By [ad_1]
Though it might be difficult to believe, not all isekai characters are created equally. Though the protagonists all get teleported to another world and find themselves living a life that’s similar to a power fantasy, that doesn’t mean they’re all likable.
Instead, many of them, when they first show up, can be annoying for a variety of reasons. Some of them are spoiled, some of them are so stoic it becomes boring. But with character development and enough time, any character can become interesting eventually. Fans can change their mind once they start to understand the person they’re watching more.
10 Seiya’s Cautious Gimmick Is Ridiculous Until It’s Explained (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious)
The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious lets the viewer know how Seiya is from the moment the character is introduced. Seiya uses his full power to defeat even a slime. When he first appears he doesn’t even want to go to the new world yet without training more to make sure he’s completely ready. This gimmick can wear thin pretty quickly, but learning what happened to Seiya to make him so cautious can cause a complete turn-around on how the viewer feels about the him.
9 Kirito Feels Very Milquetoast Until His Flaws Are Explored (Sword Art Online)
It’s not that Kirito isn’t likable at the start, it’s that he doesn’t leave any kind of impression at all. He’s placed in this impossible position and doesn’t seem to panic but also doesn’t have a particularly impressive plan. He uses his knowledge as a “beater” to level up quicker and make it up the tower, but that’s just plot progression. What actually makes Kirito likable is in the much-derided second half, where he shows his determination to get Asuna back to the real world.
8 Sora Seems Too Cocky Until He’s Challenged Without His Sister (No Game No Life)
Sora and Shiro make their way to No Game No Life’s world and instantly make a name for themselves with their abilities. But Sora and Shiro’s overconfidence can grate on the nerves when they’re first introduced. There are plenty of overpowered protagonists within the isekai genre, and Sora’s overconfidence originates with him being good at games and nothing else.
But seeing Sora operate with the intent of helping the human kingdom climb back into relevancy makes him a more entertaining character to watch, especially considering he’s paired with the useless Steph throughout a majority of the series.
7 Yotsuya Seems Like An Edgy Character But Becomes The Leader Of The Team (Standing On A Million Lives)
Yotsuya seems like an edgelord at first, and that’s not entirely inaccurate. But his willingness to put in the hard work time after time even though he keeps getting the worst classes shines through. He’s not a great leader, but between the entire group, he’s earned the role thanks to his ability to think quickly and make the pragmatic moves when no one else does. He’s managed to save the entire party and get them back to the real world multiple times, even showing he’ll put the others first when they have a better chance at winning than he does.
6 Shin Wolford Is Overpowered But Teaches His Friends To Be Like Him (Kenja No Mago)
In Kenja no Mago, Shin Wolford is a pedestrian isekai protagonist—he’s incredibly talented, and his social skills are almost non-existent. It’s not that he’s not likable, it’s that no one would feel any one way about him either way. That’s until he and his classmates form the Ultimate Magicians. From that point on, the show is less about him showing off how overpowered he is, and more about him helping his friends to get strong in the same ways that he is. He’s constantly training all of his friends, making them into mages that can stand up against the rising threat of monsters.
5 Rem Starts Out Murdering Subaru But Becomes His Close Ally (Re: Zero)
Rem is one of the most liked characters of the last decade, but it’s definitely from her actions later in the series. Early on, when she meets Subaru, she spends multiple episodes brutally killing him, no matter what actions he takes to try and change her and her sister’s minds. After he convinces her and her sister to stop, she becomes one of Subaru’s best friends. Rem’s hard-working and reliable nature changed the minds of viewers everywhere, with plenty of the series’ viewers rooting for her to become the main girl at the end.
4 Yuka Is A Constant Complainer That Gradually Tries To Live Up To Her Childhood Dreams (Standing On A Million Lives)
Yuka is one of the protagonists of Standing On A Million Lives. Much like Yotsuya, she doesn’t have much in the way of friends, and in her first appearance she immediately distrusts everyone and wants to go back home. But deep down she wants to help people, and eventually her arguing with Yotsuya becomes more like a sibling rivalry than her just disliking him.
When everything comes down to her during one adventure, Yuka manages to pull through and save everyone else, and not just for her own sake, but because she wants to be true to her younger self.
3 Rudy Is Much Too Perverted But Puts His Team First (Jobless Reincarnation)
Jobless Reincarnation’s primary character is a NEET who gave up on life after being mocked profusely by his classmates as a child. When he’s reincarnated into another world, he retains his old memory and personality, which means he’s kind of a pervert. It can be easy to not like him for this reason, but he’s also someone who wants to improve and make up for all the mistakes he made in his past life. He’s slowly eliminating the perverted aspects of himself in favor of doing the right thing and helping people.
2 Shiroe Is The Villain In Glasses But Cares About His Teammates (Log Horizon)
Shiroe is the lead protagonist of Log Horizon, and when he first appears he doesn’t stand out in a meaningful way from Kirito, aside from him wearing glasses. But what makes Shiroe work is just how much he cares about the world around him, and the people in it. He’s the Villain in Glasses, but he’s not actually a villain—that just refers to how he’s willing to go to any lengths to do what’s best for the people around him. Watching an intelligent hero be responsible not just for his own team, but the city his team lives in is unique, and something most anime don’t attempt to provide.
1 Gobta Is Weak But He Also Stands Up For His Friends (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
When Rimuru gives out level-ups to the goblins, they all change from tiny, helpless people into buff individuals to show off just how much they’ve grown. There’s one exception to this: Gobta, who’s more of a comedy character initially. But Tensura doesn’t just leave Gobta as merely a comedy character—instead he’s turned into the weakest member of the most powerful party in their world. He’s trained under the best swordmaster in the show, and even though he’s cowardly, he can more than handle himself in any fight, occasionally walking away with a surprising win.
About The Author
[ad_2]
