19 Isekai Anime To Watch If You Love How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

Highlights

• How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom offers a unique focus on cunning strategy over typical isekai tropes.
• Fans eagerly awaiting a second season can enjoy similar shows like Handyman Saitou in Another World.
• Unlike overpowered heroes, series like How a Realist Hero highlight political diplomacy and intellect.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is very peculiar among isekai anime. Instead of exploring dangerous dungeons and gaining unbelievably broken powers, Souma Kazuya is rebuilding his kingdom’s economy and negotiating tough deals with other countries. The series puts a strong focus on solving problems through cunning and strategy, making it unique amongst anime with isekai settings.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is airing its second part right now, and fans of the first season and the light novels are eagerly tuning in. However, even a weekly wait between episodes can be too much to bear. Here are some similar shows to check out while waiting for the next episode to release.

Updated August 6th, 2024 by Danny Guan: While the How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom light novels have been trucking along without much problem, there is unfortunately yet to be any news about a second season to adapt more of the story for anime audiences. This is bad news for fans of the series, especially since the anime was a very unique take on the isekai concept. Instead of focusing on an overpowered hero with an endless number of abilities, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom instead focuses on Kazuya Soma’s intellect, administrative know-how, and political diplomacy.

While there aren’t all that many isekai that are similar to How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, there are plenty of stories that feature protagonists with similar skill sets or that have the focus on administrating or ruling a territory. For fans eagerly awaiting a possible second season, here are some similar anime to check out for those who enjoyed How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom.

19 Handyman Saitou In Another World

An Unconventional Hero With Unique Strengths

Saitou is a skilled Japanese handyman, but he is underappreciated at work and eventually fired by his boss. By chance, he is transported to a fantasy world where he ends up working with a group of adventurers. Though his skills went without praise in Japan, here his abilities make him a useful asset, allowing him to gain the confidence he deserves.

Handyman Saitou in Another World is a standard dungeon-spelunking fantasy isekai, but instead of having a standard hero with special powers, the main protagonist, Saitou, is simply a normal man using skills that are more than easy to learn in the real world. He may not be the strongest adventurer around, but he is the most useful.

18 Kyo Kara Maoh!

Falling Face First Into Kinghood

While attempting to save a classmate from bullying, Yuri Shibuya finds himself a target instead, and has his head forced into a toilet in the girls’ bathroom. By happenstance, a portal appears and sucks Yuri in, transporting him to the Great Demon Kingdom, where he learns that not only is he half-demon, but the next king as well.

Kyo Kara Maoh! is a classic isekai series whose origin predates many popular modern isekai series like Re:Zero and KonoSuba. While Yuri ultimately develops powers like the typical anime protagonist, a good part of the story is focused on political maneuverings and brokering peace between demons and humans.

17 Tsukimichi – Moonlit Fantasy

Establishing A Country After Discrimination

Makoto Misumi is sent to the world of Elysion, due to a pact between his parents and a goddess. However, the goddess finds him ugly, and banishes him to the edge of the world while granting him the power to understand any language except that of humans. Saved by the mercy of Tsukuyomi, Makoto ends up starting a new civilization with a collection of demihumans and mythical creatures.

Tsukimichi – Moonlit Fantasy is a fantasy isekai anime that also follows a young man in his attempt to create a new civilization in a barren land. While the main character is certainly more powerful than the one in How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, their goals are very similar.

16 Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill

Conquering Medieval Challenges With Modern Conveniences

Four people from Japan find themselves transported to another world and hailed as heroes. While three of them receive incredible powers, the last, salaryman Tsuyoshi Mukoda, only receives the power to buy things from an online Japanese supermarket. Convincing the king that his powers are no good, Mukoda sets out adventuring on his own using his power for his own needs.

Campfire Cooking in Another World is an isekai adventure story where the main character gets out of hairy situations using food and cooking rather than magical superpowers. While the concept is a bit bizarre, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the more generic isekai stories, and the story revolves around a fun trio as the protagonist quickly gains two familiars.

15 Overlord

A Story Of A Cruel Ruler

While waiting for his favorite Full Dive MMO YGGDRASIL to shut down its servers, Momonga decides to stay logged in until the game ends for good. When the time for server shutdown arrives, he is surprised to discover that not only can he not log out, he finds that the area he was in has been transported to another world, and the NPCs have become like real people.

Overlord is very much a dark take on series like Sword Art Online, with the main character (now going as Ainz Ooal Gown) committing heinous acts for the sake of his power. While Ainz can still be considered a sort of anti-hero, he certainly toes a very dangerous line.

14 Parallel World Pharmacy

Using Medicine To Revolutionize The World

Kanji Yakutani finds himself reincarnated in the body of Farma de Medicis, a young noble from a family renowned for their medical knowledge. Having been a pharmacist in his past life, Farma uses his new life and his new abilities to continue making medicines in this new world.

Parallel World Pharmacy is an isekai anime about making medicine with a splash of standard fantasy mixed in. While the story is largely slice of life, there is some political drama as well as some seriously thrilling developments later in the series.

13 Trapped In A Dating Sim: The World Of Otome Games Is Tough For Mobs

Navigating A Dense Political Hierarchy

After marathoning an otome game to the point of utter exhaustion, a young man dies and is reincarnated as Leon fou Bartfort in the very game he was playing. After experiencing the injustice of living in this world, Leon decides to use his knowledge of the game to make his way in the world.

Trapped in a Dating Sim is an isekai that focuses more on slice of life and romance rather than action. However, the scheming and politics that Leon has to deal with make for a very intriguing show.

12 In The Land Of Leadale

A Leisurely Adventure In A Game World

While inside the virtual reality game Leadale, Keina Kagami’s life support fails, and she dies while still logged into the game. However, her mind is uploaded into her in-game avatar Cayna some centuries after the original game. Cayna decides to live and enjoy her life in this new world.

