Isekai - Wikipedia

Japanese fantasy subgenre about travel to another world

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Isekai (Japanese: 異世界; transl. 'different world', 'another world', or 'other world') is a sub-genre of fiction. It includes novels, light novels, films, manga, webtoons, anime, and video games that revolve around a person or people who are transported to and have to survive in another world, such as a fantasy world, game world, or parallel universe, with or without the possibility of returning to their original world. Isekai is one of the most popular genres of anime and shares many of its common tropes – for example, a powerful protagonist who is able to beat most people in the other world in fights. This plot device emphasizes worldbuilding and non-protagonist characters, and typically allows the audience to learn about the new world at the same pace as the protagonist over the course of their quest or lifetime.[1] If the main characters are transported to a game-like world, the genre can overlap with LitRPG. In March 2024, the word "isekai" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.[2][3]

The concept of isekai started in Japanese folktales, such as Urashima Tarō. However, the first modern isekai works were Haruka Takachiho's novel Warrior from Another World (1979) and Yoshiyuki Tomino's television series Aura Battler Dunbine (1983).

History

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Early media

[edit]

The concept of transporting to another world is not new and has featured in ancient Japanese literature, particularly the story of a fisherman Urashima Tarō, who saves a turtle and is rewarded by being brought to a wondrous undersea kingdom. After spending what he believed to be several days there, Urashima returns to his home village only to find himself 300 years in the future. The first Buck Rogers comic strip, published in 1929, centers on a Pittsburgh mine worker who is trapped in a cave-in and preserved in suspended animation for 400 years. Other precursors to isekai include portal fantasy stories from English literature, notably the novels The Blazing World (1666), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), Peter Pan (1904), and The Chronicles of Narnia (1950).

Modern media

[edit] See also: List of isekai works

Although the term "isekai" had not been used in reference to this concept of entering or being taken into another world, there have been many works that have been retroactively considered as part of the isekai genre. The earliest modern Japanese isekai stories include Haruka Takachiho's novel Warrior from Another World (1979), Tatsunoko Production CBN collaborative Christian anime Superbook (1981), the anime film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (1982) and Yoshiyuki Tomino's anime Aura Battler Dunbine (1983).[4][5][6]

The earliest isekai anime to involve the protagonist being trapped in the virtual world of a video game was the film Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! (1986), based on the hit video game Super Mario Bros. (1985); the anime film adaptation involves Mario playing a video game that comes to life, making it an ancestor of the "trapped in a video game" subgenre of isekai.[4]

Other early anime and manga titles that could be classified as isekai include Mashin Hero Wataru (1988 debut), NG Knight Ramune & 40 (1990 debut), Fushigi Yûgi (1992 debut), El-Hazard (1995 debut), and The Vision of Escaflowne (1996 debut), in which the protagonists stayed similar to their original appearance upon entering a different world.[7][8] Other 1990s titles identified as isekai include the novel and anime series The Twelve Kingdoms (1992 debut),[9] the manga/anime/game franchise Magic Knight Rayearth (1993 debut),[9] the visual novel adventure game YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (1996),[10][11] the manga and anime series Inuyasha (1996 debut), and the anime series Now and Then, Here and There and Digimon Adventure (both 1999 debut). Spirited Away (2001) was one of the first isekai anime films known worldwide, although the term "isekai" was not commonly used at the time.[8][5]

The role-playing adventure game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (1997),[12] and the Digimon Adventure (1999 debut) and .hack (2002 debut) franchises, were some of the first works to present the concept of isekai as a virtual world, with Sword Art Online (2002 web novel debut) following in their footsteps,[13] though this categorization has been disputed,[14] including by the series' creator.[15]

A popular isekai light novel and anime series in the 2000s was The Familiar of Zero (2004 debut), where the male lead Saito is from modern Japan and is summoned to a fantasy world by the female lead Louise.[16]The Familiar of Zero popularized the isekai genre in web novel and light novel media, along with the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō ("Let's Become Novelists"), known as Narō for short. The Familiar of Zero fan fiction became popular on Narō during the late 2000s. Fans of The Familiar of Zero also began to write stories with a similar premise of characters from other media transporting to a fantasy world and interacting with each other, and Narō experienced an increase in isekai novels by the end of the 2000s.[17] It eventually spawned a genre of isekai novels on the site (especially after fanfiction was banned on Narō in 2012) which became known as Narō novels.

