The Best Isekai Anime Like Rising Of The Shield Hero

Key Takeaways

• Naofumi’s struggle as the Shield Hero is unique, showing how he fights against betrayal & builds loyalty along his journey.
• The Rising of the Shield Hero
  similarities to other isekai anime offer fans new, engaging stories that explore similar dark themes.
• The anime focuses on protagonists facing hardships, making tough decisions, and dealing with betrayal that shape their characters.

The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of the most popular anime in recent anime seasons. It brings fans into the unfortunate story of Naofumi and how he goes from hopeful hero to disillusioned renegade. After being summoned to another world along with three other individuals, Naofumi is regarded as the great Shield Hero. Unfortunately, this gives him nothing but regret as he is framed, manipulated, and banished in the course of one night.

Naofumi is not the average isekai hero. He has to struggle to do the right thing, and sometimes fight his comrades who try to stand in his way. While Naofumi does find a few loyal friends along the way, he finds himself losing his humanity due to the way he is treated by the people of the world. The Rising of the Shield Hero has yet to air a new season, but there are many anime that match the tone and themes of the series that fans can watch right now. Here are some of the best isekai anime to watch if you love The Rising of the Shield Hero.

15 Uncle From Another World

Main Characters Who Had A Rough Start In Another World

Uncle from Another World is a whimsical and wacky story about a middle-aged man who spent his younger years inside a magical fantasy world where he was an all-powerful warrior. Unfortunately, his time in the fantasy world was filled with misfortune due to his appearance, which made citizens in the new world think he was an orc.

Both Ojisan and Naofumi have similar experiences, as the world they are summoned to isn’t exactly inviting to them, but they both do their best with the cards they’ve been dealt. Uncle from Another World follows Ojisan after he escapes the fantasy world and wakes up in the hospital, having aged considerably in his time away.

14 The Faraway Paladin

Strong Party Relationships

William was reborn into a magical fantasy world and awoke as a child in the presence of a skeleton, a ghost, and a mummy. While this would typically be the end of the story, the monsters surrounding William take him in and raise them as their own. This sparks a series of events that turn William into an amazing adventurer and an amazing person.

Each parent teaches William the necessities to survive in his new world, making him skilled in magic, combat, and healing. As William comes of age, he must set out on his own and experience the world firsthand. Both Naofumi and William have unique individuals they surround themselves with and with whom they create a lasting bond of trust and loyalty.

13 Ishura

Unconventional Main Protagonist

In a new and different fantasy world, a power vacuum is created when the current demon lord is vanquished, leaving his position, title, and army vacant of leadership. Seeking to sieze power and control, a number of individuals sprint for a chance to take the previous demon king’s place and elevate their position. Enter Soujirou, a young man who is transported to this world at random and has his own desire to become the next demon king.

A battle royal ensues, as Soujirou takes on all comers. Fans of how Naofumi sometimes has to play the story’s villain to ensure the right thing gets done will definintely enjoy Ishura.

12 Tsukimichi

Main Characters That Are Taken For Granted

Makoto was promised a beautiful goddess at birth to be his hero and champion humanity against the coming cataclysm. Unfortunately, the goddess is vain and rejects Makoto for his outward appearance. Instead, Makoto is banished from human civilization and forbidden from conversing with them entirely.

While down on his luck, Makoto finds a way to survive by befriending the local monster and demi-human population, and finding a family even among his struggles. Along the way, he also becomes one of the most powerful warriors in the land. Both Naofumi and Makoto have to deal with others negatively influencing how they live in the world they were brought to without a choice. Fans will enjoy the parallels between Tsukimichi and The Rising of the Shield hero.

11 How Not To Summon A Demon Lord

Similar Main Character Personalities

Two young girls seeking a solution to their problem decide to invoke a ritual and summon a powerful demon lord to their side. A young NEET in another world accidentally becomes the target of their spell while playing his favorite fantasy game.

He’s dragged into the fantasy world before the two girls, with the looks and abilities of his in-game character. Seeing an opportunity, he dawns his character’s name, Diablo, and charges the girls into his servitude in exchange for his help. Diablo is just a regular guy, just like Naofumi. However, he has a clear advantage over how he can handle those who try to do him harm.

10 I Got A Cheat Skill In Another World And Became Unrivaled In The Real World Too

Similar Power Systems

Yuuya was not a popular young man, and most of the people around him treated him with unprovoked disdain. His life grows even darker when the only person who showed any care for Yuuya passes away. Hitting rock bottom, Yuuya finds a door into another world where he finds magical items that boost his skills, stats, and abilities to unrivaled levels.

Shockingly, Yuuya can travel back and forth between the worlds, and his skills and abilities remain intact. An instant change occurs in Yuuya’s life, and he suddenly is on top of the world. While the opposite happens to Naofumi in Rising of the Shield Hero, they both obtain extremely powerful skills that set them apart from the rest of the world.

9 Sword Art Online

Exciting Action And Powerful Foes

Sword Art Online is an anime that changed the face of isekai genre forever. Kiroto is the protagonist, trapped inside a virtual reality fantasy game, along with thousands of other players, by the game’s creator. Charged with climbing the game’s tower in order to make it out alive, average children must deal with the realization that if they die in the game, they die in real life.

