Best Historical Isekai Anime & Manga, Ranked

The isekai genre has long been popular because of its element of escapism. Who wouldn’t want to be transported from their monotonous life to a more exciting, fantasy-filled one? While a sizable number of isekai worlds take the standard medieval European fantasy route, others get a little more creative and borrow from other historical or mythological settings.

Whether it’s Sengoku-era Japan, ancient China, medieval Europe, or a different period in history altogether, these anime take world-building to a whole new level. These series add a certain richness and depth to their fantasy worlds, weaving in time travel elements, legendary figures, and ancient battles.

8 Amatsuki

Transported to an Alternate Version of Japan’s Edo Era

• Release Date: April 4, 2008
• Creator: Takayama Shinobu
• Studio: Studio Deen
• Number of Episodes: 13

Amatsuki is about a high school student named Tokidoki Rikugou. Struggling with history class, he attends a museum lecture with a virtual reality recreation of Edo-era Japan. In true isekai fashion, a series of strange events lead to him getting trapped in a fantastical version of the Edo era.

Amatsuki neatly blends history and fantasy, combining elements like yokai, mystical beings, and spirits with Edo-era aesthetics. Fans of both isekai and Japanese folklore will undoubtedly find Amatsuki a delight to watch.

7 How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom

Medieval European Fantasy with a Touch of Realism

While the isekai genre is no stranger to worlds inspired by Medieval Europe, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom puts a different spin on the formula by discussing actual issues of the era, like political corruption, food shortages, and inefficient architecture.

Kazuya Souma, a man who was summoned to the fantasy world of Elfrieden, doesn’t wield a sword or have magic powers. Instead, he uses his modern world knowledge to implement sound economic and social policies to strengthen the kingdom. The series is more focused on political strategy and intrigue than fast-paced action.

6 The Ambition of Oda Nobuna

Transported into an Alternate Version of Japan’s Sengoku Era

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna puts a lighthearted twist on Japan’s most iconic historical figures. It follows a high-school boy named Yoshiharu Sagara who is transported back to the Sengoku era, except with its famous historical figures reimagined as young women.

Teaming up with the female versions of legendary Sengoku era figures, including Mitsuhide Akechi, Hisahide Matsunaga, and Nagahide Niwa, Yoshiharu helps female Oda Nobunaga (named Oda Nobuna) achieve her ambition for a unified Japan.

5 Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play

Transported to a World Inspired by Ancient China

Fushigi Yuugi was one of the first shojo isekai manga, neatly mixing romance and action in its fantasy world. It tells the story of two high-school girls, Miaka Yuki and Yui Hongo, who get transported into the Ancient China-inspired world of a novel they were reading.

The series pioneered the isekai genre for shojo audiences and was highly influential on isekai and fantasy shojo alike. Fushigi Yuugi also gave rise to the reverse harem trope now commonplace in modern shojo isekai stories like My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!.

4 The Saga of Tanya the Evil

Transported to a World War I-Inspired Setting

For fans who want a dark, gritty historical isekai setting, look no further than The Saga of Tanya the Evil. The story follows a salaryman who is transported to a world that strikingly resembles Europe during World War I after angering a god-like being. He finds himself trapped in the body of a young girl and vows to defy the powerful entity until his last breath.

The anime stands out in the isekai world because of its morally dubious protagonist and brutal wartime setting. It’s definitely not a ‘turn your brain off and enjoy the ride’ type show, as it deals with many difficult questions about morality, faith, and power.

3 Inuyasha

Transported Back in Time to a Supernatural Version of the Sengoku Era

There’s a reason this classic Rumiko Takahashi series is still talked about to this very day. Inuyasha blends fantasy, romance, action, and history in a way that appeals to shonen and shojo audiences alike. The story is about a 15-year-old girl named Kagome Higurashi who gets transported into Japan’s Sengoku period after falling into a well.

She soon learns she is the reincarnation of a powerful priestess named Kikyo and that she carries a powerful artifact known as the Shikon jewel within her. After accidentally shattering the jewel, she teams up with a half-demon named Inuyasha to recover its shards before they fall into the wrong hands.

2 The Twelve Kingdoms

Transported to a Parallel Realm Reminiscent of Ancient Japan and China

The story of The Twelve Kingdoms takes place on a group of islands in another dimension with distinct cultures resembling ancient Japan and China. It follows Yoko Nakajima, a high school student who is unexpectedly taken to this realm by a strange man. She learns to survive in a world of mythical creatures, diverse kingdoms, and complex political systems.

The novels and anime alike were truly ahead of their time as far as the isekai genre is concerned, focusing more on the protagonist’s growth, challenges of leadership, and complex world-building than power fantasies or escapism.

1 Drifters

Historical Figures Get Transported to a War-Torn Fantasy World

A lot of historical isekai stories involve characters traveling back in time to an alternate version of a specific historical period, and perhaps meeting famous historical figures as well. How about a series where historical figures themselves are transported to another world? Created by the same person behind Hellsing, Drifters similarly features dark humor and historical intrigue.

Drifters is about a samurai from the 1600s named Toyohisa Shimazu, who finds himself critically wounded on the battlefield. Instead of dying, however, he finds himself in another world with famous historical figures like Nobunaga Oda, Joan of Arc, and Akechi Mitsuhide.