There are probably only 2 types of Isekai

[Representing_Tromba]

Consider this. All isekai falls into two categories, Chronicles of Narnia and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.

One is a portal fantasy where the characters embark on a journey to get home and/or explore the world while the other is a portal fantasy where future and/or earthly knowledge can be used to benefit or harm the world they land in. There is more to it than just that but it is what it primarily boils down to as there is some minor overlap with a few animes. Here are some basic examples that could be argued.

Narnia Style isekai

• SAO
• Re:zero
• Accendense of a bookworm(despite being about making a medieval society more future-like)
• Slime

Yankee style isekai

• Konosuba
• I'm in love with the villianess
• Dr. Stone(despite not technically being an isekai)
• Gate

 

[Fairemont]

I saw this the other week. It's an amusing take. XD

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I saw this the other week. It's an amusing take. XD

I thought so too. I wanted to see what others think.

 

[Naash]

Consider this. All isekai falls into two categories, Chronicles of Narnia and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.

One is a portal fantasy where the characters embark on a journey to get home and/or explore the world while the other is a portal fantasy where future and/or earthly knowledge can be used to benefit or harm the world they land in. There is more to it than just that but it is what it primarily boils down to as there is some minor overlap with a few animes. Here are some basic examples that could be argued.

Narnia Style isekai

• SAO
• Re:zero
• Accendense of a bookworm(despite being about making a medieval society more future-like)
• Slime

Yankee style isekai

• Konosuba
• I'm in love with the villianess
• Dr. Stone(despite not technically being an isekai)
• Gate

You raise a good point.
There is a very annoying thing in most isekai we see, be it manga or novel style.

You said "earthly knowledge can be used..."
But almost never ever, the protagonist uses their modern world knowledge to help the locals when it matters.

And when they do, it's completely overkill "magic from a faraway land you can't repoduce" used to stomp the bad guy or to showcases yet again their OP-ness or how awesome they are...

One chapter later, all of that will be forgotten by yet another moment of OP-ness...

 

[Dec]

I saw this the other week.

Same.

And ye, I do agree. That categorization fits a bit too good

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I thought so too. I wanted to see what others think.

I think make one about regression stories.

 

[Dec]

I think make one about regression stories.

Aren't those basically copies of themselves? ?

 

[Aaqil]

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Aren't those basically copies of themselves? ?

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

There are two types of isekai:

1) Finished
2) Axed/Unfinished

 

[LEGENDGOD1]

I saw this the other week. It's an amusing take. XD

me too.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

I would say there are only two types of portal fantasies, but I would say there is something else that makes them different.

Chronicles of Nania and Overlord, the former is about a world that is unknown and the latter is about a world that is on some level already known.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Consider this. All isekai falls into two categories, Chronicles of Narnia and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.

One is a portal fantasy where the characters embark on a journey to get home and/or explore the world while the other is a portal fantasy where future and/or earthly knowledge can be used to benefit or harm the world they land in. There is more to it than just that but it is what it primarily boils down to as there is some minor overlap with a few animes. Here are some basic examples that could be argued.

Narnia Style isekai

• SAO
• Re:zero
• Accendense of a bookworm(despite being about making a medieval society more future-like)
• Slime

Yankee style isekai

• Konosuba
• I'm in love with the villianess
• Dr. Stone(despite not technically being an isekai)
• Gate

I had been seeing less and less of "going on an isekai adventure just to go home" works and they aren't on the whole "let's use otherworldly expertise to completely screw with the natives".

Instead, what I mostly read is "let's use otherworldly HAX (Golden Finger) to completely screw with the "hostile" natives" aka system novels that have MC being from Earth and got yeeted to Htrae with GMod.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I think make one about regression stories.

All regression stories fall into the category of Robinson Crusoe because it involves a person being brought to nothing and having to work back up to it again.

I would say there are only two types of portal fantasies, but I would say there is something else that makes them different.

Chronicles of Nania and Overlord, the former is about a world that is unknown and the latter is about a world that is on some level already known.

True. Though it is argued that porfal fantasy and isekai are the same exact genre with different names. I can see what you are saying. Though I would argue that Overlord is a Yankee isekai because it follows having knowledge of the world already.

 

[Bartun]

There cannot be a more 'American' isekai than GATE

 

[Representing_Tromba]

There cannot be a more 'American' isekai than GATE

I thought is was pro Japan and anti america?

 

[Bartun]

I thought is was pro Japan and anti america?

It is anti-American just as Apocalypse Now is an anti-war movie. They still do it the American way. They even reference Colonel Kilgore and pay homage to the iconic helicopter assault.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

It is anti-American just as Apocalypse Now is an anti-war movie. They still do it the American way. They even reference Colonel Kilgore and pay homage to the iconic helicopter assault.

That's fair. It has the American spirit

 

[Bartun]

Posting these for the curious. ?

 

[istryj]

(Probably bad translate)The way I see it:
1. A person ends up in a place — either known or unknown to society — with no regular communication or contact possible.
2. They arrive by metods known or unknown to society, with no way to return at will.
3. The displaced person gains unique or exceptional abilities stemming from their origin (Earth) or the very fact of their displacement.

The whole point of isekai is having adventures with a superpower that was handed to you for free. SAO is not isekai.

This is what unites stories about isekai and sets them apart from other genres. . And isekai itself, perhaps, is a subgenre where reincarnation is a common but not mandatory way of transportation.