Trapped in Another World: Difference between revisions

In the early 2000s a variation on this concept began appearing, starting in Japanese media with the first installments of the ''[[.hack]]'' franchise—that of players trapped in their [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPG]]s. Although these "worlds" are often actually virtual simulations the effect is much the same, and sometimes the danger can be even ''greater''. This has proven a popular subtrope, to the point that by late 2014 it arguably qualifies as a [[genre]] of its own (called [[Isekai]] in Japanese fan-parlance and "transmigrator story" in media of Korean or Chinese origin), with examples such as ''[[Sword Art Online]]'' and ''[[Log Horizon]]'' exploring and expanding on the concept. The main alternate take on Isekai is that the protagonist dies and gets reincarnated into another world (usually a fantasy or wuxia-themed RPG-like one in male-oriented works, [[Otome Game]]s or romance novels in female-oriented ones) with their memories and personality intact. (By the way, some people take the literal translation of Isekai, "Another world", as a rather strict requirement, and thus exclude works where characters' minds are inserted into a video game with technology while they are technically still alive and on earthEarth).

A blend of [[Fish Out of Water]] and [[Failure Is the Only Option]], with a large dash of heroism. The inverse of [[Alien Among Us]]. Often overlaps with [[Down the Rabbit Hole]] and [[You Can't Go Home Again]]. If it's the hero's job to bring back the trapped person, it's an [[Orphean Rescue]]. May involve [[Fantastic Romance]]. May result from a [[Folgers Crossover]]. In [[Literature|literary circles]], this is often referred to as a '''[[Portal Fantasy]]'''.