Summary
Isekai Animehas many different tropes, settings, and characters that are quite cliché. But among all the things that could become a ‘red flag’ for fans, certain phrases the MC uses occupy a special place in the ranking of themost annoyingthings that isekai characters and protagonists cansay.
From the typical manifestation of ‘refusal to the call’ in the form of past traumas that make no sense, to constantly yelling the names of their enemies, allies, and other characters in an overly dramatic fashion. Here are the things Isekaiprotagonists say that annoy the fansthe most, in a ranked list.
8I Don’t Want To Fight
Followed Closely By ‘I Will Defeat You’
The refusal to the call is one of the typical tropes of every fantasy adventure series,where the hero is reluctantto follow his path and become what he is meant to be: a savior or a destroyer (in some cases). But the problem lies with the overused cheap drama that puts a lot of emphasis on past traumas, and the MC screams in agony as he realizes he has to fight for survival in a world that will not sugarcoat things for them.
That’s when the MC openly states something like: ‘No, please, I don’t want to fight, I’m scared.’ Both fans and the producers know very well that the most common resolution for that is: ‘I will defeat you, no matter what!’ Another annoying phrase that has been going around Fantasy Anime for a while now, and that repeats itself to the point of breaking down immersion in 8 out of 10 isekai anime.
7I’m Scared, Save Me Please!
When They Refuse To Accept The Consequences Of Their Reckless Actions
Diving into a dungeon all alone out of arrogance, to quickly realize they are not fit for combat, is one of the most cliché experiences MCs will live through duringtheir path to becoming powerful. And everything would be just fine if they reacted normally to fear: either fight or flight. The thing is that most of the time, they get paralyzed and begin an endless introspection, followed by crying and surrendering to their fate, to later realize they had the power to survive all along, or are miraculously rescued by a mentor-like/possible love interest character.
It would make much more sense to have a hero recognizing their flaws, and accepting their weaknesses, than a 15-year-old guy who believes himself invincible, crying on the floor while gripping the dirt, screaming: ‘I’m scared, help me! Someone help me!’ More often than not, this happens inside a dark dungeon, ruin, or a place that looks like a deathtrap from the get-go. Some characters shine brighter than others by solving an unexpected situation or a dangerous encounter by not breaking down at the slightest sign of a real threat to their lives, and that’s a good way for fans to identify gold from rubble.
6You Will Pay For That
Announcing Your Enmity Publicly Is Never A Good Idea
Every great hero needs a villain, an antagonist whose appearance marks the beginning of a new arc in every fantasy or Isekai anime. And most of them are a little bit cliché, too. From arrogant party members kicking out the main characters for selfish reasons,to ridiculously incompetent villainswho cannot distinguish two fingers even if they hit them right in their face. But, when a good villain that is far more powerful than the hero appears, and it takes something precious from them through force or cunning political maneuvers, Isekai MCs tend to have a particularly annoying catchphrase to answer back the first offense: ‘You will pay for that!’
It is extremely hard to understand why villains don’t just go right ahead and kill the MCs the moment they declare their animosity to them in a public hearing, or even in the middle of battle. Some villains are just cut from the old trope, ‘I will let this punk live, just because it’s fun,’ which more often than not proves to be a bad decision. On the other hand, some heroes (like Naofumi) tend to be extremely oblivious and naive, and let the villains go time and time again, going around causing trouble instead of executing them on the spot or imprisoning them. So it goes both ways: offended heroes tend to forgive too easily, and villains who defeat future troublesome heroes tend to say, ‘grow stronger, then challenge me again.’
5Huh? What Does This Mean?
And Asking When They Already Know The Answer
Most Japanese reincarnators or isekai’d main characters have this necessity to either overexplain things in endless monologues, or use one of the most annoying phrases to show off their lack of common knowledge: ‘Ara? What is that?’ or ‘What does that mean?’ Nothing screams ‘I’m a stranger in a strange land’ louder than not having an ounce of common sense or local knowledge, and going around pointing at things and compelling others to explain how the world works.