With a large amount of experience in the game, Kirito sets out to leave his peers behind and get a jump start in leveling up. Through the years of being trapped, Kirito has several experiences that lead him to join the fight and help free the people trapped in the game. Both Sword Art Online and Rising of the Shield Hero have high stakes and intense combat surrounding the well-being of thousands of lives.

8 Grimgar

Realistic Adventures And Consequences

Grimgar is a dark and gritty realistic isekai anime that places dozens of young individuals into the fray as they are teleported to another world. The story follows a small group of underachieving leftovers who must scratch and claw for every victory and try not to die in the process.

Haruhiro and his friends are pushed to their limits as they give more and earn less every day, just trying to slay a few goblins. No silver spoon is given to this small party, and no one holds their hand, even in grief. The rough road these characters have to walk down is similar to the unfortunate start that Naofumi’s adventure is burdened with.

7 Gate

Similar Harem Themes

Youji was an average man serving as a self-defense force officer, enjoying his day off and hoping to attend a local doujin convention. Unfortunately, on this day, Youji walks straight into an interdimensional dilemma when fantasy creatures erupt from a rift and begin attacking Japan. Being on the front lines, Youji pushes the monsters back with modern weaponry, and he and his squad take the battle all the way back to the source, a medieval fantasy world.

After a longwinded fight, both the fantasy world and modern world governments begin peace discourse and decide to aid each other by destroying the source of the issue, and Youji is placed on the front lines once again, along with a number of beautiful women from the other side.

6 Jobless Reincarnation

An In-Depth Series On A Heroes Journey

Rudeus dies in his past life and is given a second chance by a faceless god to be reborn in another world and do things differently. But even a second chance doesn’t make life easier. Rudeus is burdened with knowledge, and even when knowing the right choice to make, it is no easy task to defy fate. With a new family and a new future ahead of him, Rudeus is faced with dire decisions when he and his family are separated, and he must take it upon himself to bring them back together.

Jobless Reincarnation is a winding story that has sanned years, and it just recently concluded its third season. Both Jobless Reincarnation and Rising of the Shield Hero deal with heavy subject matter and traumatic themes, and both main characters must heal and learn from their mistakes.

5 The Eminence In Shadow

Powerful Characters With Loyal Harems

Cid was a peculiar individual in his past life, sneaking out at night and fighting local thugs. Unfortunately, his extracurricular activities cost him his life, and he found himself reborn in another world filled with magic and swordplay. With his memories intact, Cid set his eyes on a hefty task: To take control of this world from the shadows. He took proper action to make himself the most powerful individual for the role.

Step by step, Cid creates plans and manipulates entire governments thanks to his intellect and his loyal cohorts. Both Cid and Naofumi take on powerful kings and queens to get their way, even while on opposite sides of the field.

4 Overlord

Main Characters Who Are Loved By Some And Hated By Many

After waking up in another world in the form of his avatar from his favorite game, Ainz realizes he is no longer himself and is now the undead sorcerer-king of Nazarick. With all the NPC’s he and his guildmates created, it doesn’t take long for Ainz to explore the new world and decide what the best course of action is.

Soon, Ainz’s presence is known, as he seeks to take over the entire world and make it a safe place for his friends and loved ones. At the core of their person, both Ainz and Naofumi hold their loved ones above all else, and would forsake their own lives to protect them if need be.

3 Re:Zero

Main Characters Who Go Through Unimaginable Hardships

Subaru is dealt a bad hand after he is teleported to a fantasy world where things don’t quite go as planned. Having no special skills or abilities, Subaru befriends a white-haired elf and joins her on her quest to retrieve something precious. Things take a dark toll, and Subaru is killed, only to reawaken at a previous time in the world.

A series of events continues to end in his demise, and he relives his failures and mistakes over and over. Even though Subaru begins to understand his Re-Life ability, the trauma continues to take its toll. Re:Zero is a great story and a unique take on the isekai genre, similar to The Rising of the Shield Hero.

2 Skeleton Knight In Another World

An Outcast Can Still Be A Hero

Arc was a normal young man playing a video game when he suddenly awoke in another world wearing sparkling holy armor and being able to use special magical skills and a sword. Unfortunately, upon further investigation, Arc discovered that he had also become an undead.

While Arc sets out to find a way to restore his normal appearance, like an average RPG questline, he wastes no time playing hero and coming to a maiden’s rescue. This drags Arc into a series of encounters where he finds himself at a party and on a noble quest, placing his own goals on the shelf.

1 Arifureta

Main Characters Who Lose Their Empathy For Others

Hajime was a part of a class that were all teleported to another world at the same time. Summoned by a religious organization to aid them in fighting a dark threat, each student was given a special skill to make them useful.

Unfortunately, Hajime’s skill was not seen as useful, and while on a dungeon run, he was betrayed and left for dead. This ignited Hajime’s ambition, and with an intense desire to survive, he found himself evolving after feeding on the monster he killed. Learning to abuse his special skill, Hajime grew powerful and found a way out of the Dungeon with a new companion by his side. Now, he seeks to find a way home, abandoning his former friends and mowing down anything that gets in his way.