Isekai has become one of the most popular genres of anime, and even before the batch of modern hits, there were a ton of solid series with equally solid endings.These series paved the way for modern isekai, showcasing a protagonist in another world with new powers, friends, and so much more.
Isekai is massive right now, and most ofthe best isekai series of all timeare still airing. Most of the isekai series that have already ended aired decades ago. These series came before the current wave of popularity, and there’s an argument to be had that they contributed towards it.
Endings in isekai can be hard to pull off. No anime has an easy job wrapping up its story, but isekai series stand out because they’re dealing with the fate of two worlds at the same time.
7KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!
Animated By Drive, Based on the Light Novel Series Written By Natsume Akatsuki and Illustrated By Kurone Mishima
KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!isn’t really an isekai series because Kazuma isn’t in it, but it’s still a great series set within an isekai story. The series is a prequel to the events ofKonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!and shines a spotlight on Megumin, the mage of Kazuma’s party.
Megumin’s Explosion Magic is one of the most powerful types of magic inKonoSuba,andKonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!shows how she finally got it. It’s a great, fun series perfect for anyone who wants to check out one ofthe funniest isekai series around.
At the end ofKonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!,Megumin has finally learned how to use her trademark Explosion Magic. She uses it against the horde of monsters pursuing her and Yunyun. Megumin destroys her enemies, graduates from the Crimson Demon Clan’s magic school early, and heads to Axel to live as an adventurer.
6The Vision of Escaflowne
An Original Anime Series By Sunrise
The Vision of Escaflowneis a classic isekai series with one of the most bittersweet endings around. The series follows Hitomi Kanzaki, a normal high-school girl, as she finds herself in the middle of a war on a planet called Gaea. Gaea itself is a world that was created by the people of Atlantis before the mythical city sunk into the ocean.
The Vision of Escaflownecame out in 1996, nearly 30 years before the isekai boom of the mid 2020s. The series is otherworldly in more ways than one, and the ending does a great job of bringing a bit of cold realism into an otherwise fantastical setting.
The ending of the series sees Hitomi wish to return to her home planet of Earth at the end of the war. Even though she and Van, the King of Fanelia, have feelings for one another, it doesn’t change the fact that Gaea was never Hitomi’s final destination. It’s a mature, serious ending that wraps up the series firmly.
5Zenshu
An Original Anime Series By MAPPA, Directed By Mitsue Yamazaki and Written By Kimiko Ueno
Zenshuis a beautifully animated series by one of the most talented animation studios in Japan. MAPPA made this series a visual spectacle through vibrant colors, great animation sequences, and a colorful cast of characters. The series stars a mangaka who finds herself in her favorite anime movie as she learns about her role there, the world itself, and the characters within it.
Zenshuis an anime original series with a succinct story. Natsuko Hirose finds herself in ‘A Tale of Perishing’, her favorite anime series with a tragic story. She changes the story from the inside, saving several characters and altering their lives forever. The larger plot focuses on Natsuko’s inability to let people in emotionally, and the ending wraps that part of well.
The ending ofZenshushows Natsuko relying on Luke Braveheart in more than one way. She creates an army of Lukes to defeat the Ultimate Void once and for all. She’s also able to finish her movie as she finally understands what love is all about.
4So I’m a Spider, So What?
Animated By Millepensee, Based on the Light Novel Series By Okina Baba and Tsukasa Kiryu
So I’m a Spider, So What?is another one of the fewmodern-day isekai seriesto wrap up its story without needing hundreds of episodes.So I’m a Spider, So What?showcases an entire class getting killed and reincarnated into a new world. Some students are lucky enough to become nobles, but one student isn’t so lucky.
Kumoko reincarnates into her new world as a spider, one of the weakest monsters around. She also finds herself in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, one of the most dangerous locations she could have wound up in. After a lot of hard work and perseverance, however, she levels up and becomes stronger than anyone could have expected.
The ending shows Kumoko as an entirely different character than when she first started the story. She’s no longer the lowly Small Lesser Taratect she once was. Instead, she’s a major force within the series who teams up with someone who was her adversary.
3Digimon Adventure
Produced by Toei Animation, WiZ, Bandai, and Fuji Television, Animated by Toei Animation
Digimonis one of the biggest Japanese media franchises around. There are a ton of amazing toys, video games, and movies, and one of the biggest pillars of theDigimonfranchise is the 1999 series,Digimon Adventure.
Digimon Adventureis the first anime series in the franchise. The first series focuses on seven children who were transported into the digital world where they meet the titular Digimon. They team up with their new allies, growing stronger and taking on some of the toughest enemies around.
The ending sees the kids and their Digimon companions restore the Digital World to its former glory, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The main characters are forced to return home, leaving their Digimon friends behind.
2Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
Animated By Silver Link, Based on the Light Novel By Yuumikan & Koin
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defensestars one ofthe most adorable characters in animein Maple. She plays games her own way, and the series is amazing because of it. Instead of allocating her stat points across each of her stats, she puts them all in defense.
Maple then becomes an unstoppable force of nature entirely by accident. Her jovial attitude and lighthearted approach to some of the toughest enemies in her franchise makesBofuristand out from a lot of other series. It’s one of the few modern-day isekai series that has ended, and the finale is wonderful.
Bofurihad plenty more story to tell, but it maturely chose not to. One of the series' strong points is how concise it is, and the ending proved that the series' creators knew when to call it a day.Bofuriends with Maple and her friends logging out of the game they’ve grown to love, leaving their glory and accomplishments behind.
1Inuyasha
Animated By Sunrise, Based On The Manga By Rumiko Takahashi
Inuyashacan be considered as the grandfather of isekai. It was one ofthe best anime series aroundwhen it first aired more than two decades ago, and it still holds up now. It was a major series in the West as well, introducing American audiences to both isekai and anime as a whole.
Inuyashastands out as an isekai series because there weren’t too many isekai series that were popular in the early 2000s. The biggest series were shōnen series without much else going on, andInuyashais so much more than that. The series focuses on the titular Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi as they look to collect all the pieces of the Shikon Jewel.
The ending ofInuyashais great because it brings all the series' loose ends together. Each side character’s story is wrapped up succinctly, the main story comes to a relieveing conclusion, and both the present and the past are at peace once and for all.
