Best Isekai Movies of All Time (2024)

Leaving behind the reality of one’s world and becoming tangled in another is the classic trait of the isekai genre. The audience has always generally been moved and captivated by the odds stacked against the outsider who gets teleported or reincarnated in another world and must now fulfill an important task. The isekai genre is one of the most popular and loved in the anime community, giving fans adventurous tales of heroes and heroines saving a fantasy realm.

Although isekai anime series are always the highlight of every season, standalone isekai movies have also garnered public and critical fame. The likes of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away are considered the epitome of the greatest isekai stories. However, besides the obvious classics, the genre has produced epic stories with impeccable world-building that will leave viewers awestruck.

Updated by Sage Ashford on November 14th, 2024: Isekai films aren't quite as common as isekai anime. However, the popularity of the isekai genre has resulted in multiple popular series getting their own debuts on the big screen. Many of these films are excellent and worth a watch even for those unfamiliar with the franchise. This list has been updated with even more quality isekai films.

15 I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags... Movie Offers a New Adventure With Fan-Favorite Characters

Destruction Flag Otome The Movie Introduces a New Member of the Harem

Destruction Flag Otome was another breakout hit for the isekai genre, introducing one of the most likable characters of the 2020s in Katarina Claes, a young woman reincarnated into the form of a villainess in her favorite otome game. Set after she successfully avoided all her “destruction flags," this film sees Katarina meeting Aquil, a prince from another country. True to the main series, it isn’t long before Aquil becomes a member of Katarina’s harem, much to the annoyance of everyone around him. Yet what secret is Aquil hiding?

The Destruction Flag Otome film offers more fluffy adventures in one of anime’s cutest worlds. It’s a non-canon adventure, of course, but that’s far from the point for a slice-of-life anime like this. With no season three on the horizon, this provides fans of the franchise with one more fun adventure with this lovable cast.

14 Fate/Grand Order: Divine Realm of the Round Table – Camelot Wandering Introduces Several Key Fate/Grand Order Characters

Camelot Wandering Provides Fanservice For Fate Fans

The Fate/Grand Order series managed to give the Fate series a full revival, but no one could’ve predicted just how popular it could become. The mobile game generated enough interest to result in a full TV series and multiple films. Fate/Grand Order: Divine Realm of the Wandering takes Fujimaru and Mash to the Holy Land of Jerusalem, where the Knights of the Round Table have built their home. There, the Master Ritsuka and his Servant Mash arrive to protect human history again.

While the Fate/Grand Order series is normally pretty difficult to get into, Divine Realm of the Round Table is surprisingly approachable. While Grand Order players will still get the most out of it, the movie’s glorious art style and direction are worth the 90-minute runtime. It also features an inspired soundtrack thanks to them pulling music from the Fate/Grand Order games. By the end, Fate fans will go running for the sequel series.

13 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie - Scarlet Bond Bring Rimuru and Friends to a New Land

Scarlet Bond Offers Key Details to Some of Tensura's Cast Members

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has established itself as one of the most popular and rewatchable isekai anime of the 2020s. With that big of an audience, it’s not surprising the series got an anime film, one which takes Rimuru and his friends to an entirely new country. In Raja, Rimuru and Benimaru uncover an ancient conspiracy that involves someone with a deep, yet lost connection to Benimaru himself.

Scarlet Bond isn’t canon, but that’s not what viewers show up for. The film offers another fun adventure for Rimuru and friends, this time backed by a movie budget. Tensura is usually a gorgeous series, so it's not that much prettier. However, the animation upgrade is welcome nonetheless. Action fans should check out Scarlet Bond just for some of the film’s battles.

12 Brave Story Offers a Classic Isekai Storyline

Wataru Becomes Easy to Root For In This Weird New World

Based on a popular novel, Brave Story is from an era before modern isekai. There, the focus wasn’t introducing an overpowered protagonist, but presenting a strange world unlike our own and showing how a character adapts. So it is with Brave Story, where the 11-year-old Wataru travels to a world of magic and monsters in the hopes of fixing his broken home life.

From Studio GONZO, Brave Story manages to be a solid adaptation of the novel. Though the movie is nearly two decades old, its animation has a timeless quality that still looks great today. It establishes a world that’s fun to exist in for two hours, and Wataru is an endearing protagonist viewers will want to root for.

11 Sword Art Online the Movie: Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night Captures the Vibe of the Original World

Aria of a Starless Night Makes Asuna the Lead Hero

The Sword Art Online franchise is responsible for the modern boom in isekai anime. Yet the franchise’s own popularity had been mostly fading until this film launched. Sword Art Online Progressive presents the original saga through the eyes of the series’ deuteragonist, Asuna. It shows how Asuna became pulled into the world of Sword Art Online, and the adventures she experienced with her first friend, Mito.

