The List

Summer 2019's 6 Most Appealing Isekai Parties

There are a lot of light novel anime adaptations heading to the airwaves this summer and (conveniently) six of them are built off the popular "alternate world" (isekai) premise. Either our characters are reborn in another world, transported there through some weird accident, or the other world is suddenly connected to their own. This week I'm taking a look at those shows, the main characters that constitute the party, and elaborating which group I'd most like to hang out with based on completely arbitrary criteria. Let's pick our best alt-world-fantasy-cartoon friends for the summer!

Premise: A normal computer programmer is pulled into his own game as his character Maō which literally means "Dark Lord" or "Demon King" and has the same stats as a final level boss. Now fighters from across this new world descend on Maō and his allies to defeat him. His only initial party member is Aku, an orphan girl with a disability who was almost sacrificed by her village members because of classism.

Join the group?: YES. Barring that the show goes the Bunny Drop route, this looks like a fun duo. Maō has the gangster personality stereotype but with a heart of gold. He and Aku are like a father-daughter pair trying to make their way in a magical world that wants to kill them. Only negative? Maō probably smells strongly of cigarettes.

Premise: Ordinary otaku guy Hajime and his entire school are pulled into a fantasy world where they are expected to save humanity. In order to complete their mission, his classmates are given all kinds of awesome powers while Hajime is given the relatively unimpressive ability to transmute items and is bullied as a result. Joining him is a vampire princess, a rabbit girl that can see the future, and a healer.

Join the group?: YES. Okay, first off, transmutation is an extremely versatile skill so this is one of those cases where "my power is "weak", as a convenient plot device. Hajime is like a magical blacksmith Nick Fury. I don't really have interest in hanging out with him BUT vampire princess? Bunny girl with an ACME hammer? Sign me up.

Premise: A void opens connecting our world with Reto Semaani, an alternate world with magic beings. San Teresa City has become the melting pot for immigrants from Reto Semaani and in this modern metropolis is a dark underbelly of crime. MAGIC CRIME, MAGIC DRUGS, and MAGIC PROSTITUTES. Detective Kei matoba is one man that stands to in the way of magic crime. This is his story. DUN DUN.

Join the group?: SURE. This group is a duo of the aforementioned hard-boiled detective and his partner Tilarna Exedilika, a knight. If you're tired of simply slashing up demons and overthrowing corrupt kingdoms, then why not take up sleuthing in a fantasy New York? This is 100% my kind of isekai; taking down some underground dragon weapon ring with a gruff dude that drinks too much coffee.

Premise: Taichi Nishimura and his friend Rin Azuma, who both get transported into a fantasy world via a beam of light. While in their previous world, Taichi is a normal person who just has higher than average reflexes. In the new world, they narrowly escape an attack by monsters. After making their way to a guild, the members tell them that they're ultra-super powerful physically and magically. Thus, the "cheaters" start their life in a new world.

Join the group?: NAH. I feel like anyone who teams up with Taichi and Rin will be stuck as the third wheel. Not just in a "love interest" sense, but also in an adventuring sense. Have you ever had a best friend that was good at everything? Sports, academia, looks, fashion, a boat load of cash, and impeccably white teeth? Were they actually interesting?

Premise: Masato is thrown into an RPG world with his mom because ~~the government~~. Masato is really good at RPGs in general but Mamako (yep) is an amped, up dual-wielding behemoth that can wipe out multiple enemies at once. The pair are joined by tsundere Wise, 12-year-old merchant Porta, and the mage Medhi.

Join the group?: YES. But only if we leave Masato behind for not appreciating the glory that is Mamako. I don't know about you, but the mom isekai sub-genre is sorely lacking right now. I cannot imagine a better isekai scenario than hanging out with four moms to make me lunch, drive me to magic school, teach me important life lessons, and protect me from dangerous monsters. At least one should be the wine mom that complains whenever she has too much rose.

Premise: Bell, Hestia, and the rest of the Familia are back to keep training in the multi-level dungeon and thwart the other Familias' underhanded tactics. Joining him on occasion is the stoic swordswoman Ais, traveling merchant Lilly, the armorer Welf, and other members from the Loki familia.

Join the group?: DEFINITELY. I think of all the possible party combos this season, the Hestia familia is one that would be the most fun to hang out with. Bell is a good boy, Ais is cool and capable, and the rest of the characters fill in the gaps. Dungeon crawling is also one of my favorite RPG elements because I like to explore everything and open all the treasure chests. (If we ever meet in MMORPG land, I apologize in advance for being a strict completionist).