7 Best Isekai Anime Movies, Ranked

Isekai is a genre in the anime community that most fans are familiar with. The main character unexpectedly finds themselves in a fantasy or alternate world, and this happens either through reincarnation or transportation. The main character is usually too powerful, except in some cases where they are not, and the protagonist has to either live in this new world or find a way to return to their normal world.

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Best Isekai Anime Of 2023, Ranked

2023 produced many isekai anime, but these shows were the best of the bunch.

Anime movies are a sort of continuation, extension, or sequel of some anime series, like The Saga of Tanya The Evil or Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another Country, and fans are sure to enjoy such movies.

7 Ni No Kuni

MyAnimeList Score: 6.44

Ni No Kuni
follows the story of three friends – Yu, Haru, and Kotana – as they find themselves in a fantasy world after trying to rush the injured Kotana to a hospital. They soon realize that Kotana did not make the trip with them, and they set out to search for her in the fantasy world.

This movie is quite a roller coaster, as Yu and Haru go back and forth from their real world to the Kingdom of Evermore, the fantasy world. They come back to find out that Kotana only has three months to live, and they believe it is because of Astrid, the princess of Evermore, who bears striking similarities with Kotana.

6 Escaflowne

MyAnimeList Score: 7.51

Depression is an overwhelming and overpowering feeling that needs a lot of effort to shake off and, unfortunately, Hitomi Kanzaki does not have what it takes to overcome her depression. As she is about to take her own life, the trajectory of the movie changes. Hitomi finds herself in Gaea after being summoned to be Escaflowne, Gaea’s saving grace.

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This 90s Anime Is A Good Match For Stranger Things Fans

Stranger Things fans looking for similar content to watch should look to the 1996 anime series, The Vision of Escaflowne.

The Escaflowne movie, released in 2000, is quite different from the Escaflowne series, The Vision of Escaflowne, a 26-episode anime. The settings are quite similar, but the plot is different from the anime, which makes it easier for fans who have to dive straight into the movie without watching the anime adaptation.

5 Children Who Chase Lost Voices

MyAnimeList Score: 7.51

This 2011 movie tells the story of a young girl, Asuna, who finds herself in the land of the dead after an encounter with a young boy, Shun. Shun saves Asuna from a beast, and while getting to know her, he mentions that he comes from Agartha. Asuna rushes home to meet her mother and says farewell to Shun. Unknowingly, it will be her last time seeing him because he falls off a bridge and dies.

After learning about Agartha in class, Asuna is shocked to find out that it is the land of the dead, which marks the beginning of her adventure. She crosses from the normal world to the land of the dead through a gateway, where she faces many obstacles and challenges with Morisaki, her substitute teacher, and Shin, Shun’s brother. Fans might find this isekai anime very magical, and it shows the lengths people can go just to see or attempt to bring a loved one back from the dead.

4 Re: ZERO – Starting Life In Another World – Memory Snow

MyAnimeList Score: 7.57

Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World is another anime series with a movie that acts as a sequel to the original series. The movie, Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World – Memory Snow, explores a storyline where Subaru is not stuck in a time loop. His only struggle is to prepare himself for his date with Emilia, but a massive cold sweeps in to wreak havoc and threaten his date.

This movie is a bit of a healing capsule for fans of Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World, as it shows them a life where Subaru is depressed and respawning multiple times. Subaru is an average teenager who unexpectedly finds himself in a fantasy world, and to make matters worse, he can rewind time. This ability to reverse time kicks in after some thugs kill him. Forced to relieve his death, Subaru desperately tries to break out of this time loop.

3 Saga Of Tanya The Evil: The Movie

MyAnimeList Score: 8.23

The Saga of Tanya the Evil may sound familiar to some anime fans because it is quite a popular isekai series. This series, just like most anime, has a sequel in the form of a movie, and in this case, it is Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie. Since it is a sequel to the anime, it is advisable that fans get into the anime series before watching the movie.

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7 Best Isekai Anime With Female Protagonists, Ranked

Leading their isekai shows with different narratives, these characters complement them by possessing unique strengths and qualities.

This movie continues to tell the adventures of Tanya, a young and ruthless soldier who was once an unnamed salaryman from Japan. Tanya leads a battalion of soldiers to war and must live up to her reputation by leading them to victory.

2 The Boy And The Beast

MyAnimeList Score: 8.24

Eight years after its release, this isekai movie still finds ways to stay relevant, and its fascinating plot helps it graciously. The Boy and the Beast tells the beautiful and emotional story of Ren, a nine-year-old boy who starts living on the streets after the death of his mother. This young boy, who is too young to be living alone, has to risk his life to feed himself, but not for long.

Ren is in search of his father, but before he can find him, Kumatestu, a beast from the beast world, comes to the human world in search of a disciple, and he finds Ren. Kumatestu transports Ren to the beast world, where he trains him to become his disciple. Soon after, Ren becomes Kyūta and fully kicks off his role as Kumatestu’s disciple. Home is truly where the heart is, as Ren still thinks about reconciling with his father.

1 Spirited Away

MyAnimeList Score: 8.77

Spirited Away still manages to hold some anime fans in a chokehold even 22 years after its release. This isekai movie came out in 2001 and has stayed relevant since then. The story of Chihiro and her parents is something out of the ordinary, exactly what fans would expect from an isekai, but this movie goes above and beyond.

An unexpected stop at an amusement park turns Chihiro’s parents into pigs, and this causes 10-year-old Chihiro to put on her big girl’s pants and look for a solution to her parents’ predicament. In search of a solution, Chihiro finds herself trapped in the spirit world, but she does not let that faze her, as she is still determined to find a solution.

MORE: Best Isekai Anime & Manga Where The Protagonist Is An Inventor