It’s no wonder isekai remains one of anime’s most popular storytelling styles, with flexible themes that span seamlessly across genres such as shonen, horror, history, romance, and more. Despite reliably displacing protagonists and audiences alike from the normal world and into one filled with magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests, isekai motifs are often deployed as supernatural backdrops for telling relatable coming-of-age tales. Isekai protagonists typically use their fantasy settings as an excuse to start anew and begin self-realizing their true power and potential.
No hero can rise to prominence without an almighty villain, though. That means for every isekai with an overpowered protagonist or adventuring party ensemble, at least one OP villain of similar fortitude is there to rise to their challenge. Whether super-powered and insidious like Malty from The Rising of Shield Hero or political masterminds like the clergy members in Ascendance of a Bookworm, anime shows and audiences alike have no shortage of highly formidable foes to fawn over or fear.
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10 Tet Is Anime’s Elite Eldritch Gamer God
Notable skills: Interdimensional teleportation, warping reality
In the anime series No Game No Life, Tet is an ancient almighty deity who governs the world of Disboard with absolute power. The One True God, Tet’s authority in the world of Disboard they created goes unchallenged and unchecked. In a realm where all conflicts are resolved through games, Tet’s devilish playfulness never ceases to be a hurdle for protagonists Sora and Shiro as they strive to carve out their place in the world and establish themselves as worthy opponents.
Despite Tet’s vast resources, their best skill is arguably their willingness to play the long game. Tet is depicted as measured and calculating. Godly gamers and tricksters from myth and in the media are often depicted as impatiently playful and impish, but Tet is different. Tet knows when to intervene and when to send out others to do their dirty work. They will gladly send out evil angels like Jibril to help perpetuate their grand design and will just as quickly teleport mid-battle to dwarf opponents and even those they deputize.
No Game No Life
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
- 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
9 Piedmon’s Power Plagues the Digital World
Notable skills: Transmogrification, teleportation, sword magic
Digimon fans know Piedmon as one of the most sinister digital monsters in the franchise’s long-running canon — if not its most. His unparalleled command over dark magic topples opponents, with devastating shapeshifting and reality-bending powers matched only by his creepily cunning mind-games, befitting his chilling clown-coded appearance.
One of Digimon lore’s four Dark Masters, none of Piedmon’s digivolved contemporaries (Myotismon, Machinedramon, and MetalSeadramon) threaten or alter DigiDestined lives as much as him. Piedmon’s enduring impact on Digimon and its characters helps him stand out among other villains, his unmatched manipulation mastery manifesting in formidable physical and mental challenges across multiple series arcs and movies.
Digimon
- Created by
- Akiyoshi Hongo
- First Episode Air Date
- March 7, 1999
- Video Game(s)
- Digimon Survive , Digimon All-Star Rumble , Digimon World: Next Order , Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
8 Satella’s Tragic Arc Amplifies Her Devastating Impact
Notable skills: Immortality, magic user, shadow control
In Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, just when protagonist Subaru begins to feel settled and affirmed in his titular alternate universe, in comes Satella and her trademark enigmatic ways to turn his world upside down (metaphorically speaking). A vessel for the Witch of Envy, Satella possesses an impressive suite of abilities such as shadow manipulation, shockwave projectiles, and conjuring powers (among others). Despite demonstrating spine-tingling superpowers (notably, Satella repeatedly projects shadowy hands to manipulate Subaru’s heart), Satella’s unflinching villainy and commitment to her dark side are most devastating — especially for Subaru.
Not letting Subaru’s love soften her or shed her dark Witch of Envy persona is among Subaru’s most traumatic experiences. While Satella’s descent into madness doesn’t affect her love for Subaru, it becomes corrupted and morphs into an obsession. With her mysterious and complicated connections to Subaru to go alongside her unparalleled abilities, Satella is as complex an anime villain as she is a powerful one.
Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
After being suddenly transported to another world, Subaru Natsuki and his new female partner are brutally murdered. However, Subaru awakens to a familiar scene, meeting the same girl again. The day begins to mysteriously repeat itself.
- Release Date
- April 4, 2016
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- White Fox
- Creator
- Tappei Nagatsuki
- Main Cast
- Yûsuke Kobayashi, Rie Takahashi, Sean Chiplock, and Kayli Mills
7 Naraku’s Appetite For Revenge Is Most Impressive
Notable skills: Mind-control, telekinesis, reincarnation
A Complete Timeline of Inuyasha
Fans can easily forget key plot points and storylines in Inuyasha, making a guide to all five seasons of the feudal love story especially helpful.
In the world of isekai and anime in general, Inuyasha’s Naraku looms large as a personification of evil’s undying nature. A baddie whose being shrouded in secrecy is among their most formidable traits — a recurring theme among isekai villains — Naraku is a powerful half-demon and overall sneaky personality who weaponizes his mysterious past as a compliment to his illusory and mind-control abilities.
