When it comes to unique anime genres, reverse isekai has been one of the fastest-growing in recent years and few are better than the hilarious The Devil is a Part-Timer. With the isekai genre more popular than ever and every show seemingly featuring an ordinary human sent to a fantastical alternative world, it’s refreshing when a show flips the script and that’s exactly what reverse isekai anime is for.
Since season 3 of The Devil is a Part-Timer is set to appear sometime in 2023, there’s never been a better time to get stuck into the genre either. Its premise that sees a demon king forced to work part-time at a fast-food chain is one of the best examples of how inventive reverse isekai anime can be. Along with serious action fantasy series like Re:Creators and laidback series like Isekai Izakaya, the reverse isekai genre is full of great shows to explore.
The Devil Is A Part-Timer (2013-Present)
Available On Hulu
Centered on the Demon Lord Satan after he becomes stranded on earth and forced to work a fast-food job to make ends meet, The Devil is a Part-Timer is a perfect remedy to the countless isekai series where an ordinary character is suddenly made the all-powerful hero of an epic story. Instead, the once-powerful Satan is forced to contend with hilariously mundane situations.
Although its premise is designed to provide a contrast to typical isekai series, that doesn’t mean The Devil Is A Part-Timer isn’t full of original humor and a memorable cast of characters of its own. At its best, the show’s fish-out-of-water humor and even its fight scenes prove it’s more than a match for the top isekai anime.
GATE (2015-2016)
Available On Hulu
An imaginative series that poses the question of how the military would react if supernatural forces from another world were to begin invading modern-day Japan through a mysterious gate, GATE provides the all-out fantasy action that lots of fans love to see in great isekai anime.
Though the protagonist is a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces that are tasked with dealing with this new threat, he’s also secretly a massive otaku, making him closer to a stereotypical isekai hero. Since the series also shifts into more of a traditional isekai format when he travels through the gate to investigate the threat of this mysterious world directly, Gate provides a nice bridge between reverse isekai and the genre that spawned it.
Gabriel DropOut (2017)
Available On Crunchyroll
The isekai genre has produced some very funny anime so it’s only right that there are great reverse-isekai comedies as well. Gabriel DropOut sets out with this intention, as its premise sees the young angel Gabriel White Tenma sent down to earth to prove herself before she can become a fully-fledged angel.
The twist is how poorly she adjusts to her new surroundings, becoming a shut-in video game addict and proclaiming herself a fallen angel. What makes Gabriel DropOut unique is the way it reverses not just the typical isekai formula but also the roles of angels and demons, as it’s the demonic Vignette April Tsukinose who’s tasked with convincing Gabriel to quit her bad habits. As a result, it’s a show that hilariously subverts expectations at every turn.
Restaurant To Another World (2017)
Available On Crunchyroll
Even dragons, mages, and fairies need a place to relax in the world of Isekai Shokudou, or Restaurant to Another World. That place is Nekoya, a popular cat-themed Tokyo eatery that closes to the public on Saturdays to welcome some much more unusual customers, bringing the inhabitants of fantasy isekai worlds into the normal world.
Rather than relying on fish-out-of-water humor, Restaurant to Another World is distinct because of how it shows the lighter side of the fantastical creatures that inhabit other worlds. A lighthearted cross between a great food anime and a pleasant slice-of-life show that happens to feature some unusual characters, the series is a great antidote to the action isekai shows that take themselves a little too seriously.
Hinamatsuri (2018)
Available On Crunchyroll
Despite only being one 12-episode season in length, Hinamatsuri made its mark when it was released in 2018, and it’s still often held up as one of the best examples of reverse-isekai anime. At the heart of the series is the relationship between Yakuza member Nitta and the mysterious, powerful Hina, a child who suddenly materializes from another world.
It’s the clash of personalities between the quiet, deadpan girl and the ambitious Yakuza member that makes it a great example of comedy anime after he begrudgingly decides to take care of her. Though she comes with all the absurd power of a typical isekai protagonist, Nitta needs to avoid provoking her wrath himself if he wants to make the most of it, leading to even more hilarious situations.
Saint Oniisan (2012-2013)
Currently Unavailable To Stream
If anime has a reputation for absurd premises that somehow work, Saint Oniisan blows them all out of the water with its central premise that Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha are taking a vacation on earth together. Though it might not be strictly respectful to the religions involved, Saint Oniisan‘s irreverence is its selling point.
With the two central figures now living as roommates in Tokyo, the show’s humor comes from them adjusting to life in the modern world while trying and sometimes failing to lie low. One of the best things about reverse-isekai anime is how it can highlight some of the ridiculous elements of the real world and Saint Oniisan is great for that, showing the two characters attempting to understand society from their unique perspective.
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (2017-2022)
Available On Crunchyroll
Perhaps the most popular reverse isekai aside from The Devil Is A Part-Timer, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a laid-back slice-of-life anime series centered on the titular Kobayashi and the dragon she mistakenly invites to stay with her. Despite being a powerful mythical being, the dragon quickly assumes the form of a young girl and offers to repay Kobayashi by being her maid.
Like any typical isekai protagonist, Kobayashi soon finds herself overwhelmed by a cast of distinctive mythical beings, the twist being that they’re the ones coming to her, following the dragon maid’s tail. In a genre where shows are becoming increasingly complex and self-referential, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is just simple, old-fashioned fun and that’s its main appeal.
Zatch Bell! (2003-2006)
Currently Unavailable To Stream
Great action shonen anime is a huge part of the isekai genre but seems to be a lot rarer in reverse isekai. Luckily, there are some exceptions, and Zatch Bell! is one of the best. Like other reverse-isekai protagonists, Takamine Kiyomaro is an ordinary, directionless guy who’s suddenly he’s forced to take care of a being from another world.
What sets him apart is that the being is a demon currently engaged in a war to become ruler of the demon world and getting used to this creature means learning how to fight as a demon master. Though reverse-isekai elements are often sidelined in favor of classic shonen action and storylines about friendship and determination, that works in favor of a highly underrated show.
Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World (2018)
Available On Crunchyroll
Following on from Restaurant to Another World, Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World brings the same premise to a traditional izakaya called Nobu where the inhabitants of a fantasy world called Aitheria can go to experience Japanese cuisine. As with its predecessor, Isekai Izakaya brings together tons of unique fantasy characters to relax, eat food, and tell their stories.
Perhaps even more than Restaurant to Another World, Isekai Izakaya is an anime with a focus on cooking and educating the viewer about Japanese food and drink. Whilst that might make it less interesting to viewers only interested in seeing the isekai characters the show introduces, it gives it an extra reason to watch for anyone who loves food and Japanese culture.
Re:Creators (2017)
Available On Amazon Prime Video
Reverse Isekai often tends to be a little cleverer in concept than regular isekai anime and Re:Creators is one of the best examples of this as it intriguingly blurs the lines between fiction and reality. The series is centered on writer Souta Mizushino, and it looks set to be a typical isekai affair when he is transported into an anime world amid a fierce battle.
However, the twist is that the anime’s heroine returns to the real world with him, and she’s not the only fictional character to turn up in Souta’s supposedly ordinary world. Re:Creators has a colorful cast of fantasy characters to rival any ordinary isekai series but the unique idea of placing them in a world where they can come face-to-face with their creators makes the series truly stand out.