Isekai Anime & Manga Protagonists Who Are Reincarnated As Monsters

Before the term ‘isekai‘ came to be, it was referred to as ‘trapped in another world,’ which sums up the genre. Isekai takes viewers on a journey into the unknown, where the story’s main character is reborn or reincarnated into another world, different from the everyday world.

When this happens, the character, in some cases, retains their human form, only changing status and appearance. However, there are exceptions where the main character gets reborn as a monster or non-human being. In this new form, the main character must deal with their new reality and try to survive in this new world.

Updated July 28th, 2024, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: The Isekai genre is notoriously known for transporting or reincarnating characters in other worlds, and this has captivated the imaginations of anime and manga fans all over the world. Isekai is known for its twists and turns that keep fans on their toes and wanting more. One popular twist is the protagonists reborn as non-human creatures, aka, monsters. This twist offers fans a unique perspective on what it is like to be reborn as a monster, highlighting the challenges and adventures of the protagonist. Protagonists might wake up as dragons with immense power or slimes with unique absorption abilities and although they might start off having a hard time adjusting, they eventually do and have an epic time exploring their new world and getting into adventure.

14 Tama

I’m a Behemoth, An S-Ranked Monster, But Mistaken For A Cat, I Live As An Elf Girl’s Pet

• Japanese Title: S-Rank Monster no “Behemoth” dakedo, Neko to Machigawarete Elf Musume no Pet toshite Kurashitemasu
• Year of Release: 2018
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Ecchi
• Creator: Shinonome, Tarou (Art), Ginyoku, Nozomi (Story)

A knight dies, but luckily, he reincarnates in another world. In this new world, the knight is reborn as Behemoth, a powerful beast. Since he is a young Behemoth, he looks like a kitten and is often mistaken for one. Wandering around his new world, Behemoth encounters Aria, an elf who sees Behemoth in danger and rescues him. Aria takes Behemoth with her and names him Tama.

This manga takes readers on Behemoth’s journey as he becomes Tama and tries to settle in his new world. Tama is grateful to Aria for taking him in and vows to always protect her from harm and other monsters that may try to attack her.

13 Pig

Butareba: The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig

The protagonist of Butareba: The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig is an average worker who dies at work after eating uncooked pig liver. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a strange world as a pig, helpless with no clue on how to escape, seeing that he is stuck in a pig’s pen.

Luckily for Pig, he encounters Jess, a young girl who can read minds, and with her help, the protagonist, Pig, can now communicate with someone, and he is grateful for that. Soon after, he realizes that Jess has some issues of her own, and he wants to help her. Unfortunately for him, helping her is not going to be as easy as he planned or thought, as he has no special or magical powers in this world, and his only advantage is his memories from his previous life.

12 Routa

Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir!

• Japanese Title: Wanwan Monogatari: Kanemochi no Inu ni Shite to wa Itta ga, Fenrir ni Shiro to wa Ittenee!
• Year of Release: 2018
• Genres: Fantasy
• Creator: Koikuchi, Kiki (Art), Inumajin (Story)

The protagonist of Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! was once an overworked man from Japan. This man died from overworking and, unlike others, knew what he wanted to be in case he reincarnated. He planned to be a rich man’s dog, doing nothing but getting pampered and spoilt by his rich owners.

However, his after-death wish did not fully come through as he wanted it. He reincarnated as a dog but was not a typical dog instead, a massive, powerful wolf-like creature resembling Fenrir, the mythical monstrous wolf from Norse mythology. Born in a wealthy home like he wanted, this manga takes readers on a journey on how Routa makes do with his situation and ends up living the life he dreamt of, although in a slightly different form.

11 Alraune

Plant Monster Girl Diary

• Japanese Title: Shokubutsu Monster Musume Nikki: Seijo Datta Watashi ga Uragirareta Hate ni Alraune ni Tensei shiteshimatta node, Korekara wa Kougousei wo Shinagara Shizuka ni Shokubutsu Life wo Sugoshimasu
• Year of Release: 2021
• Genres: Action, Fantasy
• Creator: Minase (Story), Guu (Art)

Plant Monster Girl Diary tells the story of betrayal, hopelessness, and acceptance. The main protagonist dies, but because of her partner’s betrayal, she reincarnates as a plant monster instead of a saint. Knowing full well about her partner’s betrayal and its role in her current predicament, it is understandable that she wants revenge, but unfortunately, she cannot move.

As Alraune, the plant monster, this girl is half human and half plant. A feeling of hopelessness washes over her as she realizes she cannot do anything because she is deeply rooted like a plant. She finally accepts her condition, and all she wants now is to live peacefully while enjoying two important things: the sun and water.

10 Hiroto

The Death Mage

• Japanese Title: Yondome wa Iya na Shizokusei Majutsushi
• Year of Release: 2018
• Genres: Action, Drama, Fantasy
• Creator: Densuke (Story), Kojima, Takehiro (Art)

Hiroto has lived quite a few unlucky lives. His unlucky streak started after he was killed alongside some of his classmates while trying to save a girl he barely knew. However, he got reincarnated, but then died in his second life due to a mistake by God. His bad luck angers him, and he wants revenge on God, but there is nothing a mere mortal like him can do. God promises him that his fourth life will be peaceful, but Hiroto does not want a fourth life and is tired of excessive reincarnation.

