Isekai is a genre that often appears in games, novels, manga and anime. This genre tells about adventures in another world, a world completely different from real situations. The topics covered are diverse, whether in games, reincarnation, the magical world…
The Isekai anime was first published in the 80s, specifically in 1981 with the title Superbook's Heroes. After that presence, other stories emerged during that time of year.
Here is a list of other isekai anime of the 80s:
1. Mashin Hero Wataru (1988)
Mashin Hero Wataru is a classic isekai anime about a superhero sent to a fantasy world to save it from an attack by a demon. The main character in this 1988 series is a 9-year-old boy named Wataru.
Wataru was brought to the world of Soukaizan by a dragon. There, Wataru succeeded in turning a clay statue into a super robot. Together with his other superhero friends, he explores the entire Soukaizan region to save this magical world.
2. Aura Battler Dunbine (1983)
Shou Zama is an 18-year-old teenager trapped in a fantasy world called Byston Well, a medieval-themed kingdom. Leadership there is held by a king named Drake Luft. Shou was directly ordered by him to help expand his territory by piloting “Aura Battlers”, robots in insect form. The reason is, people from “Upper Earth” like Shou have strong aura power.
When Shou discovered the king's secret intentions, he immediately joined the resistance group led by Neal Give. Fighting against Drake alongside their comrades, they risked their lives to keep Byston Well from being controlled by the greedy king.
3. Super Dimension Century (1983)
Super Dimension Century is an old isekai anime that tells the story of a world ruled by two major nations that control space powers. In 2062, they compete for space elevator technology. To them, there is no weapon more terrifying than the Time or Space Oscillation Bomb.
The reason is that if the bomb explodes, it will create many dimensions of space and time on earth. New worlds can be formed by combining pieces of different sizes. Kei Katsuragi, a fighter pilot, is tasked with detonating the bomb. Can he overcome the effects and return everything to normal?
4. Alice in Wonderland (1983)
As the title suggests, Alice in Wonderland is the story of Alice's adventures in Wonderland. This isekai anime is adapted from Lewis Carroll's novel by Nippon Animation in 1983. The story follows the same plot as the original story in the novel.
The story is about Alice following a white rabbit into a hole, lost in wonderland. There, Alice meets many unique characters that do not exist in her world, such as the mysterious Chesihire Cat.
5. The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko: Leda (1985)
This anime tells the story of Yohko Asagiri, who experiences unrequited love with his classmate. He plans to express his feelings through a song. However, suddenly a portal appeared pulling him into another world.
Yohko is trapped in a world called “Ashanti”. He immediately makes friends with a talking dog. Yohko's arrival opened the way between Ashanti and Noa. Seeing this, Zell, who has bad intentions, wants to make this access permanent and take control of it. However, Youko foiled Zell's plans by transforming into a Leda soldier and trying to protect the people of Noa.
6. Superbook's Heroes (1981)
Superbook's Heroes can be said to be the first isekai anime series created and aimed at children. This series was broadcast by Tatsunoko Production in 1981, telling the story of the friendship between Chris, Joy and Chris's toy robot named Gizmo.
One day, they found an ancient language book called Superbook. This magical book takes them on an adventure through the tunnels of time, meeting various book characters and witnessing history that was crucial to the change of the world.
7. Super Mario Brothers: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! (1986)
This is a movie about the adventures of two grocery store owners Mario and Luigi in the Mushroom Kingdom. The story begins when Mario is busy playing video games when suddenly Princess Peach comes out of the TV screen and cries. The princess asks for help to save her from the Koopa King. Mario, who immediately fell in love with Princess Peach, was determined to protect her.
However, King Koopa also walked out of the TV and pulled the princess back onto the screen. Too late, Mario finds Peach's small dropped brooch. The next day, Mario is approached by Kibesaro, a dog-like creature who immediately takes Peach's brooch. Mario gets angry and chases the creature to the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi.
8. Fairy King (1988)
This isekai anime tells the story of a sick boy named Jack. He moved to Hokkaido for medical treatment, but felt lonely.
At night, he met Chu Chulainn riding a horse. The man told Jack to open the window. Jack is thrown into a fantasy world called Nymphidia. There, he meets various unique characters and experiences exciting adventures with the magical power within him.
