10 Dark Isekai Series That Redefined the Genre (2024)

While the isekai genre can sometimes be fairly lighthearted, that's not always the case. In some anime, reincarnations lead to new lives that are just as bad, if not worse, than those experienced by the protagonist beforehand. The result is usually a dark series that completely goes against expectations.

The darkest isekai anime and manga change the game for the genre, going against the power fantasy grain for stories that are much bleaker. Some of this involves the harsh reality of the genre, with different elements played straight compared to most isekai. On the other hand, some of these works are simply as tragic as can be, throwing their heroes into increasingly horrible situations that make them wish they were reincarnated as just about anything else.

10 Re:Zero Is a Lot Darker Than It Seems

Streaming On: Crunchyroll

At first, it doesn't seem like Re:Zero is a genre-bending dark series. After all, it features elements known to isekai such as comedic concepts and harem aspects, both of which many times make these sorts of anime into power fantasies. It's the true nature of the series that makes it unnerving, however, and it's actually darker (psychologically speaking) than other parts of the genre.

Re:Zero's hero has the power to come back to life, but this ability has its drawbacks. He has to suffer from the pain and terror of dying, and he's the only one who remembers what happened when he comes back. This makes for a fairly morbid story at times, and despite how lighthearted it can be, it's arguably darker thematically than gory anime such as Chainsaw Man.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

TV-14

Animation

Comedy

Action

Fantasy

Release Date

April 3, 2016

Cast

Yûsuke Kobayashi , Rie Takahashi , Yumi Uchiyama , Chinatsu Akasaki , Yuichi Nakamura , Inori Minase , Rie Murakawa , Takehito Koyasu , Satomi Arai , Kōhei Amasaki , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Kaori Nazuka , Aimi Tanaka , Maaya Sakamoto , Marika Kouno , Mugihito , Kenta Miyake , Hibiku Yamamura , Koki Koyasu

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Writers

Yoshiko Nakamura

Network

TV Tokyo , AT-X

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Directors

Hiroyuki Tsuchiya , Kazuomi Koga , Yoshito Mikamo , Masaharu Watanabe , Yoshinobu Tokumoto , Masahiro Shinohara , Hideyo Yamamoto , Manabu Okamoto , Takashi Sakuma , Daisuke Takashima , Naoko Takeichi

Producers

Yoshikazu Beniya , Sho Tanaka , Kazuo Onuki , Aya Iizuka , Eriko Aoki

Character(s)

Subaru Natsuki (voice) , Emilia (voice) , Puck (voice) , Felt (voice) , Reinhard Van Astrea (voice) , Rem (voice) , Ram (voice) , Roswaal L. Mathers (voice) , Beatrice (voice) , Otto Suwen (voice) , Garfiel Tinsel (voice) , Frederica Baumann (voice) , Lewes Meyer (voice) , Echidna (voice) , Petra Leyte (voice) , Rom (voice) , Kadomon (voice) , Kadomon's Wife (voice) , Roswaal B. Mathers (voice) , Patrasche (voice) , Rachins (voice) , Crusch Karsten (voice) , Ferris (voice) , Wilhelm Van Astrea (voice) , Anastasia Hoshin (voice)

9 Overlord Shows the Dark Side of Power Fantasies

Streaming On: Netflix

The hit series Overlord is somewhat of a typical isekai at first, with a gamer stuck in the world of the same game he once played. Now becoming the powerful Ainz Ooal Gown, he goes about enforcing his will upon the land, with few able to even possibly challenge him. In the end, he becomes an outright villain, taking his dark appearance to its full fruition.

Overlord's darkness is in how it makes a seeming "bad guy" the main character, and Ainz is completely unrepentant in his actions. He's arguably no different from other overpowered isekai protagonists such as Kirito from Sword Art Online, but he has few pretensions about heroism. As time goes on, he's feared throughout the land, and this feels almost like an inversion of more world-building oriented shows such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It's a true showcase of how power corrupts, with a mere gamer becoming a dark god.

Overlord

TV-MA

Action

Adventure

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

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

4

Studio

Madhouse

Number of Episodes

52

8 Tanya the Evil Lives Up to Its Name

Streaming On: Crunchyroll

The Saga of Tanya the Evil is the quintessential "evil" isekai anime, as its name would suggest. The protagonist is actually a formerly atheist salaryman who's reborn in a dark world that's torn by a version of World War I. Reborn as a young girl, he quickly comes to grips with his environment, pledging to survive in order to cruelly avoid the cycle of reincarnation restarting.

