Whether one likesIsekaior not, chances are, they’ve already seen one albeit in a sneaky manner. Because Isekai exists not only in western movies but also in TV shows. Because even some of the earliest American TV series have incorporated a “trapped in another world” trope. It’s safe to say that this fascination with an escape or distraction granted by another realm transcends many cultures.
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Many of the TV shows are cartoons while others are more serious fantasy or sci-fi adventures that were blessed with enough budget for live-action. All of them areundeniably Isekaiand some are even so before the genre was classified or existed. So anyone looking for a change of scenery or a different flavor of Isekai will do well to check out these shows.
10Flash Gordon
Initially,Flash Gordonwas a comic strip about a handsome and athletic titular blond man who finds himself stuck on the planet of Mongo after nearly colliding with Earth. Flash was then compelled to participate in a war against the local tyrant of Mongo, Ming the Merciless.
Thankfully, Flash Gordon’s comic book origins paint him as a capable man and a Polo athlete. In the cartoon TV adaptation of 1979, he wields swords and has a certain proficiency with alien guns. That along with his natural charisma and impeccable piloting skills, Flash Gordon manages to topple a dictatorship.
9Land Of The Giants
Even older than theFlash Gordonadaptation,Land of the Giantswas one of thepioneers of sci-fishenanigans gone wrong as a spaceship from Earth was forced to crash-land on a similar planet. The catch is that the inhabitants of the Earth-like planet are twelve times the size of regular humans.
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So it’s pretty much a space-age rendition of the Brobdingnag segment of Gulliver’s Travels. It’s then up to Capt. Steve Burton and his unlucky crew to survive and cope with their vulnerable existence as the smallest humans in their new world.
8Dinotopia
ThinkJurassic Parkexcept the dinosaurs aren’t GMO mutants and their human neighbors aren’t greedy scientists and businessmen but fantasy denizens. That’s Dinotopia in a travel brochure, which sounds a lot better thanJurassic Park. In any case, two brothers named Carl and David got themselves stuck in Dinotopia after a plane crash marooned them in the odd world.
The two of them had no choice but to play the clueless modern tourists part as they also participate in Dinotopia’s inter-species politics. Their newfound life soon becomes more challenging as they try to adjust and find their purpose in their new world.
7Farscape
There’s plenty of episodes and longevity to be had inFarscapewhich usually means fans loved it enough. Looking atFarscape’s awards, it’s safe to say that one can’t go wrong with a sci-fi series such as this one. It all begins when an astronaut named John Crichton’s space vessels careened out of control during a mission.
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Afterward, he was flung to the farthest corners of the known universe where he happens upon an intergalactic war. Of course, he has no choice to join if he wants a chance to get back to his own comfy corner of the galaxy. Back then, it was one of the most groundbreaking pieces of media that ever premiered.
6The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
It wasn’t Mario and Luigi’s best outing nor is it the most dignified, butThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!is an Isekai through and through. Granted, their whole adventure isone big Isekaiescapade from the get-go even in the games but their own show emphasizes that.
Both Mario and Luigi in their own show regularly enter open pipelines that mysteriously lead to different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom as they try to achieve their goals of rescuing Princess Peach or endeavors. It comes in both cartoon and live-action segments, making it an eccentric kids' show which explains why it only lasted one season.
5Spider-Man Unlimited
Not to be confused with some of the latestSpider-Manvideo games,Spider-Man Unlimitedis the webslinger’s own little pocket adventure outside of his usual New York City comfort zone. It takes place in a parallel universe called Counter-Earth.
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Spider-Man travels to this parallel world and discovers that it’s not exactly rainbows and butterflies there, unlike whatmany Isekaihad in mind. In fact, he finds a tyrannical villain and similarly despotic enemies in this warped version of Earth.
4Over The Garden Wall
Over The Garden Wallis a miniseries that got overshadowed by the more established 2010s giants likeAdventure TimeorThe Amazing World of Gumballbut like them, it’s filled with pop-culture references and surrealist scenery. It’s also a recipient of several Emmy awards and nominations where its unique American folklore art style is notably praised.
Over the Garden Wall’sIsekai worldis a little more grim and pessimistic though. It’s a mysterious Lovecraftian place called The Unknown; it’s a place two brothers named Wirt and Greg stumbled upon during their stroll in the woods. It’s worth seeing the show based on that setting and premise alone and watching it feels like peering inside a fever dream.
3Samurai Jack
One of the most artistic parts of plenty of millennials' childhoods thanks to Gendy Tartakovsky and Cartoon Network,Samurai Jackis a cartoon unlike any other. It’s supposedly a kid’s show but it’s unapologetic about violence and borderline gore. More than that, there’s a somber and minimalistic tone and theme to it and many other shows would do well to imitate.
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Samurai Jackis all about one honorable warrior’s plight after Aku, a shapeshifting master of darkness plunged him into the far future where the latter has won and shaped reality as he saw fit. Now, the foolish samurai warrior seeks to undo everything that is Aku, but he’s quite clueless about it since he’s a man lost in time with nothing but a sword.
2Solar Opposites
Solar Oppositesis voice actor/director Justin Roiland’s own project after a side story presumably fromRick and Morty,inspired him. Granted, it’s a tamer show compared to its louder and more boisterous cousin, butSolar Oppositesis also a familyIsekai adventure.
The sci-fiadult cartoonfollows the exodus of a family of aliens after their planet, Schlorp, was plunged into an apocalypse. They ended up on Earth, of all places. Hence, they must then adust to their Earthly life while living around the human beings' destructive and “primitive” customs.
1Rick And Morty
Speak of the devil and it shall appear.Rick and Mortydoesn’t share the fuzziness or seriousness associated with most Isekai shows but it’s one of them, undeniably. It’s about the uber-genius scientist and inventor Rick and his clueless and passive grandson, Morty as they embark on a multi-dimension-hopping adventure in what appears to be vulgar vandalism ofDoctor WhoandBack to the Future.
In many of these dimensions, Morty often finds respite and newfound interest in his own multiverse. There is also one nihilistically dark episode in the first season where Morty is forced to live in another dimension similar to his old one after Rick destroyed it. Can’t get more Isekai than that.
