Summary
Isekai has a very recognizable formula: decent, but down-on-their-luck protagonist dies, wakes up to somegod or goddessoffering them a life in a new world. They go into said new world, are overpowered, and somehow become the most important person in that world. This formula is sometimes criticized, but it works. Even more importantly, it can be varied in so many ways, and that keeps it interesting.
Yet, there are some shows that flip the script, and this time the audience needs to deal with a villainous character coming into a new life and world to be a hero. This is a premise that isn’t as common in the world of isekai, but there are still some really cool ones out there.
2020
Author
Kiichi Kosuzu
Haruyoshi Kugano was an exorcist who was betrayed by a student and met his end. He had planned to be reborn, but ended up in another world that looked like medieval Europe. While he wants to live a peaceful life, the new world has other ideas for the man that wants to turn a new leaf.
One of the fun things about isekai is the idea that the protagonist essentially starts off on a fresh slate, and while this works for characters who have regrets from their past life, it certainly feels more poignant when it is for characterswho weren’t great people. Kugano, who becomes Seika Lamprogue, is a great example, and his character is one of the driving forces of a highly enjoyable manga.
2023
Satsuki Otonashi
Serena Violet did not understand love and lived life as an assassin until she found herself in another world where she was instead the daughter of a noble. She still retains her killer tendencies, but shows off more of a heart and is looking to protect her family from harm.
The story is interesting as there is a hint of romance which is reminiscent of something likeViolet Evergarden, in which a person who is unfamiliar with love starts to grapple with it and figure it out somehow. Serena is an assassin with a heart of gold (as much as such could exist) and is, for all intents and purposes, the hero in her new world.
2022
Homura Kawamoto
The protagonist of this story is a man addicted to killing. He wants to stop, but can’t and finds himself sentenced to death. Relieved, he accepted his fate, only to find himself reincarnated and tasked with killing again, but this time, he is a woman, and his kills will be for the good of the world.
Isekai Executioner is a ratherbleak story, and it can get really dark, but for those who enjoy the more joyless side of isekai, this could well scratch an itch. The kills work, and it suspends belief in some of the best ways.
2019
Takeshi Natsuhara
Ryu is a yakuza boss who is getting on. He tries to take on a group of thugs who want to encroach on his territory. He overestimates his abilities, falls to the thugs, but is reborn as a beautiful princess. Now, he is seen as a possible savior of the new world he has found himself in.
The art is fantasticin this work, and Ryu as a character feels unique in that he is an older man (although he is indeed in a young woman’s body). Ryu’s ‘old-school’ edge and the clash of his worldview with what is on ground also creates a comedic tension that readers can well appreciate.
2018
TurtleMe
It is hard to say Arthur Leywin was an irredeemable character in his past life, but as King Grey, he was not the best person or leader. His reincarnation into the world of Dicathen was a chance for him to live life anew and foster the relationships he never had in the life he left behind.
The Beginning After The End also features some really great art, and themagic systemis interesting. Arthur is pretty likable, and the glimpses readers are given into his past life really help put his current motivations into context. He fights for his family, and the themes of relationships and bonds really shine through here.
2017
Ryohgo Narita
Dead Mount Death Play strictly speaking is a reverse isekai where someone from a fantasy world is reborn in the world of today. Polka Shinoyama was a necromancer in his former life and is about to be ended by the hero when he comes to modern day Japan in the body of a boy that has just been killed.
While morally ambiguous, Polka does his best to do the right thing even though one could say he is with the wrong crowd. Add to that the fact that he is being seriously suspected by a set of really dedicated detectives, and one can see how the suspense could play out. The name makes it feel darker than it actually is.
Rui Tsukiyo
Sure, the name is long, which usually means it is exactly a generic isekai, butWorld’s Finest Assassinmanages to provide an interesting premise and quite decent execution. The protagonist is an assassin killed by his organization, who is reincarnated as a noble hero who is to defeat the ‘hero’ who is actually a villain bent on destroying the world.
Lugh is not a typical hero in that, yes, he is working for the good of the world, but he is hardly a knight in shining armor. The manga allows readers to experience Lugh’s growth, which makes him easier to root for. Everyone loves a badass protagonist, and Lugh plays that role perfectly. He represents a different type of hero; the one who is darker (contrast Batman and Superman) but gets the job done.
