Let’s face it, anime is and will always be here to stay. Anime is so embedded in our culture that we are involved in it whether we realize it or not. These days, anime seeks to connect with a wide range of audiences from young to old, sporty to nerdy (you know who you are). If there’s one group that has received a lot of attention in recent years, it’s gamers.
If you’re like me, you enjoy shows that you can connect with. Whether it’s baseball you like or cooking, there’s an anime show out there just for your fancy taste. If you want more gaming in your anime, check out the list below. We’ll be looking at some animes (specifically isekai) that center around games, gamers, and anything remotely connected to the gaming world that you will enjoy!
Note: This is not a ranking list
.Hack//Sign
.Hack//Sign to many fans was the progenitor of all isekai series. The protagonist, Tsukasa, is a Wavemaster (magic user) who wakes up to find himself in a dungeon in The World. Unfortunately, he suffers from short-term memory loss and doesn’t remember how he got there. To make matters worse, he discovers that he can’t log out of the game and is subsequently trapped. From then on, Tsukasa embarks on a journey, meeting friends, and figuring out why he can’t log out and get back to real life.
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
In BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, the protagonist Kaede Honjo (player name: Maple) is a player in NewWorld Online. Upon entering the game, Kaede chooses to expend, and continually expend later on, all her points on her game character’s defense instead of other attributes. This ultimately makes Maple a super-tank player that is virtually unkillable and renders her essentially a god in the game. This lighthearted comedy anime is a treat for all and especially those who appreciate that style of playing in MMORPG.
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime starts out with a middle-aged salaryman named Satoru Mikami. He is randomly stabbed in the back on the street while walking home from work and gets mysteriously reincarnated into another world – as a slime.
Luckily, Satoru (new name: Rimuru Tempest) isn’t just any slime. He’s able to absorb new skills from his environment and enemies that seemingly gives him different abilities. As he adjusts his life in the new world, Rimuru meets new friends and foes while also discovering the new world.
I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level
Azusa Aizawa is an office worker who subsequently overworks herself to the point where she ends up dying. She soon finds herself reincarnated into another world as an undying, unaging witch. After discovering her circumstances, she vows to spend the rest of her days as pleasantly and stress-free as possible.
In order to make a living in this new world, Azusa hunts slimes, the easiest targets, and after doing so for centuries, she has become extremely powerful. But one day word gets out and she is no longer able to maintain the stress-free life she wanted with all the new attention such as getting constantly challenged by others to prove themselves.
I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level is great show that is light and easy to watch.
No Game No Life
If you’re into strategy-type gaming, then No Game No Life would be for you. Sora and Shiro are two shut-in stepsiblings who are master gamers and are known in the online gaming world as Blank. The duo remains undefeated and are one day, challenged by Tet, a god from another reality to a game of chess. After being victorious, they are then summoned into a reality called Disboard. In this world, people aren’t able to inflict harm on one another (due to a spell) and so are forced to resolve differences with games.
The two discover Elkia, a nation inhabited by humans, and learn about other nations with other species and Elkia’s decline. The two participate in a tournament to determine the next ruler, and after winning the crown, they earn the right to challenge other species in Disboard. Their next goal is to win over every species and challenge Tet again to a game.
New Game!
If you really love the concept of game development, then New Game! is definitely right up your alley. The anime delves into the process of game development, covering everything from initial ideas to art design, coding, and execution.
One can really get into the show as all the characters are endearing and grow on you over time. They each display their passion for their work with a realistic take on deep concepts such as the head programmer having real anger issues. This show definitely offers a realistic take on game development.
Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
If you like parodies, then Konosuba is for you if you haven’t seen it. The series follows a shut-in boy named Kazuma Sato who is sent to an MMORPG-type fantasy world following his untimely and embarrassing death. It’s here that he forms a very dysfunctional adventuring party with a useless goddess, a clumsy and inexperienced archwizard, and a masochistic crusader. Together, they work to try and defeat the Devil King, but quickly give up the idea and try living a comfortable lifestyle, only to find themselves forced to battle the Devil King’s generals.
Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
Another Konosuba-like anime in terms of comedy, Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is a parody of RPG games. Ristarte, a novice goddess who is placed in charge of saving the world of Gaeabrande from a Demon Lord, summons a human hero by the name of Seiya Ryuuguuin.
