5 anime reincarnations everyone loved (& 5 that were controversial)

Anime reincarnations are one of the most popular tropes in the media. The trope took over the world around the 2010s and has since become a big part of each anime season every year.

Anime reincarnations involve the death of an anime character, and instead of being passed onto the afterlife, they get transported into a fantasy world, retaining their memories of the previous world. Mostly, this genre is accompanied by the anime character gaining overpowered abilities in the fantasy, while in some, they don't even gain the basic survival abilities.

This is what makes anime reincarnations so popular among the anime fandom. But sometimes, these reincarnations are a bit weird such that they raise an eyebrow from the majority of the fandom.

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Kazuma Satou, and 4 other anime reincarnations every fan loved

1) Kazuma Satou (Konosuba)

Kazuma as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

Kazuma Satou was the main protagonist of Konosuba and his reincarnation was one of the most well-received anime reincarnations. He died while trying to save a girl from a tractor when in reality the girl was not even in danger of coming under the tractor. After dying, he met Aqua who berated him for dying uselessly and offered him a new life in a fantasy world.

Kazume chose to take Aqua alongside him and his redemption arc began. His body didn't go through many changes in the new world. Fans loved watching Kazuma's everyday endeavors. Even though he didn't get to see that much of a successful life, at least it was better than sitting in front of a computer playing games.

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2) Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

Greed as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

Greed was one of the Homonclus creatures that belonged to the main antagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. His Philosopher Stone, which gave him life, was removed later on and he was reincarnated into the body of Ling Yao, one of the series' supporting characters.

The reason why Greed's reincarnation was one of the most well-received anime reincarnations was that Ling Yao was able to take over Greed and this could have helped the protagonists take down the antagonist, the Father.

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3) Urano Motosu (Ascendance of a Bookworm)

Urano as seen in the anime (Image via Ajia-do)

The girl who took her love for books to the fantasy world, Urano was the main protagonist of Ascendance of a Bookworm, whose reincarnation was one of the most loved anime reincarnations in anime. She was a teenage girl who died during an earthquake before she could fulfill her dream job of becoming a librarian.

She was reincarnated inside the body of a weak five-year-old girl named Myne. The new world Urano was reincarnated into didn't have many books so, despite being, she continued to pursue her love for books in a new world by crafting new ways to make paper. This could be the reason why her reincarnation was so well-received.

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4) Hiraku Machio (Farming Life in Another World)

Machio as seen in the anime (Image via Zero-G)

The man who died of overwork while working a corporate job, Machio was the main protagonist of Farming Life in Another World. After dying, he was disappointed to see himself as he couldn't do anything he loved while he was alive. But Gods offered him another chance at life, alongside any power he wanted.

As Machio loved farming, he asked for an All-Purpose Farming Tool. This allowed him to grow crops anywhere, irrespective of the soil quality. He built a village, had a lot of wives and children, and didn't miss any chance to fulfill his desires in the second chance the Gods gave him. This could be why his reincarnation was one of the best anime reincarnations.

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5) Mikami Satoru/Rimuru (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)

Mikami (left) and Rimuru (right) (Image via 8bit)

Mikami Satoru was the main protagonist of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime who was killed during a robbery while saving his friend. His last words before dying were for his friend to destroy his computer so that his internet history was removed.

He reincarnated as a slime, the weakest monster, and climbed his way up to become a demon lord. He was named Rimuru by a dragon. He also built a village titled 'Tempest,' made so many friends, and enjoyed every chance he got to live the second chance he was given at life. This could be why his reincarnation was one of the most loved anime reincarnations.

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Rudeus Greyrat, and 4 other anime reincarnations that were controversial

1) Ryouma Takabayashi (By the Grace of Gods)

Ryouma as seen in his old life (left) and new life (right) (Image via Maho Film)

The main protagonist of By the Grace of Gods, Ryouma was a depressed adult who died because of brain hemorrhage. After dying, he sat with three Gods who liked his timid personality and reincarnated him inside the body of a little child. In his new life, Ryouma loved to partake in timid activities like collecting slime monsters.

He later became the owner of the biggest laundry service in his new world and enjoyed every moment of his life. But his reincarnation could be considered one of the most controversial anime reincarnations because he could be seen developing a relationship with Eliara. Eliara was a child just like Ryouma's new body, but he was a grown-up adult in reality, thus making his character questionable.

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2) Rudeus Greyrat (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation)

Rudeus as seen in his old life (left) and new life (right) (Image via Studio Bind)

The main protagonist of, arguably, the best isekai-themed anime series, Rudeus was a failure of an adult who was kicked out of his home for slacking. He died trying to protect a girl from being harassed but died by coming in front of a car. He was reincarnated as a baby into the Greyrat Family.

He didn't take this second chance of life lightly and became one of the strongest mages in the world. But he continued to satisfy his pervy side side-by-side. His reincarnation was one of the most controversial anime reincarnations because he was an adult in the body of a young boy and developed relationships with young girls.

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3) Tanya Degurechaff (The Saga of Tanya the Evil)

Tanya as seen in the anime (Image via Nut)

Tanya was the main protagonist of The Saga of Tanya the Evil who was a salaryman in the previous life. The salaryman died during an accident and was reincarnated into the body of a little girl named Tanya, who was a duty-driven person who loved violence.

As fans could expect, the reincarnation of a male inside a female body is a controversial subject and the anime series featured this subject at its start. This could make the reincarnation of Tanya one of the most contentious anime reincarnations.

4) Lugh Tuatha Dé (The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat)

Lugh as seen in his previous life (left) and new life (right) (Image via SILVER LINK & Palette)

The reincarnation of the best assassin in the world, Lugh was the main protagonist of The World's Best Assasin. In his previous life, the protagonist was betrayed by his comrades and died during an explosion. He met God after dying and was reincarnated as the son of a family of assassins.

He polished his skills further in this new world and became a full-fledged assassin who could also use supernatural powers. But what made his reincarnation one of the most controversial anime reincarnations was his relationship with girls that were less than half his age, like Maha, Tarte, and Dia.

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5) Pig (Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig-)

Pig as seen in the anime (Image via Project no. 9)

The series' main protagonist, who died after eating pig liver, Pig (buta-san in Japanese) was the reincarnated form of an arrogant scientist. As soon as he was reincarnated, he met a girl named Jess who belonged to a discriminated class of servants.

The pig accompanied her on the journey to the capital city. The anime became contentious due to the pig's harassment towards Jess, making the protagonist's reincarnation one of the most controversial anime reincarnations.

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