Isekai has exploded in popularity over the past few years, and it’s easy to see why. At its core, it’s one of the simplest genres in anime, and it’s in that simplicity that a ton of different series thrive.

Isekai anime is defined by a character from the real world getting transported to another, usually magical, world. That’s it. From there, series are free to make what they will of their premise, and it’s why some of the best anime of all time are isekai series.

While there are a ton of super-popular isekai anime franchises that every fan knows by heart, there are a handful of near-perfect series that are slipping away from most peoples’ memories. These series might as well be staples of the genre, and they’re part of the reason why the genre itself exploded in popularity.

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy is exactly what it wants to be: a power fantasy that only gets better the longer you watch it. It’s great from the start, and somehow, it builds into an exceptional series by the end of the second season.

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy’s third season is officially in production, but there hasn’t been an official announcement as to when the series will be released. It’s been a while since the second season came out, and when the third finally brings the series back, fans will remember why this series is celebrated so heavily.

The Eminence in Shadow

The Eminence in Shadow is the perfect example of an isekai series going for it all. It’s hilarious, action-packed, and filled with some of the best fights in the history of anime. There aren’t many main characters quite as effortlessly cool as Shadow, and even he doesn’t realize how amazing he truly is.

The Eminence in Shadow had an explosive first season, a solid second season, and no third season. While a movie should be coming out sooner rather than later, it feels like the franchise is on the back burner. When it does come out, The Eminence in Shadow will surely top every chart that it’s part of.

Angel Beats!

Angel Beats! is a staple of the isekai genre that might not actually be an isekai series. An isekai series is defined as a series in which a character from the real world is transported to another world, and the characters in Angel Beats! are technically transported to a place between Earth and the afterlife, creating an interesting case to make.

Angel Beats! is a surreal, philosophical, emotional roller coaster that ends as quickly as it begins. It’s one of the best anime series that isn’t based on a manga, and one of the few series that does more in less than 15 episodes than most series do in multiple seasons.

The Water Magician

The Water Magician might be one of the most underrated anime series of the past decade. It’s such a simple series that it might have flown over a lot of people’s heads, but it’s absolutely worth the watch. In a world of isekai series with ridiculously long titles and complex plots, The Water Magician is as wonderfully straightforward as it gets.

The Water Magician stars Ryo as a newly reincarnated man who just wants to live an easy life. Unfortunately for him, peace is anything but what he gets, as he finds himself in an area teeming with monsters. He eventually gets stronger, makes some great friends, and fights some of the toughest enemies around.

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest proves that edgy anime doesn’t have to be bad. There’s no arguing that Arifureta is one of the edgiest anime series ever made, and that’s why the series works so well. It’s a power fantasy with some of the most common tropes in the genre, and while that would break other series, it makes Arifureta solid.

Hajime Nagumo is transported to another world with the rest of his class and is given the worst skill around. He’s betrayed by one of his classmates, but instead of dying, Nagumo finds out how to use his ability to its absolute peak. He comes back and changes the world in a way even he couldn’t have seen coming.

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense isn’t just an anime with a fairly long title: it’s one of the most adorable series around. Maple, the star of Bofuri is one of the most endearing and lovable main characters the genre has ever seen.

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Maple is worried about getting hurt in the new video game she’s playing, so instead of distributing her stat points evenly across all of her stats, she puts them all into defense. While she’s fairly slow and doesn’t hit hard at first, she inadvertently becomes one of the strongest characters in the entire game in no time.

No Game No Life

No Game No Life is known by every cult-classic-loving anime fan out there, but that might be it. It’s been over 10 years since Shiro and Sora took the world of Disboard by storm, and few modern anime fans have any idea who they are.

There’s a good argument to be made that No Game No Life is the biggest anime series to not receive a second season. It’s massive among old-school anime fans, but it looks like it might always just be a cult-classic. There aren’t many anime series quite like it, and luckily, it still holds up over a decade later.