Crunchyroll Just Ended the Best Isekai Debate With One Episode

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Best Isekai That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 4 Maribel

Published Apr 5, 2026, 11:55 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via Screen Rant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

Isekai anime as a genre has become a cottage industry so saturated it's sometimes difficult to distinguish emerging greatness from "isekai slop". But beyond early hits like The Vision of Escaflowne, Digimon, and Twelve Kingdoms, and genre-defining-yet-divisive series like Sword Art Online, an "Isekai Big Three" emerged over the past decade. While each of the three concerned series, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime each vary experientially and in word-soup titles, each have certain edges over one another.

Mushoku Tensei balances its mature storytelling and doubles down on the second chances offered by a reincarnation in another world. Re:Zero benefits from a novel premise of time manipulation by a neat twist on save points in the form of "Return by Death". But That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, despite featuring a far cozier, less mature-coded storyline of power fantasy and worldbuilding, lagged behind in its previous season. Now, with season 4, Rimuru Tempest's adventures in world-building and a monster-human utopia face a new conflict, upgraded animation, all while it enters its most exciting arcs to seize its lead in hype over its esteemed rivals.

Returning Isekai's Fourth Season Gets a Much-Needed Boost

With That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 3's shortcomings fully in the past now, fans can agree that its setup was crucial to even just season 4's premiere becoming so optimistic. Tempest is becoming a bustling haven for monster-human coexistence, and the elaborate dungeon within is getting some much-needed quality-of-life tweaks to appeal to novice adventurers. Rimuru's subordinates are thriving, with particular recognition given to Masayuki, whose proposals prove brilliantly insightful in turning the dungeon from a failed endeavor into a beginner-friendly, scaling challenge that it should be.

But beyond dungeon-building and idyllic scenes of Hinata's lively classroom, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime feels visibly more alive than even last season. Its visuals are sharper, and character animation is generally smoother, with Eight Bit's work really showing in the stunning opening and ending credit sequences. It's one department in which it lagged slightly behind Mushoku Tensei for the best among the Big Three, with TenSura fans leaning more on the world-building, politics, and cozy vibes of Rimuru's world. But as conflict brews from the Kingdom of Seltrozzo, even this comfort could soon be upended.

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Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?

AKaiju BTitans CHollows DDemons

✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.

Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?

AJujutsu Kaisen BAttack on Titan: The Final Season CChainsaw Man DDemon Slayer

✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.

Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?

AJin-Woo Sung BSung Jin-Woo CKim Dokja DYoo Joonghyuk

✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?

AJujutsu Kaisen Season 2 BFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End COshi no Ko DVinland Saga Season 2

✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?

ACreating gold BHuman transmutation (trying to revive their dead mother) CDestroying a Philosopher’s Stone DKilling a homunculus

✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.

Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?

AAgent Dusk BTwilight CShadow DNightfall

✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.

Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?

ANetflix Anime BFunimation CHIDIVE DAnimeLab

✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?

ASpirited Away 2 BThe Wind Rises CThe Boy and the Heron DPonyo Returns

✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.

✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.

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After all, the higher-quality animation of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime this time around aligns perfectly with some of its best arcs ahead, leading into the Eastern Empire Arc. This includes nefarious players like Granville and Maribel aiming to seize back total human control over Tempest's territory, and Demon Lord Leon angling for his own ambitions, all while a new Hero's awakening looms. If it weren't enough that TenSura's light novels sold more than Re:Zero and Mushoku Tensei's novels combined, the story has gotten noticeably exciting while still remaining largely light and approachable in a packed isekai slate for 2026.

Isekai Fans Are Eating Well in 2026

Beyond That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime's celebrated return, 2026 is brimming with delightful returns and curious second chances. The Beginning After the End has had its return after a wobbly season 1 (on its best days) while Re:Zero is close behind for its season 4 return, all while Mushoku Tensei gears up for an incredible season 3 debut in Summer 2026. Add to these the multiple exciting and delightful returns, and fans will have no trouble finding a good isekai meal, especially with Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon bringing snacks and supplies of its own for season 3.

While other fantasy subgenres have challenged isekai's dominance in recent years, isekai still enjoys huge saturation on Crunchyroll in particular for curious and returning fans alike. TenSura is a strong case of bearing multiple shades of the niche's best qualities, all while presenting an optimistic look at seasons ahead. Beyond featuring the only reincarnated protagonist who had a job in their previous life, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime seems to have itself the most put-together at this point as an anime as well, while throwing down the gauntlet for the other great isekai of the era to continue raising the bar.