Summary
Isekai Animeand Manga have tons of characteristics in common, but also lots of differences, most of which are related to the mechanics of adapting the story and animating the characters. So, which series have greater differences between the Manga and the Anime?
This list spotlights Isekai Mangathat are different from their Anime, due to a considerable change of pacing, direction, storytelling focus, and other considerable modifications during their jump to the screen. From a comedic series about an isekai’d handyman turned into an anime romcom, to a series that had to refocus on the psychological aspects of its main character.
Readers be warned! Beyond this point, there are some spoilers for popular Isekai Anime. Read at your own discretion.
Handyman Saitouis a series about a guy who was poorly treated back on Earth, but upon being transported to a fantasy-like world, his experience doing odd jobs for most of his adult life becomes greatly appreciated. The original Manga is a series of shorts, about several different characters that cross paths while exploring the great labyrinth, and though there is a certain dose of romantic comedy, the drawn version of the series has a slightly different pacing.
The worldbuilding has also been tremendously ignored in the anime, not doing it enough justice and twisting the setting, in exchange for focusing on the romantic comedy parts.Some of the side charactershave been toned down to make the audience focus on the relationship between Realza and Saitou. This doesn’t diminish the quality of the story, but changes the mood considerably.
One of the best things that The Rising of the Shield Hero Manga has is its colorful and deep worldbuilding, but the anime has suffered a considerable change of focus that turns it into a completely different story. The main character, Naofumi, has a much darker side than that of the Manga, and his rage spiral is seen as much more dramatic than it truly is.
Naofumi from the Manga series is cool and collected, and the story has a smoother pacing, focusing more on the relationship of the characters than on the action scenes. Contrary to that, the Anime makes an extreme emphasis on the combat part with extended battle scenes, and even skipping important pieces of information like Eclair’s origin story, for example, or the reasons why the Vassal weapons choose their wearers, which is extremely important for the development of some characters.
There are tons of differences betweenRe: ZeroManga and the Anime, but the one that makes more noise is the extreme treatment its main character has gone through. Though many fans complain thatSubaru Natsuki is quite a rough character, it is undeniable that his mental resilience is godlike, and here is where the main difference is: the amount of pain and suffering he goes through in the anime is greatly exaggerated.
One thing is for sure: the Anime does skip a lot of internal monologues that Subaru has, and this does add to the mystery of his Return by Death ability. And this keeps going on Arc after Arc, including one important piece of the story, which is the Royal Selection Arc. During the Manga, the author went really deep into the backstory of each of the candidates, revealing important details about Anastasia and Priscilla that were revealed much later in the anime.
The first Arc ofArifuretahas to be one of the most vicious and savage from zero to hero tropes in the history of Manga and Anime. In the anime, fans witness how Hajime Nagumo goes from being deadweight to an absolute beast in a matter of minutes, but the Manga does real magic when it comes to portraying the suffering and the cost his rise to power had.
Nonetheless, both Hajime from the Manga and the Anime areconsidered quite edgy and overpowered, and that is a common trope that most isekai have, but inArifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, this is elevated to the utmost. However, one of the things the anime does is skip really important developments for Hajime’s companions, especially Shera.
Cautious Herohas to be one of the most underrated isekai manga/anime of all time, and the worst part of it is that the story actually makes sense. Seiya is an exaggeration of dozens of tropes about the typical Summoned Hero, but it hides a really powerful reason for being how he is: a deeply rooted psychological trauma that will leave readers asking themselves: ‘Wait, wasn’t this a comedy? Why is this suddenlyBerserk?’
In fact, the anime doesn’t do a good job of switching from comedy to action. While the Manga has some flawless funny moments, they are greatly exaggerated in the anime, and the interactions of the characters are plagued with tsukkomu and comedic relief moments. Ultimately, this softens the impact of the ‘big reveal,’ turning Seiya’s tragic past into just a footnote in the story. Perhaps that’s the reason why this serieswas never renewed for a second season.
Mushoku Tenseiis one of themost polarizing isekai anime, which has thousands of fans and haters, especially since its main character is the reason why the opinions are divided, between praising the great adaptation of the anime, and also criticizing it for leaving aside some of the darker aspects of Rudeus' personality.
In fact, the anime does an immense effort in showcasing Rudeus' growth as he matures into a full-fledged magician and semi-respectable member of society. As he experiences love, loss, and beyond, he turns away from his original Hikikomori/Perverse side, and adopts a much more ‘family guy’ demeanor. Settling down with Sylphiette did wonders for his character growth, and this is something that can be said about both the Light Novels and the Anime, but the Manga leaves aside a bit.
