Many people who hear the word Isekai manga or webtoon have an association with either a cartoon or a children’s book. Young people will say it more accurately. And the elderly will have difficulty answering. And the word Isekai many people even heard for the first time. But first, let’s look at manga.

Manga is a Japanese comic book, translated from Japanese as a fun picture. It has its roots in ancient Japanese art. Art historians are familiar with the hilarious drawings of animals depicting people in the 12th century, made by the Buddhist monk Toba about the guilty servants of the monastery. They are still kept at the monastery. These drawings are considered to be the first manga.

The artist Osamu Tezuka is considered to be the founder of modern manga.  He wrote and illustrated the first famous manga series describing a magical planet where Robots live together with humans. In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century. Manga took on a modern form and expanded themes. In the 21st century adventure, fantasy, detective, romance, horror and Isekai manga appear. Out of this variety a person of any age can easily choose exactly what he needs. The Oriental philosophy characteristic, the combination of peculiar drawing with an original storyline explains the popularity and distribution of manga.

What Is Isekai Manga?

Isekai manga or another world is a special genre, stories about reincarnated persons. In Isekai, there is bound to be a protagonist who moves to another world through magic, reincarnation or other means and begins to adapt to it using the knowledge he has preserved.

The genre also has its origins in Japanese folklore and literature about Japanese journeys to the lands of gods and demons. But by and large, the classic Isekai was shaped by Western cultural influences. At first it was a historical fantasy where the characters were transported to another epoch. And then in 70s the first fantasy Isekai manga was about a schoolboy in the other world who rescues a princess. And the manga found its admirers at once. Characters in the 80s and 90s were caught up in a fairy tale world of sword and magic with knights, wizards and war with demons and monsters.  It was a classic Isekai, a collision of part of our world with another.

And in the two-thousandth, a new Isekai began to emerge. First comedic and romantic motifs appeared in the Isekai manga, then comedy and parody, which greatly expanded the themes of the manga. Then, as computers began to be developed, characters began to travel to virtual worlds, and elements of computer games began to be introduced into fantasy. And then there was the neo-Isekai with a harem and the adventures of the protagonist, overcoming difficulties of both internal and external nature. And if we add magic with its wonders, then we can safely say that fans of Isekai manga about reincarnation will definitely find something to their liking.

Manga Reading

The ways of moving to other worlds are so varied and bizarre that they give the stories a peculiar nuance. Most often, characters are revived in another world after car accidents. Another frequent way in which a character is unsuccessful in this world is transferred and transformed into another person. Sometimes higher forces intervene, which transfer the suffering heroes to the same world, but at a different time. There is a rebirth in another world, as well as teleportation.  And then there is the reverse Isekai, when the hero is not transported to another world, but to our world, with all its funny and not funny consequences.

In recent years, the number of stories about moving to other parallels has increased so much that it is surprising.  The imagination of the authors seems to have no limits, there are so many stories with such plot twists that you can hardly wait for the next chapters.  It is already difficult to assign the published works to any category. This can be illustrated.

Top Isekai Manga

Release That Witch

It’s probably makes sense as a classic historical Isekai manga.  Its protagonist (later the main character – mc) is transported from the 21st century to the Middle Ages. Its protagonist (later the main character) is transported from the 21st century to the Middle Ages. Unlike other Isekai manga, he is not a loser or a cripple, but a fairly successful engineer working for a large firm. But he has worked his way up to the point where he blacks out and finds himself in the body of a prince in a medieval town with all the attributes of the Middle Ages: witches, executions, a struggle for the throne, and all around dirt and unsanitary, poverty and hunger.

And then there’s the prince – the most unloved son, not distinguished by intelligence, exiled to the frontier wilderness, which is attacked by monsters every year. But when you read this story you involuntarily catch yourself thinking that there is something to be proud of in modern man, and mc is beyond comparison. When he saw where he was, there was no turning back, he decided to build his life in this world and improve the lives of the people around him. But what the author keeps the attention is the introduction of modern techniques and technology and management into this savage society. It’s fun to read how the mc enters into labor contracts with the witches, pays them salaries, uses their abilities as means of production, and delegates authority to the right people.

But when you read this story you involuntarily catch yourself thinking that there is something to be proud of in modern man. And MC is beyond comparison. When he saw where he was, there was no turning back, he decided to build his life in this world and improve the lives of the people around him.  But what the author keeps the attention is the introduction of modern techniques and technology and management into this savage society. It’s fun to read how the MC enters into labor contracts with the witches, pays their salaries, uses their abilities as means of production, and delegates authority to the right people. In general, it’s a very positive manga, with plenty of adventure and combat as well.

