6 Anime Like The Idhun Chronicles You Must See

Developed by Laura Gallego and Andrés Carrión, Netflix’s anime series ‘The Idhun Chronicles’ is based on Gallego’s popular book series ‘The Idhún’s Memories’. It tells the story of the eponymous world, where all races once lived in harmony, until one day, when a necromancer named Ashran launched a brutal campaign to conquer it. The heroes that rose to fight him hail from both Earth and Idhun. ‘The Idhun Chronicles’ is Netflix’s first anime from Spain. Since its release, the show has been received positively by critics and audiences alike. If you are done with binging it and looking for similar content, we have the perfect list for you. You can watch these shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Crunchyroll.

6. The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019-)

Based on a light novel series by Aneko Yusagi, ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ revolves around Naofumi Iwatani, a mellow Japanese youth who gets transported to a parallel world where he is tasked to fight a horde of inter-dimensional monsters. After he is falsely accused of sexually assaulting a princess, he becomes ostracized by everyone in the kingdom. The scorn and the humiliation that he receives change him, turning him more pessimistic and cynical. It is only after meeting Raphtalia, a tanuki demi-human girl, that Aneko starts trusting others again.

5. Gate (2015-2016)

Like ‘The Idhun Chronicles’, ‘Gate’ is a two-way isekai. After a portal to a parallel world opens in the middle of Tokyo, an invading army comprised of both humans and mythical beasts attacks the Japanese capital. However, it is easily thwarted by the Japanese military. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) subsequently set up a base of operations in the parallel world, where they encounter fantastical creatures, semi-divine beings, and dangerous pollical intrigues.

4. The Vision of Escaflowne (1996)

‘The Vision of Escaflowne’ (1996) is an original manga series set in an Earth-like world named Gaea. The protagonist of the show is a Japanese high-school student named Hitomi who gets transported to Gaea when a mysterious youth named Van comes to her school while fighting a dragon. On Gaea, her long-dormant magical powers awaken, and she becomes involved in a resistance movement against the powerful Zaibach Empire.

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-08)

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ is the epitome of conceptual amalgamation between anime and western animation. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, it tells the story of a world where people gifted with manipulating (bending) different elements are part of different nations. The protagonist of the series is Aang, a 12-year-old boy who is the vessel of the divine spirit known as Avatar, which can control all four elements. The world is being ravaged by a 100-year war started by the Fire Nation. Now, Aang and his friends must defeat the leaders of the Fire Nation to bring peace to their world.

2. The Twelve Kingdoms (2002-03)

The anime series ‘The Twelve Kingdoms’ is based on a series of novels, which, in turn, is heavily influenced by Chinese mythology. It follows Youko Nakajima, a Japanese girl with red hair, who is pulled into the world of the Twelve Kingdoms and subsequently embarks on a journey to find her purpose in this new world.

1. Dungeons and Dragons (1983-85)

‘Dungeons and Dragons’ is one of the earliest examples of western animation that was created in the style of anime. Based on the table-top role-playing game of the same name, it follows a group of six friends who have been transported to a fantastical world. Although the overarching plot of the series is about the heroes’ attempts to get back to Earth, each episode shows them helping those in need and fighting various forces of evil.