No true Fantasy trope could be complete without the sacred quest to slay the evil bad guy and protect the kingdom (or the world) from destruction. From prophecies that forecast a 100% probability of demon lords razing the lands to worldwide cataclysms that cannot be stopped unless the heroes find the cause and fix it.
So, if you feel the itch for watching one of such stories, this list has some of the best Isekai Anime with epic quests to save the world as part of their main storyline. Fans will surely appreaciate these stories, with great characters, worldbuilding, and fantastic designs that result in some of the most epic combat scenes in anime.
5 Familiar Of Zero
Girl-Summons-Boy Story, Sends Him To Save The World
Underneath all that obnoxious (and often commonly seen in Isekai) fan service, Familiar of Zero remains one of the best built “save the world” plots in modern Isekai. Released 18 years ago, this Isekai anime is about to enter the range of the classics, but luckily for fans of the genre, it is still available in several streaming platforms. From the get go, the story revolves around Louise and her strange familiar summoned from another world: Saito. The latter is just a common every day school boy (allegedly a dropout) who is tremendously fixated with girls, in the least healthy way.
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Forgotten Heroes In Isekai Anime
There’s a lot of isekai anime out there, and it was inevitable that quite a few heroes and heroines became forgotten over time.
But, and here’s where the plot makes a twist, he is the prophesized Gandarv (yes, the author took some liberties) and carries its mark, which allows him to basically use any weapon (or weaponized vehicle) like an expert. This power will be the main spark for Louise and Saito’s journey to save the world from destruction caused by political turmoil and conspiracies. Basically is a Man vs. Man conflict with the intervention of chosen heroes that need to save the world.
4 A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special
A Reverse Isekai, Its MC Only Wants To Save The World
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special is a reverse Isekai, and to avoid absolute spoilers, we will leave it at that. But what readers need to be aware of, if they’re looking for an Isekai anime where the main characters are set on a quest to save the world, is that Desir’s story diverts a little bit from that premise. He is a returner, that means, he has already tried to save the world and lost, thus, in his second try, he will do his best to protect those he saw dying in his past life.
This anime is based on a manhwa, and its art-style as well as storytelling is significantly different to what fans of anime are used to. Nevertheless, it is quite a dynamic and wholesome tale of love, loss, and friendship. And of course, all the things we see in fantasy anime: magic, demons, a lot of great military tacticians (since the main storyline deals with a full scale war against an anarchist group called the Outers) and with impeccable worldbuilding to boot.
3 The Rising Of The Shield Hero
The Only Responsible Hero Is The One Trying To Save The World
One of the hits of the last 10 years, The Rising of The Shield Hero has everything it needs to become one of the most popular animes of all times. Forcefully summoned to another world, Iwatami Naofumi needs to deal with the prejudice and disrespect of entitled nobles from the get go, and even worse: He is then falsely accused and exiled, left for dead in a hostile world. But Naofumi, as it turns out to be, slowly but steadily goes helping the inhabitants of that ungrateful world, with the helping hand of his vassals Raphtalia and Filo.
This is a story about revenge turned into duty, and disrespect turned into absolute admiration: not for nothin is called “The Rising” since well, it is basically the “rise from the bottom to the top of the world,” but instead of an edgelord like the one found in Arifureta you get a wholesome, sometimes a little rough on the edges, good fellow that is capable of turning the other cheek for the greater good. A true hero is not the one who is summoned for fame or fortune, but the one who sticks in the frontlines until the last second, saving lives.
2 The Faraway Paladin
The Perfect Example Of A Hero On A Sacred Mission
If there’s any Isekai anime out there that deserves praise for its faithfulness to traditional fantasy, that is The Faraway Paladin, and unlike many series that focus mainy on protagonists who are summoned to play some sort of game, in this particular case, the MC barely remebers his past life, and is solely focused on being a good and Faithful servant of the Goddess Of Lamplights.
Gracefeel has chosen William as his warrior and representative in the mortal world, a barely recognized Goddess, with little influence, so the hero needs to use all his wits and the help of others to survive the onslaught of slaying a dragon and saving the land. It is not just about saving the world, but overall, the quest of the champion, or the path of the one who serves a greater purpose. In many arcs to come, we will see William outgrow the simple legend of a Paladin in a God Forsaken land, and we will witness his metamorphosis into the savior he is destined to be.
1 The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat
Save The World By Killing The Hero, That Sounds Like A Twist Of Fate
- Genres: Action, Isekai, Fantasy, Sword And Sorcery
- N. Episodes: 12 (S1)
- Where To Watch: Crunchyroll
One of Earth’s finest (assassins) gets a second chance in a new world, courtesy of a lovely deity who wants to wipe out all the “heroes” summoned by other deities that are going on a rampage ever since. He is placed in the nucleus of a formidable (and quite creepy) family of noble assassins who strive to be the best of the best.
Swimming in a pond of luxurious resources and able to take advantage of his past life memories, Lugh will try to save the world doing what he is best at: Assassination. Of course, he will not do it alone, since he will count with the help of his faithful servant Tarte, and the fallen heiress of another noble family Dia. Together, they will form the most skillful assassination squad this world has ever seen. May the Goddess have mercy of those poor heroes abusing their cheating skills, because Lugh and his crew won’t.
