The world of anime is a diverse space with more genres and sub-genres than practically all other mediums combined, with the Isekai
genre having one of the biggest and most loyal followings year after year. Made up of hits like Konusaba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, The Rising of Shield Hero, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and much more, a recent report has proven that isekai anime is more popular than ever, showing just how ingrained the genre continues to be for fans worldwide.
Isekai, in relation to anime, really started to gain some serious steam in the ‘90s, with Inuyasha and Digimon Adventure opening the floodgates for the many influential series that followed — like Sword Art Online and Re:Zero — capturing the imaginations of fans hungering for stories that could transport them to other worlds.
In a new report from White Box Entertainment, it’s revealed that isekai was the second most popular anime behind action in 2024, with its continued success after all these years being a welcome surprise for fans who can’t get enough of the shows the genre has made possible.
Isekai Anime Was Second Only to the Action Genre in 2024
According to White Box Entertainment
Ranking the average popularity of different anime genres in English-speaking territories by using private and public data to evaluate over 200 anime broadcasts “on a relative scale from 1 to 100,” this report shows how isekai, at a 15, ranks second to action’s 15.1, with the next closest genre being fantasy (no doubt thanks to the runaway success of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) coming in at 13.4. Going down the list, drama, comedy, and harem rank in the 9 range, with the bottom half showing sports and slice of life as the least most popular at 4.7 and 3.8, respectively.
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Defined as a genre that transports its protagonists to “another world” — like a digital space, fantasy world, or alternate timeline — where characters often need to fight like hell to return from whence they came, isekai continuing to resonate with fans speaks volumes to the versatility of the genre and its impact on those who consume it. Consisting of series that often put their fish-out-of-water protagonists through the wringer while presenting strange new worlds in immersive detail, isekai is one of the more varied genres on this list, with each new series pushing the medium forward in fun and meaningful ways.
Isekai Is Set To Overtake All Other Anime Genres in 2025
2024 was a great year for isekai content, but 2025 is shaping up to be just as impressive, with new shows like Übel Blatt and Headhunter to Another World and returning favorites like Re:Zero and Shangri-La Frontier proving that isekai stories aren’t going anywhere anytime soon — especially now that it’s nipping at the heels of an action genre stacked with shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Solo-Leveling. After seeing this report, it’s clear isekai has real staying power, and should its popularity continue its upward trend in 2025, it may very well become the number one most-watched anime genre, period.
Source: White Box Entertainment Research