Throughout Inuyasha, Naraku’s origins are revealed across multiple arcs and reincarnated forms. With the full context of his beginnings as an unrequited third party in a love triangle including Inuyasha himself (predating Naraku’s descent into demon-hood), Naraku’s obsessive pursuit of power and revenge becomes even more haunting. To deceive and sow chaos in the name of revenge requires a sound and obsessive mind, which Naraku flaunts proudly on the other side of his grand design being revealed. His mental acuity, uncanny strategic skill, and determination add an extra dimension to Naraku’s myriad scary superpowers.
Inuyasha (2000)
A teenage girl periodically travels back in time to feudal Japan to help a young half-demon recover the shards of a jewel of great power.
- Release Date
- October 16, 2000
- Seasons
- 7
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Franchise
- Inuyasha
- Creator
- Rumiko Takahashi
6 Bindewald’s Political Power Makes Him Standout Among Super-powered Peers
Notable skills: Spellcasting, political scheming, Temples of Yurgenschmidt expertise
Despite being a cozier isekai option in its first two seasons, Season 3 of Ascendance of a Bookworm took a much darker turn, partly due to Bindewald’s increased screentime and the reveal of him and the High Priest’s nefarious deeds. Even in a story about a reincarnated character blessed with an immeasurable amount of mana and magical potential, the most dangerous forces are those who whisper, scheme, and dictate the laws of their fantasy world.
Ascendance‘s titular bookworm, Myne, is a fan-favorite among audiences thanks to her cherubic nature and growth into a magical powerhouse despite her sickly physical state.
In the world of the show, however, Myne’s unconventional pursuit of universal access to books and education makes her less popular, particularly among classist power players like Bindewald. As beloved as she is fragile, audience uproar understandably ensued whenever Bindewald’s controversial and cruel tactics oppressed Myne. Most insipidly, Bindewald makes Myne take a blood oath, literally slicing her hand with a conjured blade while she is captured and under duress. Bindewald’s actions force her into an unwanted adoption and remove her from her beloved — albeit isekai-induced — family unit, a blatant display of unchecked and imbalanced power in the very Temple ranks that Bindewald intends to climb.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Urano, a young Japanese soon-to-be librarian, dies in an earthquake. She is reincarnated in another world as a young girl named Mayne, but learns books are scarce and only provided to prestigious elites.
- Release Date
- October 13, 2019
- Cast
- Takehito Koyasu , Fumiko Orikasa , Mutsumi Tamura , Satoshi Hino
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- Ajia-do Animation Works, Wit Studio
- Creator
- Miya Kazuki
- Number of Episodes
- 36 + 2 OVA
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5 Malty’s Lies and Magic Are Equally Dangerous
Notable skills: Elemental manipulation (fire and wind), trickery
In The Rising of Shield Hero, Malty, the scorned former-princess-turned-villain, is seen as a complex standout amid the show’s many controversies and questionable elements. Ever since the debut episode when Malty turned an entire kingdom against protagonist Naofumi the Shield Hero with a false accusation of sexual assault, she has been unrelenting in her dastardly displays of magic and manipulation. Her lies are ruinous for Naofumi, ostracizing him before he can properly establish himself in his new surroundings. The deception sets forth a series of events that threaten the fabric of their world, but that doesn’t matter to Malty so long as she ascends to power.
Whether orchestrating a plot or manipulating heroes to serve her agenda, Malty stops at nothing to achieve her goals. Her lack of empathy and insatiable desire for supremacy make her a force to be reckoned with in the world of anime villains. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, Malty combines a magical connection to fire and wind elements with an unrivaled ability and willingness to deceive.
The Rising of The Shield Hero
A gamer is magically summoned into a parallel universe, where he is chosen as one of four heroes destined to save the world from its prophesied doom.
- Release Date
- January 9, 2019
- Cast
- Kaito Ishikawa , Asami Seto , Rina Hidaka
- Seasons
- 3 Seasons
- Creator
- Aneko Yusagi
- Production Company
- DR Movie, Kinema Citrus
- Number of Episodes
- 50 Episodes
4 A Spoonful of Ainz Ooal Gown Humor Makes the OP Go Down
Notable skills: Necromancy, terrain manipulation, invisibility, and disguise
Overlord remains a fan-favorite isekai thanks in part to the comedic moments peppered throughout, which help counterbalance the show’s dark fantasy elements and make the more grim events unfolding in Yggdrasil easier to handle. Main character Ainz Ooal Gown is a reliable source of comedic relief. An overpowered villainous figure, Overlord lightens the load of Ainz Ooal Gown’s evil pursuits by treating audiences to his earnest and sometimes awkward navigation of Yggdrasil’s political and social machinations.
