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Ultimately, isekai is a premise; a launching pad for a franchise that can then go on to set its own tone. Shows such as Now and Then, Here and There and Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions opt to tackle mature subjects in a semi-realistic manner; on the other hand, some anime prefer to adopt a lighter touch. For those looking to explore a new world and have a laugh along the way, these are the best comedy isekai anime out there.
Updated January 14, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Certain isekai anime enthrall viewers with epic battles pitting noble heroes against Demon Lords or evil gods. Other shows opt for a relaxing slice of life tone as they seek to immerse the audience in a fantasy world far removed from the trials and tribulations of reality. Then, there are series that simply want to make people laugh. Which are the funniest isekai anime?
16 Overlord
Like most isekai anime, Overlord isn’t predominantly a comedy but uses humor to endear its characters to audiences and as a juxtaposition with the show’s many dark moments. Although quite sparse, Overlord can be surprisingly hilarious when it feels like it, with most of the laughs deriving from its protagonist’s conflicting natures as a human trapped in the body of a powerful evil wizard.
Momonga is also sidelined by secondary characters with big, lovable personalities, with the Great Tomb of Nazarick consisting of almost nothing but funny characters.
15 Princess Connect! Re:Dive
An adaption of a mobile RPG, Princess Connect! Re:Dive drops a player stand-in into a fantasy world, gives him a harem of girls, and sets them along a lovely adventure packed to the brim with humor. Princess Connect! Re: Dive’s stars are its trio of main girls, Karyl, Kokkoro, and Pecorine, all of which are delightful and come with some hidden depth.
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The anime’s season 1 devotes most of its time to following the four main characters in their everyday lives, providing very little in the way of plot progression. Humor is very much the name of the game here.
14 So I’m A Spider, So What?
On a seemingly random day, a disaster strikes a class, sending its members to an alternative world. Unfortunately for Kumoko, she wakes up in the body of a spider, a lowly monster stuck in a cave who is destined to die sooner rather than later. Rather than give in to despair, Kumoko energetically sets out to escape her den and make a life for herself.
So I’m A Spider, So What? owes all of its success to its lead. Kumoko is irresistibly charming and has just the right blend of sarcasm, optimism, and fear. Even though the rest of the show is hit-and-miss, the protagonist is more than capable of carrying the anime on her back.
13 The Eminence In Shadow
Cid aspires to be the hand that pulls society’s strings from the shadows, a role he could fulfill once he is reincarnated in a magical world. Overpowered and with an active imagination, Cid bluffs his way to his dream by pretending he is the leader of a secret organization tasked with countering a dangerous cult. While the protagonist believes this to be fantasy, that is not really the case.
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The Eminence in Shadow is essentially a dark fantasy show that just happens to star a strangely oblivious protagonist. For the most part, the anime takes its story and setting seriously, with Cid being the only consistently humorous part of the package. Consequently, episodes can go by without a single laugh, but when The Eminence in Shadow tries to be funny, it usually succeeds.
12 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
Tropes are popular for a reason – they work, provided someone is willing and able to present them in a unique and fun way. Cautious Hero hits many of the basic chords of a modern isekai: an overpowered protagonist, a goddess sidekick, and a stereotypical fantasy world. However, the light novel (and anime) sets itself apart by making the main character overly careful, leading to plenty of hilarious moments.
As the goddess who summons Seiya to be her savior, Ristarte frequently finds herself exasperated by the hero’s penchant for overkill or inaction.
11 Drifters
Drifters is deranged. Teleporting an array of historical figures to a dark fantasy world and then throwing them into a war against each other, Drifters is gruesome, violent, and unpredictable. This is predominantly an action anime and a pretty gory one at that.
When not filling the screen with blood or fire, Drifters loves to suddenly throw out some slapstick. These shifts in tone might sound jarring, but Drifters is so constantly over-the-top that the action and humor end up complementing each other. It is similar to Golden Kamuy in this regard.
10 The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
A spin-off of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, a rather funny isekai anime in its own right, The Slime Diaries is a slice-of-life series that highlights Rimuru’s mundane daily activities. More Laid-back and slower-paced than the parent show, The Slime Diaries gives Tempest’s residents room to breathe.
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Although not often laugh-out-loud funny, The Slime Diaries’ relaxed and casual tone should inspire plenty of smiles. Fans of the main series should allocate a bit of time to watch this spin-off as it does a great job of fleshing out the characters.
