What's the worst isekai on here and what's the best isekai on here?

[gum_rummy]

In your opinion.

 

[UncleBenny]

I really like Isekai Omotenashi Gohan and Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" because I love Japanese's celebration of their food culture.

I also really enjoy Isekai Tensei Soudouki, since I really enjoy many of the characters and their interaction. I'm kind of bummed that the LN never got translated.

On that front, I guess the cross section of food and action may be why I like Chihoukishi Hans no Junan so much.

Kou-1 Desu ga Isekai de Joushu Hajimemashita is really cute and seems heartwarming. This series seems to focus itself more as a mystery novel with the MC solving mysteries rather than doing any sort of other world cheat or fighting.

I also really like Shirokuma Tensei, but mostly because the MC is a bear and it seems relaxing. maybe eventually this will turn into the bear and girls opening a cafe...

Oh, right, and Sekkaku Cheat.

 

[ThinkPositive]

Bear in mind, I've read about 5 isekai stories.
Best one has to be the slime who becomes a girl and owns a nation. Not really my cup of tea, but it's made well, storybuilding, sketching etc.
Worst one is definitely the skeleton who dies over and over. That was a load of garbage, and I have nothing against the concept, it's just executed poorly.

Edit: The best one is of course "Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka?" ! How could I forget. It made me read my first novel, and it also has charm. The slime thing has no charm.

 

[boag]

Worse in Manga form?
RE:Monster

Best?
Thats difficult, Bakarina because its widely loved.
Dukes Daughter because of the Politics, same with Risou no Himo
Overlord because of the world building.
Konosuba because of the Comedy
Isekai Tensei Soudouki because 3 characters in 1 MC helps keep thing fresh.

The most PAWful and unBEARable is Shirokuma Tensei.

 

[seekermoc]

The best?

Mushoku Tensei - but it updates REAL slow
Bokura no Kiseki - this one is not well known, but it's simply excellent, and a reverse Isekai (where people from a fantasy world are reborn into the 'real' world)
Agree w/ @boag on Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami (Duke's Daughter)
Re:Monster is great, but I've only read the manga, so I can't compare
Isekai Nonbiri Nouka - this gets dumped on a lot, but it's pretty good if you like slice-of-life and can get past the story-telling style (it's almost like a diary, where it's a day-by-day this happened, then this happened, etc). Edit: Nevermind, I can't defend this anymore. It started off good, but the story has really gone downhill since they shrunk down the chapters to only 3-4 pages each.

Worst?

There's a LOT of bad isekai's, and what you won't like is strongly dependent on personal preference. Ones that stuck out to me as being simply horrible are:

Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikinuku you desu! - The idea that high-school super-anything that can turn around the fate of an entire world just by basking them in their presence is too stupid.
Manuke na FPS Player ga Isekai e Ochita Baai - For a manga based around a MC who can use guns, neither the MC nor the mangaka have any idea about guns, how they work, or how they're employed.
Isekai Shihai no Skill Taker: Zero kara Hajimeru Dorei Harem - I don't have any issue with the whole slave/harem thing, and there are plenty of other good isekais that use this trope, but this story was just horrible.

 

[Drifter]

A favorite is hard to chose. I like stories that have good execution and try to do something different with the idea.

Overlord and Isekai Maou feature introvert protagonists stuck inside their epic characters. Spider girl gets points for being a main who is also a dungeon mob. Konosuba is a satire of all the other isekai stories.

Stories I don't like are those which are not inventive and / or lazy. I recently gave up on one called Butsuri something because it was like reading a checklist of isekai tropes. Super powers? Check. Monster girl harem? Check...

 

[caprisun]

I don't know about worst, but I absolutely love Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter and Bakarina !

I also love shieldbro but that was the wn and I left off in the middle of it somewhere...

 

[FireFish5000]

<-- Up to date and fully formatted list can be found on my user profile.
Best Established Ongoing series (all of these average 8+stars):

Human MC:

• 
  Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation This OP MC has a slight personality problem IMHO. The story and plot are great with a big focus on character development. Its the only Tragedy I have followed, I had to power through in the beginning for the MC and plot to grow on me but and am glad I did.
  
  Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu Echi comedy with an OP MC with a serious communication disorder. Great story and plot. Anime isn't bad, but IMHO it skips too much of the details and overdoes fanservice, manga has a lot more depth too it.
  
  Ore to Kawazu-san no Isekai Hourouki This comedic slice-of-life features the most lovable OP character of all time. Prepare to laugh as all the overused troupes you hate are thrown at you with 1000 kawazus worth of power! Definitely recommended for those who like comedies. Family safe.
  
  Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari A summoned hero who has nothing to fight with but a shield. Rejected both by his summoners and fellow heroes alike. Watch as our poor MC struggles with both the hardships of this world, and his own emotional scars. Focuses on world building and emotional turmoils of the MC.
  
  Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami (Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter) I will say it doesn't feel like an isekai. More like as the original heroine died, the memories of our scociety were transferred into the isekai heroine as part of a divine revelation. The importance of our original heroine's thoughts/will quickly dies out and it becomes nothing more than an excuse for her to have knowledge of modern society.
  
  In Another World, I'm Called: the Black Healer OP and naive Heroine. Lots of shinny guys.... better than average story, mainly focuses on how shiny the guys are, but between that it focuses on problems the world is presenting her, her own trust issues, and her attempts to gain intel on how to return to her world. (it's not bad, but.... Shiny guys!.... I swear I am not gay)

Demon MC:

• 
  Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken OP Slime MC, focuses on relationships and issues of monsters and humans. Lots of world building.

Fantasy (isekai with amnesia of earth):

• 
  If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord A loving and heart-warming slice-of-life about our cute daughter. The sweetest, fluffiest, and most calming manga I have read to date. Nothing can make you happier than seeing the smile on your daughters face. This is by far my favorite manga.
  
  Sekai Maou A light-hearted comedy about a Demon Lord who wonders why she must be killed.
  
  It's My Life A slice-of-life about a retired knight and his house... I mean a small witch, who he chose to take care of in his house. Somewhat similare to For my Daughter, but replacing the loving drama with home comedy.

Up and coming:

• Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita Watch our OP witch slowly build her family. Probably won't last as long as the ones above.
• Tensei Kyuuketsuki-san wa Ohirune ga Shitai A sleepy vampire whose life I am definitely not envious of.
• Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii? Loving story about my Elf slave/wife. A bit too early to get excited about it, but it looks promising so far. World building is currently ongoing. Author has yet to have a chance to completely disregard everything he told us about the world, so too early to tell if the story is good. But I like the premise.

Worst:

• Isekai Nonbiri Nouka Started off as a decent OP farming isekai... Slowly devolves into 6 page receipts/production logs. Very repetitive!
• Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku ~Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito~ So generic that the MC comments on it in the first few chapters.
• Maou-Sama Retry
  Spoiler

  I am the admin of the game. I can do anything. But for some reason, I choose to act like an *** and use a character with a bounty on its head which is causing me minor problems that I will fix with OP abilities.
• Isekai Shihai no Skill Taker: Zero kara Hajimeru Dorei Harem
  Spoiler

  OP MC steals OP skills from everyone as he builds his slave harem. But, guess what? He doesn't even need these skills, he will just continue using his original OP powers. Any new skill is immediately adapted for night play with his slaves.

 

[DoubleSnake]

I'm just posting this to fix the front page.

 

[Tikibo]

Best:
https://myanimelist.net/manga/3807/Juuni_Kokuki anime is also nice, but ends in terrible moment.
https://mangadex.org/title/2363/inuyasha just because. It gets somehow repetitive and cliché moments, but at least MC has more balls than most male characters (doesn't help that MC is a Japanese schoolgirl). What's more, the fact that she came from different world is not quickly forgotten, and it surfaces regularly, which cannot be said about most isekai stories (Juuni Kokuki included).
Konosuba (Kono subarashi sekai ...) <- totally dumb comedy which can win your heart if you won't expect anything grand from it. Anime doesn't get boring quickly.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/15809/Hataraku_Maou-sama <-- reverse isekai, starts nicely but degenerates into crapfest. Apparently original story is better.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/182/Tenkuu_no_Escaflowne <- great music, not bad story, stay away from manga version.
.hack// if you wan to see where all those SAO and its clones came from. Not great storywise but it's a precursor of most "trapped inside game" isekai stories
Worst:
Any of standard isekai stories created after 2000 which offer only OP MC who gathers his harem and easily forgets that he came from different world. Too many to include. The one with office worker who changed into nazi-loli was exquisitely laughable. Not in a good sense though.