The Familiar of Zero fanfiction writers eventually began writing original isekai novels, such as Tappei Nagatsuki who went on to create Re:Zero (2012 debut). The 2012 anime adaptation of Sword Art Online popularized the isekai genre in anime, which led to more isekai web novels being published on Narō and a number of Narō novels being adapted into anime. It was around this time that the term "isekai" was coined.[18]

In May 2021, Kadokawa announced they would open an "Isekai Museum" in July of the same year.[19]

Characteristics

[edit]

A common trait in many Isekai stories are the main character who’s an ordinary person that thrives in their new environment and overcomes different kinds of obstacles to modern things in the real world being seen as "extraordinary" in the other world.[clarification needed] This can be physical characteristics, such as hair or eye color, or skills and knowledge they learned in their previous life such as cooking, engineering, basic education, or medicine, which are far more advanced in the modern, real world than in the world they are sent to.[20] In some cases, when a main character enters the new world, they gain or manifest special powers or abilities that are often referred to as "cheats", which allow them to adapt to this new world more easily and to become strong more quickly.[21]

In the popular anime Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, the largest population of humans appear in the magically created world, transported from Earth, and are partially mixed with local dragon-like Heavenly Beings.[22]

In many works, isekai overlaps with the harem and LitRPG genres, where the protagonist gains the affection of several potential love interests, who may or may not be human. One example of this is Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World.[23]

Transition versus Reincarnation

[edit]

The genre can be divided into two types: "transition into another world" (異世界転移, isekai ten'i) and "reincarnation into another world" (異世界転生, isekai tensei).[24] In "transition into another world" stories, the protagonist gets transported to another world (e.g. by traveling into it, or being magically summoned into it).[24] In "reincarnation into another world" stories, the protagonist is sent into another world after dying in the real world. A common method of death is being run over by a truck and dying, spawning the meme of "Truck-kun", a truck which appears in many isekai series that kills the protagonist, which leads to them reincarnating into a different world.[25]

Subgenres

[edit]

Since Isekai is defined by the transference of a person or people to another world, the genre does not have restrictions in terms of what settings, story content, or plot devices can be included. As a result, Isekai has allowed for the birth of many subgenres within it.

The Chosen One

[edit]

The protagonist is a person reborn in a new world after being killed. In some works, their appearances and personalities are not altered in any way; however, they are still given special powers as well as a magical object that aids them on their journey. Examples of this are In Another World with My Smartphone, Farming Life in Another World, and Zenshu. Only rarely in anime does the protagonist return to their previous world at the end.

While the protagonist of a classic isekai work is usually a "chosen hero", there have been a number of alternative takes on the concept. One trend is the protagonist reincarnating into the body of an unimportant side character, or even a villain.

Transition Chosen One

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The protagonist is not killed, but is instead brought to another world by magic or by an unearthly being (either a god or an alien) to help defeat a rising conflict, such as in How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers, The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World, and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. Some are given special "cheat" powers to help them. In I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too, Battle Girls: Time Paradox, and Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, although the chosen hero is brought to a new world, they can still travel back to their own world either at a will (either by a gateway or magical powers) or when they have completed their mission.

Child Chosen One

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The protagonist is an adult reincarnated in a new world as a child with special powers after being killed, such as in Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World, I Shall Survive Using Potions!, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat, Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and Fluffy Paradise. In some works, such as in I'm a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Noble Reincarnation, and Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord, the protagonist is reborn as a child under mysterious circumstances; how they died, or whether they died in the real world or were transported to another world and turned into a child is never revealed. Though not exactly an isekai, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire also follows this example, but the protagonist is reborn as a child in the same world. Some protagonists are given their powers from gods or otherworldly beings such as an alien, a magical creature, or an entity.

Multiple Reincarnation/Transition

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Some works like The Fruit of Evolution, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, and Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time have more than one reincarnation, summon, or sometimes both, but only one of the characters will be the Chosen One.

