Why Are Isekai Stories So Popular?

We love a do over...

I recently finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I enjoyed it overall and found it thoughtful in surprising ways. After jotting down my reflections, I realized just how many stories in my reading list share a similar premise. Or maybe it’s just the great algorithm throwing them at me—but either way, I’ve been drowning in a guilty pleasure genre: Isekai.

At its core, isekai is about someone dying and waking up in another world—or being sent back in time with a chance to redo their mistakes. These stories are everywhere, and I can’t get enough of them before bed. But why are they so popular right now? Let’s break it down.

A Brief History of Isekai

Isekai might feel like a modern explosion, but the concept has roots that stretch back centuries. At its heart, it’s simply the idea of a character being transported to another world — whether by death, magic, or accident.

Early Precursors
In Japanese folklore, you can trace isekai back to Urashima Tarō, a story from the Heian period (794–1185) about a fisherman who visits an undersea palace and returns to find centuries have passed. Western literature also played with the idea: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Chronicles of Narnia all share that same sense of being transported to another world.

The Modern Boom
In Japan, the genre really started to take shape in the 1980s and 1990s with titles like Fushigi Yûgi and Inuyasha. The 2000s saw isekai explode with Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, and Konosuba, solidifying the category as a staple of anime, manga, and light novels.

Today’s Popularity
By the 2010s and beyond, isekai wasn’t just a trend—it was one of the dominant genres. Entire subgenres branched off:

• Power fantasy isekai (Overlord, Slime)

• Dark/purgatorial isekai (Re:Zero, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash)

• Parody isekai (Konosuba)

• Reverse isekai (The Devil Is a Part-Timer)

In an age where people often feel stuck or powerless, isekai speaks to that longing for escape, second chances, and the chance to finally get it right.

What’s the draw to Isekai?

You can throw a rock and find an isekai story and raving fan base for it. It’s been interesting to read the feedback and commentary on why readers love these stories so much. After reflecting on it, there are a few observatons I wanted to share.

Isekai is Purgatory

Hear me out on this. At the start of most isekai stories, the character dies—car accident, illness, murder. But then they wake up somewhere new. Sometimes it’s another world with magic and monsters. Sometimes it’s just their own life reset a decade earlier.

This second chance becomes a kind of literary purgatory. Instead of fire and brimstone, the trial is self-reflection. With knowledge of what’s coming, characters can right wrongs, heal regrets, and build the life they missed out on. Growth becomes the path to peace. It’s not about punishment—it’s about transformation.

Isekai is Revenge Porn

Let’s be honest—we also like it when villains get what’s coming. Whether it’s a cruel boss, a cheating partner, or corrupt nobles, isekai often gives us cathartic justice.

When characters return with foresight and power, they can finally flip the script. Bullies crumble. Betrayers are exposed. Oppressors fall. For readers, it scratches that itch for fairness that real life rarely delivers. Sometimes it’s creative, sometimes it’s brutal—but it’s always satisfying.

Isekai is Wish Fulfillment

Beyond purgatory and revenge, isekai is pure wish fulfillment. Who hasn’t dreamed of a do-over? What if you could go back armed with everything you know now? What if you could trade your mundane routine for a fantasy kingdom, superpowers, or a destined role in saving the world?

That sense of possibility fuels the genre. It’s escapism, but with a hook: “This could be me.”

Across these titles, fans often say they’re drawn to the sense of empowerment—watching ordinary or broken characters become extraordinary when given another chance. Whether it’s through purgatory-like resets, wish-fulfillment fantasies, or honest reckonings with regret, isekai lets readers imagine a world where the past doesn’t define the future, and where the script can be rewritten.

Popular Isekai Stories

If you’re curious to dip into the genre, here are a few titles that showcase different flavors of isekai. These aren’t just random picks—they’re some of the most talked about in the community, and each shows why this type of story resonates with fans. I also read/watched these so I have my own thoughts to share with you.

Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World

Time-loop suffering, heavy on purgatory themes

I’ve watched this one, and I can see why it’s both beloved and frustrating. The central hook is brutal: the protagonist Subaru dies over and over, resetting time and losing everything he just built. All the growth, bonding, and relationships he worked for? Gone in an instant. Characters who loved him now don’t even know him. It’s purgatory in the purest sense—a never-ending cycle of loss and do-over. If you know, you know.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Wish fulfillment + found family vibes

A friend in Japan introduced me to this one, and I’ll admit it’s fun. The premise: a normal guy dies and wakes up reincarnated as… a slime. But instead of being comic relief, this slime evolves into one of the most powerful beings in his universe. There are creative twists and a strong sense of community as he builds alliances and creates a new kind of society. My sticking point? The main character is never really wrong. Even his mistakes feel staged to spotlight someone else’s growth or show how he was thinking ahead.

Sword Art Online

Gaming twist, survival stakes

This is a borderline isekai because the characters don’t technically die, but they are trapped in another world—the digital landscape of a massive online RPG. The first season was great: strong characters, tight plotting, and high stakes where in-game death meant real death. But like many successful franchises (The Matrix comes to mind), it kept expanding beyond its strongest arc. That left the story bloated at times, though it still cemented itself as one of the gateway isekai/RPG-lit titles for many fans. You can just read the first arc and be fine after that.

Jobless Reincarnation: Mushoku Tensei

Deeply about regrets and second chances

This one is probably my favorite because it leans hardest into the “second chance at life” theme. The protagonist is deeply flawed, burdened with regrets from his past life, and thrust into a new world where he slowly grows, learns, and confronts his shortcomings. At the start, this isn’t a guy you want to like or root for. But his journey forces him to re-examine what he lost before and how he wants to live now. He still makes mistakes in his new life and tries to make amends for them where he can. The later story leans into wish fulfillment (he does end up with three wives by the end), but the writing actually justifies it through character growth and narrative logic. It’s messy, emotional, and reflective in a way that many other isekai only hint at. The action in this is pretty good and we always love a good dragon fight. If I could only recommend one to you, it is this one.

The Future of Isekai: Oversaturation or Evolution?

With so many isekai titles releasing every year, the question naturally comes up: is there too much of it?

Peak Isekai?

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2024, isekai made up roughly 15% of all new anime, with more than 30 new series released in a single year. Webtoons is mostly full of these stories as well. That’s a staggering figure, and it shows just how dominant the genre has become. Some fans and critics argue that we’ve reached peak isekai—a point where the sheer volume risks diluting the quality of stories.

Signs of Fatigue

There is pushback and it isn’t a new thing. Back in 2016 and 2017, some Japanese short story contests even banned isekai entries, worried the genre was crowding out more original ideas. On fan forums today, you’ll often see comments comparing isekai to “fast food”—satisfying in the moment, but formulaic if you consume too much of it.

Still Going Strong

And yet, the genre hasn’t lost momentum. If anything, it’s still gaining ground internationally. Streaming platforms keep licensing new series, light novels continue to dominate sales charts, and publishers know fans will show up for another clever twist on the formula. For every fan who says they’re burned out, another is eagerly picking up the next reincarnation or portal fantasy.

The Path Forward: Innovation

The future of isekai probably won’t be about abandoning the genre but evolving it:

• Genre fusion: Mixing isekai with horror, sci-fi, or psychological drama for fresh perspectives.

• New voices: Female-led isekai and stories with more diverse protagonists are carving out space in a field once dominated by male power fantasies.

• Global crossovers: Creators are beginning to experiment with Western mythologies and folklore, widening the scope of what an “isekai” can look like.

Transformation, Not Decline

At its core, isekai resonates because of universal themes: regret, redemption, and the dream of a second chance. Those themes aren’t going anywhere. While the flood of titles might mean fans are more selective, the genre’s strength lies in its adaptability. Like the characters it champions, isekai is always finding a way to reinvent itself.

Closing Thoughts

Maybe the genre’s rise reflects our own cultural moment. People feel stuck, weighed down by regrets, or powerless in systems bigger than themselves. Isekai stories offer a chance to imagine breaking free, rewriting the script, and finally getting it right.

And maybe that’s why I keep reaching for them at night. Because like The Midnight Library, they remind me that we all carry regrets—but also the hope that we might still change.

What are your thoughts?