One of the branches of the new Isekai manga is time travel in his world.

Tokyo Manji Revengers

It is about a reincarnated loser who has gained the ability to make time leaps 12 years forward and backward. He considers his life a failure; he has a bad job, low wages, and poor living conditions. And the final blow was the news of the death, at the cause of the Swaston gang, of a girl he loved in high school. He fell in front of a train, but woke up 12 years earlier as a high school student in the same class he was in. His girlfriend is alive, the gang isn’t there yet, but there is already a group of high school kids who called themselves the Swastons.

He swore he would save the girl he loved. The most interesting part of the story is that he takes measures to save the girl by acting both in this world and in the old world, which opens many opportunities, but also throws up more and more obstacles.

The Strongest God King

It is about Yun Han’s time travel. He is a poor employee who, after being beaten by bullies and losing consciousness, is transported to a time when he was in college. He becomes a different person, stubborn, strong, independent. And here are equally interesting stories to the contrary, when the gg comes to earth from celestial space. They can get to our time, or they can end up in another fantasy world.

Tales of Demons and Gods

Isekai about a guy who has the opportunity to live a second life. Mc Ne Lee was the world’s most powerful demon spellcaster and was the winner of many battles. But he died fighting the great Emperor Sage. But fate reincarnated him in his own body, but as a thirteen-year-old teenager. A student at the Academy, leaving him with the knowledge and experience of his past life as a warrior. He swore that he would not repeat the mistakes of the past, he would save family and friends who died in the past life. He would protect his beloved girl and friends from monsters. His last stage will be a duel with the Emperor Sage, and he will defeat him.

Rebirth of the Urban Immortal

The Story of a man who passed all the paths of cultivation and was able to ascend to the realm of immortality. But he could not overcome the last stage of the Heavenly Tribulation. The reason for this was himself. He wanted everything at once and quickly. So, he didn’t follow through with the stages. He couldn’t deal with the demons of his mind. Guilt and self-inflicted resentment gradually destroyed his mind and the mental demons overcame him.

But he did not die. Fate decided to give him the opportunity to walk this path again, without repeating the mistakes of the past. And he will walk the road to immortality gradually and carefully forming a spiritual base and stable foundation. This Isekai manga is about spiritual upbringing and shaping yourself.

The Shenwu Tianzun

Tells of the reincarnation of the master of the supreme realm. Treacherously murdered with a knife, into the weak body of a young man who was a servant. And he was mocked by everyone. He will have a long way to go to avenge the traitors.

Reborn 80,000 years

It is about the return of the Star Emperor. The Star Emperor was trapped in celestial space for 80,000 years because he betrayed the Stardust Fairy for the title of monarch.  In the end he decided to move into the body of some genius to be reborn again, to come back and take revenge on the betrayers. But he was reborn in the body of a battered guy who was far from a genius. But he still had the skills and abilities of an emperor, including healing.

And he had to first heal the guy’s body, regain his strength and fighting skills, and assert himself as the strongest in all fights and battles. He has a long way to go step by step to gain respect, defeat opponents, and climb the social ladder on his way to his goal.

All these Isekai manga have one thing in common: getting a second life not in greenhouse conditions, the heroes have to overcome many obstacles, including overcoming and educating themselves in order to achieve something in their new life.

Pupillary Master

The story about moving from one fantasy world to another. Lo Zington in her old reality was the first lady of a small kingdom. She was a great master of the eye arts. She could see through anything. But her stepmother and stepsister hated her and gave orders to kill her. She was attacked and woke up in another world as a different person, blind and battered, but with different abilities. There she also met a sacred man.  He endowed her with spiritual energy, restored her powers and partially restored her sight. Zington vowed to return and avenge her humiliation.

The Twin Siblings’ New Life

The story follows the lives of the emperor’s illegitimate children, Arjen the princess and Arian the fourth prince in the royal family after the rebirth.  The high school twins are involved in an accident and die. They woke up in the bodies of five-year-old twins in another world and realized what a nightmare those children had lived in for five years. They hid from their mother who was always drunk and beat them almost daily, starved because they forgot to be fed, endured bullying from servants.

And now with adult minds in the bodies of five-year-old children, they had to master language and adapt their speech to that of five-year-old children. But nevertheless, they began to plan their escape. They hoped that their newly acquired ability to read each other’s minds and mentally talk to each other would help them survive. But everything changed when they were summoned to the palace and the emperor recognized them as members of his family. But everyone was even more amazed when the twins were found to have great powers of magic.