Non-human Chosen One

[edit]

There are instances of protagonists that become inhuman creatures with special abilities, such as in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, where the protagonist reincarnates as a slime monster; I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, where the protagonist reincarnates as an immortal witch; So I'm a Spider, So What?, where the protagonist reincarnates as a spider monster; I'm a Behemoth, where the protagonist reincarnates as a monster called a behemoth that resembles a cat; and Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling, where the protagonist reincarnates as a young dragon. Some works have the protagonist being reborn as a sentient object, such as a sword or a vending machine, and are accompanied by another character, usually a girl.

The Non-Chosen One

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The Villain/Villainess

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"Villainess isekai" is an emerging subgenre within the isekai landscape featuring dynamics between transmigrated or reincarnated villainess that take place in otome game settings or a novel that they may or may not be familiar with, which leaves these characters with no other choice but to take on the role enforced on them. These stories follow the main character's journey of avoiding the grim, predestined "Bad End" fate of an villainess or villain; however, the stories may attempt to correct themselves to the original plot and ending. They are often given special skills when they come to this new world and use them to either try and avoid a bad outcome that will happen to them in the future or help other important characters rather than trying to antagonize them, though other characters will take over their roles as villains instead, such as in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen, Villainess Level 99, and The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess. Although the protagonist is usually a girl, a few works like From Bureaucrat to Villainess, A Wild Last Boss Appeared!, and Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra have a guy being reborn as the villainess or a male villain instead.

Regular isekai anime gives protagonists free will and the opportunity to achieve heroic greatness in their new lives while isekai villainess anime feature the contrary, pinning characters in a doom-ridden role and denying them any sort of free will within the game. With most characters working against the "Villainess", the protagonist granted more agency and moral grayness than a normal "Heroine", being is thrown in a race against time to avoid the game's predestined fate.[26]

Yandere-kei Otome Game no Sekai ni Tensei shiteshimatta you desu (ヤンデレ系乙女ゲーの世界に転生してしまったようです; lit. 'It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated Into the World of a Yandere Otome Game') and Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu! (謙虚、堅実をモットーに生きております！; lit. 'I Will Live with Humility and Dependability as My Motto!') are noted for popularizing the subgenre in the web novel community in 2013. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! aired in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic is credited for initiating the popularity of "Villainess" anime, being quickly followed by dozens of series with similar themes and tropes in the following years afterwards.

Sidetracked Reincarnation

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In very few works like May I Ask for One Final Thing?, although there is a reincarnated person, they are not the main character. The actual Chosen One is a person who was born in that fantasy world.

Reverse

[edit]

"Reverse isekai" is a subgenre of isekai that follow beings from a fantasy universe who have been transported to or reincarnated into Earth, usually in the modern-day, such as in the anime Re:Creators;[27][28] although some series differ, such as light novel Demon Lord 2099, which is set in a future Earth, mixing elements of cyberpunk and science fantasy.[29] Additionally, there is also 'double reverse isekai' or 'back-to-back isekai,' where a character who has died in a fantasy world is reincarnated in the modern world (bringing modern knowledge), only to die again and be reincarnated back into the aforementioned fantasy world, often in the past, to introduce that knowledge into their original world, as seen in South Korean web novel Doctor Elise.[30]

Peaceful

[edit] Main article: Iyashikei

"Peaceful isekai" genre includes the "slow life" approach, where the protagonist was overworked in their previous life, so they decide to take it easy in the next.[20] Another offshoot is where the protagonist uses the new world to explore an interest, hobby, or goal they had in the previous world but were unable to achieve, such as opening a business, like in Restaurant to Another World.[20]

Controversy

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Backlash against genre's popularity

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The isekai genre became so popular during the early- and mid-2010s that it began to generate backlash (in both Japan and outside), from those who felt like it started to overcrowd the greater manga and anime market. In 2016, a Japanese short story contest organized by Bungaku Free Market and Shōsetsuka ni Narō placed a blanket ban on any entries involving isekai.[31] The publisher Kadokawa banned isekai stories as well in their own anime/manga-style novel contest in 2017.[32]

