Isekai has become one of the most popular genres of anime, and even before the batch of modern hits, there were a ton of solid series with equally solid endings. These series paved the way for modern isekai, showcasing a protagonist in another world with new powers, friends, and so much more.
Isekai is massive right now, and most of the best isekai series of all time are still airing. Most of the isekai series that have already ended aired decades ago. These series came before the current wave of popularity, and there's an argument to be had that they contributed towards it.
Endings in isekai can be hard to pull off. No anime has an easy job wrapping up its story, but isekai series stand out because they're dealing with the fate of two worlds at the same time.
7 KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!
Animated By Drive, Based on the Light Novel Series Written By Natsume Akatsuki and Illustrated By Kurone Mishima
Konosuba-An-Explosion-On-This-Wonderful-World-Megumin
KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! isn't really an isekai series because Kazuma isn't in it, but it's still a great series set within an isekai story. The series is a prequel to the events of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! and shines a spotlight on Megumin, the mage of Kazuma's party.
Megumin's Explosion Magic is one of the most powerful types of magic in KonoSuba, and KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! shows how she finally got it. It's a great, fun series perfect for anyone who wants to check out one of the funniest isekai series around.
At the end of KonoSuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World!, Megumin has finally learned how to use her trademark Explosion Magic. She uses it against the horde of monsters pursuing her and Yunyun. Megumin destroys her enemies, graduates from the Crimson Demon Clan's magic school early, and heads to Axel to live as an adventurer.
6 The Vision of Escaflowne
An Original Anime Series By Sunrise
Visions of Escaflowne
The Vision of Escaflowne is a classic isekai series with one of the most bittersweet endings around. The series follows Hitomi Kanzaki, a normal high-school girl, as she finds herself in the middle of a war on a planet called Gaea. Gaea itself is a world that was created by the people of Atlantis before the mythical city sunk into the ocean.
The Vision of Escaflowne came out in 1996, nearly 30 years before the isekai boom of the mid 2020s. The series is otherworldly in more ways than one, and the ending does a great job of bringing a bit of cold realism into an otherwise fantastical setting.
The ending of the series sees Hitomi wish to return to her home planet of Earth at the end of the war. Even though she and Van, the King of Fanelia, have feelings for one another, it doesn't change the fact that Gaea was never Hitomi's final destination. It's a mature, serious ending that wraps up the series firmly.
5 Zenshu
An Original Anime Series By MAPPA, Directed By Mitsue Yamazaki and Written By Kimiko Ueno
Zenshu-Episode-11-Natsuko
Zenshu is an anime original series with a succinct story. Natsuko Hirose finds herself in 'A Tale of Perishing', her favorite anime series with a tragic story. She changes the story from the inside, saving several characters and altering their lives forever. The larger plot focuses on Natsuko's inability to let people in emotionally, and the ending wraps that part of well.
The ending of Zenshu shows Natsuko relying on Luke Braveheart in more than one way. She creates an army of Lukes to defeat the Ultimate Void once and for all. She's also able to finish her movie as she finally understands what love is all about.
4 So I'm a Spider, So What?
Animated By Millepensee, Based on the Light Novel Series By Okina Baba and Tsukasa Kiryu
So I'm a Spider, So What
So I'm a Spider, So What? is another one of the few modern-day isekai series to wrap up its story without needing hundreds of episodes. So I'm a Spider, So What? showcases an entire class getting killed and reincarnated into a new world. Some students are lucky enough to become nobles, but one student isn't so lucky.
The ending shows Kumoko as an entirely different character than when she first started the story. She's no longer the lowly Small Lesser Taratect she once was. Instead, she's a major force within the series who teams up with someone who was her adversary.
3 Digimon Adventure
Produced by Toei Animation, WiZ, Bandai, and Fuji Television, Animated by Toei Animation
Digimon Adventure's partner monsters standing side by side in the intro theme.
Digimon is one of the biggest Japanese media franchises around. There are a ton of amazing toys, video games, and movies, and one of the biggest pillars of the Digimon franchise is the 1999 series, Digimon Adventure.
Digimon Adventure is the first anime series in the franchise. The first series focuses on seven children who were transported into the digital world where they meet the titular Digimon. They team up with their new allies, growing stronger and taking on some of the toughest enemies around.
The ending sees the kids and their Digimon companions restore the Digital World to its former glory, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows. The main characters are forced to return home, leaving their Digimon friends behind.
2 Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
Animated By Silver Link, Based on the Light Novel By Yuumikan & Koin
The two friends, Maple and Risa from Bofuri are playing around, and Risa gives Maple a piggyback ride
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense stars one of the most adorable characters in anime in Maple. She plays games her own way, and the series is amazing because of it. Instead of allocating her stat points across each of her stats, she puts them all in defense.
Maple then becomes an unstoppable force of nature entirely by accident. Her jovial attitude and lighthearted approach to some of the toughest enemies in her franchise makes Bofuri stand out from a lot of other series. It's one of the few modern-day isekai series that has ended, and the finale is wonderful.
Bofuri had plenty more story to tell, but it maturely chose not to. One of the series' strong points is how concise it is, and the ending proved that the series' creators knew when to call it a day. Bofuri ends with Maple and her friends logging out of the game they've grown to love, leaving their glory and accomplishments behind.
1 Inuyasha
Animated By Sunrise, Based On The Manga By Rumiko Takahashi
Inuyasha standing in a forest as light streaks through the trees.
Inuyasha can be considered as the grandfather of isekai. It was one of the best anime series around when it first aired more than two decades ago, and it still holds up now. It was a major series in the West as well, introducing American audiences to both isekai and anime as a whole.
Inuyasha stands out as an isekai series because there weren't too many isekai series that were popular in the early 2000s. The biggest series were shōnen series without much else going on, and Inuyasha is so much more than that. The series focuses on the titular Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi as they look to collect all the pieces of the Shikon Jewel.
The ending of Inuyasha is great because it brings all the series' loose ends together. Each side character's story is wrapped up succinctly, the main story comes to a relieveing conclusion, and both the present and the past are at peace once and for all.
