Saikyou Ansatsusha, Class Ten'i de Isekai e

 

Japanese manga isn’t particularly known for webtoon-style storytelling like its Korean counterparts, but every now and then, a series comes along that feels fresh within familiar territory. One such example is Saikyou Ansatsusha, Class Ten’i de Isekai e or The Strongest Assassin Transported to Another World with His Class.

By now, the isekai genre is saturated. Assassin protagonists aren’t exactly rare either. Yet Saikyou Ansatsusha manages to carve out something engaging from a niche that many would consider overused.

The story follows a high school student living a double life as a professional assassin, think a younger Golgo 13 in the making who is suddenly transported to a fantasy world along with his classmates. In this new world, the summoned students are essentially forced into the role of heroes tasked with defeating a Demon Lord. From there, the assassin’s journey begins.

Zero no Tsukaima Nendoroid Louise 2.0

One of the early mid-2000s isekai classics, Zero no Tsukaima, has finally received a Nendoroid 2.0 renewal from Good Smile Company and it’s the main heroine who gets the honor! It’s been more than a decade since Louise received her first Nendoroid, and now she’s getting a full upgrade, which is truly a treat for nostalgic fans. Scheduled for release in August 2026, Nendoroid Louise will be priced at ¥6,800.

Zero no Tsukaima is the anime that cemented Rie Kugimiya’s status as the undisputed tsundere queen, thanks to her portrayal of Louise: an insecure apprentice wizard who hides immense power, having isekai’d high school boy serves as her familiar and eventual lover. I watched the series during my teenage years and still look back on it fondly.

As a classic tsundere waifu character, the new Nendoroid 2.0 Louise features a surprisingly mellow expression, which is a major win for nostalgic fans. Given that the series effectively concluded after the author’s passing, there may be no continuation of the story but I’m seriously considering rewatching the series from Season 2 to the finale just for the nostalgia.

Exiled Heavy Knight knows how to game the system

 
 Japanese Isekai fantasy genre are filled with many powercreep trope that reflects poor writing but there is a good specimen that I came across 2 months ago. As usual it comes with unnecessarily lengthy name which I will just shorten as Exiled Heavy Knight. This one features powerful main protagonist not being simply using a mary sue trope but owed to Clairvoyance EX skill and thrive in his fantasy adventure by using his wits to create the right opportunity.

Exiled Heavy Knight follows the story of a protagonist who is abandoned by his noble family after obtaining the role of a Heavy Knight in his class selection—a role typically considered a weak tank unit with low DPS and little chance of making progress. However, the main character understands the hidden potential of his class to become the strongest unit. He perseveres in situations where failure is expected and consistently rises to the top, forming a partnership with a Jester who is also an outcast but secretly overpowered. 

Exiled Heavy Knight strength lies in its solid RPG mechanics that makes the combat and storyline overall interesting and cut ahead compared to its typical peers and you will feel the struggle of the protagonist profoundly in this one. The protagonist might have skill that overturn overall disadvantage he had to deal with but he constantly have to teeter between life and death with the unfair challenges that he faced and earn his way to come up on top. Despite this manga is unfinished so far, I believe Exiled Heavy Knight could remain as top specimen of Fantasy Isekai genre. 

Cheat Mode Farming in Another World

 Another of those Seinen Isekai that I come across recently. At first I thought this manga is just another excuse for smutty fantasy manga which is essentially R18 version of Isekai Nonbiri, but over the time the mangaka seems to try their best not to rely on the main selling point. Yurufuwa Nouka no Moji Bake Skill or Cheat Mode Farming in Another World is essentially an R18 Power Fantasy isekai that does try something unique with the opportunity that it is given by the publisher.

Cheat Mode Farming in Another World is basically your typical Isekai where the main protagonist got betrayed by his initial comrade but turns out possess broken skill which let him thrive. Yuru Fuwa follows the typical trope where the main protagonist is from oppressed working class but somehow make it big in the new world eventually having harem for himself whic is typical wish fulfillment for the target audience reader.

In terms of illustration quality, Yuru Fuwa is quite solid as expected for this genre of manga and the mangaka likely have his share of experience in Doujin industry to be able to pull off good quality work with generous R18 Fanservice. Just like many Isekai manga, Yuru Fuwa does overglorify Japan as usual despite the reality are not exactly rose tinted glass. But what catches my attention is the Mangaka earnest attempt to make Yuru Fuwa to have its share of hilarious moments which 90s shonen readers could highly appreciate. Nowhere at the level of Peter Grill's level of hilarity but it is relatively good for an Isekai manga. Yuru Fuwa is definitely a good candidate if you look for works similar Isekai Nonbiri with some extra fanservice delivered on top.
 

