I’ve thought about the isekai genre (ending up in another world) a lot lately and how a big part is usually the characters trying to find a way home. I wondered what percentage of people would actually want that nowadays. I suspect it’s considerably lower than it used to be.
“As for you, young lady, you want to go home, right?”
“No, not anymore. I want to stay here and become the new wicked witch.”
“Nonsense! Now click your big honking boots together three times and wish to go home to Kansas to live in poverty with your dirt-farming, teetotaling aunt and uncle!”
There’s a big trend in recent isekai to just outright kill the character at the beginning. So, you’re either reincarnated into another world or your soul is snatched upon death and body recreated in the other world as an explanation for why the character isn’t spending their whole time just trying to get back, but I do think that would be an interesting angle to explore.
I can only think of two Isekais where the whole plot is the main character trying to get home, and the anime fans are gonna hate which two things those are.
I wasn’t sure because the only reason I even say A Kid in King Arthur’s court counts even though he just goes back in time is because he goes so far back in time, nothing he knew about the world he knows really applies making him effectively in another world. Sam never goes back too far, but, then again, wasn’t he also from the far future? 🤔
Also: Black Knight is basically A Kid in King Arthur’s Court which I just lump together. lol
This was me the whole time playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Every character except the main character is MUCH better off in the fantasy realm - the main character’s brother is literally crippled and sick in the real world and healthy and robust in the fantasy realm, and the main character still wants to go back to the “real” world. Didn’t identify with him at all.
I’m not sure what you mean, I don’t think I’ve seen a single isekai protag try to go back to Earth unless you count the “trapped in VR” ones.
I’m always a little disappointed by how quickly the regular world becomes irrelevant in the story. The intrigue is from how a person from a modern nonmagical culture interacts with a medieval magical culture.
But from the isekais I’ve seen, I’d say you could replace half of them with a person with amnesia and nothing would change.
I don’t think I’ve seen a single isekai protag try to go back to Earth unless you count the “trapped in VR” ones.
It used to be the standard:
Digimon Adventure (the first series)/Digimon frontier (fourth series)
Inu Yasha
Monster Rancher
The only recent example I can think of is Zenshu from last year.
The intrigue is from how a person from a modern nonmagical culture interacts with a medieval magical culture.
Welcome to Japan Ms. Elf might be up your alley: a guy finds out his lucid dreams have actually been him getting isekei’d every night for most of his life when he accidentally brings a friend/love interest back with him. She’s fascinated by modern Japan so they start going back and forth between the real world and magical world together.
The fantastic book series Magic Kingdom For Sale is basically about this. I started reading what I assumed would be a lighthearted comedy and it literally opens with our main character lost in alcoholic depression because of an awful tragedy. The fantasy land he’s sent to is hostile, but it provides him enough hope to fight for a better world there.
Well, it’s pretty clear in 2026 normie world too (who the bad guys are). People just aren’t heroes in real life, and it’s too hard to kill the top villains.
I’ve thought about the isekai genre (ending up in another world) a lot lately and how a big part is usually the characters trying to find a way home. I wondered what percentage of people would actually want that nowadays. I suspect it’s considerably lower than it used to be.
“As for you, young lady, you want to go home, right?”
“No, not anymore. I want to stay here and become the new wicked witch.”
“Nonsense! Now click your big honking boots together three times and wish to go home to Kansas to live in poverty with your dirt-farming, teetotaling aunt and uncle!”
There’s a big trend in recent isekai to just outright kill the character at the beginning. So, you’re either reincarnated into another world or your soul is snatched upon death and body recreated in the other world as an explanation for why the character isn’t spending their whole time just trying to get back, but I do think that would be an interesting angle to explore.
I can only think of two Isekais where the whole plot is the main character trying to get home, and the anime fans are gonna hate which two things those are.
A Kid in King Arthur’s Court and Farscape.
3 if Quantum Leap could be counted as an isekai.
Since we’re talking that era, Sliders was a great show early on and it’s a tragedy nobody knows it.
Quantum leap is an Isekai. Getting home is a mainstay of the “Summoned Hero” genre of isekai.
Anime examples include:
The Rising of the Shield Hero
My Status as the Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s
My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One In This Other World Stands A Chance Against Me!
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
Non anime example: Black Knight
I wasn’t sure because the only reason I even say A Kid in King Arthur’s court counts even though he just goes back in time is because he goes so far back in time, nothing he knew about the world he knows really applies making him effectively in another world. Sam never goes back too far, but, then again, wasn’t he also from the far future? 🤔
Also: Black Knight is basically A Kid in King Arthur’s Court which I just lump together. lol
There is also Those who hunt elves.
That one was always hilarious. I’ve never actually finished it though, always stalling after the first few episodes.
If I could bring my cat and like 3 other people, I would 100% be like “good luck, losers!” and would never be heard from again lol.
This was me the whole time playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Every character except the main character is MUCH better off in the fantasy realm - the main character’s brother is literally crippled and sick in the real world and healthy and robust in the fantasy realm, and the main character still wants to go back to the “real” world. Didn’t identify with him at all.
I’m not sure what you mean, I don’t think I’ve seen a single isekai protag try to go back to Earth unless you count the “trapped in VR” ones.
I’m always a little disappointed by how quickly the regular world becomes irrelevant in the story. The intrigue is from how a person from a modern nonmagical culture interacts with a medieval magical culture.
But from the isekais I’ve seen, I’d say you could replace half of them with a person with amnesia and nothing would change.
It used to be the standard:
The only recent example I can think of is Zenshu from last year.
Welcome to Japan Ms. Elf might be up your alley: a guy finds out his lucid dreams have actually been him getting isekei’d every night for most of his life when he accidentally brings a friend/love interest back with him. She’s fascinated by modern Japan so they start going back and forth between the real world and magical world together.
The fantastic book series Magic Kingdom For Sale is basically about this. I started reading what I assumed would be a lighthearted comedy and it literally opens with our main character lost in alcoholic depression because of an awful tragedy. The fantasy land he’s sent to is hostile, but it provides him enough hope to fight for a better world there.
It’s bad when the idea of dealing with a fantasy Dark Lord is more appealing than real life. At least it’s clear who the good and bad guys are.
Well, it’s pretty clear in 2026 normie world too (who the bad guys are). People just aren’t heroes in real life, and it’s too hard to kill the top villains.