In the Land of Leadale is a cozy fantasy isekai that is a little lower in intensity than what the usual series has to offer. Fans who want a slower series may enjoy this series greatly.

11 Isekai Izakaya

Fantasy Denizens Encountering Modern Cuisine

Nobuyuki Yazawa owns an izakaya in Kyoto with his server Shinobu. One day, their front door suddenly opens up to the city of Aitheria, bringing in patrons from another world. The two of them conduct business as usual, providing the citizens of Aitheria with food they’ve never seen before.

Isekai Izakaya is a nice, soothing slice-of-life isekai that focuses on the food and the reactions of the people of Aitheria. Each episode also includes a segment where celebrities visit real Japanese restaurants. This show is great for someone who just wants something cozy to watch.

10 Drugstore In Another World

Improving Fantasy Life With Medical Knowledge

Reiji Kirio is a 24-year-old office worker that is transported to another world. There, he opens a drug store and sells medicine to the local townspeople with his new friends Noela and Mina.

Drugstore in Another World is an isekai series with elements of slice of life. While Reiji’s medicinal skills are very prodigious, the stories featured in this series are very lighthearted, making this series a fun watch for anyone looking to relax. His various misadventures as a medicine man are hilarious to watch.

9 Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody

A Quiet Hero With An Obscene Power

Ichiro Suzuki, a game programmer working through the night fixing bugs in a new MMORPG. Worn out from the constant work, he decides to take a nap only to wake up in a world resembling the game he was working on. Taking the name Satou, the name he uses in games, he starts to explore this strange world.

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is a fairly standard isekai series with an overpowered main character and a collection of female love interests. However, Satou’s explorations through this new world can be quite interesting to watch.

8 The Ambition Of Oda Nobuna

Ruling In The Sengoku Era

Normal high school boy Yoshiharu Sagara finds himself in an alternative version of the Sengoku era, where all the feudal lords are cute girls instead of rugged old men. Using his knowledge of the Sengoku era from video games, Yoshiharu decides to become the advisor of Oda Nobuna, this world’s version of the legendary Oda Nobunaga.

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is a rather standard isekai anime with harem elements. It depicts the politics of managing a country while at war, something it has in common with How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom.

7 Sword Art Online

Game Is Life

A new virtual reality MMORPG called Sword Art Online is released, and thousands of players, including Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, log in on the first day to play. The players soon discover that none of them log out, and they are told that in order to be freed from the game, they must beat all 100 floors of Aincard, and that if they die in the game, they will die in real life.

Sword Art Online is an extremely popular isekai series, and it has spawned a massive franchise of its own. Fans of isekai would be remiss to miss out on this landmark show.

6 My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

Changing Fate To Avoid Death

Young noblewoman Catarina Claes suddenly remembers that she was once a high school otaku in her past life, and that she is currently playing a villain in a dating sim called Fortune Lover. Realizing that her only options are exile or death, she begins making changes in order to avoid her grisly fate.

My Next Life as a Villainess is an interesting take on the isekai genre that focuses more on romantic comedy than Fantasy adventure. Catarina’s attempts to save her own life create changes in the story that even she can’t predict.

5 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

A Demon King Stuck In The Modern World

The Demon Lord of Ente Isla, Satan Jacob, has been defeated by the hero Emilia, and is forced to escape to Earth with his general Alciel. Lost in a strange world without any of their magical abilities, Satan and Alciel are forced to work menial jobs and bide their time until they return to their homeworld.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is a hilarious reverse isekai series that focuses more on comedy than other shows in this series. While it lacks the fantasy elements that most isekai fans prefer, it is still a great show that everyone can enjoy.

4 Log Horizon

A Sobering Look At Life In Virtual Reality

During the release of popular VRMMO Elder Tale‘s twelfth expansion pack, thirty thousand people playing the game are transported into the game world as their in-game characters. The players slowly become acclimated to their new lives, including a young player named Shiroe.

Log Horizon has a similar setting to Sword Art Online, but it is very different in how it explores it. Since people do not die if they die in Elder Tale, the anime focuses more on navigating the abuses players will commit when living in virtual reality.

3 Ascendance Of A Bookworm

Revolutionizing A Medieval World For The Sake Of Books

Urano Motosu is an avid lover of books and dreams of being a librarian. However, her dreams are ended when she is crushed to death by a pile of falling books. She finds herself in the sickly body of five-year-old girl Myne, and discovers quickly that the world she has ended up is a world where books are extremely scarce.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is a unique spin on an isekai anime, as it features very little fighting, and Myne does not have too many unique powers. It also focuses more on slice of life aspects, such as the craft of book making.

2 Restaurant To Another World

Modern Food For Fantasy Adventurers

A young demon girl named Aletta stumbles into a mysterious door that leads to a strange restaurant serving strange food. This is the Restaurant to Another World, a place where the inhabitants of the medieval fantasy world can enjoy foods from the modern era. Aletta ends up becoming a waitress at this restaurant as she meets the various patrons of the restaurant.

Restaurant to Another World is a very cozy food-based isekai that puts a very interesting spin on the isekai genre. The various characters each have their own interesting personalities and preferences, and their reactions to what is considered everyday food is interesting to watch.

1 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Satoru Mikami dies when he is stabbed by a random assailant while protecting his co-worker. As he slowly fades, he makes a number of statements, which a strange voice in his head responds to. He eventually regains consciousness in another world in the body of a slime. Taking the name Rimuru Tempest, he sets out to make a life in this new world.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is an extremely popular isekai series. While Rimuru’s increasing abilities are exciting to watch, there are a lot of points where he must engage in politics and land management.