Disputed series

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Some series are the subject of debate as to whether they are isekai or not. For example, the 2025 anime Turkey! Time to Strike follows a high school tenpin bowling team who are magically sent back in time to the Sengoku period. While some articles on websites such as Anime News Network and Anime Feminist have described the series as an isekai,[33][34] other such as Anime UK News argue that time travel stories are separate from isekai.[35]

See also

[edit]

• Portal fantasy – Fantasy narratives involving travel through portals
• Accidental travel – Fantasy subgenre about being transferred to another world or time
• Chuanyue – Chinese fantasy about crossing into another era
• Dream world (plot device) – Fantasy about worlds accessed through dreams
• LitRPG – Literary genre
• Magic realism – Style of literary fiction and artPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Suspended animation in fiction – Theme in science fiction
• Time travel in fiction – Concept and accompanying genre in fiction
• Xianxia – Chinese fantasy genre

References

[edit]

1. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction: The Portal-Quest Fantasy"
2. ^ Creamer, Ella (March 27, 2024). "The Oxford English Dictionary's latest update adds 23 Japanese words". The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
3. ^ "isekai". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
4. ^ a b "The Mike Toole Show Old School Isekai". Anime News Network. January 21, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
5. ^ a b Villacin, Paige (April 15, 2022). "What Makes Older Isekai Anime More Unique Than Their Modern Counterparts". CBR. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
6. ^ Greenall, Jonathon (December 4, 2021). "Sword Art Online's Predecessor, the First Isekai Anime, Is Still Worth a Watch". CBR. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
7. ^ "Hacking the Isekai: Make Your Parallel World Work for You". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
8. ^ a b Loveridge, Lynzee (August 19, 2017). "The List – 8 Anime That Were Isekai Before It Was Cool". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
9. ^ a b Amaam, Baam (April 18, 2018). "The 15 Greatest Isekai Anime as Ranked by Japan". GoBoiano. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
10. ^ Beckett, James (August 30, 2020). "YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world. Part 2 BD". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
11. ^ Dennison, Kara (July 30, 2019). "YU-NO Goes Full Isekai with New PV and Cast Additions". Crunchyroll.
12. ^ Kim, Matt T.M. (September 5, 2019). "Cult Classic PS1 'Anti-RPG' Moon Is Coming to the Nintendo Switch in English". IGN. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
13. ^ Kamen, Matt (October 2, 2017). "Anime: the 10 must-watch films and TV shows for video game lovers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
14. ^ Kemner, Louis (March 4, 2022). "Is Sword Art Online Really an Isekai Anime?". CBR. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
15. ^ @kunori (April 14, 2019). その３、向こうでも「ISEKAI」がトレンドワードになっている（イタリアではイゼカイと発音するぞ！）。インタビューで何度も「異世界もののパイオニアとして現在の状況をどう思うか」と質問されたんですがそのたびに「SAOは現実世界ものですし私はパイオニアでもないです！」と頑張って説明しましたｗ [Part 3: "Isekai" has become a trending word (it's pronounced "izekai" in Italy!). In interviews, I was asked many times, "As a pioneer of isekai, what do you think about the current state of it?" and each time I tried my best to explain, "SAO is set in the real world, so I'm not a pioneer!" lol] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
16. ^ "10 Anime Like Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?". MANGA.TOKYO. May 12, 2018.
17. ^ Iida, Ichishi; Ma, Scott (Summer 2025). "Japanese Web Novels: Media History, Platform, and Narrative". Mechademia. 17 (2). University of Minnesota Press: 150–167 – via Project MUSE.
18. ^ Morrissy, Kim (March 19, 2021). "Mushoku Tensei Is Not the Pioneer of Isekai Web Novels, But..." Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
19. ^ Morrissy, Kim (May 4, 2021). "'Isekai Museum' Featuring Re:Zero, Overlord, Konosuba, Saga of Tanya the Evil Releases PV". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
20. ^ a b c "The Best (and worst) Isekai Light Novels". Anime News Network. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
21. ^ Muhamed, Fatuma (2020). "Rewriting Your Own Narrative: Isekai as a Contemporary Coming of Age Tale". ProQuest. University of Washington. p. 15. ISBN 9798664710557. Retrieved October 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
22. ^ Akita, Yoshinobu (October 1, 2003). Kore de owari to omou na yo! これで終わりと思うなよ! [Don't think this is the end!] (in Japanese). Fujimi Shobo. ISBN 9784829115619 – via Google Books.
23. ^ "Isekai Meikyū de Harem o Light Novels Listed With TV Anime". Anime News Network. December 10, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
24. ^ a b 「異世界転生」「異世界転移」のキーワード設定に関して. Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
25. ^ Heath, David (August 25, 2022). "8 Anime Characters That Were Victims Of Truck-Kun". Game Rant. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
26. ^ "Isekai Villainess Anime: A Fresh Perspective in a Stale Genre". November 15, 2023.
27. ^ Chapman, Paul. "Heroes Take it Easy in LAIDBACKERS Original Anime Theatrical Film". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
28. ^ Alverson, Brigid (May 12, 2022). "More and More Manga: An Updated Primer on Japanese Comic Books and Graphic Novels". School Library Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
29. ^ Wolf, Ian (April 7, 2022). "Demon Lord 2099, Volume 1 – Cyberpunk City Shinjuku Review". Anime UK News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
30. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (April 3, 2024). "Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp – Anime Series Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
31. ^ "Short Story Contest Bans 'Traveling to an Alternate World' Fantasy". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
32. ^ "Anime-style novel contest in Japan bans alternate reality stories and teen protagonists". SoraNews24. May 22, 2017. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
33. ^ DeRuyter, Lucas; Bicknell, Coop. "July 17, 2025". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
34. ^ Kaiser, Vrai (July 17, 2025). "Turkey! Time to Strike – Episodes 1-2". Anime Feminist. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
35. ^ Wolf, Ian (July 24, 2025). "Summer 2025 Preview". Anime UK News. Retrieved July 24, 2025.