If an MC is reincarnated into a game world, they are overly familiar with how things work there, so they tend to be on the side of over-explainers. On the other hand, those who are not entirely knowledgeable about the common tropes of the Isekai genre will find themselves distraught and asking for directions instead of carefully observing their surroundings and learning from others. Still, there’s also the worst case: those characters that know things but ask anyway because somebody has to explain them to the audience. This pseudo fourth-wall-breaking comes in various forms, but the Guild Ranking system is the most notorious one.
4I Come From An Island Nation In The East
You Are Not On Earth, And Not Fooling Anyone
In many cases, Isekai main characters need to deal with the questioning of their identity as a part of the ritual of initiation into the new world they have been thrown into. FromSubaru (Re:Zero) to Kazuma Satou (Konosuba), all of them had to give explanations about their motherland or place of residence before coming to the ‘big city’ to live as adventurers, and most of them answer with the following phrase: ‘I’m from an island in the East.’
The problem is, they don’t even know if this world has the four cardinal directions to begin with. Plus, there’s a high possibility of the east of that world being an enemy country, or being an absolute hellscape that no creature in their common sense would inhabit. So, when fans hear these vague explanations instead of level-headed characters that try to avoid suspicion by investigating a little bit before talking, its terribly annoying.
3I Shouldn’t Stand Out
Flash News: You Are Probably Going To Stand Out Anyways
From the nervous bullied student summoned to another world, to the salary man who finds himself in a fantasy realm after a sudden encounter with the deadly truck-kun, most isekai main characters have a thing for stating they don’t want to stand out, since their common sense tells them it will be dangerous to attract unwanted attention. Then, they mostly manifest it with the overly cliché phrase: ‘I should try to not stand out,’ right before joining the guild wearing legendary armor, having a dragon god as a pet, or destroying the magic measuring machine several times in a row.
So, what happened with not wanting to stand out? What purpose does this phrase serve if the main character is going to break the rules of common sense anyway? It seems like the mandatory cliché statement of not wanting to draw attention has been placed quite high among some of the most annoying things isekai anime characters say, and for a good reason.
2Can You Explain This Ranking System For Me?
Yes, Yes, We Know: S Is The Best, F Is The Worst
No respectable isekai anime would be complete without a mandatory visit to the merchant/adventurers guild or any other form of corrupt organization that tries to take advantage of poor and desperate people and has a hierarchical system based on ranks. And, of course, when this happens, there’s always an MC asking the worst possible thing: ‘Can you explain the rankings for me?’ Seriously? Are they not more interested in asking how people with cat ears wear hats?
This annoying necessity Isekai’d characters have for asking about the ranking systems in a fantasy world adventurers' guild has been a common trope that tires fans to the point of making them want to scream. Among the things isekai anime characters can say, this is one of the most obnoxious of all. However, there’s yet another annoying phrase that outranks it, one that could break this entire ranking system (pardon the pun) forever.
1You Cheater!
He’s The Protagonist, He Is Far Superior Than You, Get Over It
If villains and heroes are a common trope in fantasy and isekai anime, then rivals and former party members who kick the MCs out, only to later discover their own inadequacy, are also frequent. Vicious, selfish, and probably suffering from the Chūnibyō syndrome, these folks are quite annoying without even being caught on camera after they kicked the MC to the curb. And everything would be just fine if they went ahead with their lives and carried on after going their separate ways, but no, they had to come back, repeatedly, and then accuse the protagonist of ‘cheating’ somehow to gain more gold, fame, levels, or followers.
The mere fact that the people they used to look down upon have been outranking them for some reason sends these arrogant isekai or fantasy characters into a rampage. This outburst of emotions includes screaming the names of the person they kicked out each time they fail, as if wailing like a madman in the middle of the streets or the guild hall would change anything. Then, to add insult to injury, these folks tend to follow up with a tremendously overused trope: the use of violence or coercion to get what they want, or worse, kidnaping the love interest of the main character to force a trial by combat/duel in public, only to be humiliated, and, as readers might have guessed it, call the MC a ‘cheater,’ all over again.
