Best Funny Isekai Anime

Although not a recent creation, isekai anime has become borderline inescapable over the last decade. The unstoppable success of Sword Art Online propelled forward a new era dominated by teenagers being transported to alternate worlds typically (but not exclusively) based on MMORPG mechanics.

Ultimately, isekai is a premise; a launching pad for a franchise that can then go on to set its own tone. Shows such as Now and Then, Here and There and Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions opt to tackle mature subjects in a semi-realistic manner; on the other hand, some anime prefer to adopt a lighter touch. For those looking to explore a new world and have a laugh along the way, these are the best comedy isekai anime out there.

Updated November 22, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Fall 2024 will probably not be remembered for its funny isekai anime. Sure, Loner Life in Another World has a couple of decent gags, but the humor is very hit-and-miss. I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History is nothing more than passable too. The rest of the season’s shows do not prioritize comedy.

Consequently, two reverse isekai anime have been added as recommendations. They are both borderline members of the genre, but they are hilarious enough to warrant mentions.

27 My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!

MyAnimeList: 6.38

Ever wanted to watch a comedy isekai anime that seems to really hate isekai? Well, My Instant Death Ability should be able to scratch that itch. A schoolbus worth of students are summoned to a fantasy world, and they all get abilities except for a small handful. While the weaklings are left to die, one of them happens to be Yogiri, who is just the most overpowered entity to ever grace an anime. With a simple thought, he can kill anyone. It is like he has the Death Note in his head and without any of its restrictions.

My Instant Death Ability largely consists of Yogiri and a female companion traveling across a messy world filled with isekai stock characters and situations. More often than not, the latter meet quick ends at Yogiri’s hands; sometimes, he kills off end-of-the-world threats by accident. My Instant Death Ability is very hit-and-miss in terms of humor, with arguably more misses than hits. However, it is a unique type of comedy.

26 How Not To Summon A Demon Lord

MyAnimeList Score: 6.85 (Season 1)

Similar to Overlord, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord derives its humor from an overpowered “evil” protagonist who is out of his depth, at least on a personality level. While Overlord‘s Momonga has a built-in mechanic that helps him keep up the charade, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord‘s Diablo is left to fend for himself.

Whenever Diablo’s mask falls off, hilarity ensues thanks to the character’s great voice acting and comedic timing. During the first season, Diablo walks a fine line between being overpowered and a bumbling fool who is just trying to survive in an unprecedented situation. Unfortunately, the second season falls short in the humor department.

25 Reborn As A Vending Machine, I Now Wander The Dungeon

MyAnimeList Score: 6.53

Except for Mushoku Tensei Season 2 and, to lesser extents, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen and The Great Cleric, Summer 2023 was not a particularly strong season for isekai. Of those three highlights, only Mushoku Tensei is really worth watching, and even that show tends to be polarizing. To be fair, The Great Cleric has a few fine comedic moments, but the anime is also too slow-paced for its own good. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon also aired during Summer, and while far from great, it is a pleasant watch.

Considering its premise, Reborn as a Vending Machine plays things a bit too safe. This series might have been better served by embracing its potential for weirdness rather than settling for a slow-life comedy tone with spurts of action. Still, there are worse ways to spend a few hours.

24 Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill

MyAnimeList Score: 7.67

Comedy comes in many forms. Some series go for broke as they seek to leave audiences crying on the floor with laughter; meanwhile, other shows are happy to just paint a constant smile on a viewer’s face. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill falls within the latter category. Tsuyoshi is summoned to a fantasy world in search of heroes; however, his summoners are not particularly impressed with his ability to use a magical version of Amazon, so he is left to his own devices. Using his gourmet skills, Tsuyoshi quickly befriends a powerful Fenrir (Fel) and a cute Slime (Sui), who agree to become his familiars. The anime follows this peculiar trio as they visit a few cities, battle goblins, and eat all sorts of yummy treats.

Campfire Cooking has a carefree tone, almost to the point that it starts to feel like a slice of life. The three main characters are not only likable but also have consistently funny banter, particularly Tsuyoshi and Fel. While rarely laugh-out-loud hilarious, this Winter 2023 comedy isekai anime is amusing.

23 Princess Connect! Re:Dive

MyAnimeList Score: 7.05 (Season 1)

An adaption of a mobile RPG, Princess Connect! Re:Dive drops a player stand-in into a fantasy world, gives him a harem of girls, and sets them along a lovely adventure packed to the brim with humor. Princess Connect! Re: Dive‘s stars are its trio of main girls, Karyl, Kokkoro, and Pecorine, all of which are delightful and come with some hidden depth.

The anime’s season 1 devotes most of its time to following the four main characters in their everyday lives, providing very little in the way of plot progression. Humor is very much the name of the game here.

22 Drifters

MyAnimeList Score: 7.89

Drifters is deranged. Teleporting an array of historical figures to a dark fantasy world and then throwing them into a war against each other, Drifters is gruesome, violent, and unpredictable. This is predominantly an action anime and a pretty gory one at that.