External links

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• The History of Isekai Fantasy Novels—Book Off Online (in Japanese)

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v t e Film genres
By style	Action Heroic bloodshed Hong Kong action Adventure Art Biographical Comedy Action Black Commedia all'italiana Sexy Dramedy Gross out Horror Parody Mo lei tau Remarriage Romantic Sex Screwball Silent Slapstick Cyberpunk Japanese Documentary Animated City symphony Direct cinema Docudrama Mockumentary Mondo Pseudo Semi Travel Video essay Drama Calligrafismo Dramedy Historical Legal Erotic Category III films Commedia sexy all'italiana Pink Sexploitation Thriller Educational Social guidance Epic Sword-and-sandal Experimental Exploitation see Exploitation film template Fantasy Comedy Contemporary Fantastique High Historical Magic realism Science Film noir Neo-noir Pulp noir Tech noir Gothic Romance Southern Space Suburban Urban Horror Arthouse Black Body Cannibal Chinese horror Christmas horror Comedy Eco Fantastique Found footage German underground Ghost Giallo List of films Holiday Japanese horror Korean horror Lovecraftian Melodrama Korean Natural New French Extremity Psycho-biddy Psychological Science fiction Slasher Splatter Satanic Maximalist film Minimalist film Mumblecore Musical Arthouse Backstage Jukebox Musicarello Operetta Sceneggiata Mystery Detective Occult detective Whodunit Giallo Crossover Pornographic Hardcore pornography Softcore pornography (Malayalam) Propaganda Reality Romantic Comedy Bromantic Fantasy Gothic Paranormal Thriller Science fiction Art Comedy Fantastique Fantasy Gothic Horror Military New Wave Space opera Steampunk Tokusatsu Western Slice of life Iyashikei Slow cinema Survival Thriller Comedy Erotic Financial Giallo Legal New French Extremity Political Psychological Romantic Techno Transgressive Cinema of Transgression Extreme cinema New French Extremity Trick
By theme	Animals Beach party Body swap Buddy Buddy cop Female Cabrito Cannibal Chicano Colonial Coming-of-age Concert Crime Detective Gangster Gentleman thief Gokudō Gong'an Heist Heroic bloodshed Hood Mafia Mafia comedy Mumbai underworld Poliziotteschi Yakuza Cute Girls Doing Cute Things Dance Disaster Apocalyptic Drug Psychedelic Stoner Dystopian Ecchi Ero guro Ethnographic Exploitation Blaxploitation Mexploitation Turksploitation Extraterrestrial Food and drink Gendai-geki Ghost Goona-goona epic Gothic Romance Space Suburban Girls with guns Harem Hentai Lolicon Shotacon Tentacle erotica Homeland Isekai Jidaigeki Samurai Kaitō LGBTQ Yaoi Yuri Luchador Magical girl Martial arts Bruceploitation Chopsocky Gun fu Kung fu Ninja Wuxia Mecha Anime Monster Giant monster Kaiju Mummy Vampire Zombie Zombie comedy Mountain Mouth of Garbage Muslim social Nature Environmental issues Opera Outlaw biker Ozploitation Partisan film Prison Women Race Rape and revenge Road Rubble Rumberas Sageuk Sexploitation Bavarian porn Commedia sexy all'italiana Mexican sex comedy Nazi exploitation Pornochanchada Nunsploitation Sex report Shoshimin-eiga Slavery Slice of life Snuff South Seas Sports Spy Eurospy Superhero Surfing Swashbuckler Sword-and-sandal Sword and sorcery Travel imaginary voyage Trial Vigilante War Anti-war Euro War Submarine Western Acid Contemporary Western Dacoit Western Fantasy Florida Horror Meat pie Northern Ostern Revisionist Science fiction Singing cowboy Space Spaghetti Weird Western Zapata Western
