Love makes the world go round. It also makes the other world go round as well. When the characters are transported to another world in isekai anime, the protagonists almost always encounter love in much the same way as they did in their past lives — sometimes even more so. Since many of the many characters were often lonely recluses and losers, their second chance at life is also a second chance at love.
However, when sent to another fantasy world, one should expect to encounter a serious conflict with the forces of evil. In such a situation, newfound love may make the difference between victory and defeat. This fact is shown time and time again in isekai anime: the fate of the entire world is often found to rest in the hands of a couple of lovers or a protagonist who uses love as their motivation. Love is often the deciding factor that will rescue a beloved protagonist or save the entire world.
10/10 Kirito Would Go Through All The Pain Twice If It Meant Saving Asuna
Sword Art Online
Following the events leading to Sword Art Online’s destruction, Kirito returns to the real world like many other survivors. Unfortunately, Asuna doesn’t have the same luck. Instead, her consciousness is transferred to another game, Alfheim Online, due to her ex-fiancé’s obsession with her.
When Kirito discovers that Asuna never made it back to the real world, he realizes his job isn’t done. Even after all the trauma he endured in Sword Art Online, he still chooses to go into another virtual world with the hope of rescuing Asuna, the one he loves.
9/10 Rem Still Loves Subaru Even When He Doesn’t Love Himself
Re:Zero
Dying numerous times can be hard on anyone psychologically. In Re:Zero, Subaru has to deal with that and the difficulty of watching the people closest to him die every time while being powerless to save them. Given such bleak circumstances, Subaru decides to do what most people would likely do in that situation — simply give up.
Of course, being that Subaru is the main character, something will have to snap him out of it: leave it to love to get the job done. In this case, it’s Rem, the girl who loves Subaru so deeply that she will support him no matter what. In one of Re:Zero’s most infamous scenes, Rem talks Subaru off the proverbial ledge by telling him how much she loves him, only for him to respond with “I love Emilia.”
8/10 Lugh Accepts A Mission To Assassinate The One He Loves
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat
Dia is Lugh’s love interest and a noble known as one of the most powerful mages in her country. When Dia’s country is under attack, nobles from the opposing country make a deal to take Dia in exchange for allowing them to live in peace.
Instead of allowing this, Dia’s father makes an assassination request which doubles as a secret mission to fake her death and rescue her. Lugh, being the talented assassin that he is, readily accepts the mission. Instead of allowing this deal to go through, Lugh stages her assassination to rescue the one he loves from her dire circumstances.
7/10 Ainz Al Gown’s Love For His Comrades Drives Him To Fight For Their NPCs
Overlord
When Shalltear revolts against Nazarik in Overlord, the other NPCs under Ainz Al Gown’s control suggest they seek her out themselves. However, Ainz acknowledges that, since his good friends created the NPCs that dwell there, she must have a good reason behind her actions, and thus he decides to confront her himself.
Of course, Shalltear is brainwashed, and the spell cannot be reversed. Due to his feelings toward his old comrades, Ainz decides to see to Shalltear’s defeat himself. Because she has the personality of her creator, Peroroncino, who was Ainz’s good friend in Yggdrasil, he refuses to let go of Shalltear and resurrects her at the cost of 500,000,000 gold: showing that love truly can be bought.
6/10 Shiro Could Never Forget Her Brother, No Matter What
No Game No Life
There’s no love like the shared between siblings. The only thing the legendary brother-sister duo from No Game No Life, Shiro and Sora, love more than gaming is each other. That’s why, when Sora goes missing, Shiro isn’t playing any more games — at least not in the colloquial sense.
Weirdly enough, no one seems to even remember him but Shiro herself, who begins to slowly lose her memories of him, causing her to momentarily question whether he was even real at all. Of course, love conquers all, whether in war or a game.
5/10 Kagome Gives Inuyasha Her Heart
Inuyasha
In Episode 126 of Inuyasha, “Transform Heartache into Courage!,” Inuyasha has gone off to find Kikyo believing that he saw her. While he is away, Kagome is captured by a strange infant and put under mind control. Of course, what Inuyasha thought was Kikyo was actually an illusion created by the baby, who was none other than an offspring created from Naraku’s broken heart.
Naraku’s offspring tries to gain control of Kagome by telling her that Inuyasha will never help her because he loves Kikyo. However, Kagome refuses to succumb because she loves Inuyasha — at which point Inuyasha bursts in to rescue her. Realizing Kagome importance to him, Inuyasha vows never to make the same mistake again and let her get hurt, showing that his feelings for Kagome are just as real as hers.
4/10 Raphtalia Reminds Naofumi Of What’s Really Important
The Rising Of The Shield Hero
From the moment The Rising of the Shield Hero’s Naofumi was reincarnated as the shield hero, he got no respect. He was accused of being a horrible being simply because he wielded the shield, and was cast out of society by the King despite the fact that he was actually the strongest of all the heroes.
Under the weight of the accusations against him by the king and the other heroes, Naofumi nearly loses his will to go on. Raphtalia sticks up for him against everyone and brings Naofumi back to his senses by reminding him that she appreciates him no matter what. Raphtalia shows how saving the world isn’t always about defeating the bad guy; sometimes it’s just about being there for a loved one when they need it the most.
3/10 Love Hurts, & That’s Just What Darkness Wants
KonoSuba
For KonoSuba’s Darkness, love is pain. When Darkness is to be given away to an arranged marriage, she challenges her husband-to-be to a duel to prove his worth. This is at least partly psychologically inspired by her masochistic personality.
After he can’t seem to get Darkness to tap out, Darkness challenges Kazuma to a duel knowing that he is the most “depraved” fighter around. Ultimately, her love for Kazuma — alongside Kazuma’s own dirty fighting tactics — causes her to concede, and her father accepts Darkness’ wish not to be married.
2/10 The Hero & The Villain Make A Pretty Good Team
The Devil Is A Part-Timer
In The Devil Is A Part-Timer, Maou and Chiho are on a date in the subway when something goes horribly wrong, and the entire station collapses. What happens next changes Emi’s perception of the Devil forever. Instead of being the cause of the situation, she finds him rescuing the people in the station.
Maou’s decision to choose love over hate inspires Emi, and she begins to have a conflicting understanding of Maou and who he was as the Devil she knew him as. In Maou’s case, his embrace of love may have saved the world from destruction at his own hands.
1/10 No Amount Of Evil Can Overcome A Mother’s Love
Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
A mother’s love is perhaps the most powerful love of all. Mamoko’s love might sometimes be a little too much for her son, Masato, yet it nonetheless can be seen as an example for many of the other mothers in Okaa-san Online.
Mamoko’s love is unconditional, and it inspires most of the enemies in Okaa-san Online, such as the Empress of Night and Medhimama, to change their ways and be more understanding toward their children. In the case of Mamoko, love saves the day on a daily basis.