Today’s isekai anime often ends with the main character living a completely new life in another world. Whether they were just randomly summoned or reincarnated to this world to start an adventure. However, there are very few characters who find their way home.
In addition to characters who accept adventure, there are also a handful of anime that feature characters who choose to return to the real world they once left behind.
Inuyasha – Traveling between two worlds
Inuyasha is a shounen series with a lot of emotional elements and it is loved when it comes to balancing shounen – shoujo. After Kagome Higurashi falls into the well, she crawls up and finds herself lost in Japan’s warring states period – a time when demons appeared everywhere. Kagome also discovers that she is the reincarnation of a priestess, she is forced to team up with the half-demon Inuyasha to complete the mission of gathering the shards of the Shikon jewel and preventing it from falling into the wrong hands.
Although Kagome travels both modern and historical instead of going to a completely different world, it is no different from isekai. A unique aspect of her adventure is being able to use the well to travel to two worlds.
Kyou Kara Maou! – Less hygienic method of travel
Some of the methods of getting around in the isekai are ideal, but there are still ways of getting around like in Kyou Kara Maou. Yuri Shibuya finds herself sucked into the world of reincarnation through the toilet. Upon arrival, Yuri declares himself to be the demon king, unlocks his hidden abilities and unwittingly engages the lord Wolfram von Bielefeld – the son of the former demon queen.
Although Yuri doesn’t know how to get home at first, he soon finds he can travel between worlds while diving in the water. After this discovery, he continued to alternate between ordinary life and adventures.
The Vision of Escaflowne – Reincarnated to a country engulfed in war
One of the earliest entries in isekai anime, The Vision of Escaflowne is a nostalgic look at the genre’s starting point. The story of the journey of Hitomi Kanzaki, who was transported to the parallel world Gaea. Hitomi Kanzaki is the last hope of the citizens of the Atlantis civilization, Gaea is caught up in a fierce war, led by the Zaibach Empire with advanced technology.
Hitomi returns to Earth midway through the series, just before the end of the final days of the battle. She was able to return to Gaea to aid in the final stages of the war, but was sent back to her original world when the war ended. Escaflowne has a bittersweet ending – while it is clear that Hitomi returns to Earth, this means she is separated from her lover Van Fanel – a citizen of Gaea.
Monster Rancher – Classic Isekai inspired by video games
When it comes to the animal training anime genre, anime fans will think of Digimon Adventure. However, many people will still remember Monster Rancher – a series broadcast at the same time as Digimon. The film is developed based on the video game franchise of the same name, Monster Rancher, following Genki Sakura – who is dragged into the world of his favorite game after participating in a tournament.
Throughout the events of season 1, Genki must help the inhabitants of this world to find the mysterious disc containing the legendary Phoenix, saving it from the evil Moo. When this mission ends, Genki finds himself forced back into the real world. However, because of the desire to raise monsters and fight alongside his friends, he found a way to return to the other world. Finally, Genki is able to move freely between kingdoms with his monster comrade Mochi.
Isekai Izakaya – Serving otherworldly food
The main characters of isekai are often involved in some great quest in the world of reincarnation. However, Isekai Izakaya did not follow this formula, but developed in a new direction. Employees in a diner discover a passage that connects them to a fictional world called Aitheria. They started serving traditional Japanese izakaya to other people in the Atherian world.
Despite becoming popular with people in Aitheria, Taishō’s ingredients can only be purchased on Earth. So they had to move back and forth between the two worlds.