Kazuya Souma is summoned to another world rife with adventure. There, the king 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.
Ah, economics. Now this is an isekai plot I can get behind. No epic battles here, just solid bookkeeping. Let’s fuckin’ go! If you are looking for more anime recommendations like How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, then head on down below.
Anime Like How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
For Fans of Economics, Politics, and Realm Administration – Oh My!
Spice and Wolf
For generations, Holo was a revered wolf deity that helped the local wheat harvest in exchange for tribute. However, as the villagers become more self-sufficient, they no longer need or even believe in her anymore. During her annual festival, she sneaks into the cart of Kraft, a visiting merchant, hoping he will let her hitch a ride home.
While Realist Hero dips its toes into economics, Spice and Wolf dives head first into them. There are long stints of exposition of medieval economics, but like Realist Hero, that is evened out by both fun and serious moments as well as an array of interesting characters.
Maoyu – Archenemy and Hero
After fifteen years of warfare with the demon world, the Hero is unsatisfied with their advance and rushes forward to the Demon Queen’s Castle. There he not only finds a beautiful woman that is the queen, but she needs his help. To his surprise, she offers a way to not only help his country, but hers as well. Together, they join forces to make that dream a reality.
While Maoyu isn’t an isekai show, it is a fantasy series that places a focus on both the romance of the main character and how they are working to better their war-torn world through politics and administration rather than actual battle.
High School Prodigies Have It Easy in Another World
After their plane goes down, seven prodigy children wake up to find themselves in another world. However, as none of them are just normal students, they set out to improve and take over this world through the use of their specialties.
Both series are isekai series that aren’t so much about action, but rather the characters using their non-battle talents. However, High School Prodigies is more of a comedy series and them using their unique talents to the fullest would wreck the world.
For Fans of Heroics Through Intelligence
Log Horizon
Thirty thousand Japanese players of the popular Elder Tale game all log in to explore the new update of their game, only to discover they are unable to log out. The story focuses on the socially awkward college student Shiroe, a master strategist in-game, and his friends as they try to navigate their new reality.
Both series are fantasy series in which highlight that the main character has a brain, and often uses it. However, while Realist Hero is rather action-free, Log Horizon does have some action to it. That being said, Log Horizon is also prone to getting lost in explaining economics as well.
Overlord
As the final hour approaches the life cycle of the MMO Yggdrasil, Momonga, a powerful wizard and leader of the dark guild Ainz Ooal Gown, is there to see it off. However, to his surprise, the servers don’t go down and even stranger is that all the NPC characters have come alive with their own unique personalities.
While Overlord has its fair share of amazing action, what makes it such a popular staple in isekai is that, like Realist Hero, the main character is always plotting not just battle strategy, but economic and political strategy as well.
No Game No Life
In the real world, siblings Shiro and Sora are NEET shut-ins. However, in the virtual world, they are a legendary gaming duo. One day, after a strange email, they find their reality taken away as they are transported to the realm of Tet, God of Games. Here, Shiro and Sora must play games to defeat the sixteen races of this world as well as Tet in order to become the new gods.
Both shows are unique as they are isekai series, but have very little actual fighting in them. In No Game No Life, battles aren’t fought with violence, but rather they are done through various games. This means it requires solid thinkers as main characters and thus rather unceremoniously makes them rulers.
For Fans of Forced Responsibilities
Amagi Brilliant Park
Kanie Seiya, a smart, but narcissistic high school student, believes that the reserved Sento Isuzu has invited him on a date to the amusement park. However, the park turns out to not only to be run down, but his date was more of job recruitment. Recruited as the new manager, can he turn this park around in just three months?
While Amagi Brilliant Park is set in the modern day, essentially both it and Realist Hero have the same plot of a smart, normal guy getting saddled with a floundering business/country. There, through rigorous administration, he turns it around.
Shachibato
Long ago a goddess descended to the land of Gatepia. With her, gates opened up around the world to dungeons rich with a mineral used in the world for energy. Following his father’s disappearance in one such dungeon, Minato is urged by his childhood friend Yutoria to become the president of his father’s treasure hunting company.
Realist Hero takes things to a larger scale by placing him as king of a country, but Shachibato is of a similar vein. It is a fantasy world where the main character inherits a company. However, unlike Realist Hero where he surrounds himself with helpful and talented people, Shachibato goes a rather opposite route for comedy.
The Twelve Kingdoms
In what started as a normal day as a normal high school student, Nakajima Youko has her reality shattered when a strange man named Keiki appears before her, swearing his allegiance. When Youko and her friends are attacked by demons, they are pulled into a different world, one she has never known. Separated from Keiki, Youko and her friends must do whatever they have to in order to survive this strange, harsh place.
If you enjoyed the world of Realist Hero and the focus that it placed on the different aspects of economic and political navigation, then The Twelve Kingdoms is likely something you’ll enjoy. It is older and more of a serious story, but it puts a huge focus on world building where each kingdom is unique in its culture, policies, and people.
Do you have more anime recommendations like How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom? Let fans know in the comments section below.
