Isekai is an incredibly popular genre in anime. It serves as a form of escapism for the viewer who envisions themselves in the shoes of the protagonist exploring the often extravagant world they find themselves cast into. It, therefore, makes sense that the protagonists ofisekai animefind themselves at the center of some major conflict or prophecy, to which they are the key.
It is also unsurprising that the vast majority of isekai main characters excel in this new world. What is surprising however is the subgenre wherein they are not so good at what they do, either laughably weak in the new world or even mediocre.
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Kagome vs. Kirito
InInuyashaKagome finds herself in feudal Japan as the reincarnation of a warrior priestess. After shattering a powerful jewel she recruits the aid of a demon in recovering the stolen pieces. She is, however, through her own failings responsible for the jewel breaking in the first place. Throughout the series, her skills do improve, but she is certainly not leaving a life of failure for one of prowess.
Kirito fromSword Art Onlineon the other hand thrives within the digital world. When he and a limited number of others are trapped within a virtual reality game where the options are death or victory he quickly rises as the best in the new paradigm with skills that others can’t even approach. He shows confidence in these skills as well, proudly choosing to work alone for the beginning of his time there.
Purpose in the Anime
Both of these characters can be read as audience stand-ins, both still explore fantastical realms and do meet beings that the audience can only dream about. However, their very nature sets them apart and allows people to self-insert in very different ways. Characters like Kagome, who do not instantly succeed in the alternate world are far easier to immediately see oneself in. It is easy to believe that you areKagome when she failsto shoot her bow properly, because it is easy to believe that you wouldn’t shoot it properly either. Kirito on the other hand allows for self-insertion in a wish-fulfillment sense. Everyone wants to be the best, to find a stage upon which they are truly the most capable character.
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It is still relevant to note that they are both still the most important character, Kirito is the most important by way of being the most capable, Kagome instead is most important due to the relationships that she has and her connection to her ancestor. In this way, both fulfill the audience’s inherent wish to be important. And it is also relevant to note that while Kagome herself isn’t the most powerful, she holds sway overInuyasha, a powerful demon. The two of them together are therefore still as formidable a combo within their world as Kirito is within his. The main goal of each is still audience representation, even if they are approached through different means.
Examples in Other Anime
WhileInuyashaandSword Art Onlinewere specifically examined here, the general concepts extend to other anime as well. InAccel WorldHaru is not a particularly adept fighter, but due to his relationship with his Senpai he is inherently embroiled in a major conflict and surrounded by powerful friends and enemies. In this sense, his weak stance is the audience’s avenue to see themselves in this world. Similarly, inThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimethe overpowered nature of the main character creates a dynamic where the audience gets to pretend that they too can overcome any such obstacles with ease.
Even beyond their prowess in the new world they find themselves in, the two aforementioned characters differ even in their real-life experiences. Kirito is fairly weak in the real world, instead choosing to bury himself in these alternative realities before the SAO problems, and afterward due to the impact it had on his body. Kagome on the other hand is a good student with plenty of good friends and a happy familyoutside of the feudal age. This may explain why she does not have the same stakes on succeeding in the new world as Kirito does.
These two different approaches to isekai protagonists often end up in very different shows. Those with less capable characters lend themselves to havinga bit more levity. Those with capable main characters tend to have darker moments and undertones. The audience must decide for themselves whether they would prefer to see themselves as a happy person who chooses to engage in wild adventures even without outlandish skills, or as someone who crashes headlong into another world to avoid the troubles and mundane aspects of their real one. Either way the audience and fans of the show get to see themselves in another world, with friends like they wish they could have.
