-haired overpowered, cold-blooded killer.
In the dungeon, he finds his eventual main lover, a confined vampire princess named Yue, and they escape the Abyss together. Along the way, they encounter a bunny girl named Shea, a masochistic dragon named Tio and reunite with his former classmate and crush Kaori. Together, Hajime and his harem discover the secrets of the world of Tortus and why he was transported there in the first place. Arifureta will premiere on Jan. 13 and will be available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom - Season 2
The second season of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is scheduled to air on Jan. 9 on Funimation. The first season premiered Summer 2021 and was met with relatively good reception.
Newly orphaned 19-year-old Kazuya Souma is suddenly transported to the Elfrieden Kingdom, where an ongoing demon war is raging and devastating the world. He discovers that he was summoned to this world to help fight in the war, but instead helps with the kingdom's failing economy. With his administrative prowess he is suddenly declared King of Elfrieden, and searches the kingdom for a cabinet of citizens to help him in his royal diplomacies in order to rebuild the kingdom, rightfully nicknamed the Realist Hero.
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest
Scheduled to premiere on Jan. 8, The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest is a new isekai anime with a sizeable following. It tells the tale of a powerful sage whose "mark" assigned at birth predetermined that his magic was useless in battle and much more suited for augmentation.
Due to this, he willingly reincarnates and returns as the third son of a duke's family, Mathias Hildesheimr. In this new era, mankind's knowledge of magic and swordsmanship has been all but lost, and his mark has moved from being the most valuable to the worst. The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest will be streamed on Crunchyroll.
She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man
Premiering on Jan. 12 on Crunchyroll and Funimation, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man is a video game-themed isekai, a subgenre popularized by Sword Art Online.
Sakimori Kagami is a veteran player in a virtual reality MMORPG called Arch Earth Online. His name and appearance is similar to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, but he decides to change his appearance to that of a girl to see what it's like after spending the rest of his expiring game money. He falls asleep, and instead of the game shutting off like it usually does, he wakes up inside the world of the game and can't seem to leave.
In the Land of Leadale
Another video-game isekai, In the Land of Leadale, will be premiering on Jan. 5 on Crunchyroll. Female protagonist Keina Kagami is put on life support after a horrible accident. Waking up in her favorite VRMMORPG World of Leadale, her avatar Cayna is quite familiar with her surroundings. Yet, she senses that something isn't quite right, and this may not be the same Leadale that she knows and loves.
As seen by the anime listed, there are many different kinds of isekai that will be available to watch soon. Funimation and Crunchyroll will have a plethora of new series to choose from in the coming weeks. There surely won't be a shortage of anime to watch in the beginning of the new year, but to find the time to watch it all is another problem.