With Kirito resigned to a supporting role, Sword Art Online Progressive is refreshingly clear of all the harem nonsense the show’s known for. Instead, it’s a straightforward tragic story about how Asuna loses her first friend. A-1 Pictures makes great use of the movie budget to create several stunning scenes and some lavish backgrounds, and Yuki Kaijura’s music is superb as always. For most, this will instantly become their favorite version of Sword Art Online.

Sword Art Online: Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night

Action

Adventure

High school student Asuna struggles to survive with a young swordsman after its revealed that she is trapped inside the game of Sword Art Online, where if your HP drops to zero, your brain will be destroyed in real life.

Release Date

October 30, 2021

Cast

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Haruka Tomatsu , Inori Minase

Writers

Reki Kawahara

Runtime

1 Hour 37 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Producer

Kaoru Adachi, Yôsuke Futami, Keisuke Hirai, Ryûtarô Kawakami, Shôki Niwa

Production Company

A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Egg Firm, Kadokawa, SAO-P Project, Straight Edge

See Also

KSM Blu-ray Her Blue SkyHer Blue Sky Ending, Explained: Is Shinno a Ghost or Real?

10 Isekai Quartet: The Movie – Another World Rewrites the Formula

Isekai Quartet's Film Provides Another Funny Adventure For the Protagonists

Isekai Quartet: The Movie – Another World was inspired by the chibi-styled Isekai Quartet spin-off series that consisted of characters from popular isekai anime series like Overlord and KonoSuba. The concept of the series is an ironic shout-out to the core isekai element, as the characters in this film are transported to an alternate world despite already being in an alternate reality.

The movie serves as the sequel to the series and follows the misadventures of famous isekai anime characters like Naofumi, Ainz, Aqua, and more, as they are sucked into a mysterious wormhole that appeared inside their class. Isekai Quartet: The Movie – Another World pays homage to modern isekai anime that has rejuvenated the genre for the better. It’s nothing as heavy and emotionally invested as Spirited Away, but it’s a light watch for anyone who simply loves the genre for the tropes.

Isekai Quartet

TV-14

Fantasy

Comedy

The worlds of isekai sagas collide and cross over, resulting in comical chaos.

Release Date

April 9, 2019

Cast

Satoshi Hino , Saori Hayami , Aoi Yuki

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Studio Puyukai

Number of Episodes

24

9 Belle Redefined a Classic Fairytale

Belle Offers a Different Type of Virtual Reality Experience

There’s so much anyone can do when it comes to retelling classic fairytales because it’s a hit-or-miss situation. Fortunately, Mamoru Hosoda’s hit anime movie Belle is a prime example of a classic tale receiving an awe-inspiring modern isekai makeover. The story revolves around the dual life of a seemingly ordinary high school girl named Suzu.

Shy and introverted in real life, Suzu escapes her reality by becoming a popular singer in a virtual world called U. Suzu uses Bell to dominate U’s musical scene but soon collides with an unlikely fellow in the virtual world that would change her definition of love. Belle is an interesting and smart twist to the isekai formula because of its unconventional approach to the “teleported to another world” trope and the emotional depth behind it. The anime movie is visually stunning with soul-filling music and storytelling that will give the audience goosebumps.

Belle

PG

Anime

Adventure

Drama

Original title: Ryû to sobakasu no hime
Suzu is a shy high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer.

Director

Mamoru Hosoda

Release Date

January 14, 2022

Cast

Kaho Nakamura , Ryô Narita , Shôta Sometani

Runtime

2 hours 1 minute

Main Genre

Anime

Production Company

Studio Chizu, BookWalker, Dentsu

8 Children Who Chase Lost Voices Is a Thought-Provoking and Intense Story

Makoto Shinkai Gets to Try Isekai With Children Who Chase Lost Voices

Culminated by the brilliant mind of Makoto Shinkai, Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a bit different from the famed director’s signature stories about love transcending time and space. Fulfilling all the typical demands of being an isekai, Children Who Chase Lost Voices gets its uniqueness from the emotional depth and themes embedded in the story. When a young girl is confronted by a strange creature, she is saved by a boy who tells her that he’s from a place called Agartha.

Asuna later discovers that Agartha is also known as the Land of the Dead. It's a lucrative prospect for a girl who has freshly suffered from death and loss. Along with her substitute teacher, Asuna embarks on a crucial journey to another realm where she will rediscover herself and learn the true meaning of loss and how to move on from it.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices

TV-14

Anime

Adventure

Drama

A coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.

