Handyman Saitou has always been a kind of unremarkable man. He worked a thankless handyman job where the company prioritized profits and clients often dismissed his work as too simple to be worth paying for.
One day, Saitou is transported to a fantasy land where he takes up with a group of adventurers who, despite having some slight dysfunction of their their own, make his skills feel valuable!
I really think it was more the tonal shift of this series than its isekai twist that made it feel unique and fun to watch. I also like that even after switching to something serious, it didn’t forget to switch back to being silly after it was done. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Handyman Saitou in Another World, head on down below.
Anime Like Handyman Saitou in Another World
For Fans of Isekai Main Character With Non-Combat Skills
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
Alongside three other heroes, Mukouda Tsuyoshi was transported to a fantasy world to save a kingdom.
However, it becomes very apparent that he was summoned as a mistake when the only skill he has is to be able to open an interface to purchase food items from modern Japan.
Kicked out into the world, Tsuyoshi sets out into the world and his ability to make delicious dishes soon pays off. He attracted the attention of legendary wolf Fenrir who enjoyed the meal so much that he forms a pact with him to be his familiar.
Now employed as a merchant and adventurer, he travels and cooks to earn a living.
Both Handyman Saitou and Campfire Cooking are isekai anime about heroes summoned to a new world, but aren’t actually any good at fighting. Their companions keep them safe, and they use the skills they do have as either a handyman or a skilled home cook to make themselves useful.
While they both present themselves as light-hearted anime, Handyman Saitou does drift into serious arcs. Campfire Cooking, however, is just a fun food anime throughout.
Farming Life in Another World
After dying of an illness, Machio Hiraku is given the opportunity to reincarnate into another world.
The god grants him a healthy body and his wish to live peacefully. Machio also asks if he can have a talent for agriculture in hopes that he can live a more fulfilling life.
The god grants him all this as well as the ability to summon a farming tool that can turn into any agricultural tool he needs, including one that makes any seeds he can think of.
Machio is sent to the middle of a forest full of dangerous creatures. Without any civilization in sight, he makes his own small farm that slowly accumulates residents that wander the woods.
While both Handyman Saitou in Another World and Farming Life in Another World are isekai anime about a main character that is a non-combatant class, there are some very crucial key differences.
The first being that Farming Life in Another World is a harem. Not an ecchi harem, but his farm becomes a village, and that village is 95% female.
The second is that Machio is actually good at combat. His farming tool becomes a strong weapon, but he really is just focused on farming rather than adventuring.
Regardless, both series are mostly light-hearted fantasy adventures about the main characters finding fulfillment in their new lives despite not being warriors.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Kazuya Souma is summoned to another world rife with adventure. There, the king that summoned him cedes his throne to the young hero and Souma finds himself saddled with a kingdom in decline.
Now, he shows the true might of his heroism by rehabilitating the country, not through adventure or war, but through rigorous economic administration.
While Handyman Saitou in Another World is about a guy who isn’t skilled in combat, it is still an adventuring series. How a Realist Hero Rebuilt a Kingdom is about a guy who isn’t much of a warrior, but he instead uses the talents he does have – in this case, realm administration.
These are both fun takes on the standard isekai formula and have a good mix of fun and action. However, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom does lean towards harem as everyone wants to break off a piece of the new king.
For Fans of Dungeon Crawling Adventures
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
Thrown into a fantasy land with no memories of their previous life, the strong among this new group of people bind together, while the weak are left to fend for themselves.
Grimgar tells the tale of the struggles of the weak as they pick up combat skills and fight the creatures of the world in order to earn a living.
Both Handyman Saitou in Another World and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash are isekai anime that follow the dungeon crawling and adventures of a party of misfits. In Grimgar, almost everyone in their party is some kind of weak, either in physical ability or mentally. However, there is some flawed competence in Handyman Saitou’s main adventuring party.
While Handyman Saitou drifts from silly to serious, Grimgar takes itself entirely seriously, which means it can be a bit emotionally heavy at times.
Ningen Fushin – Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World
Nick, Tiana, Zem, and Curran are all adventurers who have been pushed away, betrayed, and trampled on by their peers.
