Tierlist of a Different World

[Irradiance]

Don't think any Isekai has the popularity here to get its own tierlist, so I thought let's just make one for all. Can also serve as a discussion thread for all Isekai series.
Tell me where people should rank so I can add them.

Stats​

God Tiers (Universe level and up)​

1. John Daker (The Eternal Champion)
2. Shield Hero Gods (Naofumi, Raphtalia, Medea, Ark, Filo)
3. Haseo (Dot Hack)
4. Fayt Leingod & Luther Lansfield (Star Ocean 3)

High Tiers (Planet level and up)​

1. Sora, Riku, Ansem, Roxas, Xemnas, Xehanort, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, and Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
2. Claude C. Kenny & Rena Lanford (Star Ocean 2)
3. Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legends)
4. Ark & Dark Gaia (Terranigma)
5. D & Meido (Kumo Desu Ga)

Mid Tiers (Town level and up)​

1. Tidus & Jecht (FFX)
2. Link & Majora (TLOZ: Majora's Mask)
3. Shiraori, Gülliedistodiez & Sariel (Kumo Desu Ga)
4. Doom Slayer (Doom)
5. Samurai Jack & Aku (Samurai Jack)
6. Vandalieu & other S-Rank equivalents (The Death Mage That Doesn't Want a Fourth Time)
7. Wrath, Sophia & Ariel (Kumo Desu Ga)
8. Boo Boo & Break News (The Weakness of Beatrice)
9. Toujou Karuna (100 Cheat Skills)
10. Ainz Ooal Gown & Floor Guardians (Overlord)
11. Beatrice & Other Level Cap Adventurers (The Weakness of Beatrice)
12. Fran (I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated)

Low Tiers (Everything below Town level)​

1. Tanya von Degurechaff (Youjo Senki)
2. Myne (Ascendance of a Bookworm)
3. Saito Hiraga (Zero no Tsukaima)
4. Haru Koyama (JK Haru)
5. Kuzuno Sekai (Time Stop Brave)
6. Subaru (Re:Zero)
7. Sora & Shiro (No Game No Life)

Who beats Who​

Isekai is swarming with hax, so I thought making a list by who actually beats who in fights would be fun, too. That means, ideally, that the people further up this list beat everyone further down. (That won't work for long, but we'll see)

1. John Daker (The Eternal Champion)
2. Shield Hero Gods
3. D & Meido
4. Shiraori, Gülliedistodiez & Sariel
5. Vandalieu
6. Toujou Karuna
7. Sophia & Ariel
8. Ainz Ooal Gown
9. Wrath
10. Fran
11. Floor Guardians (Overlord)
12. Boo Boo & Break News
13. Beatrice & Other Level Cap Adventurers
14. Haru Koyama
15. Kuzuno Sekai
16. Tanya von Degurechaff
17. Saito Hiraga
18. Subaru
19. Myne
20. Sora & Shiro

 

[Atem]

The Eternal Champion Sequence is actually an isekai series. And John Daker gets thrust into different worlds. Even reincarnating as other Eternal Champions of those worlds. The irony is that he predates the isekai genre, and is one of the first examples of it.

God tier too.

 

[Atem]

Then of course John Carter of Mars. In fact, there's a lot of "western" ones you can include.

 

[Irradiance]

The Eternal Champion Sequence is actually an isekai series. And John Daker gets thrust into different worlds. Even reincarnating as other Eternal Champions of those worlds. The irony is that he predates the isekai genre, and is one of the first examples of it.

God tier too.

Is he above the Universal? If so he takes the top spot for now.

There's a lot of Isekai that predates it as genre. Fire Tripper and Digimon for example. In fact, Christianity is an Isekai because God from Heaven gets reincarnated as Jesus in the mortal world.

Then of course John Carter of Mars. In fact, there's a lot of "western" ones you can include.

How strong is he?

 

[Papa Nier]

These are technically isekais

FFX
Doom
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Kingdom Hearts
Brutal Legends
Digimon
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Assassin's Creed
Terranigma
Dot Hack
Samurai Jack
Star Ocean 2 & 3

 

[Irradiance]

These are technically isekais

FFX
Doom
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Kingdom Hearts
Brutal Legends
Digimon
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Assassin's Creed
Terranigma
Dot Hack
Samurai Jack
Star Ocean 2 & 3

So where would you rank the most important characters from those? I mean, protagonists, antagonists and/or god tiers.

 

[Atem]

Is he above the Universal? If so he takes the top spot for now.

Yeah. Way above.

There's a lot of Isekai that predates it as genre. Fire Tripper and Digimon for example. In fact, Christianity is an Isekai because God from Heaven gets reincarnated as Jesus in the mortal world.

How strong is he?

Probably one of the weaker ones because his abilities are situational and dependent on Mars lower gravity.

