What Is an Isekai & What Does it Have to Do With Forspoken? Answered

Square Enix’s Forspoken is the latest project from Luminous Productions, the team behind 2016’s Final Fantasy XV. A highly touted PlayStation 5 title, this new game has been a massive topic of conversation as of late, and one word that’s been thrown around a lot with it has been “isekai.” Some may not understand what this word means, and why it’s been getting so much buzz alongside Forspoken. Fortunately, we’ve got the answers; here’s everything you need to know about what an Isekai is, and how that fits in with Forspoken.

What Is an Isekai in Forspoken? Answered

In the simplest terms, an Isekai is a genre of fiction that features a certain character being transported from their home to a completely different world. The Japanese word “isekai” even translates to “different world” in English. This is an extremely popular genre within anime, and this framing technique in storytelling allows viewers to learn about the new world just as quickly – or slowly if the story calls for it – as the lead protagonist does.

This exactly describes the story of Forspoken, where our lead character Frey is transported to a totally different world. At the beginning of the story, Frey is a girl who lives on Earth, specifically in New York City. She is then transported to the fictional world of Athia, where she has to use her newfound magic powers to make her way back home.

That’s everything we’ve got on what an Isekai is, and how that fits in with Forspoken. If you’re looking for more Forspoken goodness, check out Twinfinite’s look at this game’s cat content! It’s pretty meowgical…I’ll see myself out.