Best Isekai Manga of All Time: Must-Reads for Every Fan

Once in a while, we often daydream of having a restart button to press and start a new in life. While that is not possible in this reality, the next thing we can do is read the best isekai manga out there. What is Isekai, and why is it taking the lead in the newest releases of manga and anime alike?  

Isekai is a fantasy subgenre in manga and anime which means otherworld. In isekai, protagonists are transported to other worlds, which can be through reincarnation, transmigration, or summoning. The genre became more popular in the early 2010s with the popularity of the light novel series Sword Art Online, which also has manga and anime adaptations.

Technically, the genre has been going around since the ‘80s, however, it is with SAO that the genre became more known and proliferated across platforms. In fact, thirty-four isekai series were released in 2024, which accounted for 15% of all new television anime sries. It has grown greatly since a decade ago and is commonly known as the Isekai Boom.

Want to know more about isekai and the top isekai manga of all time? As an expert multinational translation company, CCCI brings you the list of must-read isekai manga! Enjoy reading!

Key Takeaways:

• Isekai became more popular in the early 2010s with the popularity of the light novel series Sword Art Online, which also has manga and anime adaptations.

• Isekai captivates readers with its concepts of escapism and self-discovery.

• Although becoming oversaturated, isekai brought about a new wave of escapism for the readers.

• Effective localization makes it possible for readers to connect at an emotional level with the isekai story’s protagonist. 

Table of Contents:

• Why Isekai Captivates Readers

• Top Isekai Manga of All Time

• The Impact of Isekai on Manga and Anime Culture

• CCCI: How Localization Enhances the Isekai Experience

A typical isekai manga starts with the protagonist dying or involuntarily summoned and waking up in another dimension or reality. This dimension may be a magical place, a time travel, or a virtual world (in the case of SAO). This trope is likely connected to escapism. 

Usually, the protagonists in isekai manga are just ordinary people with existential crises, which resemble realistic problems relatable to the readers. Introducing isekai elements brings them to an often fantastical otherworld, gain power, and start anew with life. Because of this seemingly extraordinary way to escape realistic problems, more readers are captivated by reading isekai manga.

Aside from the concept of escapism, isekai manga continues to captivate readers because of its themes of self-discovery. As most protagonists are given second chances to transform their once-stagnant lives, they discover their hidden strengths and talents with every challenge they face. From relatable characters to extraordinary self-improvement, readers are sure to find comfort in the best isekai manga out there.

Since the Isekai Boom, the genre’s market has grown oversaturated. Every trending anime list has two or three isekai titles, commonly originating from light novels. This oversaturation can often lead to poorly written isekai manga, but fret not, as we have made a curated list of top isekai manga of all time.

Here are the must-read isekai manga that you need to add to your TBR list! Enjoy~!

Note: Since most isekai titles are originally written as light novels, our list is specifically manga adaptations of the mentioned titles. 

Of course, let us start with one of the first sparks of Isekai Boom! Sword Art Online originally started as a light novel series by Reki Kahawara and was later adapted into a manga by the same author.

The story revolves around a boy who plays a VR game only to discover that he and a thousand other players are stuck in the game’s cyberspace. To get out, the player must complete the stages of the game. 

The manga adaptation can be bought from Amazon and your nearest bookstore!

Imagine casually meeting your friend and then suddenly having an accident that ends your life. Kind of morbid, but in this case, the next thing you know is waking up… as a slime. This is the premise of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, an original light novel series by Fuse. 

A manga adaptation was launched in 2015 by Taiki Kawakami in Kodansha. The series ranked 5th place at the 3rd Next Manga Awards in 2017. In 2018, the series won the Bookwalker Award. In 2021, the series was nominated for the 45th Kodansha Manga Award and won the title a year later at the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.

Re:Zero follows the story of a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, and Training) character who got summoned to another world. The author of the original light novel series was once a fan fiction writer for another isekai piece, The Familiar of Zero. Re:Zero was adapted into a manga series in 2014. 

It was hailed as one of the most successful light novel/anime/manga franchises in 2016. As of 2023, the combined overall series for both the light novel and manga volumes has reached 13 million copies. 

All that you want to be is to become a librarian. Then an earthquake hits and you wake up in the body of a five-year-old girl… in a world where books are lacking. Ascendance of a Bookworm is an original light novel series by Miya Kazuki. In 2015, a manga adaptation was made for the series and published on the Niconico Seiga website.

The manga adaptation ranked 7th place at the 3rd Next Manga Awards in 2017. 

Imagine getting summoned to another world and receiving the power of Online Grocery, where you can just order normal items from your world instantly. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is not the typical isekai-fantasy series that is conflict-ridden. This slice-of-life series is a great recommendation if you want to have an easy and pretty chill isekai read. 

The manga adaptation ranked 2nd in the list of Japanese bookstore employees’ Best Isekai Manga in 2018. 

Drifters is not your typical underrated isekai manga. With unique storytelling of summoned historical figures to save the world, this original manga series is a well-received isekai. Over 1.5 million copies were sold worldwide, and have been translated into five different languages.

This original manga series was nominated in the 2011 Manga Taisho Awards and the year that followed. It also ranked 5th place out of the Top 10 manga series that people wanted to have an anime adaptation.

Finally, we included this classic isekai manga that was ages older than Sword Art Online! Fushigi Yugi follows the story of two girls who get pulled inside a mysterious book. This original manga series is considered one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with 20 million copies sold.

Though the plot of this manga does not age well, it is a great pick if you feel nostalgic!

In 2024, the term isekai was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, which solidified its influence not only on manga and anime culture but also on a wider scale. Because of the main elements of isekai, it brought about a new wave of escapism for the readers. Metaphorically, fans and readers not only escape through reading but literally by reading stories of escapism.

However, the isekai genre is now overly saturated. Based on the earlier-mentioned statistics, more titles in the genre are produced, and they often have repetitive tropes. Stories have become formulaic and predictable, and oftentimes, the protagonists are too overpowered to the point of becoming unrelatable. 

On the brighter side, since most isekai stories are originally light novels, they are often adapted to manga and anime, which increases viewership and readership. Moreover, the elements of isekai are now being utilized even in fantasy video games, like the RPG examples Undertale and Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom.

Looking back at our list of top isekai manga of all time, it is not surprising that they have reached such milestones with effective localization. It enhances the isekai experience by making the story immersive for readers and understandable regardless of different cultures. Effective localization makes it possible for readers to connect at an emotional level with the isekai story’s protagonist. 

Localizing is not merely translating the language. It is the process of adapting the cultural nuances of the story to the local context. Moreover, elements like character depth and world-building are localized as well so it can be more relatable and readable for the target audience.

CCCI is a localization company that offers top manga and webtoon comic services. With their years of experience in manga & comic translation, they can help your story become one of the best isekai manga in the market. Interested? Contact us!