Isekai isn’t only made up of carefree overpowered protagonists and optimistic heroes fighting for justice. Sometimes, isekai protagonists can be cruel, demonic leaders or heartless warlords with purely selfish goals. While many isekai heroes do follow the standard “rescue the kingdom” route, others have more sinister motivations.
Whether due to the precariousness of their situation in the isekai world they’ve been reincarnated into, or due to a perspective gained in their past life, some carry an air of terror that can even rival the villains. Even though isekai is ordinarily a sub-genre where lighthearted is the rule, things can still get dark pretty quickly, and isekai’s darkest MCs demonstrate perfectly what happens when they do.
10 Hajime Nagumo (Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest)
After sinking to the depths of despair in a terrifying world of monsters, Hajime came out the other side with a newfound resolve. Surviving on nothing but the remains of monsters he killed in the dungeon, Hajime somehow made it out alive with new powers stemming from the monstrous flesh he was forced to ingest.
Midway through his journey to escape, Hajime stumbles upon Yue, a vampire who — prior to meeting Lugh — was locked away in the abyss for 300 years. When the two finally emerge from the darkness, they are an unstoppable team, having already survived the worst the world could throw at them.
9 Sota Mizushino (Re:Creators)
Sota was an aspiring artist whose life changed dramatically when the character from his favorite anime appears in real life to save him from another fictional character named Altair. Sadly, Altair’s creator was none other than Sota’s old friend, Setsuna, who died after being accused of plagiarism for her own drawings.
Sota blamed himself for her death as he refused to help her due to his own jealousy over her success as an artist. In the end, Altair wants nothing more than to get revenge for the death of her Creator, and Sota finds himself haunted by his selfishness at every turn.
8 Haruyoshi Kuga (The Reincarnation Of The Strongest Exorcist In Another World)
After being betrayed and killed in his past life, Haruyoshi uses a reincarnation spell to be reborn into another world and get a second chance at life. The nature of Haruyoshi’s abilities as an Exorcist are some of the darkest in isekai, despite the fact that he is generally a kind person who respects those around him.
Even though he lacks traditional magical power, Haruyoshi’s skills as an Exorcist give him the upper hand in his new life. Such skills include being able to use divinization, the use of Shikigami dolls to harm his enemies, and of course, the power to conjure spirits to do his bidding.
7 Subaru (Re:Zero)
Subaru’s story is one of repeatedly reliving a series of unfortunate events and the tragic toll it takes on a person. Unlike most isekai heroes who are simply reborn into another world, Subaru has the strange ability to be reborn an infinite number of times.
While this seems like a useful power at first, Subaru soon discovers the dark side of having such an ability. Though he remains as strong-willed as a normal person could possibly be in his circumstances, the weight of Subaru’s situation slowly begins to set in until he can’t take it anymore.
6 Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
From the moment he’s reincarnated as the Shield Hero, Naofumi doesn’t have it easy. That’s likely why he develops a cynical demeanor toward everything involving the Four Cardinal Heroes and the society their summoned to protect.
Still, Naofumi has a strong moral compass that won’t allow him to overlook when others are in trouble. His willingness to throw away the good life and his lack of support from the kingdom is what inevitably leads him to become the strongest of the Four Heroes.
5 Lugh (The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat)
Lugh was once the greatest assassin his world had ever seen — that is until the hunter became the hunted. Following his death, Lugh was reincarnated by a Goddess who sought to utilize Lugh’s particular skill-set on a special mission: kill the hero of another world.
After being reborn in an isekai of kingdoms and magic, Lugh has to use all the skills of cunning and recognizance he gained in his past life in order to carry out the Goddess’ mission. However, the one thing Lugh never learned in his past was how to live as an aristocrat: that’s one lesson he’s left to receive from his father.
4 Cid Kageno (The Eminence In Shadow)
Cid’s entire goal is to be an all-powerful being, and he succeeds at that with flying colors. In fact, Cid has been training for this moment his entire life, making him much better equipped to succeed in his isekai world than most protagonists would be.
Another aspect of Cid’s character that is unlike other isekai heroes is his ultimate motivation. Cid seeks power, and he wants to be the strongest being who controls everything from the shadows. In order to do that, he pretends to be a regular, mediocre person, hidden in plain sight so as not to make others suspicious of his true abilities.
3 Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord)
Ainz Ooal Gown is one of the more difficult-to-read isekai MCs. While he definitely has a moral code and treats people with respect, he isn’t afraid to take things using brute force. Viewers get the sense that Ainz doesn’t take the weight of his actions in Yggdrasil seriously, treating it more like the videogame he once knew it as than an actual world with real people.
Ainz is the perfect example of what happens when the classic overpowered isekai hero decides to use his powers for his own selfish goals instead of to save the world. If anything, the world needs saving from Ainz Ooal Gown and the Tomb of Nazarick.
2 Toyohisa (Drifters)
A merciless Samurai born during a dark period in history, Toyohisa is mortally wounded while at war. On the brink of death, he finds himself sent to a strange fantasy world where he must continue to fight for survival.
As a Drifter in this new world, Toyohisa is left as an outcast who is forced to team up with others like him who found themselves in the same situation. Toyohisa is thrust from one deadly war in his past life to another in this new world. Of course, that’s not an issue for Toyohisa, as he’s drawn to the battlefield by nothing by bloodlust and an insatiable desire to fight.
1 Tanya (The Saga Of Tanya The Evil)
Tanya is a far cry from the average happy-go-lucky isekai protagonist. Her sadistic approach to combat and ruthless battle tactics make her more like a villain than a hero.
Even though the viewer is left to empathize with Tanya after being in tune with her thought process and experiences, Tanya’s ultimate motivation is tragic, and her end goal is nothing short of evil. While Tanya has every reason to feel the way she does, it still doesn’t excuse the actions she takes.
