Isekai is a genre filled with vibrant worlds, colorful characters, and abilities that can melt the minds of fans.A good isekai show isn’t just marked by its cast, but by its art direction.Shows likeI Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princeuses its art direction to take the show to another level, showcasing explosive fights like a fireworks display. Other shows likeOverlorduse their dark tones in tandem with the show’s theme. Nothing feels more daunting than seeing Ainz Ooal Gown draped in armor, underneath a pitch-black night sky, commanding his forces of relative evil.
Thebest isekai animeuse their art style to enhance each aspect of the show.It doesn’t matter if an isekai show takes place in the desert or in a video game; if it uses its art style correctly, every part of the show will be better for it.
Overlord
Cast
Overlord follows a salaryman who, after being trapped in a virtual reality game, assumes the role of an all-powerful skeletal overlord. As he navigates this new world filled with magic and mythical creatures, he seeks to understand the game’s mysteries and conquer its challenges. The series blends elements of fantasy and adventure, exploring themes of power and identity.
Overlordis a brutal series for anyone not close with Ainz Ooal Gown. He’s the Overlord of his world and makes his presence known when he wants to.As a show,Overlorduses its dark tones in tandem with a dark color palette to create a thematically cohesive show.When the series takes place inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the show is dark and foreboding. Light can’t be seen anywhere, but it doesn’t feel suffocating. Instead, being inside Nazarick feels like being in the mind of a villain.
WhenOverlorddecides to use light, like any time Ainz leaves his throne, the world is colorful and, ironically, full of life. The show takes place in a relatively medieval time period and uses its setting well. Towns are fun, markets are lively, and the architecture is simple.Overlordmakes for an easy watch thanks to its art style.
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy follows Makoto Misumi, an ordinary high school student who is transported to another world as a hero but is quickly abandoned by the goddess of the new world due to his appearance. Resigned to living on the fringes, he starts to explore his new environment, meeting various non-human races and gaining extraordinary powers. The series chronicles his adventures and challenges in a fantastical realm.
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasystars Misumi Makoto as he navigates his new world. He’s been forcefully isekai’d into his new life and has been delivered the shortest end of the stick by the Goddess who rules the world. Thanks to some help from the god of the moon Tsukuyomi, Makoto isn’t completely out of luck. He receives a ton of powers for his troubles and starts to make his new world his own.Makoto’s new isekai world is filled with interesting creatures and events at every corner.Whether he’s entering into a pact with an invincible dragon, taming an untamable spider, or destroying entire landmarks, Makoto always looks good.
One of the most visually striking moments comes when Makoto gets ambushed by Lancer and Sofia. In a fit of rage, Makoto launches a massive arrow at the pair and creates the biggest explosion the world has seen in years. The explosion is so big, he creates an entire lake out of nothing. It’s a beautifully devastating shot that showed offTsukimichi’sart style with flair.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is an action-adventure isekai anime based on the original novels written by Fuse. Living a standard life with no actual forward trajectory, Satoru Mikami’s humdrum life is thrown into chaos when he is stabbed to death during a daily walk. However, Satoru’s life is spared when he is reborn into the body of an all-powerful slime in a fantasy world where he gets a second chance at living a more fulfilling - albeit bizarre - life.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimehas one of the most diverse worlds for an isekai show. While most isekais take their main character to a fantasy world filled with elves and goblins, Rimuru Tempest has found himself in a world with True Dragons, Vampries, and even magical slimes like himself.On an art level,That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimestands out from other isekai shows thanks to its diversity yet again.When Rimuru is being serious, like when he casts Megiddo after his friends have been killed, the show takes a serious tone to match.
How To Watch That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime: Where It’s Streaming & What Episodes You Should Skip
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is available for streaming and purchase on multiple platforms like Hulu and Crunchyroll.
When everything is fun, however, the show’s art reflects it through goofy facial expressions and well-timed quips.Slime’sart direction is one of its biggest strengths. Whether Rimuru is getting a new, colorful ability from Raphael or fighting the luminescent Hinata, his world is filled with awe-inspiring designs thanks to its art style.
The Eminence in Shadow
The Eminence in Shadow follows the story of Cid Kagenou, a recluse who reincarnates into a fantasy world and seeks to live a life of obscurity, but unwittingly becomes a legendary figure known as the Eminence in Shadow, feared by evil organizations and admired by the masses.
The Eminence in Shadowis one of the funniest isekais around. It stars Cid Kagenou as Shadow, leader of Shadow Garden and all-around mysterious guy. When Shadow isn’t day-lighting as Cid, he’s fighting the strongest people he can.LikeOverlord,The Eminence in Shadowuses its color scheme well to compliment itself.Most of the action takes place at night, but the show doesn’t drown its characters in darkness. Instead, it uses the night to make Shadow and the rest of Shadow Garden look like the high-profile assassins they pretend to be.
Shadow uses dark-colored magic to beautiful effect.His most visually stunning abilities, however, are his Atomic abilities, where Shadow breaks his opponent down to their very core. Every move and ability inThe Eminence in Shadowuses the show’s art style to create its own identity, making Shadow the Eminence he’s always wanted to be.
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability follows Prince Lloyd, who retains memories of being a sorcerer in a past life. Now reincarnated, he navigates the challenges of royal life as a 10-year-old while pursuing mastery of his magical skills.