Despite Ainz’s sometimes clumsy NPC interactions and affinity for absurd, exaggerated reactions, his shortcomings never compromise his power. Whether controlling undead armies to exact his acts of war or his swift single-spell disposal of adventuring parties, Ainz Ooal Gown’s got a variety of OP displays that make him a worthy isekai villain, even when taking his meta-textual role as Overlord‘s main character.
Overlord
An office worker in a dystopian world logs onto a video game for the last time only to find out that he, along with his entire guild, has been transported to another reality.
- Release Date
- July 7, 2015
- Cast
- Satoshi Hino
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Number of Episodes
- 52
3 The Devil is a Part-Timer Sariel Is a Full-Time Powerhouse
Notable skills: Infernal magic, Wicked Light of the Fallen ability that can nullify holy magic
The Devil Is a Part-Timer Author Announces New Light Novel Series
Satoshi Wagahara, author of the popular Devil Is a Part-Timer! series, announces a new light novel series about a dystopian, health-obsessed future.
The Devil is a Part Timer! playfully subverts isekai tropes by placing a typically villainous force in the titular devil Sadao in a nine-to-five job in the real world and framing him as the hero. The hit fantasy comedy expands on its subversive premise with its lead villain, the archangel Sariel aka Mitsuki (his real-world guise). From conjuring infernos that consume entire city blocks to summoning demonic minions to do his bidding, Mitsuki’s villainy can make most other villains blush.
Although Mitsuki is never outright victorious over Sadao and key ally Emi, he gains advantages with his manipulative and cunning ways more often than many anime foes. Whether manipulating Emi’s father into obtaining the Archangel Sword or scorching earth in Tokyo to sew distrust and discord, anime audiences have plenty of examples demonstrating Mitsuki’s formidable skill and arcane expertise to choose from. With a new season of The Devil is a Part-Timer! officially on the horizon, fans can rest assured more dominant and demonic displays are on the way from Mitsuki.
The Devil Is a Part-Timer! (2013)
Hilarity and fun ensues when Satan ends up in modern day Japan without any magic to return, and starts working part time in a fast food joint.
- Release Date
- April 4, 2013
- Cast
- Jessie James Grelle
- Creator
- Satoshi Wagahara
- Writers
- Masahiro Yokotani
- Number of Episodes
- 13
2 Yuuki Was Already Formidable Even Before Getting Isekai’d
Notable skills: Genius-level intelligence, martial expertise, leadership
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime distinguishes itself by having villain Yuuki and hero Rimuru share other-world origins, both transported from the real world into a fantasy realm known as The Central World. Once summoned, the two take very different paths despite their commonalities and shared history, with Yuuki being Rimuru’s former student. While Rimuru pursues a life of heroics, Yuuki is differently constituted — he arrives in the fantasy realm already a sociopath with a genius intellect.
Summoned by Demon Lord Kagali, Yuuki immediately forms a pact with Kagali that offers his body as a vessel for the demon. Emboldened by Kagali’s power, Yuuki marries their dark passenger’s abilities with his strategic skillfulness and brainy brilliance; he excels in his indentured pursuit of world domination and expertly leads the Moderate Harlequin Alliance to create chaos throughout The Central World.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Average 37-year-old Minami Satoru dies and is reincarnated as the most unremarkable creature imaginable-a slime.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2018
- Cast
- Miho Okasaki , Megumi Toyoguchi , Mao Ichimichi , Makoto Furukawa
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- Eight Bit
- Creator
- Fuse
- Sequel
- The Slime Diaries
- Number of Episodes
- 48
1 Akihiko Kayaba Is a Man Who Fashions Himself Into a God
Notable skills: Strongest in-game character, genius intellect
Whether they’ve watched it or not, anime fans recognize Sword Art Online as one of anime’s most beloved isekai titles. Viewers and fans know the show shares a name with antagonist Akihiko Kayaba’s death game creation. A VR battle royale, Kayaba’s Sword Art Online invention is an emphatic testament to his power and overall masterminded-ness. Not any average Joe can trap an entire population in another world, but Kayaba can and asserts complete dominance over thousands of lives by doing so.
Kayaba’s god-like creation and continued command over his virtual reality set him apart from conventional anime villains. With his indefensible expertise, Kayaba turns a society of people into pawns in his twisted and literal game. By developing new intricate challenges, tinkering with game mechanics, and introducing permadeath stakes, Kayaba places a whole population at his whim.
Sword Art Online
In the year 2022, thousands of people get trapped in a new virtual MMORPG and the lone wolf player, Kirito, works to escape.
- Release Date
- July 8, 2012
- Creator(s)
- Reki Kawahara
- Cast
- Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Haruka Tomatsu , Ayana Taketatsu , Miyuki Sawashiro , Ai Kayano
- Seasons
- 4
- Production Company
- A-1 Pictures, ASCII Mediaworks, Aniplex, Bandai Namco Games, Genco
- Number of Episodes
- 100