To make matters worse, Hiroto is not fully human anymore; instead, he is a dark-elf vampire named Vandalieu. This manga showcases how Hiroto has lived such a harsh and unfortunate life. As a Dhampir, although he has human characteristics, he has monstrous powers and moves among undead beings.

9 Rentt Faina

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

Being an adventurer comes with risks, and Rentt, the protagonist of this anime, falls victim to a dragon after stumbling into its lair. Upon reawakening, he finds out that he is no longer a human, and is instead a skeleton, the lowest of the undead monsters. Rentt wants to return to human civilization by all means, and he starts by protecting himself against all the other monsters in the labyrinth. He soon realizes that he might not be able to reach human civilization, and strives for the next best thing: being a vampire.

As a skeleton, Rentt is also a monster, but his monstrous identity is covered by the unremovable mask he wears. This mask is his saving grace, as the surrounding adventurers consider his type to be a monster, and if they catch a glimpse of his appearance, they will eliminate him without a doubt.

8 Ja

Salesman To Dragon

• Japanese Title: Jaryuu Tensei
• Year of Release: 2016
• Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
• Creator: Hashimoto, Yuuji (Art), Seto, Meguru (Story)

The main character of Jaryuu Tensei is an ordinary salesman who dies an unfortunate and tragic death in a car accident. To make up for this, he reincarnates as a mighty dragon in another world. In addition to that, he has the ability to transform into the form of a human.

In this other world, this ordinary salesman becomes Ja, a mighty dragon. Ja has adventurers and travelers trying to kill him for being a dragon, but they are no match for his overwhelming powers. One adventurer is Kuroe, and her failed attempt fostered an emotional relationship with Ja, and from there, they journeyed around the world.

7 Arc

SkeletonTraveller

Before he became Arc, he was a Japanese gamer who fell asleep while playing a game. This gamer wakes up to find himself in the game he was playing as his avatar, a skeleton. Shocked by this discovery, he tries to navigate his way through the game world.

Going by his game avatar name, he becomes Arc and travels around, hoping to solve quests for money. Now, Arc is on an adventure, exploring his new world, saving damsels in distress, and, importantly, hiding his appearance from people to avoid questions.

6 Akira

Life As A Goblin

• Japanese Title: Tensei Goblin dakedo Shitsumon Aru?
• Year of Release: 2020
• Genres: Fantasy
• Creator: Miki, Nazuna (Story), Araki, Tsukasa (Art)

Akira Yagami was a good and selfless man. Selfless guys are rare, and Akira’s death made the world short of one selfless guy. Akira’s selfless nature led to his death, as he died while saving a young child from an oncoming vehicle.

Akira dies and reincarnates as a goblin. Readers may be wondering why his luck went sour despite him being a selfless person. Still, in the future, they soon discover that instead of having the usual seven-day lifespan a goblin typically has, Akira is a goblin with 80 years to live.

5 Kumoko

Arachnid Ascent

Kumoko was once a lover of video games. She used to spend all her time locked in and playing games until an explosion killed her and her classmates. Fortunately, some students reincarnated as princes, princesses, nobles, and more. This luck was not the same for Kumoko, as she got incarnated as a spider.

So I’m a Spider, So What? is the survival story of Kumoko as a spider. She must avoid other monsters and creatures so they do not eat her. Kumoko aims to survive and become a stronger creature in this new world.

4 Illusia

Dragon In Exploration

• Japanese Title: Tensei shitara Dragon no Tamago datta: Ibara no Dragon Road
• Year of Release: 2017
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Creator: Necoco (Story), RIO (Art)

Illusia, the protagonist of Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling, wakes up to find himself as a dragon’s egg waiting to hatch. He is without a name, does not recall his previous life, and feels helpless in this new world with scary creatures.

Illusia’s egg hatches, and he is ready to begin his new life. He is determined to be an approachable dragon, steering away from the stereotype of being intimidating. He explores his new world, learning as he does, and slowly achieves his goal of being a better person.

3 Rimuru

Slime Sovereign

Satoru Mikami was an average man living a boring life. On the verge of death, he regrets how he lived, especially without a love interest. Satoru dies and soon after regains consciousness in a strange world, but not as a human but as a slime.

In this new world, Satoru befriends a beast and now goes by Rimuru Tempest. Fueled by this new lease on life and his unique shape with special powers, Rimuru is determined to live a fun and extraordinary life different from how he lived as a human.

2 Goburou

Goblin’s Greed

• Japanese Title: Re: Monster
• Year of Release: 2012
• Genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
• Creator: Kanekiru Kogitsune

Dying a terrible death is one thing, but getting reincarnated as a goblin can be a nightmare, and this was the new reality of Tomokui Kanata. Tomokui gets reincarnated in a world as a goblin named Goburou. Tomokui has no choice but to accept his new reality.

Goburou discovers he gains the strength and powers of any creature he eats. Stuck in this new world with an unfamiliar body, he explores the reality of living as a monster with his newfound ability and memories from his past life.

1 Momonga

Gamer To Overlord

Overlord follows the usual stuck-in-game path. Suzuki Satoru cannot bear to see his favorite game shut down, so he decides to stay logged in to enjoy the game atmosphere before it leaves. The game shuts down, and Satoru cannot leave as he is unable to log out and has taken up the look of his game avatar, Momonga.

As Momonga, he sees that the non-character players are also coming to life and is puzzled. He wonders if other players like himself are unable to leave the game. With that in mind, Momonga sets off on a quest to find similar players and uncover the truth behind his situation.