Summary
Isekai anime are already notorious for their bizarre premisesand fantasy-like settings, yet some series crank up the absurdities with outlandish settings that defy all logic. From dystopian worlds to narratives set in alternate versions of history, mangaka have left no stone unturned in terms of presenting the weirdest isekai settings out there.
While it’s common for isekai anime to feature borderline lunacy and wacky narratives in seemingly simple settings, the opposite is rarely witnessed. However, these isekai anime flip the script with sound plotlines and decent narratives, but with an eccentric backdrop that is hard to ignore.
Isekai Quartetis an isekai fantasy that takes charactersfrom popular isekai seriesand throws them into an oddly unassuming high school. While the premise is already weird enough, the anime doubles down on its eccentricities by forcing the characters to live a normal school life.
Isekai Quartetpresents a largely comedic narrative that features chibi-style counterparts of leading characters from isekai shows such asKonoSuba,Overlord,andSaga of Tanya the Evil. Despite being a comical series that doesn’t take itself seriously, the anime still manages to do an impressive job of reflecting the characters’ original personalities.
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Japanese Title
Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox
On the surface,Battle Girls: Time Paradoxseems like another battle anime with cute girls at the forefront. However, this unassuming isekai anime actually features the famed samurai Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide from Japan’s Sengoku Period.
While several anime feature differentrenditions of Oda Nobunaga’s tale,Battle Girls: Time Paradox’s take is arguably the weirdest, as it features the country’s historical heroes transformed into women. With an all-female cast and the feminine versions of Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, the series offers an amusing battle anime that meshes together history with bizarre fantasies.
3Now And Then, Here And There
Dystopian Setting With Grim Subtexts
Dystopian worlds are a common settingin isekai anime, yetNow and Then, Here and Theretakes it up a notch with a world laced with war, poverty, slavery, and child labor. Oddly, the root of this conflict is water, a scarce resource in this otherworldly place.
Now and Then, Here and Theredives into all manner of nuanced themes about the suffering of the masses. However, there’s no denying that the anime’s setting deviates from the norm with its brutalistic conflict over a renewable resource that somehow became a novelty in this world.
The Ambition of Oda Nobunais an isekai anime set in Japan’s Sengoku period, with historical figures such as Oda Nobunaga leading the charge. Similar toBattle Girls: Time Paradox, the series’ version of Nobunaga and other samurai are all women, though their goal of reuniting the archipelago remains unaltered.
While the premise is largely similar toBattle Girls,The Ambition of Oda Nobunadifferentiates itself with a male protagonist who ends up in an only female version of Japan. With knowledge of theevents of the Sengoku Period, Yoshiharu helps these beguiling beauties in conquering Japan, all while being showered with their love and affection.
While Tanya’s character is largely responsible for the show’s success, there’s no denying thatSaga of Tanya the Evil’s weird setting adds an odd intrigue to the series. Thenarrative is set in Europe, albeit that of an alternate version of Earth, with much of its history being similar to the real world.
There’s one twist, however, as this rendition of World War 1 is fought with magic and mages alongside the usual artillery warfare. With the Empire representing Germany and its aggression in the First World War,Saga of Tanya the Evilmanages to capture the essence of the historical events of the real war, all while throwing in bizarre fantasy elements.
Driftersis another isekai anime that makes use of famous figures and historical events for an absurd isekai experience. Thefamed Japanese samuraiToyohisa Shimazu is transported to an alternate version of Earth, one where history collides and historical figures duke it out.
From Jean D’Arc and Hannibal of Carthage to Rasputin and Adolf Hitler,Driftersleaves no figure unexploited in this largely absurd battle isekai. Describing the series’ world as weird would be an understatement, though this very ridiculous setting is what subverts expectations and lends the anime its appeal.