By movement or period	Absolute American eccentric cinema Australian New Wave Auteur films Berlin School Bourekas Brighton School British New Wave Kitchen sink realism Budapest school Calligrafismo Cannibal boom Cinéma du look Cinema Novo Cinema of Moral Anxiety Cinema of Transgression Cinéma pur Commedia all'italiana Czechoslovak New Wave Documentary Film Movement Dogme 95 Erra Cinema European art cinema Film d'art Film gris Free Cinema French Impressionist French New Wave German Expressionist German underground horror Golden Age of Argentine cinema Golden Age of Mexican Cinema Golden Age of Nigerian Cinema Grupo Cine Liberación Heimatfilm Hollywood on the Tiber Hong Kong New Wave Indiewood Iranian New Wave Italian futurist Italian neorealist Japanese New Wave Kammerspielfilm L.A. Rebellion Lettrist Modernist film Mumblecore Neorealist New French Extremity New German New generation New Hollywood New Nollywood New Objectivity New Queer No Wave Nuevo Cine Mexicano Pan-Indian film Parallel cinema Persian Film Philippine New Wave Poetic realist Polish Film School Poliziotteschi The Prague film school Prussian film Pure Film Movement Remodernist Romanian New Wave Slow cinema Spaghetti Western Socialist realist Social realist Kitchen sink realism Soviet parallel Structural Surrealist Sword-and-sandal Taiwan New Cinema Telefoni Bianchi Thai New Wave Third Cinema Toronto New Wave Vulgar auteurism Yugoslav Black Wave
By demographic	Adult Black Children and family Anime Men Seinen Stag Teen Shōnen Shōjo Women Chick flick Josei
By format, technique, approach, or production	3D Actuality Animation Anime Art Cartoon Computer Stop-motion Traditional Anthology Art B movie Behind-the-scenes Black and white Blockbuster Cinéma vérité Classical Hollywood cinema Collage Color Compilation Composite Computer screen Cult midnight movie Database cinema Direct-to-video ONA OVA Docufiction Ethnofiction Experimental Abstract Feature Featurette Film à clef Film-poem Found footage Geezer teaser High concept Hyperlink cinema Independent Guerrilla filmmaking List of American independent films Interstitial art Live action animation Low-budget Major film studios Masala Maximalist film Message picture Meta-film Minimalist film Mockbuster Modernist film Musical short Mythopoeia Neorealist No-budget One-shot Paracinema Participatory Poetry Postmodernist Reverse motion Satire Sceneggiata Semidocumentary Serial Shinpa Short Silent Slow cinema Socialist realist Sound Television film Underground Video nasty Vulgar auteurism Z movie
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