Humans are overrated, after all.
Isekai, like any popular trope, tries to break the mold sometimes and do something that no one has done before. Isekai first and foremost explores the concept of reincarnation, where a character is reborn as someone else in another world, or just ends up transported there. But what if the character not just ends in another world, but becomes a completely different creature? Sometimes not even a creature, but a thing, even?
Things get interesting. So we got 8 shows where the protagonist of the isekai series stops being human, from the least insane to quite deranged ones.
Skeleton Knight in Another World
The majority of modern isekai titles are pretty self-explanatory, and this show is no exception: the protagonist falls asleep while playing a game and wakes up in the world of the game he was playing as his avatar. While the protagonist doesn't have a name, his character does: he's Arc. And he wears the game skin of a skeleton. This appearance, Arc believes, is frightening to everyone, so he decides to keep his helmet on all the time. This decision is one of the sources of humor in the series.
Another one with the skeleton theme: the main character, Momonga, was not a human in the first place, nor was his character in the virtual reality game that he ended up stuck in. The most interesting part of the Overlord, however, is not just Momonga's appearance, but a very unique blend of dark fantasy, science fiction, and laugh-inducing otaku culture — and also some unexpected plot twists.
So I’m a Spider, So What?
Jumping to more bizarre characters, the main lead of this series wasn't so lucky: while all her class was transported to another world in the timey-wimey explosion, she was the only one who got reincarnated as one of the weakest creatures — a spider. She uses her human knowledge and wit to stay alive in this very unforgiving world, and this show is a mix of hilarity and wholesomeness in a weirdly alluring way.
Heat The Pig Liver
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This otaku fell asleep after eating some raw pig liver and woke up as a pig. Thankfully, he's not stranded alone in this world: he's accompanied by a cute girl named Jess capable of reading minds. She accepts him as her companion, and he's fine with that, despite her stating that she's planning to eat him. But until she does so, the pig decides to use his wits and powerful nose to help Jess get out of dire situations.
Unparalleled Path ~ Reincarnated as the AI for a Space Battleship ~
Asagaya Makoto is an average high schooler. One day he falls asleep and wakes up as an AI for a space battleship. And the first thing he has to do after waking up is to defend himself and those who are still alive, as the ship is engaged in a very serious fight. This light novel series combines elements of sci-fi, as it is set roughly 10,000 years in the future, with comedy and romance, but surely, with the MC not being even tangible, that makes it one of the weirdest isekai prospects out there.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Mikami Satoru was just an office worker who was quite content with his simple life. And then he died. But he wasn't dead for that long: after he woke up, he discovered that he was reincarnated as a Slime in a parallel world. Being a slime, however, is not that bad: he gains the ability to absorb things, creatures, and their powers, and that makes him quite dangerous to anyone who dares to oppose him.
Reincarnated As A Sword
In this one, the protagonist dies in a car accident and is reborn as a sword. He doesn't remember his name, but has retained all the memories of his life. So now his main quest is to find someone to wield him. He travels around the world, learning new skills, and finally finds someone who will use him — an enslaved catgirl Fran. They embark on an adventure together, one that is poisoned by Fran's past, but the protagonist is willing to help Fran achieve her ultimate goal.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
Probably the most wholesome series on this list, although its start is quite daunting. A vending machine otaku dies from being crushed by said machine and ends up being reborn as one — just not in the world he has died in, but in another one. He can see and hear, but he cannot move; his speech is limited to the scripted phrases that the vending machine is equipped with. He sells the items he bought in his previous life, and by selling them he acquires points that supply his existence. Also, he uses the coins he gets from the buyers to restock his supplies and install some upgrades. He's quite useful for the dungeon lurkers, and that helps him make some friends.