One night, these four paths cross in a tavern where they air their grievances to each other as well as the hobbies they took up to take the sting out of the way they were treated.
After a long night of drinking, the morning brings with it a bright idea – they should make their own adventuring party!
Together, they agree to team up, with everyone watching the group finances and an agreement to never interfere with each other’s hobbies outside of their jobs. However, for four people who find it hard to trust others, they now have to adjust to working together.
Unlike Handyman Saitou in Another World, Ningen Fushin isn’t an isekai anime. However, outside of its unique twist of having the adventurers being betrayed people with trust issues, it is very much a dungeon crawling anime. They are adventurers by trade and their adventures often take them to dungeons.
Both series have an excellent balance between their sillier moments outside of work and them getting serious on their adventures.
Konosuba
On his way back from buying a new game, Kazuma Satou died a pathetic death.
However, he awakens before the Goddess Aqua who gives him two choices: go to heaven or reincarnate into an actual fantasy world. Naturally, the gamer picks the fantasy world.
Now, Kazuma must deal with defeating an evil demon king, useless party members, and paying living expenses.
Like Handyman Saitou in Another World, Konosuba is about a group of adventurers who are not powerless, per-say, but not exactly the A-team either. Furthermore, Konosuba is also an isekai anime where the main character is actually the least powerful party member in terms of combat, his class being roughly equated to thief or rogue.
Both series really enjoy their comedy, but they also do have somewhat serious arcs that mix in action, but they never forget the silliness that endured them to fans.
For Fans of Going From Silly to Serious
Cautious Hero – The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
In the divine realm, Gods and Goddesses are assigned worlds in peril to summon heroes to guide on their quest to save those worlds.
The Goddess of Healing, Ristarte, is assigned a difficult S-class world and told to pick a hero to defeat the Demon King. While her choices are underwhelming, one low level hero with super stats catches her eye!
Seiya Ryuuguuin is indeed a powerful hero, but he also has the problematic quirk of being overly cautious. His desire to stay on the safe side, over-preparing and over-training for all encounters, is a source of frustration for all.
Like Handyman Saitou in Another World, Cautious Hero starts off silly. However, while Handyman Saitou has a number of silly skits with a variety of jokes, Cautious Hero really only has the one joke – the hero was overpowered, but overly preps for every encounter
Just like how Handyman Saitou in Another World gave an actually serious conclusion to its silliness, Cautious Hero surprised everyone by making the joke serious too. There is a pretty sad reason he acts the way he does, and both series have that tone shift in common alongside being isekai anime.
Re-Zero
When Subaru Natsuki goes out for a midnight snack run, he suddenly finds himself transported to another world.
As a bewildered teen in a land of swords and magic, he wanders around and ends up attacked by thugs. After being saved by a mysterious woman, he agrees to help her get back something that was stolen.
Unfortunately, it ends in both their deaths.
With his dying breath, he finds that he possesses the power of revival, escaping his death by the repeating the last few hours.
If Handyman Saitou in Another World is a rope, intricately weaving silly set pieces into a emotional and serious conclusion to an arc, then Re-Zero is the game of tug of war that happens with that rope.
Both series are innately similar in that they are isekai anime where a “useless except in hyper-specific circumstances” morale-boosting main character gets sent to a fantasy land. However, Re-Zero frequently lets its tone shift to pretty dark situations before tugging it right back into light-hearted levity.
The Devil is a Part-Timer
Right on the verge of taking over the world, evil Demon Lord Satan was foiled by the hero Emilia and was forced to retreat through a dimensional portal.
He ends up in our modern world where he is without powers and without money. In order to pay his way, he gets a part-timer job slinging fast food.
In the beginning, The Devil is a Part-Timer seemed like a series that was only the joke you see in its title – the devil slings fast food because he was sent to our world without powers.
However, as the series goes on, much like Handyman Saitou in Another World, it starts to become serious and action-oriented. Furthermore, after those serious arcs, they also both swing right back to being silly for the build up to the next serious event. It makes both a joy to watch because you want to see how they get from silly jokes to serious outcomes.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Handyman Saitou in Another World? Let fans know in the comments section below.
