The isekai subgenre of anime is notorious for its formulaic, predictable conventions, from self-insert protagonists like Kirito to wish-fulfillment harems and a token demon king. Even if some anime fans don’t like isekai, they may like the best characters in isekai anime and picture those characters in another series.
Some isekai anime characters have the right personality, skills, or emotional state to be an ideal romantic comedy protagonist or side character. Those isekai characters are less defined by their magical powers or otherworldly nature and more defined by their emotions and their friendship with others. Many of them are ready to fall in love if they can get isekai’d into a rom-com title.
10/10 Darkness The Crusader Gets So Bashful Sometimes
Konosuba
Most of Konosuba‘s main characters are humorously dysfunctional, from the sleazy Kazuma Sato to the bratty goddess Aqua and the reckless Megumin. Then there’s Darkness, a goofy crusader who loves two things: standing up for justice and getting beaten up.
Darkness may be a terrible fighter, but she is a genuinely good person who has lofty ideals and a big heart. In a rom-com fantasy anime, Darkness would make an excellent shojo-style heroine who bumbles right into the handsome prince’s open arms.
9/10 Taiju Oki Works Hard For Friends & Love
Dr. Stone
Dr. Stone is an edutainment isekai anime series taking place 3,700 years in the future during a new Stone Age. The brilliant scientist Senku Ishigami aims to revive humanity with the power of science, while his old classmate Taiju Oki handles the manual labor in Senku’s lab.
Taiju is smitten, having a huge crush on the lovely Yuzuriha, and he would do anything for her. If Taiju never got petrified, he could have starred in a rom-com anime series where he’ll gladly carry any physical burden or do any job to impress Yuzuriha.
8/10 Alan Stuart Is A Handsome Tsundere Prince
My Next Life As A Villainess
My Next Life as a Villainess has some rom-com elements to it, but it’s primarily a shojo isekai anime series. The protagonist is the reborn Katarina Claes, the villainess who strives to make everyone best friends so the original game’s plot won’t ever conclude.
No one fell in love, as Katrina intended, but characters like the male tsundere Alan Stuart still have some potential. In a pure rom-com fantasy title, Alan would make a fine love interest for any lovestruck heroine who wants to see this grouchy, insecure prince’s kinder side.
7/10 Angelica Redgrave Is A Lovable Himedere
Trapped In A Dating Sim
Trapped in a Dating Sim is another isekai anime with rom-com aspects to it since the in-universe game world is an otome game. However, protagonist Leon Bartfort doesn’t have time for love; he must fight hard to survive in a world that wants to see him fail.
Ideally, Dating Sim‘s main characters would get isekai’d to a typical high school rom-com anime where they can freely be themselves. One example is Angelica Redgrave, a lovable himedere who may be pretentious, but she also has a good heart and a strong will that would make her a good fit for a typical rom-com.
6/10 Kagome Higurashi Loves All Her Friends in Feudal Japan
InuYasha
The 2000s isekai anime InuYasha did involve several romantic pairings, such as Miroku/Sango and, most of all, Kagome and InuYasha himself. Overall, though, the InuYasha anime was many things at once, with romance not being the primary focus.
Kagome has all the makings of a great rom-com heroine, from her kind-hearted personality to her amusing tsundere ways and her incredible courage. Either in feudal Japan or a modern Japanese setting, Kagome is a highly compelling protagonist who has lots of love to give.
5/10 Demon Lord Claude Has Incredible Passion For Aileen
I’m The Villainess, So I’m Taming The Final Boss
I’m the Villainess is yet another isekai anime with rom-com traits, with the isekai storyline taking center stage. This is the story of Aileen d’Autriche who, like Katarina Claes, got reborn as an otome game villainess, and she must avoid her own doom. That means courting the kuudere demon king, Claude.
In an ideal fantasy world, everyone would get along better, and Aileen wouldn’t have to worry about her doom. A pure rom-com version of I’m the Villainess would give Claude a chance to shine as a truly wonderful kuudere lover for Aileen, one whom fans can root for to the very end.
4/10 Asuna Yuukis Is Everyone’s Hero
Sword Art Online
Asuna Yuuki, the co-lead of Sword Art Online, is a lot like Kagome Higurashi. They are both brave, noble, and strong-willed girls who will gladly defend the people they care about from powerful villains. However, they are more than mere fighters, because these girls put love and friendship first.
In a rom-com anime series, Asuna Yuuki would bravely fight off punks and bullies with cartoonish action sequences, which would amaze and delight the male lead. It wouldn’t be easy for that boy to win Asuna’s heart, but it would be worth a try.
3/10 Subaru Natsuki Risks His Life For Love
Re:Zero
In the story of Re:Zero, the underdog isekai protagonist Subaru Natsuki used all his brainpower to negotiate with everyone and find peaceful resolutions to every conflict. By now, Subaru is a skilled mediator and diplomat, and he has experience with girls, too.
If Subaru never got isekai’d, he could return to school and have a different kind of adventure there. Ram, Rem, and Emilia could be his classmates, and Subaru could try to think his way through this amusing harem to keep everyone happy.
2/10 Raphtalia Is A Lovable Tanuki Girl
The Rising Of The Shield Hero
In The Rising of the Shield Hero‘s original storyline, the cheerful tanuki girl Raphtalia suffered a terrible fate before she joined Naofumi’s party. She lost her entire village to raiders and slavers, but in a rom-com version of Shield Hero, Raphtalia’s adventure would be different.
As a rom-com fantasy heroine, Raphtalia would be fun to watch as a brave, kind, and helpful person and love interest. Without war and monsters to worry about, Raphtalia would also try something more constructive, like running a shop with her friends or her new lover.
1/10 Shion Is A Great Fighter & Better Friend
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Shion is one of Rimuru Tempest’s best friends in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and even if she’s not romantically in love with him, she still seems like a great potential love interest. This is another anime series that would do well as a rom-com adventure.
Shion’s appeal is immense, from her naturally good looks to her upbeat, friendly personality and her remarkable skills and courage as a warrior. She would get so bashful when a love interest came along, and Rimuru and Shuna would serve as her matchmakers to make this romance happen.