​​​​​​The protagonist in Tanya the Evil uses everything at her disposal to survive, seeing others as a mere stepping stone in this regard. Likewise, reincarnation itself is presented as a threat, whereas it's a sort of means to escape in other shows. Reveling in selfish amorality, Tanya isn't like characters in most isekai, namely female ones. This turns it into a dark mirror image of what fans are used to in the genre.

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

IMDb ID

tt6455986

Creator(s)

Carlo Zen

TMDB User Rating

8 .4

Cast

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

Seasons

1

7 Grimgar Is Isekai Without Plot Armor

Streaming On: Crunchyroll

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash adds an extra level of danger to the isekai formula, namely because it's based around a party. Unsure how they all awakened in their new world, the group handles the situation differently, and everything about their new reality is dangerous. This forces them to truly work together as a team, which is easier said than done.

Grimgar doesn't give the same easy victories as other isekai anime, and prominent cast members are actually endangered and even die. Other characters have their own trauma to deal with, and this all makes the entire experience a lot more challenging. This has seen the series praised by even those who dislike the genre, and it stands out from other isekai in anime, manga and light novel form.

Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

Release Date

January 11, 2016

Creator(s)

Ao Jumonji

Cast

Haruhiro , Manato , Yume , Shihoru , Ranta , Moguzo , Mary

Main Genre

Fantasy

Seasons

1

Writers

Ao Jumonji

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Prime Video

Directors

Ryosuke Nakamura

6 Torture Princess Is Full of Torturous Experiences

Streaming On: N/A

Available as a light novel and a manga series, Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen lives up to its name in a dark fantasy world. The protagonist Kaito reincarnates into this world only after suffering continuous abuse and eventually strangulation at the hands of his own father. Now tasked with helping the titular torture princess, he embarks on various adventures where he encounters increasingly cruel circumstances.

Dark situations in Torture Princess include children who are tortured by a cruel demon lord. One of them even sacrifices his own life for Kaito, showcasing how unfortunate the lives of people in his new world are. The characters also face immense challenges that never let up, keeping things from being too easy for them. All in all, it's a series that makes most isekai seem downright paltry in comparison.

5 By the Grace of the Gods Uses Tragedy to Create a Better World

Streaming On: Crunchyroll

In many ways, By the Grace of the Gods is essentially an isekai version of the Biblical Book of Job. The protagonist is Ryoma, who lived a sad and harsh life before dying and being reincarnated into a new world. There, various gods bless him and allow him to live a new life, helping others to keep from going through the same situations of his previous life. Unfortunately, there's a dark secret behind his previous misfortune, and it makes the story into a particularly dark one.

The god of Earth in By the Grace of the Gods intentionally tormented Ryoma in his past life, with the goal being to turn him into a murderer. Likewise, his inevitable death was in revenge for this deity being unable to break Ryoma's will. For as wholesome as the show seems, it's a particularly grisly backstory and makes the usual gods of isekai seem especially gruesome and petty.

By The Grace Of The Gods

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Ryoma didn't have good luck in his former life. But three deities decide to give him a second chance in a fantasy world of magic.

Release Date

October 4, 2020

Cast

Azusa Tadokoro , Hiroki Yasumoto , Makoto Koichi , Marika Kouno , Makoto Furukawa , Kikuko Inoue , Yuuki Kuwahara , Motomu Kiyokawa , Daisuke Ono , Takehito Koyasu , Saori Hayami , Yuuki Takada , Yui Fukuo , Yuuki Hirose , Tetsu Inada

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

Characters By

Creator

Production Company

Number of Episodes

Character(s)

Ryoma Takebayashi , Kufo , Miya , Tabuchi , Lulutia , Eliaria , Gain , Reinhart Jamil , Reinbach , Elise , Mizelia , Cilia , Welanna , Wogan

4 The Executioner and Her Way of Life Is a True Deconstruction

Streaming On: Prime Video

The Executioner and Her Way of Life examines one of the staples of modern isekai, albeit to saddening effect. The series is set in a world wherein people from Japan frequently reincarnate and become powerful "Lost Ones," homaging the idea of overpowered protagonists. Forced to kill one of them is Menou, but the task is made much harder due to one of the Lost Ones having the power to undo her death.

