The Isekai genre has become a major part in the anime world, and arguably, it has become the biggest creator of new anime series across the board. In 2026, fan-favorite isekai franchises such as Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime are set to return. With the genre continuing to skyrocket in popularity, one major entry is planning to return in 2027 with a third season. With fifty episodes of anime to its name, the isekai in question is seeing serious receipts when it comes to its source material.
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Shangri-La Frontier first hit the scene in 2017, thanks to creator Katarina, who originally released it as a novel series and then brought it to the manga medium in 2020. Ever since arriving as a part of Kodansha’s slate, the story of Sunraku has been making waves in the isekai world, especially when it received an anime adaptation in 2023 from Studio C2C. As of the writing of this article, Shangri-La Frontier currently has over sixteen million copies in circulation, proving that the bird-headed warrior has found a fanbase. While hitting this major milestone, it still has a way to go before overtaking some other major players in the isekai game.
Shangri-La Frontier Vs. Isekai
While Shangri-La Frontier’s manga is hitting new heights, it will have to sell many more copies to defeat some of its isekai competitors. To date, one of the highest-selling isekai series, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, is sitting pretty with over fifty-six million copies of its story in circulation. Sword Art Online currently has over thirty million copies in circulation, though Sunraku’s tale has apparently defeated another major isekai. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation has a little over fifteen million copies in circulation, meaning that the video game-based isekai is outselling this beloved franchise. If you have yet to check out Shangri-La Frontier, there are plenty of reasons to check it out before the third season arrives in January of next year.
Shangri-La Frontier might have exceptionally low stakes since it takes place in a video game, but this doesn’t stop it from ratcheting up the tension when it needs to. Protagonist Rakuro Hizutome has become an expert at “trash games,” and in doing so, his skills are now far above many of the other players in the hot ticket video game known as Shangri-La Frontier. Joining team members in the digital landscape, Sunraku has become a force to be reckoned with, taking on challenges that no other gamer has managed to take on so far. The isekai series is a story that feels tailor-made to players who have dived into the world from From Software, including Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne, as the star of the series uses parrying and smarts to overtake enemies.
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