Red Ranger Isekai Kotobukiya Kizuna Kaiser Model Kit

 Rather surprised that Kotobukiya bothered to care about a mecha from Isekai series, but they actually did! Red Ranger Isekai was relatively popular anime in 2024 and the series probably succesful enough that Kotobukiya paid attention to it. As such they are releasing model kit of Kizuna Five mecha, Kizuna Kaiser! Scheduled for February 2026 release, Kotobukiya Kizuna Kaiser will be sold for 14000 Yen SRP.

While this product is released as Non-scale, with the price tag being considered you can expect 20+cm tall from Kotobukiya's Kizuna Kaiser. Kotobukiya had its share of extensive experience with combiner mecha especially from Yuusha series so we can expect decent product out of this despite the model kit will not come with combiner gimmick. Kotobukiya also will provide Preorder extra parts bonus in the which consist of Scepter weapon and open chest part for those who preordered on their website. 

Dungeon Seeker

 
 Probably one of the original edgy Isekai manga, If you ever wonder how Isekai manga with betrayed MC set forth on the quest of revenge, you can look in Dungeon Seeker. Dungeon Seeker might not be particularly highly rated Isekai manga, but it is a relatively self contained series.

Dungeon Seeker is a story of a highschool kid who transported into fantasy world along with his bullies and a female classmate. Ending up in another world. the protagonist fate remains pretty much the same with the previous world being bottom of food chain as he does not possess any special power. However his fate changed drastically when his bully and female classmate decide to betray him and plunged him to a hellish dungeon with supposedly low chance of survival. But the main protagonist survived somehow and gain ungodly skill and sets forth on quest for revenge and find a way to return his world.

What makes Dungeon Seeker stood apart is that the main protagonist can still befriend some allies instead of going full edge and he never really settle revenge on his betrayers as most of them inevitably self destruct being bad people of all. He only gets to confront her former female classmate who become a monstrosity herself while retain her human appearance and went no-nonsense route with her. Overall Dungeon Seeker is not the most flashy Isekai but it is a short fun while it lasted with decent ending. Thus you can make this series serve as litmus paper for any revenge Isekai you look at.

Savage Hero

 
 R18 Fantasy mangas are relatively common in the present Japan pop culture industry but there is another one that is slightly cut above and caught my attention. This particular manga is called Kichiku Eiyuu which is translated as Savage Hero in english is another one of those Isekai Power Fantasy manga with a healthy dose of fanservice. Isekai manga with Mary sue protagonist is pretty much common by this time, but Savage Hero had it the main character superpower is literally being an incubus who gains and grants power depending on the waifus he slept with.

As expected from its Kichiku moniker, Savage Hero is yet another manga that is heavily influenced from Rance series. Having Waifu Power Up through physical intercourse trope is a dead giveaway. Savage Hero provides a glimpse of what sorts of Fantasy Adventure that Demon King Rance would have before he lost his sanity in Isekai format. The story itself so far are not particularly special but Savage Hero's Mangaka is another one of those Top Notch talent who are equally skilled at depicting extreme violence and ecchi stuff. 

Savage Hero setting could have been a very Grimdark one as humanity have many opponents to if not for the presence of the main character who is literalled overpowered enough to literally wipe out monster hordes by himself and save the day. While the future of Savage Hero is rather uncertain as the manga got axed once, Savage Hero is still an amusing read while the show last.

Konosuba Season 3

 It took 7 Years for Konosuba anime series to get a continuation of with a full 3rd Season with a filler Movie slipped in and after finished watching it, now I get why this once popular Fantasy Isekai series took such a long time to be continued. Back then Konosuba aired as one of the forefront to the Isekai era and soon it gained popularity due to the hilarious comedic tone that the series had with the shenanigans by Kazuma's party of misfit overpowered adventurers, But unfortunately lightning does not strike twice at the same place for this instance.