I’m sure girls and young women will love these manga. It’s a whole new twist on the stories of rebirth into the characters in the books.  And the characters are described very vividly and interestingly, and the storyline holds the attention. The various stories about reincarnations of girls parallel to the romantic storyline are entertaining and interesting.

The Antagonist’s Pet

It is about a girl’s second life after an accident in the pages of a novel she was reading. Sasha has had a difficult life in this world. After the accident, she was transported to another time and became a character in the book Atlanta’s Beloved, which she was reading. The novel “Atlanta’s Beloved” is a novella about an aristocrat from an ignorant noble family.  Sasha is determined to live in comfort in her new life. She has realized her social status and in order to survive in this society, she decides to change her behavior.

So, she will be like a cute pet, a cute baby voice, cute gestures, flirtatious behavior, a cute display of affection. She didn’t care if it looked like she had no pride at all. And this behavior got immediate results. She managed to enter the elite of secular society. And here begins the most interesting thing. The new Sasha formed her own views on the heroes of the novel. Now her actions are no longer in harmony with her image of a house cat.  But clever Sasha manages to avoid trouble and direct the action of the novel in the direction she needs.

The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

Tells of moving a girl back in time 12 years earlier. Aria is executed by order of the emperor for theft. During her execution, Aria learns that the cause of all her troubles was her half-sister Mielly. She pretended to be a saint when in fact she poisoned Aria’s mother, she incited her servants to slander her, and she was portrayed as a monster.  At the moment of her execution, Aria begged for the chance to return and change everything.

And fate gave her that chance. But she had to completely change her behavior, her manners, her attitude toward those around her. She retained her past memory and knew how to act as she knew the future. She decided that her weapon would be knowledge, not beauty, as she had previously thought. Aria persistently began to put her plan into action.

The same plot of The Bloody Merchant Empress Manga about the second life of a girl who corrected the mistakes of the first life.

In the age of computerization and technological progress, it is not surprising to see stories incorporating elements of computer games with information displays. Here is one of them.

Strongest Anti M.E.T.A.

Isekai Manga tells of the triumphant rise of an ordinary man to a powerful warrior. Sue Cue died in a car accident and woke up in another man’s body and in another world.  All of the body owner’s memories are preserved. In addition, a deception information system was running in his head, registering the ability to gain points and experience, increasing levels of skill and technique. The system determined that he was weak and decided to give him a welcome kit. With its help he regained all his strength and talents.

Shinka no Mi

It is about a high school student who is a loser in another world. Hiiragi Seiichi is an unattractive fat boy who is shunned by everyone because of his unpleasant odor. He has no friends and is bullied by the boys. One day, the voice of a god ordered everyone in the class to split into two groups before sending them to the other world. But he sat apart from everyone and the god sent Hiiragi Seiichi to another life alone in a world like a game, a world of fantasy, magic and miracles. All of a person’s skills and abilities are reflected on a scoreboard in his head.

Status, numerical indicators of his skills, the calculation of strength and losses, all this is reflected in the dynamics on the information display. It helps him to act properly, to correct mistakes. He has entered the world of intelligent monkeys. They are highly intelligent creatures with a variety of skills. He managed to lose weight, learn all the skills and knowledge of monkeys and successfully survive in this world.

Manga appear with not one, but a triple move.

The Descent of the Demonic Master

Isekai story of the 3 lives of the main character Gang Jinh. His first life in this world was unhappy. He lost his parents. He became disabled without a leg. At school and those around him bullied, humiliated and tormented him. He died at the age of 35. Then he went to Zhongyuan, where he earned the fame of the Red Demon Master. His name became known to the world. In a short time, he became a powerful warrior, threatening all monsters. The alien from earth became the leader of the celestial demon cult.

Everyone feared that if his martial arts became available to others, chaos would reign. So, they betrayed him and killed him. As he was dying, he thought that if he had the chance, he would like to live a normal, quiet life on earth. He got that chance, returning home to his hometown at the age of 18. He is no longer a red demon, but Gang Jinho. Now with the knowledge of 2 past lives, he is determined to live a different life. But his adventures began from his first days in this world. He has to rescue a girl hostage, then stand up for a lame boy by punishing the most insolent bully. And then the adventures poured out of the horn of plenty.

Read Isekai manga and enjoy the flight of fancy of authors and artists.