The hero’s stats are many times greater than other potentials, but to Ristarte’s surprise, Seiya is ridiculously cautious and paranoid about everything, including her. Refusing to battle or even enter into safe areas until he has trained to a level he is comfortable with, Seiya’s behavior drives the goddess up the wall.
The two along with a couple of other party members venture to defeat the Demon Lord while working around Seiya’s cautiousness.
Sword Art Online
Being one of the most popular isekai anime, Sword Art Online is another show that appeals to gamers. Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki are two of the many players that are trapped within the Sword Art Online; a virtual reality MMORPG.
Players use the NerveGear, a helmet that stimulates the user’s five senses via their brain while also allowing them to control their character in the game with just their minds. Both the game and the NerveGear were created by Akihiko Kayaba, and appears to the players who aren’t able to log out that, in order to do so, they will need to beat all 100 floors of Aincrad, a steel castle.
He also adds that those who suffer in-game deaths or are forcibly removed from the game will suffer real-life deaths. So it’s up to the players to beat the game before the game beats them.
Log Horizon
Another anime of this caliber is Log Horizon. But instead of having an overpowered player or protagonist, there are only normal players with varying skills and magical abilities and the game elements are essential to the show.
Knowing how to juggle resources, good teamwork, strengths, and weaknesses are all that make the anime so attractive. The main character, Shiroe, along with others is trapped in the game Elder Tale. Unfortunately, their gaming has now become their reality and so they must work together to face challenges and obstacles.
Skeleton Knight in Another World
Upon awakening, an unnamed gamer finds himself in another world but in his in-game character’s appearance and armor. As the title implies, Skeleton Knight In Another World; the main character’s avatar is that of a skeleton knight due to the skeleton skin he used on his character in the game.
A lot of the protagonist’s decisions and reactions stem from his experience as a gamer. Being overpowered, he quickly gains new friends and allies while traveling to kingdoms around the new world fighting evil. Audiences will quickly appreciate the protagonist’s enthusiasm that stems from his gamer mindset.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
Takuma Sakamoto is another shut-in gamer who gets transported to the world of his favorite MMORPG, Cross Reverie, in the appearance of his in-game character, the Demon Lord Diablo. He quickly finds out that he got summoned by two young girls, Rem and Shera, who also attempt to use a spell to make Takuma their servant upon his arrival.
But with his magical abilities, the two girls’ plan backfires and they instead become Takuma’s servants. How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is about the three ending up adventuring together to remove the girls’ slave collars and battling evil using Takuma’s vast knowledge of Cross Reverie to survive.
Overlord
Overlord isn’t just your typical isekai anime. The dark theme around the show makes this anime stand out amongst the rest making this anime better suited for adults. Momonga; the protagonist is mysteriously transported to a new world after staying logged on in his favorite MMORPG, Yggdrasil, as its servers are about to shut down permanently.
Trapped in his in-game character form (an Overlord), Momonga (who is renamed Ainz Ooal Gown) must navigate and live in the new world he was transported to using his game knowledge and experience while learning how to manage his guild for real.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of the hottest anime series around. The show follows a college student Naofumi Iwatani who is suddenly transported to a world called Melromarc as a legendary hero, along with three others, to fulfill a mission: defeat the Waves of Catastrophe that are currently destroying the world.
Naofumi is summoned as the Shield Hero who is immediately looked down on from the start and is jeered and shunned to the point where he leaves the party. The series takes us through Naofumi’s struggles and triumphs as he gains friends and allies during his journey while also gaining power.
I’m Standing On a Million Lives
Students Yuusuke Yotsuya, Iu Shindo, and Kusue Hakozaki are transported by a half-faced creature to a world to do his play, asking them quests and completing them within the duration. After completing the mission, the trio is allowed to return to real life until the next quest.
Tasked with numerous quests that increase in difficulty over time, I’m Standing On A Million Lives is about the trio’s attempt to discover the mystery behind the game world while trying to survive.
And that’s our selection. Are there any anime that you are already watching? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
When he's not buried in the latest RPG or binging the newest anime series, Neil can be found hanging out with his doggo teaching him new tricks. Or teaching himself new tricks, let's be real.
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