Konosuba 3rd season continues Kazuma's adventuring story with introducing Princess Iris and a major arc revolving around Darkness. The main plot is executed just fine but the process getting in between is rather painful to watch. In order to overcompensate with the barebone in-between storyline, I feel that Konosuba 3rd Season make the jokes become way over the top and we are seeing Kazuma sunk even lower more than before. Kazuma is designed to be a hikineet character that often gave in to his deprived tastes but he went abit too far for a few times on the third season. But Darkness Fans will definitely get some really good fanservice treat and I still believe she is the best fit out of the three original Main Heroines with her strong maternal quality if not for her masochist fetish. Despite Konosuba 3rd season felt Lackluster compared to the previous seasons, we can still likely expect another season for Konosuba for the sake of wrapping up the story properly as long as nothing drastic happened to Japanese economy.

Highserk Senki: What do you of with those Murky Eyes?

 With Kadokawa have been teetering recently, perhaps we will see less Isekais in the future, but I still come across to a promising one on a random encounter of manga called Nigoru Hitomi de Nani wo Negau: Highserk Senki. Dark Fantasy rarely blends with Isekai but Highserk Senki is one of those few specimens. Just like typical Isekai series, the main protagonist died once and transported into a Fantasy Medieval settings that just happened to be bleak one where War is a common occurence. The main Protagonist is an Anti Hero who served a warlike medieval Kingdom called Highserk and slowly rise from the rank of Common Soldier with his special ability and Magical talent of Blue Flame which had a peculiar significance in the setting and spread terror upon his foes.

Highserk Senki is quite a fresh Isekai reading experience since the amount of the Grimdarkness of the setting hit the right amount o balance without being too edgy. The main Protagonist also is not really a wuss either like typical Japanese Isekai protagonist who tried his best to stay in a Neutral alignment despite going through a hellish experience while keeping himself grounded and do whatever necessary to stay alive. So far the Manga only had 19 Chapters but the Light Novel translation had been going quite far which the Manga only reached about 1/5th of the Novel translation. I probably will binge the Novel and keep track of this series if It can wrap up with Satifsying ending which many of Isekais failed to do.

The World's finest Assassin / Ansatsu Kizoku

 Another Isekai manga that I read recently that was written by Redo of Healer author and this one is slightly on the upper curve for Isekai series if slightly generic at the moment. The World's finest assassin or Ansatsu Kizoku is an Isekai series which had a Professional Assassin reincarnated as the main character. Betrayed by the organization whom he served a lifetime as the finest Assassin, the main protagonist is given a second chance by a Goddess to retain the life experience from his former life along with some powerups in exchange of assassinating a Hero once the Demon Lord is slain in order to prevent the world's end. Thus the main protagonist is reborn in aristocrat family as a typical Isekai mary-sue only to face even more overpowered adversary taking the Hero's mantle.

 On Surface level, Ansatsu Kizoku is another Isekai series that tried to mimic the same success of Eminence in Shadow which turns out quite well with steady support for anime adaptation. Some difference is that the Harem size of the protagonist in Eminence in Shadow is smaller and the main protagonist is being less Chuuni. The author of Ansatsu Kizoku actually also happens to be Rance Series fans and just like Kaifuku Jutsushi, this series also had plenty of the worldbuilding aspects based on Rance series with a slight dash of Tears to Tiara. Considering the Demons that serve main adversary in the setting are based on Rance Mazokus which are near immortal being that can only be slain by Hero's special power. The Hero in Ansatsu Kizoku itself, is pretty much combination of Charlotte Dunois and Arios Theoman whose bond with the main protagonist will determine the ending of this series. As of now Ansatsu Kizoku works just fine as an Isekai series but time will tell if it will have enduring popularity that most Isekais unable to attain.

Isekai Ojisan Nendoroid 2130 Elf

 

 I have been looking forward to the release announcement for Isekai Ojisan's Elf since the Prototype teaser was up just as the series caught my attention. Surprisingly the accessories for this Nendoroid is quite generous for its kind too. Nendoroid Elf is scheduled for December 2023 release with 6700 Yen price tag. If the series went well i think the Ice magician and Female priest had a shot at following up.

 Tsundere Elf or Sui from the name given by the Ojisan himself, is an Elf adventurer whose fate intertwined with the Isekai Ojisan main protagonist ever since he saved her life from a Dragon. Ever since this Elf waifu stalked after Ojisan and throughout strings of event and misunderstandings, she had a developed a heavy crush towards Ojisan with a heavy streak of Tsundere & Yandere. Normally Sui behaved like a Cool Elf stereotype but she just lose her mind and heavily swayed by emotion when it has to do with Ojisan. While the Isekai Ojisan manga has not ended yet, her design being one of the better in Isekai series is good enough to gain my interest on her. I hope that Elf would be able to reunite with Ojisan someday.

