Best Isekai Manga That Debuted In 2024

Widely considered the “slop” of the fantasy manga world, Isekai might be looked down on as being somehow less than other genres, but they are no less prevalent in the minds of the masses for this attitude of the critics. Within manga, anime, and manhwa, Isekai are undoubtedly the most consumed setting, and for good reason.

2024 brings a fresh set of minds to the colorful world of reincarnations in other worlds, and these new minds bring new ideas that innovate upon the greats that have come before. Sometimes a new idea is all a manga reader wants, and other times a little bit of the familiar sauce is just what’s needed to satiate the viewer’s desire.

7 My Heart Is an Old Man

The Duality of Humankind

• Chapters: 13
• Release Date: Apr 26, 2024
• Author: Shimano Yuuhi, Utsugi
• Genre: Isekai, OP Protagonist, Fantasy

My Heart Is an Old Man follows a disillusioned salaryman who is tired of the corporate world but doesn’t have the resources to break out of the vicious cycle that he’s trapped in. When he gets transported to a fantasy world, he risks falling back into that same mindset. However, he is saved from the mind-numbing grind with the timely help of some colorful characters and his childhood dreams of magic and all things fantasy.

The main character of this story is extremely powerful, and the manga is more focused on his internal mental struggle than it is on any real physical struggle. There are plenty of jaw-dropping moments, and the dichotomy of the main character’s inner thoughts and outer appearance creates an interesting setting for viewers to enjoy.

6 My Classmates Became Heroes in Another World, But I was Left Behind in Modern Japan

Solo Leveling Inspired Manga With Promise

• Chapters: 5
• Release Date: Jul 10, 2024
• Author: Kabocha Mask, Nakagami
• Genre: Urban Fantasy, Isekai, Game System, Progression Fantasy

My Classmates Became Heroes in Another World, But I was Left Behind in Modern Japan is a twist on the popular isekai genre which has the main character stay behind while all his classmates get transported to a fantasy land because of a clerical error.

Though he doesn’t get to go on a fantasy adventure, the main character does get a leveling system that lets him gain fantasy powers in the real world. The manga hits the same story beats as Solo Leveling, being clearly inspired by the famous manhwa. It features a slow and methodical increase in power, making it very satisfying for lovers of the progressive fantasy genre.

5 I’ve Been Reborn as a Hated Villain, but for Some Reason People Around Me Won’t Leave Me Alone

Change For The Better, And Change The World Too

• Chapters: 4
• Release Date: Jul 2, 2024
• Author: AteRa, Odagi Mio
• Genre: Isekai, Future Knowledge, Romance, Hard Work

In the newest iteration of reborn as the villain, I’ve Been Reborn as a Hated Villain, but for Some Reason People Around Me Won’t Leave Me Alone puts the main character into the body of the main villain of a game he used to play at which point he decides to become a better person and change his entire personality in a matter of months.

At its core, this is a competence fantasy, where the viewer gains satisfaction from the incredible degree of competence that the main character shows. His hard work makes everything feel earned, while his personality makes it feel deserved.

4 The Villainess Who Came to Marry Into the Frontier Noble’s Household is an Exceptionally Capable Wife, Isn’t She?

A Fight Against Fate

• Chapters: 3
• Release Date: Oct 10, 2024
• Author: Tera, Asakura Hayate
• Genre: Isekai, Romance, Competence Fantasy

The Villainess Who Came to Marry Into the Frontier Noble’s Household is an Exceptionally Capable Wife, Isn’t She, is a story about breaking through the preconceptions of genre and the limitations of one’s destined path and spitting in the face of all the hurdles that one faces.

The main character gets transported into an otome game that he used to play as a minor noble with little interference in the main plot. He gets engaged to a disgraced villainous who is supposed to fall further into villainy, but is saved by the timely intervention of the main character.

3 Reincarnated as the Lazy and Villainous Noble, I Broke the Scenario and Became the Most Formidable with Extraordinary Magic

Seize the Future Now

• Chapters: 4
• Release Date: Sep 5, 2024
• Author: Kikuchi Kousei, Oda Douma
• Genre: Reformed Protagonist, OP Protagonist, Isekai, Fantasy

A simple premise with good execution can be just as enjoyable, if not more, than a complex premise with a mediocre execution, and that’s exactly what Reincarnated as the Lazy and Villainous Noble, I Broke the Scenario and Became the Most Formidable with Extraordinary Magic does. The story follows a person who gets reborn into the body of a trash villain who is destined to be trampled by the main cast of characters.

However, he decides to turn his fate around so that he can live a happy and successful life. The manga has some immaculately drawn panels that hit the reader out of nowhere, and a good spread of characters that feel real and alive. The comic does a good job of portraying the hard work and struggle that the main character goes through, which makes his powers feel earned. The early part of the manga has some beautiful art and art direction, and showcases training montages of various kinds.

2 The Abandoned Elf is the Strongest and Cutest in the World!

An Upbeat Character in a Grimdark Fantasy World

• Chapters: 12
• Release Date: May 31, 2024
• Author: Tsukiyo Rui, Yamato Souda
• Genre: Fantasy, Girl’s Love, Game System, Isekai

A grimdark world with an upbeat protagonist, The Abandoned Elf is the Strongest and Cutest in the World! starts off with the main character getting thrown off a cliff for not fitting into her elvish clan by virtue of being a dark elf at birth.

After surviving her fall, she quickly has to adapt to the wilderness and levels up to reach her teenage years before setting off on the fantasy adventure of her dreams. The art direction of this manga is particularly noteworthy, with the panels synergizing with one another feel real and alive.

1 Hitoner

“Realistic” Isekai

• Chapters: 1
• Release Date: Feb 15, 2024
• Author: Yagi Tomohiro
• Genre: Beastkin, Isekai, Slice of Life, Sci-Fi

In a world full of beast kin, a single space-faring human lands on a spaceship and creates the biggest uproar in their existence. Although it is only a one-shot manga, Hitoner achieves most of what it sets out to do quite well, making it a satisfying read.

It is an isekai in the most literal sense, where a human gets transported to another world. Instead of a magical phenomenon or the whim of a deity, this transportation takes place through the vast expanse of space. The short size of the manga and the surprisingly poignant message it conveys makes it worth a read, though it can be quite different from most isekai manga.