Isekai anime is inescapable in this day and age. Each season includes at least a couple of shows that fit the genre, and they have a habit of being quite similar. After all, why mess with a formula that has proven to be successful? Most anime revolve around a single male protagonist who is thrown into a medieval-style fantasy world and granted powerful abilities that allow him to attract an impressive harem. Variations exist, but that descriptor fits a lot of isekai stories.
Ensemble casts are not common in anime outside a few genres like slice of life, and they are particularly rare in isekai. Even party-focused shows like The Rising of the Shield Hero, Re:ZERO, and Handyman Saitou in Another World still have clearly defined protagonists who act as each story’s nucleus. Still, while uncommon, there are a few great isekai anime with multiple protagonists that take full advantage of their wider casts.
A few criteria to keep in mind:
- To qualify, most of the protagonists need to be from another world, and they should be given mostly equal billing.
- Isekai anime about parties will not be included if only one character is from another world.
- Reverse isekai will be omitted.
7
Suicide Squad Isekai
DC’s Anti-Heroes Go On An Isekai Adventure
While arguably among the most disappointing anime of 2024, Suicide Squad Isekai is more than watchable, largely thanks to the banter between the main characters. When a portal to another world opens, Amanda Waller sends a ragtag group of criminal misfits to investigate, and she even wraps bombs around their necks for added motivation. Before long, the Suicide Squad find themselves taking part in a war, all the while facing off against other super-powered DC characters who made the jump before them (and a dragon).
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For all its flaws, Suicide Squad Isekai genuinely has an ensemble cast, presenting Harley Quinn, Clayface, Peacemaker, King Shark, Deadshot, and Rick Flag as relatively equal in importance. Admittedly, Harley is highlighted a bit more than her teammates, but it is not her show either. While the story does not amount to much, Suicide Squad Isekai has quite a few fun action sequences, most of which require the villains to work together to survive.
6
Drifters
History’s Greatest Warriors
Drifters is awesome, despite the anime’s incomplete form. Similar to Fate, the story summons historical figures to engage in fights to the death, with a medieval fantasy world serving as the battlefield. Split into Drifters and Ends, the characters are unapologetically over-the-top, bloodthirsty, and care very little about collateral damage.
Going by the first episode, one would be forgiven for assuming that Toyohisa Shimazu is the sole protagonist, and the legendary warrior takes the lead throughout most of the show. However, he quickly allies with Nobunaga Oda and Yoichi Suketaka Nasu, both of whom have skillsets that complement Shimazu. Rather than an OP MC running wild, Drifters pushes these three characters as a unified front who are far stronger together than separate.
5
Ishura
OP Isekai MCs Vs. OP Isekai MCs
Ishura seems allergic to traditional protagonists. Both seasons introduce roughly a dozen overpowered characters, most of whom receive 10-minute introductions that play out like short movies. In season 1, these vignettes build up to a war between an Empire and an independent state, with the previously-introduced characters facing off in battles to the death. Season 2 utilizes different connection points, but it is structured largely the same as its predecessor.
As pitting OP archetypes against each other is its main selling point, Ishura uses its rotating protagonists to facilitate a belief that anybody and everybody could die. This results in some of the most intense fights in the isekai genre, along with some of the most absurd.
Not every Ishura protagonist is from another world, but quite a few of them are visitors.
4
Sonny Boy
An Isekai Anime About A Class Of Students
Sonny Boy takes viewers on a trip that not everyone will enjoy, but most people will at least remember. An entire class being summoned is not that unusual in isekai anime, but these types of stories typically separate one character from the crowd. Sonny Boy takes a different approach by not only keeping all the students around but also exploring the dynamics that evolve due to their situation.
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The students are teleported to a strange dimension that is cut off from normal reality, and they eventually start to develop powers and pick up the ability to visit other worlds. The latter journeys take priority throughout most of the series, with the episodes highlighting different characters. Sonny Boy is surreal, bizarre, hard-to-follow, and frustrating. The story can feel like it goes nowhere at times, and some plot threads are introduced but not satisfyingly closed. Despite all that, this anime is mesmerizing. As far as the isekai genre is concerned, Sonny Boy is incredibly ambitious.
3
Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions
An Isekai Party That Lives, Fights, And Survives Together
More than a decade after its debut, Grimgar has yet to receive a sequel, despite the light novel having more than 20 volumes by this point. Due to having such a short run, the adaptation barely scratches the story’s surface and, consequently, can be difficult to wholeheartedly recommend in isolation. That said, Grimgar is pretty much the definitive isekai anime about a party, and the show still feels fresh all these years later.
With their memories wiped and a severe lack of usable powers, a group of teenagers find themselves in a fantasy world that does not cater to otherworldly travelers. They wisely decide to stick together, hoping to increase their chances of survival by relying on their strength in numbers. Sadly, they are very much starting from square one, to the point that even goblins present a grueling battle to the death.
2
Digimon Adventure
The Power Of The DigiDestined
An all-time classic, Digimon Adventure helped introduce a generation to not only isekai but anime in general. Putting aside some Earth-based arcs, the first series predominantly revolves around the DigiDestined exploring the Digital World, making friends and defeating enemies along the way.
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While Tai is presented as the leader of the group to an extent, all the children and their Digimon are protagonists, with most of them receiving character arcs. Digimon Adventure has aged surprisingly well, better than most early anime for kids. The story blends action, comedy, drama, and even hints of romance, all the while incorporating enough dark elements to inject genuine tension into the big fights.
Digimon Adventure‘s sequels are also worth watching.
1
KonoSuba
The Ultimate Dysfunctional Isekai Party
OK, KonoSuba might seem like it doesn’t qualify, but technically both Kazuma and Aqua are isekai’d. More importantly, the four main characters are inseparable, more so than any other isekai anime with parties.
KonoSuba successfully parodies isekai concepts while simultaneously being one of the genre’s best representatives. While Kazuma and Aqua dominate the first episode, they are very quickly joined by Megumin and Darkness, forming a group fueled by incompetence, arrogance, and charming stupidity. If even one of these characters is removed from the equation, KonoSuba would cease to be KonoSuba, which might explain why the series’ weakest season is by far Megumin’s solo spin-off.
Prioritizing comedy above everything else, KonoSuba spends a great deal of time showing the main characters at their worst, and they are often awful to each other. However, the protagonists build strong friendships as the story progresses, to the point of becoming essentially a family by season 3.
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