Bofuri

 I am not sure why Japanese have unhealthy obsession toward Fantasy series that have overpowered main protagonist, is it the life in their society make this kind of Garbage so appealing as coping mechanism or something else. Anyway this series called Bofuri is another of those hot garbage aggresively promoted by Kadokawa and my curiosity got the better out of me since this series happened to get tons of prize figures during my time in Hobby Toys industry. Bofuri is a Fantasy MMORPG themed anime where the Casual gamer high school girl protagonist heroine got ridiculously overpowered by maxing her defensive stats to the point of beating top players of her game with relatively minimum effort.

Ever since I got into anime more than a decade ago, I have always enjoyed a good high fantasy anime and Bofuri is the extreme polar opposite of this ideal. Bofuri essentially lack proper immersion and worldbuilding and the essence of the series is stripped to the core to cater for masses. This series is effectively a moeshit anime dressed in Fantasy series for maximum isekai appeal. As expected by Kadokawa, Bofuri got really pretty makeover treatment but it is fundamentally bad to have any staying power for long term even if the anime got second season. There is no enjoyment from a Fantasy where a clueless main protagonist get to be a munchkin without any effort and have OP stuff handed on a platter for her. Maybe I will give Log Horizon a try to wash this bad aftertaste

The Eminence in Shadow

 

 Another interesting Isekai manga that I encountered in the same fashion with Mobuseka and binged it in a single reading yet again. Eminence in Shadow has your typical Isekai trope where the protagonist is ridiculously overpowered and the protagonist in this one wield Fashioned himself similar to Persona 5 Joker, and lead a Chuuni adventure with Waifu squads for a crusade against demonic cult.

 In a way, Eminence of Shadow is quite similar to Overlord where the protagonist is the leader of powerful organization who have underlings sworn absolute loyalty and often overawed the protagonists actions. And this series can be considered a "lite" version of the latter with the protagonist allies full of waifus and plenty of chuunibyou behavior to cater better for teenage audience.

 Overall Eminence in Shadow is an entertaining read but shared the same flaws of typical Isekai of Shallow Worldbuilding to be taken seriously. The series got some good waifus but the Author haven't make use of their full potential so far in the manga with rather lacking romcom moment with the protagonists. In any case this series is decent enough to attract attention of older adult audiences like me with its entertainment value.

Isekai Ojisan

 Another Isekai manga that I binged recently which gained recent popularity due to anime adaptation and this one took slightly different approach yet again. As the name implies the main character of this manga is mid 30s man who have just returned from his Isekai adventure after 17 years in coma, and now he lives with his nephew and support himself with his magical abilities carried over from his adventure which obviously cause some shenanigans.

 The story of the series is mostly about the Uncle character retelling his adventure to his nephew and nephew's girlfriend. Despite having a Neet behavior and look, the Uncle guy surprisingly an accomplished adventurer and manage to make some waifus fall for him. For an Isekai series, the author surprisingly able to make some well designed waifu especially the tsundere elf and the Author managed to exploit the advantage of maintaining the romcom tensions between the Elf waifu and protagonist to keep the reader interested. Isekai Ojisan no doubt did well to catch the reader attention but time will tell if this series can be conclude itself as a good isekai title

Trapped in a Dating Sim - Mobuseka

 

 Another Isekai series with ridiculously long name that i encountered recently but this one is above average and got mecha too! Trapped in a Dating Sim - The World of Otome Games is tough for mobs or Mobuseka in short is a Isekai series that had the Protagonist sent into a Fantasy World series based on a Dating Sims game. While the title might imply that the series catered to female audience, Mobuseka definitely still aimed at the general audience of Isekai Genre.

Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan

 Oda Nobunaga always make popular choice as Sengoku Period manga and this rather new entry took an isekai spin on it. If you have been following Nobunaga no Chef, you will find right at home with Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan! The manga premise is about a Highschool girl from Agricultural school who somehow find herself stranded in Sengoku Period and in a strange turns of event ended up serving Oda Nobunaga. Using her knowledge from modern world, the heroine attempts to make a better place for the populace she is in charge of while at the same time strengthen the dominion of Oda Clan with her inventions. Unlike most Sengoku period manga, Sengoku Komachi doesn't shy away from alternate take of this rather colorful period of Japan history. 