9 El-Hazard: The Magnificent World
A ’90s classic, El-Hazard is simply fun. Whether watching The Magnificent World OVAs or its alternate retelling called El-Hazard: The Wanderers, this franchise can be relied upon to deliver quirky and memorable characters, a chaotic plot that seldom has a quiet moment, and usually detailed and gorgeous animation.
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El-Hazard weaves a surprisingly effective storyline and benefits from the fact it never takes itself too seriously. The English Dub is also pretty good and doesn’t detract from the show’s quality at all.
8 How Not To Summon A Demon Lord
Similar to Overlord, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord derives its humor from an overpowered “evil” protagonist who is out of his depth, at least on a personality level. While Overlord’s Momonga has a built-in mechanic that helps him keep up the charade, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord’s Diablo is left to fend for himself.
Whenever Diablo’s mask falls off, hilarity ensues thanks to the character’s great voice acting and comedic timing. Unfortunately, the second season falls short in the humor department.
7 No Game, No Life
No Game No Life’s humor can be divisive as quite a bit of it comes at the expense of the likable Stephanie. However, when it clicks, No Game No Life is about as funny as any isekai out there.
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The comedy is almost entirely dependent on Sora, the (somewhat) arrogant protagonist who is just unbeatable at games and loves to make sure everyone knows it. Madhouse’s animation elevates the humor significantly due to how expressive the characters can be.
6 Ixion Saga DT
Ixion Saga DT embraces stupidity with the intensity of a thousand suns. Kon Hokaze winds up in a game he likes and then proceeds to spend the vast majority of his immediate future trying to leave said RPG. Weirdly enough, it is refreshing to have a protagonist who is genuinely unhappy that they have been teleported to a dangerous fantasy world.
Ixion Saga DT’s humor is often random and absurd, with quite a lot of gags feeling like they belong in a sketch show rather than an adventure series.
5 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is a reverse isekai since the demonic protagonist, Sadao Maou, is sent to Earth. Although it is not a traditional isekai anime, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is such a funny show that it has to be mentioned. Stripped of most of his power, Satan takes a job at basically a McDonald’s, a position the Demon Lord excels at. The Devil Is a Part-Timer! takes its ridiculous characters and drops them in the most unspectacular position possible.
More importantly, the anime does not present an especially exaggerated depiction of Fast Food life; in fact, it is quite grounded. The contrast works wonders. Sadly, the long-awaited season 2 failed to capture the magic of its predecessor on nearly every level, including humor.
4 Uncle From Another World
Due to suffering multiple delays, Uncle from Another World struggled to maintain momentum following a promising start. Putting its production issues aside, the Summer 2022 show has a lot to offer isekai fans, particularly ones who also love Sega.
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After spending more than a decade in an unforgiven fantasy world, the eponymous uncle returns to Earth and moves in with his nephew. As he still possesses abilities he acquired during his travels, Ojisan starts to recount his adventures to his relative, mesmerizing him with tales of dangerous battles, mistaken identity, and tsundere elves. Uncle from Another World is a full-blown comedy that parodies isekai and RPG tropes.
3 Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun
Iruma has lived a hard life thanks to his irresponsible parents, and that seemed set to continue when they sold him to a demon named Sullivan. Suddenly finding himself in the Demon World and attending a school with an anthem that gleefully refers to humans as food, the likable protagonist could be one wrong move away from his death. Yet, before long, Iruma realizes his new home might be far better than his previous one.
Despite sharing some similarities with battle shonen shows, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun is predominantly a comedy. Iruma is a decent lead, and he is backed by an array of hilarious characters like Clara and Kalego.
2 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World!
KonoSuba is THE comedy isekai anime, and nothing else comes close in terms of popularity. Kazuma dies in a simultaneously heroic and embarrassing fashion, meets a dismissive goddess called Aqua, and is sent to a fantasy world to kill the Demon King. As a parting gift, Kazuma is permitted to take anything he wants; therefore, he picks Aqua. At times, Kazuma comes to regret this decision.
KonoSuba parodies isekai tropes; the protagonist is the worst (in the best possible way), his “harem” consists of the worst girls (in the best possible way), and most developments the characters make towards achieving their goals happen by accident.
1 Isekai Quartet
Is this cheating? This feels like cheating. Isekai Quartet brings together some of the most popular isekai shows of the last decade, including KonoSuba and Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, and drops their characters in a high school setting. So, technically, this is a reverse, reverse isekai anime.
All the laughter derives from the way these personalities mingle, permitting sillier characters like KonoSuba’s quartet to bounce off Overlord’s Floor Guardians and Re:Zero’s Subaru and Emilia. While the anime is still funny in a vacuum, familiarity with the original shows is recommended to fully appreciate Isekai Quartet.
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