In contrast to many isekai, The Executioner and Her Way of Life is actually a yuri anime series, which only makes the show's premise more tragic. While it doesn't immediately look dark, it plays with the idea that people frequently reincarnating is actually disastrous for one fantasy world in particular. That alone is bad enough, but the fact that Menou has to kill these aberrations is even more disheartening, especially given how close she becomes with one of them.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

TV-14

Animation

Action

Fantasy

Release Date

April 2, 2024

Cast

Iori Saeki , Moe Kahara , Hisako Kanemoto , Mao Ichimichi , Yuma Uchida , Yuhko Kaida , Tamie Kubota , Anzu Haruno , Manaka Iwami , Akeno Watanabe , Hiroki Maeda , Ryo Sugisaki , Hayato Fujii , Reigo Yamaguchi , Saya Aizawa , Yuki Ishikari , Hayato Kimura

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Character(s)

Menou , Akari , Momo , Ashuna , Mitsuki , Flare , Orwell , Girl , Manon , Sicilia , Male Executive , Old Person , Kaiser , Knight , Milly

3 Failure Frame Is a Darker Solo Leveling

Streaming On: Crunchyroll

Failure Frame has a basic enough isekai premise, with Touka Mimori being deemed a weakling despite actually having a powerful ability. This is similar to hits such as Solo Leveling, but the main difference is the revenge theme. Mimori sets out to use his new powers to exact vengeance upon everyone who wronged him, and this includes not only a goddess, but his own classmates.

Failure Frame is also essentially a darker Overlord, with a lot of the manga's imagery being gory and sexualized. Mimori takes no prisoners, and the series truly embraces its dark, edgy nature. It's the ultimate encapsulation of various isekai tropes, but portrayed in a much more bloodthirsty way.

Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells

Animation

Action

Adventure

Release Date

July 4, 2024

Creator(s)

Kaoru Shinozaki

Cast

Wataru Kato , Mariko Suzuki , Hana Tamegai , Ryōta Suzuki , Saki Miyashita , Makoto Takahashi , Yuji Kameyama , Tsubasa Sasa

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Character(s)

Shin Kazaki , Stat Screen Voice , Ikumi Kariya , Touka Mimori , Seras Ashrain

2 JK Haru Is One of the Darkest and Most Cynical Isekai

Streaming On: N/A

A fantastic yet overlooked isekai that has yet to receive an anime adaptation is JK Haru. The full title of the series is JK Haru Is a Sex Worker in Another World, which sums up the saddening fate of the heroine. Killed and reincarnated into a world rife with sexism, the titular Haru has to live as a sex worker while her male friend has a much more adventurous life.

JK Haru truly explores the darker side of isekai, namely by commenting on the "male power fantasy" accusations. While Haru tries to make the best of her situation, it's not at all an optimal condition whatsoever. It's easily one of the darkest deconstructions of the isekai genre, and the light novel and manga series is more than worth being checked out while also not being for the faint of heart.

1 Now and Then, Here and There Is the King of Dark Isekai

Streaming On: N/A

The discussion of dark isekai that upended the genre isn't complete without talking about Now and Then, Here and There. Released long before the genre became particularly mainstream, it rewards protagonist Shu's attempts to save a young girl with a torturous new experience. Sent to another world in which he's forced to become a child soldier, Shu's fate is just as bad as others brought to this world. This includes the female characters being passed around as veritable chattel, with one character forced to have the child of the man who attacked her.

There's nothing happy or hopeful about Now and Then, Here and There, at least until the very end of the series. Escape is the only true freedom, and this has to be fought for. No one who's reincarnated into this world is given fancy powers or abilities, and it feels largely at odds with modern isekai. It's the perfect series for those who hate isekai, but those looking for a happy series should look elsewhere entirely.

Now and Then, Here and There

TV-14

Action

Adventure

A young boy named Shuzo rushes to the defense of a stranger who is being attacked for her magic pendant, only to find himself transported into another world where water is a scarce commodity and he is forced to join an army of children.

Release Date

October 14, 1999

Cast

Crispin Freeman , Dan Green , Lisa Ortiz , Akemi Okamura , Kaori Nazuka

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Studio

WOWOW

Number of Episodes

13

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