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princeis a unique isekai in that the main character is actually from the same world he’s transported into. While Lloyd was a commoner in his past life with no real magical ability, he’s the 7th Prince in his new life, with all the knowledge he had previously, with a wellspring of mana to back him up. Lloyd’s spells are diverse, powerful, and overall, insane. They’re animated to perfection every time he uses them in7th Prince.
New Isekai Anime Just Proved A Major Problem With Long-Term Storytelling
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability’s success can be compared to Hunter x Hunter’s failure.
Each fight inI Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princeis a visual concert. Lloyd’s spells may as well come with their own rainbows when he uses them. Even the side characters are capable of jaw-dropping feats, like Lloyd’s personal maid Sylpha, who can use her sword like an artist uses a brush.I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princebenefits immensely from its art style and is a top-tier anime in terms of art direction.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm is an anime comedy series based on the manga of the same name. Motosu Urano, a book-loving college student, is reincarnated in a medieval world as a frail girl with a voracious appetite for reading named Myrne. In a world where books are scarce and only available to the elite, Myne decides to create her own publishing group and create books to once again bring reading to the masses.
Ascendance of a Bookwormis one of the most adorable isekai animes available.It stars Urano Motosu as Main (spelled Myne in the manga). In her past life, Main was a bookworm who cared about nothing more than collecting her books and reading them to her heart’s delight. Unfortunately, she’s been reincarnated into a world that doesn’t have any books!While Main’s new world is devoid of literature, it has plenty of color to look at.It’s a vibrant world, set during medieval times, that offers a lot on a visual level.
Main stands out the most in her world with deep blue colors all over her character.Ferdinand is another character that adds to the show’s art design. His calm blue color scheme is indicative of his overall demeanor and clues watchers into who Ferdinand is before he ever even speaks.
Saga of Tanya the Evil
Saga of Tanya the Evil is a fantasy anime series set in a parallel universe during World War I. The story follows Tanya Degurechaff, a young girl who is reincarnated as a soldier in a fantasy world, and rises through the ranks of the Empire’s military to become a powerful mage.
The Saga of Tanya the Evilhas one of the funniest premises any isekai presents:what if an old salary man died and was reincarnated into the body of a little girl?It’s a hilarious idea that the show runs with perfectly and, thanks to its art style, the series looks great the entire time. Tanya is a bloodthirsty little kid who wants nothing more than to lead her mage battalion to victory.When she’s fighting, colors are vibrant and the battles are intense.Most ofTanya the Eviltakes place in a desert, and while that may sound boring and monochromatic, it’s anything but.
The Saga of Tanya the Evilmakes desert battles look exciting.Tanya darts across the sand in pursuit of her enemies, taking to the bright-blue skies to get an angle.Tanya the Evilis a cute, yet brutal isekai with a unique art style that feels fresh every time it’s on screen.
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, commonly referred to as KonoSuba, is a Japanese anime series based on the novels of the same name from writer Natsume Akatsuki and illustrator Kurone Mishima. The series revolves around a man named Kazuma, who is offered a second chance at life on a magical world after he dies.
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful Worldis a hilarious isekai starring one of the laziest protagonists in anime. Kazuma Satou wants nothing more than to hang out, relax, and definitely not fight the demon king.Fortunately for him, the world he got isekai’d too is gorgeous thanks toKonoSuba’sgreat art style. It’s an unserious show and its art reflects it perfectly.There aren’t many other series that pull off humor quite as well asKonoSuba,and a huge part of that is the show’s art direction.
Some of the funniest moments in the series come from absurd facial expressions that come from the cast. Other great moments include Megumin collapsing after an explosion, Darkness leaping to get trampled, or Aqua putting on a show.No matter what the main cast is doing,KonoSubauses its art style to make the show pop.
Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another Worldis another show that uses its art style to great effect.It’s a foreboding and serious showthat gets broken up by fun, lighthearted moments.Re:Zerouses its art direction to bring its scale to life, one of the anime’s biggest strengths.Re:Zerois a show that takes place on a massive scale, larger than most other isekais. It’s a story set across time, across continents, and even across lives. to pull off such a complicated endeavor, the series needs an art style that compliments it well.
Luckily, it has one.When Subaru is impressing his Emilia-tan, colors are as light as the tone of the show. When he’s dying, however, colors are harsher and more black is introduced to the screen.Camera angles are pointed to the ground, making Subaru look and feel even more desperate.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation follows a man who, after being reincarnated in a magical world, sets out to live his life without regrets. Adopting the name Rudeus Greyrat, he embarks on a journey of personal growth and adventure, armed with both his past life’s knowledge and newfound magical abilities. The series explores themes of redemption, self-discovery, and the quest to overcome personal failures.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnationis a beautiful anime thanks to its art style and overall direction.The world ofMushoku Tenseiis incredibly diverse, and it feels like the animators can’t wait for Rudy and the gang to discover new lands just so they can show them off. Every land Rudeus goes to is filled with something worth looking at. Whether he’s on the Demon Continent, in school at the Ranoa Magic Academy, orin the depths of a labyrinth, Rudy’s new world is stunning.
10 Best Fights In Mushoku Tensei
Mushoku Tensei is a game-changing isekai anime, and so far has been filled with a variety of high-energy, beautifully animated fight scenes.
Mushoku Tenseiisn’t afraid to show off its beautiful art style.Characters are drawn with sharp blacks to contrast their colors, making them pop every time they’re on the screen. Spells look exceptional in the series too, as their realistic feel adds even more to the overall style. The world ofMushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnationcomes alive when its animated, and its partly thanks to the shows stand-out art style that has made it so popular.