Director

Makoto Shinkai

Release Date

May 7, 2011

Studio

CoMix Wave

Cast

Hisako Kanemoto , Miyu Irino , Kazuhiko Inoue , Junko Takeuchi , Fumiko Orikasa , Sumi Shimamoto , Tamio Ôki , Aki Kaneda

Writers

Makoto Shinkai

Runtime

116 Minutes

Main Genre

Anime

7 The Cat Returns Is a Remarkable Portrayal of a Simple Story

The Cat Returns Teaches the Importance of Retaining One's True Self

The Cat Returns is another of Studio Ghibli’s works with their signature art style and emotional depth. However, it’s one of those movies from the famed studio that is on a lighter note with humor and themes that aren’t too depressing or hardcore. The movie follows the story of a 17-year-old girl who, by chance, saves a cat one day from being run over. To her surprise, the feline turned out to be a prince from a magical land called the Cat Kingdom.

Out of courtesy of whatever he was saying in cat language, Haru accidentally accepts Lune’s marriage proposal and becomes engaged to him. The Cat Returns is a classic tale that takes the viewers on an entertaining journey where Haru learns of her true self all the while trying to avoid turning into a cat. This inspired movie from Studio Ghibli is a light-hearted isekai that hits all the right chords when it comes to self-acceptance and growth.

The Cat Returns

G

Adventure

Comedy

After helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat Prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.

Director

Hiroyuki Morita

Release Date

July 20, 2002

Cast

Chizuru Ikewaki , Aki Maeda , Takayuki Yamada , Hitomi Sato , Yoshihiko Hakamada

Writers

Aoi Hiiragi , Reiko Yoshida , Cindy Davis

Runtime

75 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Producer

Ned Lott, Toshio Suzuki, Nozomu Takahashi

Production Company

Hakuhodo, Mitsubishi, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Studio Ghibli, Toho Company, Tokuma Shoten, Walt Disney Productions

6 No Game No Life: Zero Is an Impressive Sequel

No Game No Life: Zero Offers Some Much-Needed Worldbuilding

No Game No Life won the fans with its honest approach to the transported-to-the-game trope. Despite the premise being typical, the execution of the story is quite impressive and entertaining. The original anime series is a noteworthy isekai title thanks to its complex story. On the other hand, the movie doesn’t exclusively connect to the main story; rather, it serves as a prequel or origin story of the events in the main series.

No Game No Life: Zero tells the tale of events that led to human extinction and the rise of the sentient species to establish the One True God. Amid the chaos, a human and an ex-Machina form an unlikely partnership that would lead them to answers to save humanity. Zero has all the classic traits of the original series with impeccable world-building and gorgeous animation.

No Game No Life

TV-14

Adventure

Comedy

Siblings Sora and Shiro make up the most feared team of pro gamers in the world, The Blank. When they manage to beat God himself in a game of chess, they are sent to a world where all disputes are settled with games.

Release Date

April 9, 2014

Cast

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Yoko Hikasa

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Creator

Jukki Hanada

Producer

Yōhei Hayashi, Shō Tanaka, Mika Shimizu, Satoshi Fukao, Asako Shimizu

Production Company

Madhouse

Number of Episodes

12 Episodes

5 Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna Offers a Burst of Nostalgia and Closure

Last Evolution Kizuna Lets Long-Time Fans See the DigiDestined as They Enter Adulthood

Despite Digimon's global popularity, novice watchers might know the franchise is a long-running isekai anime series. The series initially aired in 1999 and kickstarted the franchise, which churned out dozens of sequels, standalone series, and movies. The original series was responsible for introducing the evolution sequence trend, which became even more iconic because of its background score. Kizuna can actually be considered a goodbye series to the original DigiDestined. The movie will overwhelm veteran fans with the realization that the relationship between the DigiDestined and their Digimon partners has to end.

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna explores the difficult transition of Tai and the others to adulthood as they make decisions about their future all the while trying to hold on to the memory of their Digimon partners. Kizuna is a beautiful conclusion to the worldwide phenomenon and a reminder of the supremacy the franchise brought to the isekai genre.

4 Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie Offers an Exploration of Complex Characters

Tanya the Evil Continues to Make a Deplorable Protagonist Compelling

Saga of Tanya the Evil is considered one of the better isekai anime to watch right now. The original manga series was picked up for an adaptation in 2016 which follows the story of an ordinary salaryman who gets reincarnated as a wicked 9-year-old girl named Tanya in an alternate reality. As a means of punishing him for not having faith, the protagonist is now trapped as a young blonde girl in a World War setting where military personnel can use magic.

