Summary
The Isekai genrehas proven to be relatively malleable in its application while maintaining its primary selling point: the existence of another world and the reincarnation/ transportation of its protagonist to said other world.
However, as is seen in some recentmanga and anime series, the protagonist’s typical humanity is not necessarily guaranteed during reincarnation. Thus, these protagonists often find themselves reincarnated as anything but the human they once were. The spotlight of this piece, however, will focus on protagonists reincarnated into their new worlds with animal features and traits. Therefore, here are some of the best anime and manga featuring these protagonist types.
So I’m a Spider, So Whatstarts off as peaceful as can be, with any regular school day, until an unforeseen disaster hits the school, leavinga trail of bodiesin its wake. Only by some sort of miracle do a fair number of students find themselves fortunate enough to be reincarnated into another world as many different things. Among them are those reincarnated as nobles and other kinds of important people.
However, the series' protagonist, Kumoko, is not so lucky, as she is reincarnated as a spider. Not just any spider, but the weakest kind, immediately exposed her to the severe hardships of her new existence.Determined to survive, Kumoko soon discovers that her new world has a system similar to an RPG, meaning a possibility to level up and become stronger. With a new goal to latch onto, Kumoko gets stronger however she can, hoping to one day be granted a better life.
Re: Monsterfollows the uneventful and rather unfortunate life of the central character, Tomokui Kanata, who suffers an even more tragic death. However, his adventures are all but over as he awakens into another world, but this time as a goblin, specificallythe weakest goblinof his race named Goborou.
Still, Goborou has one thing going well for him—he retains all the memories of his previous life. Armed with modern knowledge and the gift of a new body, Goborou is determined to carve out a life of power in a world where survival means everything, and strangely enough, one where consuming other creatures lets him acquire their powers and strength.
3Reborn As A Polar Bear: The Legend of How I Became a Forest Guardian
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.6 / 5
Reborn As a Polar Bear follows the life ofthe central character, Kumakichi Kumada, a very devoted mountain climber whose life flips upside down when he wakes up in another world after falling into a ravine on a climbing expedition. Even worse, he is now looking after six werewolf sisters, who are on the run from humans hunting their clan.
Fortunately, Kumakichi retains the memories and knowledge of his previous life and uses it to ensure his survival. However, a challenging path lies ahead of him as he embarks on a harrowing quest to make the forest comfortable for its inhabitants.
2Woof Woof Story: I Told You To Turn Me Into A Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.7 / 5
Woof Woof Storyexplores the life of thecorporate slave protagonist, Routa Okami, who, like a growing number of Japan’s adult population, died due to overworking. In his last moments, Okami wishes to be reborn as the well-loved pet of a wealthy family. Fortunately, Okami’s wish is granted as he is reborn into another as a dog who belongs to an extremely rich family.
He quickly adopts the lifestyle he’d wished for. However, something seems wrong; as he keeps growing exponentially larger than a regular dog, Okami soon realises that he did not reincarnate as a dog but as a giant wolf—not just any wolf, either, but the legendary wolf king Fenrir. Still, Okami pretends to be nothing more than a normal dog.
Butarebapresents a rather interesting tale ofthe central character, a regular Japanese male adult Otaku who collapses and dies after eating raw pig liver. However, death is not exactly the end for him as he awakens in a new world. More surprisingly, he awakens not as a human but as a pig. Left helpless, he can only wait until he encounters Jess, a girl who can read minds and rescue him from his pen.
To transform back into a human, the pig must travel to the capital to appeal to the King. While contemplating his options, Jess offers to make the trip with him, kickstarting a funny adventure. However, as they prepare to begin their quest, a quick shopping trip cascades out of hand, revealing an ugly side to this new world hidden beneath the harmless facade.
