---
title: 'Why Are Isekai So Popular The Sad Truth'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=_nmYoPEXtIU'
video_id: '_nmYoPEXtIU'
date: 2026-06-14
duration_sec: 368
---

# Why Are Isekai So Popular The Sad Truth

> Source: [Why Are Isekai So Popular The Sad Truth](https://youtube.com/watch?v=_nmYoPEXtIU)

## Summary

The video explores why isekai anime has become so popular, suggesting that its appeal lies in providing an escape from reality for viewers who may be dissatisfied with their lives. The creator argues that isekai's flexibility in world-building and character development gives it a creative edge over other genres, ensuring its continued popularity.

### Key Points

- **Popularity of Isekai** [0:00] — Shows like Overlord, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Shield Hero have gained large popularity in recent years.
- **Questioning the Trend** [0:13] — The creator wonders why isekai are so popular, noting that some gain fame through great stories and characters, while others seem to rely on the genre itself.
- **Sad Conclusion** [0:28] — The creator concludes that isekai's popularity stems from people's desire to escape reality, which can become damaging if overdone.
- **Life is About Balance** [1:04] — The creator emphasizes the importance of balancing tough aspects of life with enjoyable escapes.
- **Isekai Relates to People** [1:23] — Isekai resonates with people who hate their lives or are depressed, offering a chance to restart or be a different person.
- **Mushoku Tensei Example** [2:30] — Mushoku Tensei exemplifies isekai's potential by featuring a protagonist who strives to become a better person after a terrible life.
- **Overlord's Twist** [2:58] — Overlord offers a twist where the main character loses human emotions, making his choices more evil, which adds to its popularity.
- **Why Isekai Won't Fade** [3:49] — Unlike the zombie genre, which faded due to restrictions, isekai offers immense creative freedom, allowing for diverse stories and characters.

### Conclusion

Isekai's enduring popularity is due to its ability to offer an escape from reality and its vast creative freedom, which allows for diverse and engaging stories that resonate with a wide audience.

## Transcript

with shows like overlord that one time i
was recriminated as a slime shield hero
and many more gaining large popularity
for these past couple of years i started
wondering one thing
why
why are all of these isekai so popular
while some of them
garner their fame through great stories
and amazing characters
some feel as if they simply gain
viewership based on the fact that they
are simply izekiz
when i decided to think about it more i
came to a somewhat sad conclusion
why do people play games watch films or
anime
why do we drink alcohol even when we
know it's damaging ass
the simple answer is it's fun but for
some people this fun is an escape from
reality we all need an escape once in a
while however in some cases these things
that we do use to escape reality can
almost become damaging or possibly
life-threatening some people do the same
thing with work making them workaholics
sometimes and obviously that's not
healthy either
as someone that's not very old himself i
don't want to feel like i'm preaching
but i do believe life is about balance
being able to balance the tough things
in life with the happy and things that
help us escape
is the best way to live a functioning
life in my opinion
hey esekai
functions by the fact that it relates
with people some people hate their lives
and most people are depressed these days
while i'm not sure if we're more
depressed or we got asked the question
and gave a proper answer for the first
time that's a topic for another time
this is something that i've thought
about a lot throughout a different idea
if people could do full day vr like sao
some people wouldn't leave that world
the idea of being in a world where
you're allowed to be a different person
is appealing to people
and if they got a chance to restart
their lives they would this has the same
ideas going back in time and changing
the little things but if you restart
you'd get to change everything you don't
like basically idea plays with those
things in our brains making a story
relate and resonate with some people
while some might think this is sad i
think this is a genius idea to start a
story with problematic characters while
adding a fantasy element
after all most people find reality
boring and the idea of bettering
yourself relatable
these ideas are best represented in a
show called mushuku tensei as the main
character lived a terrible life and was
a terrible person
in the story he strives to learn and
become a better person if you want to
know more about it check out the video i
made about it it'll be in the top right
and i'll put it in the description for
you
there are many ways that the story can
be presented while still keeping the
basic idea the same
overlord has a great twist on the idea
and is one of the most popular anime due
to the way that he used the idea the
main change is how the mc doesn't feel
human emotions properly anymore as he's
known dead
making his choices more evil the more
this becomes normal to him with a cast
of interesting characters and a simple
yet large world
it managed to capture the interest of
many people that have watched it
as i myself write stories this is a very
interesting topic to think about as
there are many different archetypes of
story writing and insecurity is one of
the more modern ones
normally this would restrict your
freedom when writing a story however the
idea of reincarnating in a different
world allows a lot of freedom
as a reader and viewer of these stories
i always found myself fascinated waiting
to learn more about this new world and
how it functions
lastly i'll talk about why isekai's
aren't going to be going away anytime
soon think back 12 years do you remember
all the zombie themed books
games shows films and stories
the reason why the zombie fiend died was
due to the restrictions the story
revolving around them was
most of the things happening were still
based in reality and honestly there's
only one movie series that i loved with
the zombie theme
these being the resonant evil films now
if you like the games good but the
movies were their own thing with the
main character getting super powers
a much different take on the zombie
topic
the biggest difference between the two
themes is the freedom that they allow
when creating a world
a sakai allows two new roles to be
created and depending on the way you
decide to develop them there's infinite
possibilities
creating a twist for these stories is
easy and allows the creation of very
different main characters from each
other
if you think about it a lot of the main
characters in these worlds fundamentally
have very different aspects to each
other
for example think about that one time i
was reincarnated as a slime and overlord
whilst you could say that they're both
mobs monsters they still have very
different characters
they even have different characteristics
and you could still make some
comparisons between them so for example
let's think about shield hero the main
character of shield hero is very
different to them and honestly he has a
totally different agenda honestly think
about it with zombie shows
you're very much targeting a specific
audience which is adults but with
something like an issac you could go for
children
teens or adults
just like i said the creative freedom is
much larger with an isekai type story
if you like the video and want me to
create more like it hit the like button
and make sure to subscribe for future
anime content do you think there's more
that i could have talked about or do you
think i made some bad points put it in
the comments and let's start a
discussion i'll respond as fast as
possible to any comments made also sorry
if the video was a little bit depressing
wanted to make a little bit of a
different type of video and i still hope
you enjoyed
[Music]