 

[Dead Lock]

Black Knight is also an Isekai because Percy got reincarnated in his descendants body. :0

 

[Papa Nier]

So where would you rank the most important characters from those? I mean, protagonists, antagonists and/or god tiers.

FFX: Tidus & Jecht = Moon level+

Doom: Doom Slayer = Country level+ to potentially universe level

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask: Link & Majora = At least multi-continent level+ to moon level

Kingdom Hearts: Sora, Riku, Ansem, Roxas, Xemnas, Xehanort, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, and Ventus = Solar system level

Brutal Legends: Eddie Riggs = Should be planet level or star level (can use his guitar’s Heavy Metal to raise the sun, his guitar is said to be amplified by the world. Has tiny parts of Ormagoden, when Ormagoden exploded it’s flames became the Sun and it's blood the ocean)

Terranigma: Ark & Dark Gaia via Tanzra (the same one from ActRaiser) = Planet level to star level (Ark task was to restore all the continents, and all life on the planet, Ark has a magic ring that can summon fire from the sun, and Dark Gaia created Crysta and most likely the entire underworld which is an exact copy of the overworld. Most likely not as strong as he was in ActRaiser where his stage has countless of stars moving in the background and can contend with The Master/Light Gaia)

Dot Hack: Haseo = Universe level+

Samurai Jack: Samurai Jack & Aku = At least country level+

Star Ocean 2: Claude C. Kenny & Rena Lanford = At least star level

Star Ocean 3: Fayt Leingod & Luther Lansfield = Universe level

I think @Masterblack06, @Adamant soul, and @Xhominid The Fool can fill in the stuff for Digimon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

 

[Uoruk]

These are technically isekais

FFX
Doom
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Kingdom Hearts
Brutal Legends
Digimon
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Assassin's Creed
Terranigma
Dot Hack
Samurai Jack
Star Ocean 2 & 3

......

Star Ocean isn't an isekai

Since when did visiting other planets/sci fi count

Neither is Jack considering he was just transported to the future

Assasins creed seems like one hell of a stretch too

 

[Papa Nier]

......

Star Ocean isn't an isekai

Since when did visiting other planets/sci fi count

Neither is Jack considering he was just transported to the future

Assasins creed seems like one hell of a stretch too

Isekai means "another world", doesn't it? Or the genre is having someone in an unfamiliar world.

Star Ocean 2 has Claude get transported to Expel, and Star Ocean 3 has Fayt crashing, landing on Vanguard III and hitching a ride with Cliff.

Transporting to another timeline that's unrecognisable counts. I think having someone time travelled far enough distance where the world is considered different like modern-day to a medieval era or feudal Japan, and vice versa would technically be another world.

 

[Papa Nier]

Apparently, the definition mean: Different world, parallel universe, different-dimension world, and alternative world.

Google Translate

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Meaning of 異世界, いせかい, isekai | Japanese Dictionary | JLearn.net

The english translations and meanings for 異世界, いせかい and isekai are: parallel universe (e.g. in SF),different-dimension world,alternative world

jlearn.net

 

[Uoruk]

Isekai means "another world", doesn't it? Or the genre is having someone in an unfamiliar world.

Star Ocean 2 has Claude get transported to Expel, and Star Ocean 3 has Fayt crashing, landing on Vanguard III and hitching a ride with Cliff.

Transporting to another timeline that's unrecognisable counts. I think having someone time travelled far enough distance where the world is considered different like modern-day to a medieval era or feudal Japan, and vice versa would technically be another world.

Yes that is the definition of Isekai


The genre itself is focused around people being transported to other worlds usually via magic ect or the video game schtick

If just going to another world was enough to be considered Isekai you could consider almost any story that has characters travel off planet or the future/past ect to be isekai. So the technically almost everything is an isekai

 

[Papa Nier]

I guess any sci-fi franchise can be considered an isekai. The term and genre is so vague that Inuyasha is regarded as an isekai among the isekai fandom, but Assassin's Creed isn't. Both are travelling from modern-day to the past.

 

[Uoruk]

Inuyasha isn't even an isekai

It's on the same time axis on the same planet. Assasin Creed wouldn't because they're literally looking into the genetic memories of Desmond and it has nothing to do with another world

 

[Uoruk]

Like, Escaflowne and Fushigi Yugi are two actual isekai made around the same time Inuyasha was and they actually have chars transported to completely different places

 

[Irradiance]

I should probably have included some definition of what should be considered Isekai for this
Just taking place on another planet is fine (Kumo Desu Ga is that for example), but space travel adventure shouldn't be included.
So how about we define it as "Fiction in which the main character is transported into an unfamiliar world (Universe/Planet) and spends the majority of his/her time there."

---

I can see why people would consider InuYasha an Isekai. Past Japan in that story is for all intents and purposes like a different world. It checks the typical isekai tropes in all but the technicality of it being still technically Japan.