Anime like Sword Art Online

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

Also known as The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Studio: Kinema Citrus , Crunchyroll , Glovision , Nippon Columbia , Kadokawa Media House , Good Smile Company , Frontier Works , Sammy , KADOKAWA , AT-X , NTT Plala
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Naofumi Iwatani, an uncharismatic Otaku who spends his days on games and manga, suddenly finds himself summoned to a parallel universe! He discovers he is one of four heroes equipped with legendary weapons and tasked with saving the world from its prophesied destruction. As the Shield Hero, the weakest of the heroes, all is not as it seems. Naofumi is soon alone, penniless, and betrayed. With no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, he is left with only his shield. Now, Naofumi must rise to become the legendary Shield Hero and save the world!

Note:
The first episode was pre-aired on December 27th, 2018. Regular broadcast began on January 9th, 2019.
The first episode aired with a runtime of ~47 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Isekai , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Travel , Revenge , Magic , Crime , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Kemonomimi , Bullying , Henshin , Matriarchy , Language Barrier , Slavery , Villainess , Female Harem , Cult , Politics , Spearplay , Swordplay , Seinen , Cultivation , Ojou-sama , Religion , Tsundere , Economics , CGI , Medicine , Nekomimi , Monster Girl , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Gore , Afterlife

Log Horizon

Also known as Log Horizon.

Studio: Satelight , NHK , NHK Enterprises , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

The online fantasy game Elder Tales is a worldwide phenomenon, immersing millions of players in its intricately conceived virtual world. However, the release of the game's twelfth expansion pack makes that immersion all too literal, as players from around the world are suddenly pulled into the game's no-longer-fictional universe! Now, eight-year ET veteran Shiroe, his friend Naotsugu, the beautiful assassin Akatsuki, and 30,000 other players are faced with the daunting task of learning how to deal with an entirely new reality, one where the Non-Player Characters are actually alive, and the tips and tricks learned while playing with a keyboard no longer apply.



Tags: Virtual World , Politics , Isekai , Video Games , Male Protagonist , Magic , Alternate Universe , Kingdom Management , Dungeon , Ensemble Cast , Anthropomorphism , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Kemonomimi , Love Triangle , Elf , Goblin , Twins , Kuudere , Samurai , Femboy , Skeleton , Episodic

Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka

Also known as Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?.

Studio: J.C. Staff , Genco , MAGES.
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Romance

Some adventurers delve into the sprawling labyrinths beneath the city of Orario to find fame and fortune. Others come to test their skills against the legions of monsters lurking in the darkness below. However, Bell Cranel’s grandfather told him a different reason: it’s a great place to rescue (and subsequently meet) girls! Now that Bell’s a dungeon delver himself, the ladies he’s encountering aren’t the helpless damsels in distress he’d imagined, and one of them, the beautiful swordswoman Ais Wallenstein, keeps rescuing Bell instead. As embarrassing as that is, it’s nothing compared to what happens when goddesses get involved. Freya, Hephaistos, and Loki, with their powerful Familias, are intimidating enough, but there’s one goddess whose relationship with Bell is certain to spark trouble.



Tags: Dungeon , Male Protagonist , Gods , Magic , Mythology , Female Harem , Primarily Female Cast , Swordplay , Tomboy , Travel , Ensemble Cast , Elf , Love Triangle , Kemonomimi , Nudity , Kuudere , Nekomimi , Cultivation , Villainess , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Goblin

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken

Also known as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

Studio: 8-bit , Funimation , Lantis , Bandai Namco Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

Lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami is stuck in a dead-end job, unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm...as a slime monster! As he acclimates to his goopy new existence, his exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever!



Tags: Isekai , Found Family , Reincarnation , Magic , Super Power , Shapeshifting , Kingdom Management , Ensemble Cast , Alternate Universe , Economics , Clone , Politics , Henshin , Monster Boy , Monster Girl , Fairy , Demons , Agender , Goblin , Male Protagonist , Gender Bending , Travel , Swordplay , Acting , Shounen , Dragons , Cannibalism , Female Harem , Elf , CGI

Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu.

Also known as BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense..

Studio: SILVER LINK. , AT-X , MAGES. , ABC Animation , Sammy , Docomo Anime Store , Kadokawa Media House , KADOKAWA , D-techno
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Slice of Life

The story centers on Kaede Honjou, who is invited by her friend Risa Shiramine to play a virtual reality MMO game with her. While Kaede doesn't dislike games, what she really, truly dislikes is being in pain. She creates a character named Maple, and decides to put all her points in VIT to minimize pain. As a result, she moves slowly, can't use magic, and even a rabbit can get the best of her. However, as it turns out, she acquires a skill known as "Absolute Defense" as a result of her pumping points into VIT, as well as a "Counter Skill" that works against special moves. Now, with her ability to nullify all damage, she goes on adventures.