Tanya’s goal is to rise in the military ranks and avoid getting into difficult situations so she doesn’t have to call for Being X's (that is, God's) help. Saga of Tanya the Evil serves as the anime series’ sequel where she continues to use her talents to defeat enemies and keep insulting Being X. The movie lives up to the unconventional charm of the original series and continues with the same complex and dry-humored tone that the fans had come to love.

Saga of Tanya the Evil

TV-MA

Animation

Drama

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

War & Politics

A girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin fights on the front lines of a brutal war and climbs the ranks of the imperial army.

Release Date

January 6, 2017

Cast

Aoi Yuki , Saori Hayami , Daiki Hamano , Hochu Otsuka , Nobuo Tobita

Seasons

1

Studio

Number of Episodes

3 The Boy and the Beast Expands Into the Concept of Mutual Growth

The Boy and the Beast Proves Familiar Stories Can Still Be Interesting

Most isekai anime movies where young kids teleported to a fantasy world are about self-realization and The Boy and the Beast is no exception to this much-appreciated trope. Another one of Mamoru Hosoda’s compelling works, the movie revolves around the adventures of a recently orphaned boy named Ren. With his father not in the picture and a recently deceased mother, Ren has no option but to live with his legal guardians. However, he runs away and starts living on the street until he receives an apprenticeship offer from a strange man who takes him to the Beast Kingdom.

In this martial artistic world, Ren and the beast warrior journey to self-discovery as they also fulfill their roles to save the world. Straying away from typically, The Boy and the Beast is a majestic visualization of embracing the self and accepting mutual growth. A person doesn’t always need to handle adversity alone. Sometimes, someone in the same situation is the best medium for growth.

The Boy and the Beast

PG-13

Action-Adventure

Fantasy

When a young orphaned boy living on the streets of Shibuya stumbles upon a fantastic world of beasts, he's taken in by a gruff warrior beast looking for an apprentice.

Director

Mamoru Hosoda

Release Date

July 11, 2015

Studio

Studio Chizu

Cast

Kôji Yakusho , Aoi Miyazaki , Shôta Sometani , Kappei Yamaguchi , Mamoru Miyano

Runtime

120

Main Genre

Anime

2 The Boy and the Heron Will Take the Viewers On a Beautiful Nostalgic Ride

It's Easy to See How Boy and the Heron Earned its Oscar

The legendary Hayao Miyazaki returned with his storytelling magic and blessed the audience with yet another masterpiece in the shape of The Boy and the Heron. For fans of Studio Ghibli’s classics, the new anime movie will evoke nostalgia through its stellar yet familiar art style, Miyazaki’s signature storytelling technique, and breathtaking direction. Based on the 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino, the movie follows the story of a 12-year-old boy, Mahito, who lost his mother during WWII and had to move to Japan when his father started a new life.

One day, Mahito finds that his pregnant stepmother has disappeared through an abandoned tower, and with the help of a talking heron, Mahito enters a fantasy world to look for her. The plot alone is a fulfilling reminder of Miyazaki’s ultimate masterpiece, Spirited Away. Besides its emotionally heavy story and gorgeous animation, The Boy and the Heron also has the honor of being Miyazaki’s second Oscar-winning animated film.

10

10

The Boy and the Heron

PG-13

Animation

Adventure

Drama

A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date

December 8, 2023

Cast

Soma Santoki , Masaki Suda , Takuya Kimura , Aimyon

Writers

Hayao Miyazaki

Runtime

2 hours 4 minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Production Company

Studio Ghibli, Toho Company

1 Spirited Away Is the Greatest Isekai Story Ever Told

Spirited Away Epitomizes the Experience of Being Lost in a Strange World

Miyazaki made cinematic history when Spirited Away was not only nominated but was also the first non-English movie to win an Oscar in its respective category. Spirited Away took the world by storm with its near-perfect world-building, impeccable storytelling, and fascinating animation. The movie explored the genre’s core and stayed true to the elements that make the isekai genre tick. The story of a young girl named Chihiro mesmerizes the audience almost immediately as she falls prey to a spirit world and must do something quickly before she and her parents are stuck in it forever.

What makes Spirited Away so special is its unparalleled detail in world-building, and redefining magical elements for its universe. No one is waving a wand or reciting spells in the movie, and yet, the audience can feel the magic oozing out of every scene. Spirited Away is a resonating anime masterpiece that celebrates the intricacies of telling an isekai story without being too obvious or devoured of important themes.

Spirited Away

PG

Adventure

Family

During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, a world where humans are changed into beasts.

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date

July 20, 2001

Studio

Studio Ghibli

Cast

Rumi Hîragi , Miyu Irino , Mari Natsuki , Takashi Naitô , Yasuko Sawaguchi

Runtime

125 minutes

Main Genre

Anime

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