The Isekai genre often involves switching from the mundane to a fantasy world. As fans know, Isekai shows the protagonist in another world through reincarnation or transportation. In some cases, the protagonist can go back to the real world after they complete some tasks, but most times, they just have to adapt and get used to this fantasy world as it is now their new home.

Most protagonists do not do well with change, as they can have a hard time adapting to this new world. They face harsh realities that make it difficult for these protagonists to establish ground in this new world. All these make their journey to greatness even better as they undergo some major character development.

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7 Hajime Nagumo

Arifureta: From Commonplace To World's Strongest

Hajime struggles in his previous world and even more in this fantasy world that he and his classmates transport to. In the normal world, Hajime is a constant victim of bullying, and that does not change in this new world. Things might have been somewhat different if Hajime had magical powers like his classmates, but instead, he gets basic alchemy skills, which is nothing compared to having magic.

Once again, Hajime is left behind, but this time in abilities and physically. Hajime almost sacrifices his life to save his classmates, but these ungrateful people are quick to leave him behind after he falls to the bottom of the dungeon. This betrayal breaks Hajime, and it awakens a cynical side of him. Without anyone on his side, Hajime struggles a bit in this world, but he sees the light after his near-death experience and is on his way to becoming the strongest individual.

6 Rio Karasuki

Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles

Haruto dies and reincarnates as Rio in a fantasy world, Bertram Kingdom. Rio, in this fantasy world, lives in a slum, and regardless of what one has to offer, as long as people can see someone as inferior or lesser than themselves, they tend to shun them and pay no attention to them. This is exactly the case of Rio, who gets shunned because of his financial status.

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In this anime, Rio just wants to avenge his mother's death, and this is not a simple task. He finds himself in a magical and swordsmanship school where he faces discrimination from his mates. In addition, Rio finds himself fleeing as he is a suspect for a crime he did not commit. Haruto struggles to adapt to this life as Rio because he is an orphaned peasant who has to take care of himself, and he faces the harsh realities of life while still improving his magical and sword skills.

5 Shuzo Matsutani

Now And Then, Here And There

Shu went from being an average boy to being a child soldier because he wanted to be friends with Lala-Ru, a strange girl he saw sitting alone. Shu tries to save Lala-Ru from the people chasing her, and in the process, he transports to another world where there is an active war and no regard for children.

What Shu faces in this world is beyond what he could have imagined. He faces one unfortunate event after another that includes rape, genocide, violence, and lots more. He struggles in this world, but Shu does not let his struggles stop him from trying to protect and save Lala-Ru.

4 Haruhiro

Grimgar: Ashes And Illusions

Haruhiro and six people find themselves away from modern-day Japan and in Grimger, a fantasy world. Usually, when characters find themselves in another world, either through reincarnation or transportation, they at least have an idea of what is happening, or if they do not, they have time to understand their environment.

This is not the case with Haruhiro and the six others he is accompanied by. Firstly, they are in this strange world with no recollection of how they got there, and secondly, they have to immediately enroll as adventurers to survive. Off to a very rocky start, things still do not go smoothly as their leader, Manato, dies. This death further destabilizes Haruhiro and the rest, as they rely so much on Manato to survive and make a living. They struggle to survive, feed themselves, and find their place in this strange world.

3 Naofumi Iwatani

The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Before Naofumi transports to the fantasy world of Melromarc, he is a friendly and trusting person. Naofumi sees the good in people and is always open-minded, but when he gets to the world of Melromarc, he faces the worst betrayal of his life.

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Though he now has some insight into the craftiness of people, Naofumi has much room for improvement.

Naofumi meets Malty, the princess of Melromac, who welcomes him and treats him like a friend. All of a sudden, Malty turns on Naofumi as she steals from him and accuses him of sexually assaulting her. This accusation made the inhabitants of Melromac blacklist Naofumi, and he ceased to have their support regardless of his title as the shield hero. Lack of resources also made Naofumi struggle to get his bearings as he was unable to buy the equipment he needed to power up.

2 Myne

Ascendance Of A Bookworm

Urano is on the verge of getting her dream job as a librarian, but unfortunately, she dies and reincarnates at Myne in the medieval era. This switch in time does not favor the book lover in Urano, now Myne, as she struggles to get books in the medieval era.

Urano struggles as Myne because of the era she was born in and because of her sick and fragile body. Myne cannot engage in physical activities because of her weak body, and this frustrates Urano, who was once hale and hearty in her previous life. In addition to that, Myne has financial restrictions and cannot afford to get the resources she needs to create books.

1 Subaru Natsuki

Re:ZERO -Starting Life In Another World

Subaru has nothing going for him in the normal world, and it worsens when he finds himself in a fantasy world. Subaru undergoes mental trauma in the worst possible way ever. He relives his death over and over again.

Not long after he arrives in the fantasy world, Subaru dies in the hands of some hoodlums, but he soon discovers that he can turn back the hands of time, and this causes him to come back to life. This time-reversal ability makes it hard for him to adapt to this fantasy world, as he keeps dying and trying to avoid his death. In addition, his constant death strains his mental health and makes him somewhat depressed. He also faces this alone, as no one in this world can seem to remember or take notice of the time loop.

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