Tags: Video Games , Virtual World , Female Protagonist , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , Magic , Henshin , Parody , Animals , Swordplay , Primarily Teen Cast , Battle Royale , Twins , Episodic , Samurai , Monster Girl , Swimming , Steampunk , CGI , Robots , Fishing

Ore dake Level Up na Ken

Also known as Solo Leveling.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , Aniplex , Netmarble , D&C MEDIA , Kakao piccoma , Crunchyroll
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter Seong Jin-U. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jin-U came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.





Tags: Dungeon , Male Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Super Power , Magic , Necromancy , Cultivation , War , Anti-Hero , Gore , Tragedy , Survival , Swordplay , Alternate Universe , Angels , Time Manipulation , Post-Apocalyptic , Heterosexual , Bullying , Travel , Dragons , Ninja , Foreign , College

Accel World

Also known as Accel World.

Studio: Sunrise , Genco , Viz Media , Rakuonsha , Warner Bros. Japan , flying DOG , ASCII Media Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Romance , Sci-Fi

The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World.



Tags: Virtual World , Video Games , Henshin , Netorare , Female Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Augmented Reality , School , Philosophy , Primarily Teen Cast , Tokusatsu , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Isekai , Kuudere , Bullying , Motorcycles

Shangri-La Frontier

Also known as Shangri-La Frontier.

Studio: C2C , Kodansha
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

"When was the last time I played a game that wasn't crap?" This is a world in the near future where games that use display screens are classified as retro. Anything that can't keep up with state-of-the-art VR technology is called a "crap game," and you see a large number of crap games coming out. Those who devote their lives to clearing these games are called "crap-game hunters," and Rakuro Hizutome is one of them. The game he's chosen to tackle next is Shangri-La Frontier, a "god-tier game" that has a total of thirty million players. Online friends... An expansive world... Encounters with rivals... These are changing Rakuro and all the other players' fates! The best game adventure tale by the strongest "crap game" player begins now!



Tags: Video Games , Virtual World , Male Protagonist , Otaku Culture , Anthropomorphism , Travel , Swordplay , Shounen , Animals , Slapstick , Anachronism , Kemonomimi , Assassins , Gender Bending , POV , Heterosexual , Shapeshifting , Unrequited Love , Dullahan , Goblin

Kyuukyoku Shinka Shita Full Dive RPG ga Genjitsu yori mo Kusogee Dattara

Also known as Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier than Real Life!.

Studio: ENGI , KADOKAWA , Bit Grooove Promotion
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy , Romance

Yuuki Hiroshi has just picked up Kiwame Quest, the realest VRMMO ever made. But this RPG is TOO lifelike; he can smell, taste, feel, and when he's hurt in it, his physical body is hurt too. Even worse, his abilities in this adventure suck as much as they do in daily life. This was supposed to be immersion, not reality. Consumed with winning, he swears he'll conquer this game—even if it kills him!



Note: The first episode received an online advance screening on March 31, 2021. Regular TV broadcast started on April 7, 2021

Tags: Video Games , Virtual World , Surreal Comedy , Parody , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Isekai , Yandere , Conspiracy , Gore , Memory Manipulation , Female Harem , Goblin , Rehabilitation , Primarily Female Cast , Prison

Infinite Dendrogram

Also known as Infinite Dendrogram.

Studio: NAZ
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

In the year 2043, Infinite Dendrogram, the world's first successful full-dive VRMMO was released. In addition to its ability to perfectly simulate the five senses, along with its many other amazing features, the game promised to offer players a world full of infinite possibilities.

Nearly two years later, soon-to-be college freshman, Reiji Mukudori, is finally able to buy a copy of the game and start playing. With some help from his experienced older brother, Shuu, and his partner Embryo, Reiji embarks on an adventure into the world of Infinite Dendrogram. Just what will he discover and encounter in this game world known for its incredible realism and infinite possibilities?



Tags: Virtual World , Isekai , Video Games , Artificial Intelligence , Male Protagonist , Shapeshifting , Magic , Chimera , Real Robot , Crossdressing , Gore , Female Harem , Maids , Succubus , Swordplay , Conspiracy , Estranged Family , Revenge