From action-packed adventures toslice-of-life narratives, a romantic subplot is a quintessential part of almost every storyline. Isekai anime tend to follow suit. Several such shows up the ante with multiple love interests, coupled with the usual harem high jinks. However, some isekai series deviate from this preset framework by taking romance out of the equation entirely.
Romance isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and some audiendes prefer a narrative that focuses on the plot at hand. Although rare, series without romantic subplots do exist withinthe isekai landscape, each one laced with an engaging premise. With a romance-free experience, these isekai anime are perfect for all the anti-romantics out there.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeonstays true to the absurdities of the isekai genre, featuring a protagonistreincarnated as a literal vending machine. As a modern machine stuck in a fantasy setting, ‘Boxxo’ remains still in place until a girl named Lammis stumbles upon his odd existence.
The two form a bond of trust and loyalty. Boxxo eventually returns to Lammis' home village, nourishing the people with his food and helping Lammis with her skills. With a protagonist in the form of a vending machine, romance is naturally out of the question, leaving a whimsical isekai narrative with a bizarre premise.
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Japanese Title
Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!
Having lived her life as a genius, Misato Kurihara’s only wishupon being reincarnatedwas to experience an ordinary existence. To her dismay, her next life as a noble named Adele is everything but ordinary. However, Adele is determined to pursue her goal, even if it means enrolling in a far-off hunter school under the alias ‘Mile.’
Despite constant attempts at keeping her extraordinary prowess in check, the bizarre situations that ensue force her hand every single time.Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average In My Next Life?!presents a low-stakes, laid-back isekai premise, and it’s also devoid of any romantic sentiments.
Gabriel DropOut
Fora reverse isekaiwith angels and demons, most viewers would expect a grim premise with drama and action. However,Gabriel Dropoutdefies expectations with a premise that simply revolves around cute girls doing cute things. Gabriel is sent to Earth to live among humans and learn their ways, but the top-of-the-class angel falls victim to mortal desires.
Turning into a full-blown NEET, Gabriel turns her back on heaven, despite attempts from her angel friend to resuscitate the once-disciplined angel. With a slice-of-life reverse isekai premise,Gabriel Dropoutis the perfect lightweight comedy, without any sort of romance involved.
So I’m A Spider, So What?
After an entire school falls victim to a catastrophe, the students are miraculously blessed with a second chance at life. Their reincarnations range from nobles and rulers, to heroes and fighters. One girl, however, gets the short end of the stick with a pitiful reincarnation as a mere spider.
With a miserable beginning to her new life, Kumoko aspires to rise through the ranks in this RPG-like world in hopes of leading a better life.So I’m a Spider, So What?stays true to the usual isekai antics, without delving into frisky fanserviceor harem debacles.
Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill
Summoned as a hero to a fantasy world, Mukouda is relieved to find out his cheat skill is “online supermarket,” a useless ability for the kingdom. However, he soon realizes that he can order food ingredients from modern-day Japan to create impeccable dishes.
With this new power, Mukouda resigns himself to a peaceful existence ofcreating delectable dishesin this fantasy realm. As he meets new companions along the way, Mukouda’s isekai adventure is all about satiating mythical creatures and meeting new acquaintances, without any of the usual romance antics.
Saga of Tanya the Evil
With an extremely grim take on the reincarnation trope,Saga of Tanya the Evilleaves little room for trivialities such as romance. A Japanese salaryman makes the mistake of defying the existence of an entity calling itself god, leading him down a horrid path.
As punishment, the man is reincarnated as a child named Tanya von Degurechaff in a worldresembling pre-World War IEurope. With survival as her goal in this war-torn world, Tanya is quick to adapt to the brutalities of this land, all while using the political turmoil to her own advantage.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
True to its name,Ascendance of a Bookwormfollows the story of a book lover’s journey of bringing literacy and knowledge to the masses. Reborn in a world where books are a limited resource confined to the upper classes, Myne vows to find a way to make knowledge accessible to all.
While most viewers tend toconflate child protagonistswith trivial narratives,Ascendance of a Bookwormproves this notion wrong. With a noble subtext, political intrigue, and layered characters, this isekai anime focuses on what truly matters, without being bogged down by needless romance.
