The 28 Best Action Isekai Anime Series of All Time

From world-conquering overlords and time-looping tragedies to underdog healers and blade-swinging skeletons, this lineup swings between genre-defining classics and scrappy cult favorites. Which world-hopper claims the top spot?

1. 1
   Sword Art Online

   A groundbreaking 2012 series where players trapped in a deadly virtual reality MMO must fight monsters and each other to survive and escape.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Overlord

   A gamer stuck as his overpowered skeletal avatar when his VRMMO servers shut down conquers a new world with ruthless efficiency.
   888pts
3. 3
   The Faraway Paladin

   A soul raised by undead guardians in a ruined town grows into a paladin who must confront the dark forces that destroyed his home.
   767pts
4. 4
   Inuyasha

   A schoolgirl pulled through a magic well into feudal-era Japan teams up with a half-demon swordsman to battle demons and hunt sacred jewel shards.
   767pts
5. 5
   The Misfit of Demon King Academy

   The strongest demon king reincarnates 2,000 years later and enrolls in a school of weaker descendants, effortlessly crushing every threat.
   639pts
6. 6
   Re:Zero

   A NEET transported to a brutal fantasy world discovers his only power is reliving death over and over to save the people he loves.
   639pts
7. 7
   Zero no Tsukaima

   A magic student who can only summon familiars pulls a modern-day boy into her world, sparking sword-and-sorcery adventures together.
   579pts
8. 8
   KonoSuba

   A gamer dies absurdly and is sent to a fantasy world with a hapless goddess, stumbling into chaotic monster-slaying misadventures.
   579pts
9. 9
   El-Hazard

   A trio of students and their teacher are transported into a desert world of ancient ruins, giant machines, and rival kingdoms at war.
   579pts
10. 10
    The Saga of Tanya the Evil

    A ruthless salaryman reincarnated as a young girl becomes an elite military mage waging brutal magical warfare across a war-torn continent.
    579pts
11. 11
    Arifureta

    A bullied outcast falls into a dungeon abyss and claws his way back to power, becoming a merciless fighter to protect his classmates.
    579pts
12. 12
    Drifters

    Legendary warriors from history are pulled into a war-torn fantasy world and unleash brutal, bloody battle tactics against invading forces.
    511pts
13. 13
    GATE

    When a fantasy army invades modern Tokyo through a mysterious gate, Japan's Self-Defense Force strikes back and pushes into the world beyond.
    511pts
14. 14
    The Twelve Kingdoms

    An ordinary schoolgirl is swept into a brutal fantasy realm of warring kingdoms and must fight to claim her destiny as a ruler.
    432pts
15. 15
    Mushoku Tensei

    A shut-in reincarnated as an infant in a magic-filled world resolves to live his second life without regret, mastering swordsmanship and sorcery.
    432pts
16. 16
    The Eminence in Shadow

    A teen obsessed with being a secret mastermind is reborn into a fantasy world and accidentally uncovers a real shadowy conspiracy to fight.
    341pts
17. 17
    The Rising of the Shield Hero

    One of four summoned heroes is framed and shunned, forced to fight the Waves of Catastrophe armed only with a defensive shield.
    341pts
18. 18
    The Vision of Escaflowne

    A schoolgirl with the power to see the future is drawn into a war-torn fantasy world of giant armored mechs and clashing kingdoms.
    341pts
19. 19
    Banished from the Hero's Party

    A support healer kicked out of the hero's party for being unimpressive settles into a quiet town, only to reveal hidden battle skill when danger strikes.
    341pts
20. 20
    That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

    A salaryman reborn as a slime in a fantasy world builds a monster nation while absorbing the powers of everything he defeats.
    341pts
21. 21
    Reincarnated as a Sword

    A man reborn as a sentient sword bonds with a young girl and cuts down monsters together as they journey through a dangerous world.
    341pts
22. 22
    Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

    A group of ordinary young people wake up in a fantasy world with no memory of their past and must fight desperately just to survive.
    341pts
23. 23
    Wise Man's Grandchild

    A boy raised by a legendary sage after being reincarnated into a magical world grows into an overwhelmingly powerful young mage.
    341pts
24. 24
    Log Horizon

    Thousands of players trapped inside an MMO must organize, form guilds, and fight to build a functioning society and defend their new home.
    232pts
25. 25
    No Game No Life

    A brother-sister gaming duo are pulled into a world where all conflict is settled through games, scheming to conquer it without ever fighting directly.
    232pts
26. 26
    Skeleton Knight in Another World

    A man wakes up trapped in the body of a full-plate skeleton warrior and roams a fantasy world hiding his fearsome true strength.
    232pts
27. 27
    How Not to Summon a Demon Lord

    A gamer summoned into his favorite game's world as its strongest demon lord must navigate slavery magic while fighting off rival factions.
    102pts
28. 28
    DanMachi

    A young adventurer in a city built atop a monster-filled dungeon fights his way up from the lowest ranks to legendary status.
    102pts