Highlights
- Age is just a number in isekai anime, with older protagonists like Youji Itami leading the charge in engaging narratives.
- Uncle From Another World and Sasaki And Peeps showcase eccentric adult characters embracing the isekai realm in unique ways.
- Demon Lord, Retry! stands out with a middle-aged protagonist and a touch of humor, offering a fresh take on the cliché isekai genre.
Catering to the notion of escapism, Isekai anime are all about relinquishing one’s past existence for a new life of adventure. With such a premise, most isekai narratives naturally feature youthful protagonists leading the charge. However, not all isekai anime adhere to this preset notion, with several series presenting a more mature take with older protagonists at the helm.
Some have been blessed with immortality, while others are transported to new worlds in their original bodies, giving way to a narrative with relatively older main characters. While older protagonists are often associated with dull, mundane premises, these engaging isekai anime are proof that age is just a number.
6 Gate
Youji Itami Is a 33-Year-Old Otaku
Gate features an otaku protagonist at the forefront, and while this archetype is commonly linked to younger characters, 33-year-old Youji Itami proves that there’s no age limit to being an otaku. With Japan being invaded by mythical creatures from a fantasy world, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) forms a task force to investigate the fantasy realm.
Since Youji is an Otaku with in-depth knowledge of fantasy creatures, he’s naturally the perfect candidate to lead the task force. Despite nearing his mid-thirties, Itami has a rather youthful disposition, though this could be attributed to his Otaku interests and infatuation with fantasy worlds. The anime meshes modern technology with medieval fantasy elements, coupled with some engaging political intrigue.
5 Uncle From Another World
Uncle Wakes Up From a Coma At the Age Of 34
Uncle From Another World is another oddball isekai premise featuring an adult at the forefront, albeit one laden with eccentricities. After spending seventeen years in a coma, Yousuke “Uncle” Shibazaki wakes up at the age of 34. Instead of lying unconscious in a comatose state, Uncle reveals that he was isekai’d to a fantasy realm.
With his nephew acquainting him with the modern world, Uncle and Takafumi form an unconventional uncle-nephew bond. Uncle’s character can feel unpalatable at times, yet he also stands out among the isekai landscape’s many protagonists. Uncle also stays true to his millennial roots through his obsession with SEGA games and other 2000s otaku trends.
4 Sasaki And Peeps
Sasaki Meets Peeps At the Ripe Age Of 39
With a talking bird and a 39-year-old corporate slave at the helm, Sasaki And Peeps cranks up the absurdity by throwing all manner of bizarre elements into the mix. After Sasaki adopts a Java bird, he soon realizes that his new pet is an isekai’d sage from another world. However, this is merely the beginning of Sasaki’s fantasy adventure, as he awakens new powers, gets recruited by a secret organization, and eventually becomes embroiled in a war in another world.
With a mix of adventure, comedy, and fantasy, Sasaki And Peeps has it all, although the constant back and forth between worlds can make the narrative seem a bit convoluted. Still, it’s refreshing to see a 39-year-old leading this power fantasy, a rare sight within the isekai landscape.
3 Demon Lord, Retry!
Hakuto Kunai Is a 45-Year-Old Demon Lord
With an MMORPG world and the tried-and-tested demon king archetype, Demon Lord, Retry! doesn’t exactly offer anything that unique, making it seem like another cliché isekai. However, the series manages to differentiate itself through one aspect — a middle-aged protagonist. Instead of transmigrating into a younger body, Akira Oono finds himself in the body of Hakuto Kunai, the game’s 45-year-old demon lord.
The rest of the anime, unfortunately, follows the same premise as any other isekai, with an assemblage of beautiful babes following Hakuto around. Hakuto and Aku’s somewhat wholesome relationship is an enjoyable part of the show, though it fails to redeem the anime in any way.
2 I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level
Azusa Aizawa Has Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years
As the name suggests, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level follows a former corporate slave’s slow life of killing slimes every day for over three centuries. However, this ends up landing her at the highest possible level, attracting all manner of trouble.
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While Azusa’s physical body resembles that of a teenager, her actual age in the fantasy world is well over 300. The series doesn’t offer much on the action and adventure side of things, as it largely presents itself as a wholesome slice-of-life in a fantasy world. Since Azusa’s reincarnation takes place three centuries ago, the isekai element is only faintly present.
1 The Devil Is a Part-Timer
Sadao Maou Has Reigned As Demon Lord For More Than 300 Years
In the land of Ente Isla, Satan is a reigning demon with a power-hungry quest to take over the continent. After being forced to retreat through a portal to Earth, however, the very same demon lord turns into a part-time worker struggling to make ends meet on his minimum wage. With an amusing slice-of-life spin on the isekai theme, The Devil Is a Part-Timer features a truly one-of-a-kind premise.
Taking on the name Sadao Maou on Earth, Satan presents himself as a 21-year-old part-time worker. However, his real age is over 300, since the demon lord is a near-immortal being. Despite his ripe age, Satan takes on the role of a young part-timer almost too perfectly, a fact that adds on to the show’s eccentricities.
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