When Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’s anime was released and eagerly consumed by isekai anime fans, it became an instant classic. Even today, many fans still hail it as the “king of isekai”. Certainly, it’s one of the best isekai around—but if you’re looking for something to scratch the Mushoku Tensei itch, you still have plenty of excellent options.
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While some elements of Mushoku Tensei are pretty exclusive, there are countless anime that mimic some of its most captivating qualities. From stories about patching up regrets to ones with a similar level of character development to ones that just make you think more than isekai normally would, these are some can’t-miss anime for any fans of Mushoku Tensei.
1) Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World
The first one would have to be Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World. It’s often recommended, but it’s still a great starting point. In fact, when it comes to being controversial and divisive, Re: Zero‘s protagonist Subaru is neck-and-neck with Rudeus. Mushoku Tensei fans already know that’s not a bad thing, though—the growth of their respective protagonists is a massive part of both stories’ journeys.
And that journey is very important in Re: Zero. Subaru is born into another world with a supernatural ability to reset time by an arbitrary amount every time he does. He quickly finds himself embroiled in royal conflicts while also operating to stave off a mysterious group of cultists. Re: Zero has a unique gimmick at its core, and much like Mushoku Tensei, it’s a brilliantly adapted story that places a ton of emphasis on its supporting cast, relationships, and world-building. Not to mention, Re: Zero is every bit as gorgeous.
2) That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
If you judge a book by its cover, the appeal of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime won’t be obvious. It’s much better than it sounds, though—its world-building is fantastic and sprawling, it has all the notes of political intrigue you’re craving, and its characters are fantastic.
Admittedly, the premise is simple to start with: its charismatic protagonist Satoru is, well, reincarnated as a slime. He’s a weirdly overpowered slime, though. Quickly, he finds himself allied with a monster, Veldora, who gives him a new name (Rimuru Tempest) and an overarching quest: destroying Veldora’s seal. As the cast expands—and ooh, boy, does it expand—the show reveals itself to be remarkably well-written for an isekai. Rimuru goes down much smoother than Rudeus, while those around him are very human.
3) Ascendance of a Bookworm
In one key way, Ascendance of a Bookworm couldn’t be more different from Mushoku Tensei: its protagonist, Myne, a bookworm who dies in an accident, eking out one last wish to read even more in her next life. She wakes up as a child in a medieval world, finding out quickly that there isn’t much in the way of reading material prior to the printing press. Ascendance of a Bookworm is premised on the fact that she absolutely refuses to let that deter her from her dream of reading.
Ascendance of a Bookworm is a much more lighthearted anime than Mushoku Tensei, framed through the lens of a literal child. The texture of its world is also a little simpler than Mushoku Tensei‘s, but where Ascendance of a Bookworm shines is the breadth of its world-building, not to mention the enchanting relationships between its characters.
4) Dead Mount Death Play
Dead Mount Death Play is another top-tier recommendation for fans of Mushoku Tensei. One reason it makes this list is its maturity. In comparison to many isekai, Dead Mount Death Play is refreshingly dark without being overbearing. While its tone doesn’t immediately resonate with Mushoku Tensei‘s, it does channel a more serious tone and setting.
Dead Mount Death Play is a reverse isekai where a mighty necromancer is thrust into our own world under the name Polka Shinoyama. Inexplicably, people immediately start coming for his neck. Nonetheless, things remain relatively contained at first as far as fantasy stories go; however, the real meat of the anime comes later, as its world expands, its narrative grows deeper, and its conspiracies mount. Dead Mount Death Play is a well-executed effort with phenomenal world-building that you really have to see.
5) The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Two of the most beloved aspects of Mushoku Tensei are its theme of interrogating morals and its political depth. The Saga of Tanya the Evil has both in spades. An ordinary man is reincarnated as a child soldier in a wartorn magical world: a girl named Tanya Degurechaff, also called “the Devil of the Rhine”.