 I think the primary goal of this manga is to showcase how Oda Nobunaga reacts with modern technology to the extent that are even very hard to swallow for people of the period. Simply to say Nobunaga is portrayed to have excellent adaptability and make good use of these novelties which is the way the manga justify how this particular Daimyo to be the most influential person in his period. The main heroine herself is quite likeable as she is not milksop and had a good sense of reality which majority of isekai theme protagonist lacks most of the time. At this time Sengoku Komachi is still far from being concluded but its potential is good enough for me to keep a close tab on it.

Reincarnated as a Sword

 Another gem that has potential from the oversaturated Isekai Genre and i think the author for this series must be a fan of Rance series or something. While Isekai series tend to have reincarnated beta males as protagonist who gathered harems with their new acquired overpowered abilities, Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita had the main character reincarnated as a sentient sword whose fate intertwined with a beast girl named Fran. After saving the beastgirl from a fate of slavery, the main character sets on an epic adventure with the girl. I started Ken Tensei from the manga and so far the worldbuilding quality is cut above the average isekai series. I think the author probably got some of his inspiration from Rance series, a high fantasy series well known for its writing quality and Ken Tensei main character is essentially less perverted version of Demonic Sword Chaos.

 Since the serialization is still far from finished i can't really put a final verdict for Ken Tensei but certainly it still has plenty of room for growth. I am quite sure at some point this series even could get its own Anime adaptation as long as it maintain its consistency.

Cautious Hero Nendoroid 1353 Ristarte

 Took longer time than expected due to the Pandemic, but Useless Goddess from Isekai series Shinchou Yuusha, Ristarte is getting a release announcement at long last! I think Ristarte's Nendoroid was planned to be announced around March this year as the first season of Shinchou Yuusha had finished airing on December last year but with COVID Pandemic in the way, many things get delayed including this Nendoroid. Nendoroid Ristarte is scheduled for December release with 5000 Yen price tag.

 For 5000 Yen Nendoroid, Ristarte's accessories is rather disappointing as she only got Wing Parts and 3 Face Plates and even face expression is lacking. Ristarte joins the useless Goddess club because in the series, she is a thirsty goddess falling in love for Main Protagonist and her lust is the main source of the funny shenanigans as the protagonist always coldly reject her advances. Which is why the Nendoroid Ristarte doesn't completely capture her character as it lacks the crucial expression for her. In any case i will still get this Nendoroid to complete my useless Goddess set since i had Aqua and Ishtar already. It is likely that Ryuguin Seiya's Nendoroid will include additional expression for Ristarte. But for Ristarte's lustful expression, i will just look for face plates from other Nendoroid which Ayumi Otosaka seems to be a good substitute.

Konosuba Legend of the Crimson

After about 6 months from the initial release, The Konosuba Movie managed to be aired in my local cinema! I give the movie an automatic watch considering I am kind of Aqua's follower. Overall the movie gives you what you expected from a Konosuba series, though i suppose it is not as hilarious compared to TV series considering the scarce time for development. 

The legend of crimson movie covers the 5th volume of LN where Kazuma's team visit Megumin's hometown chock full of Chuunis and facing yet another Demon Lord's General. In the end Kazuma still shows his worst side in the movie and resorts to pathetic means to defeat the big boss yet again. As expected Megumin becomes the main focus of the movie but at very least Aqua had some nice moments though not as much crying. Overall you won't miss much skipping the movie as the Light Novel still stands as the definitive source material. But if you are fan of Megumin, you will be in for quite a treat!

Shinchou Yuusha: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious

 First post for 2020 and it is about another Kadokawa's Isekai Anime that i watched from last season! I tend to avoid Isekais in general because they are hotbeds for escapism and power creep wrapped in poor writing. But i give Shinchou Yuusha a try after seeing the Main Heroine Goddess is associated with Aqua and Ishtar and the anime is an entertaining ride if mediocre. The main premise of Shinchou Yuusha is your usual Isekai Protagonist summoned to save the world from Demon Lord. But this one come with a twist where the Main Hero is extremely paranoid to the point that he overprepared everything much to the annoyance Goddess in charge of him. Shinchou Yuusha is basically what happens in RPG Campaign where a powergamer face a Killer DM campaign. The main source of entertainment from Shinchou Yuusha comes from Goddess Ristarte antics stemming from her lust toward the main protagonist which cements her position as another Damegami. If you like Konosuba, you will likely enjoy this series as well because it really has the same vibe with the former. As for me i am looking forward to Ristarte's Nendoroid to complete my Damegami set