Best Isekai Anime & Manga With Reluctant Protagonists

There are many cases in which Isekai main characters hate the new world into which they were thrown, and sometimes, that sentiment is mutual. Extreme cases like Rising of the Shield Hero or Failure Frame are good examples of this trope.

Related

Best Isekai Anime To Watch If You Love Rising Of The Shield Hero

Fans who enjoy Rising of the Shield Hero should find these other great isekai anime very entertaining.

In this list, players will find several anime and manga with protagonists who hate their new worlds. From a vibrant satire filled with quirky characters who make the MC’s life impossible to bear to a dark comedy with a character who refuses to be the good guy after being treated like a ragdoll all his life.

8

Konosuba

Kasuma Hates Being An Adventurer, Especially When Aqua Ruins All His Hard Work

Kazuma Satou didn’t only die horribly in his past life but was mocked for it by the very Goddess who was supposed to take him into a new world. So, from the get-go, he started on the wrong foot. Then, he didn’t get any cheat powers, except his extremely buffed Luck stat, which also turned out to be a double-edged blade.

The problem is, he got thrown into a crazy and ridiculous world, with dozens of quirky characters that seem hellbent on sticking to him, including the Goddess Aqua, whose shenanigans always end with Kazuma paying for the broken dishes. So, yes, KonoSuba‘s main character hates every second of his Isekai life, and he prefers to remain in his mansion all day, indulging in various forms of debauchery and laziness rather than going out looking for adventures.

7

Arifureta: From Commonplace To Worlds’ Strongest

Though Anime Doesn’t Show It Too Much, Hajime’s Hatred For The World Is The Real Deal

• Genres: Isekai, Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
• Author: Ryo Shirakome
• Artist: Misaki Mori
• Published by: Overlap

Hajime Nagumo was betrayed, thrown into a pit, half eaten, and even after all that suffering, he survived. Turned into a dark avenger, he swears to get payback on the Gods who created this sick world. Armed with the knowledge of the Former Heroes that were placed in the Great Labyrinths, Nagumo is thinking of taking the battle to the Gods themselves, and ultimately, slaying them.

Related

14 Best Manhwa to Start Reading in 2025

These are certainly some Manhwa series that readers will want to check out as the new year begins.

He despises the world they created, though he has no such hatred for some of his inhabitants, especially Yue. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that he will destroy everything and everyone who stands in his path of revenge.

6

Failure Frame

The World Controlled By A Psychopath Goddess Makes His Main Character Sick

Bullied by his classmates and discarded by the Goddess who summoned them, Mimori Touka swears revenge on everything that she has created, including the world itself. Using his low-level skills, he survived long enough to become a true menace for Vysis’s plans, and assuming the identity of the Lord of Flies, he is collecting forbidden spells to finally destroy the Goddess once and for all.

After that, he plans to take revenge on his fellow summoned heroes and then the world the Goddess created. But he doesn’t mind the order, and he is willing to kill anything and everyone as long as he knows he can win the fight. Failure Frame is quite dark for a revenge isekai, so readers are advised to watch it at their own discretion.

5

I’m Standing On A Million Lives

Trapped In A Sinister Game, No Wonder He Ended Up Hating Everything

Yuusuke Yotsuya was an average teenager until he was summoned as a contestant of a sick game of completing quests in alternate worlds by a strange creature that calls themselves the GM. Forced to act constantly against his better judgment and shunned by taking a survivalist attitude, Yuusuke’s hatred for the Isekai realms where he is thrown is quite intense.

I’m Standing on a Million Lives is a decent Isekai, with certain influences from the Gantz anime, and it is also one of the few Isekai anime where the God who rules the ‘isekai plot’ participates actively in the story.

4

The Rising Of The Shield Hero

He Uses His Cynicism To Hide His Disgust For This Isekai World

Naofumi Iwatami was transported to a strange world against his will (like most of Isekai characters), but, to add insult to injury, he was betrayed and accused of one of the worst crimes a man can commit. Turned into an outcast, he was forced to make difficult choices, so naturally, he developed a deeply rooted hatred for the world where he was trapped and all its inhabitants.

Only Raphtalia was able to cancel out his rage somehow, and it is slowly turning him into an instrument for good. Reluctantly, Naofumi helps the rest of the inhabitants of the world, but he only does so for the sake of the mistreated beastmen.

3

She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man

The life of Sakimori Kagami went to hell and beyond when he used a cosmetic item to turn his character into a little girl, only that he was immediately reincarnated into the body of said character. Forced into this gender-bender situation and faking to be the Great Sage (his original character) disciple, he is desperately trying to find his way out of the game world.

Though there are many moments where Mira (as she calls herself in his new life) is moved to stay in the game world forever, the truth is that her true persona (Kagami) would never accept staying under those circumstances, as he would prefer to revert to his original character.

2

The World Of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs

He Would Destroy The World If That Didn’t Mean Killing Himself In The Process

The World Of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs is quite a singular anime/manga that deals with one of the most controversial topics of the date sim world: disposable male characters should have the right to be happy. The thing is, the protagonist of this anime, Leon Fou Bartfort is a regular salaryman trapped in his sister’s favorite Otome game.

The only way out is to complete the main plot of the story and survive as the ‘villain’ character for as long as it takes. Sadly, the world seems to be rigged to chastise and hate him, so he hates the world back as much.

1

I’m The Evil Lord Of An Intergalactic Empire!

They Treated Him Poorly, So From The Get Go, He Decided To Conquer The Universe And Be A Cruel Villain

I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! is a dark comedy isekai where the protagonist is so severely mistreated that he ends up dying in his room, alone and away from everyone he worked hard for. A mysterious entity that feeds on his suffering shows him that the woman he loves is always colluding with his boss to launder money and make him take the fall.

So when he is reincarnated as Liam Banfield, the young lord of a backwater Space Colony World, he decides it’s time to make amends and goes full Space Pirate Hunter, punishing evildoers and lazy nobles, stealing their fortunes, and committing crimes against humanity as he relishes on his suffering. He hates everything and everyone and has decided to become a true Evil Galactic Lord.

Related

6 Isekai Manga With Stunningly Beautiful Art

Some of the most talented Artists work in Isekai Manga, and this list showcases several series with stunning art.