When not filling the screen with blood or fire, Drifters loves to suddenly throw out some slapstick. These shifts in tone might sound jarring, but Drifters is so constantly over-the-top that the action and humor end up complementing each other. It is similar to Golden Kamuy in this regard.

21 Overlord

MyAnimeList Score: 7.91 (Season 1)

Like most isekai anime, Overlord isn’t predominantly a comedy but uses humor to endear its characters to audiences and as a juxtaposition with the show’s many dark moments. Although quite sparse, Overlord can be surprisingly hilarious when it feels like it, with most of the laughs deriving from its protagonist’s conflicting natures as a human trapped in the body of a powerful evil wizard.

Momonga (or Ainz) is aided by secondary characters who all have big, lovable personalities, with the Great Tomb of Nazarick consisting of almost nothing but darkly hilarious characters. As Ainz grows more comfortable in his new role, the humor arguably lessens slightly in favor of kingdom-building; that said, the anime never loses its sense of humor.

20 No Longer Allowed In Another World

MyAnimeList Score: 7.31

It was bound to happen eventually – Osamu Dazai has his own isekai. Yes, the legendary and influential Japanese author finds himself summoned to a new realm that recruits otherworlders to fight off Demon Lords, a role he is not interested in fulfilling. Driven by a desire to find his lover and interesting subjects to write about, “Sensei” begrudgingly sets out on an adventure alongside the elf who summoned him and a beastgirl. Also, he is constantly trying to kill himself, but he is foiled by his companions and the world in general.

No Longer Allowed in Another World is an isekai parody, one that arguably delivers its best joke in its opening few minutes (no spoilers!). Even after that point, the series regularly pokes fun at the theme’s overdone conventions and tropes, all the while telling a pretty enjoyable story that occasionally gets quite poignant. While not regularly laugh-out-loud hilarious, No Longer Allowed in Another World is consistently delightful and clever. Just a charming and funny isekai anime.

19 So I’m A Spider, So What?

MyAnimeList Score: 7.45

On a seemingly random day, a disaster strikes a class, sending its members to an alternative world. Unfortunately for Kumoko, she wakes up in the body of a spider, a lowly monster stuck in a cave who is destined to die sooner rather than later. Rather than give in to despair, Kumoko energetically sets out to escape her den and make a life for herself.

So I’m A Spider, So What? owes all of its success to its lead. Kumoko is irresistibly charming and has just the right blend of sarcasm, optimism, and fear. Even though the rest of the show is hit-and-miss, the protagonist is more than capable of carrying the anime on her back.

18 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious

MyAnimeList Score: 7.48

Tropes are popular for a reason – they work, provided someone is willing and able to present them in a unique and fun way. Cautious Hero hits many of the basic chords of a modern isekai: an overpowered protagonist, a goddess sidekick, and a stereotypical fantasy world.

However, the light novel (and anime) sets itself apart by making the main character overly careful, leading to plenty of hilarious moments. As the goddess who summons Seiya to be her savior, Ristarte frequently finds herself exasperated by the hero’s penchant for overkill or inaction. That said, the show eventually provides context for the protagonist’s behavior that retroactively adds an element of sadness to the silliness.

17 The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

MyAnimeList Score: 7.59

A spin-off of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, a rather funny isekai anime in its own right, The Slime Diaries is a slice-of-life series that highlights Rimuru’s mundane daily activities. More Laid-back and slower-paced than the parent show, The Slime Diaries gives Tempest’s residents room to breathe.

Although not often laugh-out-loud funny, The Slime Diaries‘ relaxed and casual tone should inspire plenty of smiles. Fans of the main series should allocate a bit of time to watch this spin-off as it does a great job of fleshing out the characters.

16 Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord

MyAnimeList Score: 7.13

Villainess anime have steadily become commonplace as the 2020s have progressed, and a few series lean into comedy. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is pretty amusing, and the same can be said for I’m in Love with the Villainess, even if not all the humor lands. So far, Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord is the theme’s best comedy isekai anime, solely due to featuring a hilarious and charming protagonist. Reincarnated as the hidden boss of an otome game, Yumiella wants to lie low while attending school, hoping to avoid clashing heads with the heroine and an eventual bad end. Unfortunately, she cannot help but attract attention.

Yumiella’s deadpan humor and lovable awkwardness make this anime, allowing the character to be relatable despite her overpowered nature. The protagonist struggles to read social cues, and she generally does not understand that her love for grinding dungeons is not universal. This leads to quite a few memorable interactions with other students, particularly Patrick (Yumiella’s love interest) and Alicia (the game’s heroine).

15 El-Hazard: The Magnificent World

MyAnimeList Score: 7.26 (OVA Season 1)

A ’90s classic, El-Hazard is simply fun. Whether watching T he Magnificent World OVAs or its alternate retelling called El-Hazard: The Wanderers, this franchise can be relied upon to deliver quirky and memorable characters, a chaotic plot that seldom has a quiet moment, and usually detailed and gorgeous animation.