 

[boag]

@firefish5000

Mushoku and Tate

I really really really liked these 2, before I read all the way to the end.
Now I cant stand them.

 

[Dj0rel]

Don't know about the worst, there are too many to know for sure. But the best, at least in my opinion, is shaping up to be "The Ride-On King". https://mangadex.org/title/27202/the-ride-on-king?

For the best experience, I recommend reading it while listening to the National Anthem of USSR. ?

 

[yelisei]

@ThinkPositive
Can I ask what the title for the slime was? I like v-cute slimes tuvm?‍?

 

[Random_Passer-by]

I haven't read a lot; seeing "isekai" in the tags drives me away. However, I've noticed this: I have yet to read an isekai where the MC is a girl, which is mediocre or bad! My favourite is of course Bakarina, but also Slime Taoshite and Kanzen Muteki. As for guy MCs: Maou no Ore is good too, as is Buta Koushaku. (Both of them focus on their MCs' tries to get better somehow; HUGE plus.)

The worst I've read? Probably Gun-Ota, which is a shame because it began decently.

 

[ThinkPositive]

@yelisei Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken
@Random_Passer-by Kumo desu ga, nani ka? has a spider girl as the MC and it's one of the most popular ones too

 

[boag]

@Random_Passer-by
Too add to this, took a while to compile from what im reading, heres a list of Female Lead Isekais.

https://mangadex.org/title/20978/the-world-of-moral-reversal

https://mangadex.org/title/24244/kuma-kuma-kuma-bear

https://mangadex.org/title/17720/koushaku-reijou-no-tashinami

https://mangadex.org/title/27433/isekai-omotenashi-gohan

https://mangadex.org/title/17709/kumo-desu-ga-nani-ka

https://mangadex.org/title/24988/gyaru-tensei-isekai-seikatsu-majidarui

https://mangadex.org/title/23013/the-vengeful-white-cat-lounging-on-the-dragon-king-s-lap

https://mangadex.org/title/23716/wanwan-monogatari-kanemochi-no-inu-n-shite-to-wa-itta-ga-fenrir-ni-shiro-to-wa-itte-nee

https://mangadex.org/title/22369/jahy-sama-wa-kujikenai

https://mangadex.org/title/18488/honzuki-no-gekokujou

https://mangadex.org/title/20338/tensei-shitara-ken-deshita

https://mangadex.org/title/22843/saving-80-000-gold-coins-in-the-different-world-for-my-old-age

https://mangadex.org/title/18803/youjo-senki


Theres a strong argument to be made that Aura is could be considered a Protagonist in this
https://mangadex.org/title/20719/risou-no-himo-seikatsu

This one focuses on the girl more than anyone so it should count as female led.
https://mangadex.org/title/19472/if-it-s-for-my-daughter-i-d-even-defeat-a-demon-lord

This one the MC is the goblin girl, but her cast is full of Isekaid Japanese kids.
https://mangadex.org/title/21177/goblin-is-very-strong

this one is Tensei, but its fantasy so
https://mangadex.org/title/23467/eiyuu-no-musume-toshite-umarekawatta-eiyuu-wa-futatabi-eiyuu-o-mezasu

This one is straight up fantasy
https://mangadex.org/title/22863/kenshi-wo-mezashite-nyuugaku-shita-no-ni-mahou-tekisei-9999-nan-desu-kedo

 

[dokkotak]

of the ones i've read, the better choices:
Saihate no Paladin
Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Emotionally appealing and/or Cute female MCs.

I feel like there'd be a lot more in the "worst" column than the "best", if one were to rate isekai genre.

 

[crossover123]

here's two i wanna mention
goddess creation system
xuan ji ci

 

[Swerving]

Saihate no Paladin is absolutely awesome and hugely underrated.

 

[Ihcky]

@firefish5000

are you sure ist Maou-sama Retry? I have the story widely different in my memory. though not all chapters are on mangadex.