Despite the anime’s name, Tanya embodies a more ambiguous, cold, calculated character than anything else: neither good nor evil, per se. Her growth is evident and enjoyable, and she’s a lot of fun to watch as she tries to climb the military ranks and defeat Being X, the one who reincarnated her in the first place. The series is chock-full of military tactics and political considerations, too, with top-notch world building and fantastic action.
6) Grimgar: Ashes and Illusion
Grimgar: Ashes and Illusion is a brilliant isekai in its own right, grimdark like Berserk. But it’ll also appeal perfectly to fans of Mushoku Tensei. The reason is its realism: Grimgar also starts from nothing, but in a very different sense. Its characters are thrust into its world with nothing, and they must build up from there. As they try to survive and find a place in this world, they find themselves taking up the job of soldiers protecting the peace.
Unlike many isekai, the characters in Grimgar are nothing close to overpowered. Also, unlike many isekai, it pushes the envelope by showing just how hard it would be to actually survive in another world. In the world of Grimgar, relationships, world building, and making it to the next day take top priority. It’s also beautifully animated with a gorgeous soundtrack, as far as eye- and ear-candy go.
7) The Faraway Paladin
In The Faraway Paladin, the primary focus is on protagonist Will’s relationship with his new isekai family: three undead. They teach him the ways of their world and prepare him, as best they can, for the day when he’ll have to eventually set off. There’s one catch, though: without any idea what awaits, Will has to swear an oath to a god of his choice and set out on a journey.
With moral dilemmas out the wazoo alongside a massive emphasis on familial bonds and personal growth, The Faraway Paladin is already frequently compared to Mushoku Tensei. Many see it as an imitator, but that’s not inherently a bad thing. They share quite a lot in terms of their framing, but the way they explore and work within that framing is entirely different. It’s a definite “need-to-watch” for any Mushoku Tensei, if only for the sake of comparing and contrasting, even if you don’t love it.
8) So I’m a Spider, So What?
Much like Slime, So I’m A Spider, So What? is a surprisingly deep isekai with a lot of heart. After a tragic accident kills countless students, many of them find themselves reincarnated in a new world. Kumoko gets the short end of the stick, being reincarnated as weak spider. Like many isekai, So I’m A Spider, So What? has an RPG-like progression system at its core that provides Kumoko with the hope of evolving past her circumstances.
Both Rudeus and Kumoko share a struggle in starting from practically nothing and having to grow from there. More broadly speaking, So I’m A Spider, So What? also has a richly-layered narrative that expands well beyond what you first expect, not to mention a really neat dual timeline system that swaps between both perspectives. Spider leans much more into its comedy and conventional isekai storytelling, making it a nice and fairly light watch for Mushoku Tensei fans.
9) Log Horizon
Log Horizon is another classic, beloved in the same way as Mushoku Tensei. The premise is simple: imagine a bunch of gamers got swept into an MMORPG world—how would that work? Like, how would it actually work? How would game mechanics translate when the logic of our own world is applied to them—say, the way that food tastes?
In Log Horizon, its characters strive to build a functional society from scratch, while trying to grasp this new world through a logic alien to it. If you can overlook its spotty animation, you’ll find a robust story about politics, world-building, and the politics of world-building, rife with rich relationships. The series can be seen as a meditation on the escapism of gaming, as a whole.
10) The Beginning After The End
The Beginning After The End‘s anime got off to a bad start. For years, it’s been a beloved manhwa, but from the time of its adaptation’s announcement, the cracks were already showing for die-hard fans. Because of that, there’s a little bit of a funk around this series. Nonetheless, The Beginning After The End still has a great story and is worth a watch.
The Beginning After The End reverses the normal formula of a “nobody” being reincarnated into the world where they’ll become a “somebody”. Grey was known as the strongest king in history before he died and was reincarnated as an infant in another world. The Beginning After The End is nowhere near as tight of an experience as Mushoku Tensei in terms of animation or storytelling, but it’s still a strong story that replicates Mushoku Tensei‘s emphasis on lifelong progression and relationships.
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