Anime Like Rising of the Shield Hero
Overlord
Overlord is a lot darker than most shows in the Isekai genre, but it’s oppressive violence and theming help it stand out among the pack.
As the online game Yggdrasil hits its final day before shut down, a high-level wizard and leader of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, named Momonga, spends his final moments in the game before servers shut down.
To his surprise, however, once the time has passed, Momonga is still fully conscious within his characters and, somehow, NPCs within the game have started developing personalities of their own.
Momonga uses his guild to investigate the situation, and ultimately ends up becoming the ruthless Overlord of Yggdrasil.
Overlord holds nothing back with its violence, with almost absurd amounts of blood and gore in all of its fights. This alone separates it from most Isekai out there, but the real interesting thing is how its hero, Momonga, is really the villain of the world of Yggdrasil.
We see everything from his perspective, but he’s really the one trying to take over the world, and willing to do anything to get there. There’s more depth to his character, however, as Momonga is a real human trapped inside his skeletal avatar, and that takes its toll.
The writing of Overlord can sometimes dip in quality, but stellar animation helps keep everything together. If you want a different take on Isekai, with a ridiculously overpowered main character, this is the show for you.