El-Hazard weaves a surprisingly effective storyline and benefits from the fact it never takes itself too seriously. The English Dub is also pretty good and doesn’t detract from the show’s quality at all.

14 The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

MyAnimeList Score: 7.54

A standout isekai anime of Winter 2024, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic started and ended strong while delivering a few of the season’s biggest laughs. Ken is accidentally summoned to another world alongside two of his classmates who were chosen to act as heroes by a kingdom preparing for a war. Once trapped there, Ken learns that he can use healing magic, a turn of events that ends with the teenager joining a ragtag unit led by the strict Rose. Determined to transform this student into a battle-ready medic, Rose puts Ken through the wringer, and their relationship is both adversarial and oddly wholesome.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is at its best when focusing on humor. Ken and Rose have big personalities that play off each other well, and they are both pretty reliable forces for slapstick comedy. The secondary characters are also funny in their own right, particularly the heroes. As funny as this isekai anime can be, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic loses some points for including a stretch of episodes that focus entirely on drama and action, and they are just fine.

13 Handyman Saitou In Another World

MyAnimeList Score: 7.45

Winter 2023 had a surprisingly strong lineup of isekai anime, and Handyman Saitou was among the season’s more original entries in the genre. As its title suggests, the series revolves around a handyman who is teleported to a new world with his toolkit intact. He gains no fantastical or overpowered abilities, but his unique skillset proves to be helpful to his party. Saitou also acts as the comedic straightman to the rest of the characters, particularly the wizard Morlock who basically strikes a double act with the Earthling.

Handyman Saitou is a show of two halves. Initially, the anime plays out like a skit-based comedy, with each episode chronicling a few short misadventures. Eventually, the series adopts a more conventional structure, which also comes with a shift toward a more serious tone.

12 No Game, No Life

MyAnimeList Score: 8.07

No Game No Life‘s humor can be divisive as quite a bit of it comes at the expense of the likable Stephanie. However, when it clicks, No Game No Life is about as funny as any isekai out there.

The comedy is almost entirely dependent on Sora, the (somewhat) arrogant protagonist who is just unbeatable at games and loves to make sure everyone knows it. Madhouse’s animation elevates the humor significantly due to how expressive the characters can be. That said, the show’s regular putdowns of Stephanie get tiresome quickly, and the fanservice sequences can be difficult to sit through.

11 Ixion Saga DT

MyAnimeList Score: 7.14

Ixion Saga DT embraces stupidity with the intensity of a thousand suns. Kon Hokaze winds up in a game he likes and then proceeds to spend the vast majority of his immediate future trying to leave said RPG. Weirdly enough, it is refreshing to have a protagonist who is genuinely unhappy that they have been teleported to a dangerous fantasy world.

Ixion Saga DT‘s humor is often random and absurd, with quite a lot of gags feeling like they belong in a sketch show rather than an adventure series.

10 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.74 (Season 1)

The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is a reverse isekai since the demonic protagonist, Sadao Maou, is sent to Earth. Stripped of most of his power, Satan takes a job at basically a McDonald’s, a position the Demon Lord excels at. The Devil Is a Part-Timer! takes its ridiculous characters and drops them in the most unspectacular position possible, crafting a fish-out-of-water story that felt fresh when the light novel and anime debuted.

More importantly, the series does not present an especially exaggerated depiction of Fast Food life; in fact, it is quite grounded. The work’s mundane nature contrasts beautifully with the over-the-top characters, granting the perfect juxtaposition for hilarity to ensue. Sadly, the long-awaited season 2 failed to capture the magic of its predecessor on nearly every level, including humor. While the original season holds up as one of the funniest isekai anime of all time, the sequels are gradually chipping away at the franchise’s legacy.

9 Isekai Quartet

MyAnimeList Score: 7.38 (Season 1)

Is this cheating? This feels like cheating. Isekai Quartet brings together some of the most popular isekai shows of the last decade, including KonoSuba and Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, and drops their characters in a high school setting. So, technically, this is a reverse, reverse isekai anime.

All the laughter derives from the way these personalities mingle, permitting sillier characters like KonoSuba‘s quartet to bounce off Overlord‘s Floor Guardians and Re:Zero‘s Subaru and Emilia. While the anime is still funny in a vacuum, familiarity with the original shows is recommended to fully appreciate Isekai Quartet.

8 Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

MyAnimeList: 7.93 (Season 1)

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid might not register as a reverse isekai at a glance, but it is technically part of the genre. After all, the story revolves around fantasy creatures who come to Earth from another world, and most of the humor stems from their attempts to acclimate to their new ordinary surroundings.

Kyoto Animation’s series is kind of strange, as it jumps back and forth between wholesome antics and uncomfortable situations at the flip of a switch. Nevertheless, at its best, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid can be downright hilarious, especially when the focus is on Tooru and Kobayashi. Those two characters, along with Kanna, hold the series together, delivering laughs, tears, and even a few awesome fights.