Reki Kawahara is a popular Japanese novelist known for his science fiction and fantasy light novels. He gained worldwide fame through his series Sword Art Online and Accel World, both adapted into successful anime and manga.
If you enjoy reading books by Reki Kawahara then you might also like the following authors:
Fuse creates exciting adventures with fantasy worlds, strong character progression, and unique RPG-like settings.
Readers who enjoy Kawahara's stories of growth and adventure will appreciate Fuse's That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, an engaging series about a man reborn as a slime monster who builds a thriving community through friendships, strategy, and exploration.
Kugane Maruyama writes detailed stories set in game-influenced worlds, often with darker tones.
If you enjoy Kawahara’s combination of gaming elements and intricate world-building, try Maruyama’s Overlord, which follows a gamer who becomes trapped in his game avatar's powerful body and begins to shape his own empire within a fantasy realm.
Aneko Yusagi portrays unexpected heroes growing through challenge and perseverance, similar to Kawahara's characters confronting difficult trials.
Yusagi’s The Rising of the Shield Hero explores a hero summoned to another world who must overcome false accusations and hardships to prove his worth.
Natsume Akatsuki mixes humor, adventure, and even parody of gaming tropes in his stories.
Fans of Kawahara's lighter moments and gaming references might enjoy Akatsuki’s KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, which tells the amusing story of a boy reincarnated into a fantasy world who forms a humorous and amazingly dysfunctional adventuring party.
Rifujin na Magonote writes engaging stories emphasizing character growth, second chances, and strong emotional connections.
Those who appreciate Kawahara's characters undergoing substantial growth will likely enjoy Magonote's Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, the story of a man reborn as a child in a fantasy world, determined to live with more purpose and kindness than in his previous life.
If you liked Reki Kawahara's imaginative worlds and futuristic settings, you might enjoy Tsutomu Satō. Satō blends magic and advanced technology in a way that feels fresh and engaging.
His series The Irregular at Magic High School follows siblings navigating high school life, family tensions, and complex magical systems. The series mixes action, school drama, and political intrigue smoothly, making it easy to get absorbed in its world.
Ichiei Ishibumi should appeal to readers who appreciate Kawahara's style, combining fantasy, humor, and action into an easygoing narrative. Ishibumi's series High School DxD follows Issei Hyoudou, an ordinary high-schooler brought back to life as a devil.
The story is playful, filled with supernatural fights, funny scenarios, and a dash of romance. Like Kawahara, Ishibumi successfully mixes entertaining fights alongside lighter, comedic moments.
Readers who enjoyed Kawahara's exploration of teenage relationships and personal growth might connect with Wataru Watari.
His novel series, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected (also known as Oregairu), thoughtfully portrays adolescent social struggles, friendships, and self-discovery.
Watari offers relatable characters and sharp dialogue, capturing realistic emotional conflicts in an authentic, appealing way.
Fans of Kawahara's imaginative, game-themed storytelling should check out Yuu Kamiya. His series No Game No Life follows two sibling geniuses, transported to a fantasy world where everything is decided by games and strategy.
Kamiya's style balances humor, creative puzzle-solving, and vibrant world-building, making for an energetic, enjoyable experience similar to Kawahara's Sword Art Online.
If you enjoy Kawahara's blend of fantasy, character development, and intricate storytelling, give Tappei Nagatsuki a try.
Nagatsuki's most popular work, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, explores fascinating twists on the isekai genre, allowing the main character to return from death at critical moments.
This provides emotional depth and suspenseful action, crafting a memorable fantasy adventure with strong characters and engaging writing.
Fujino Ōmori writes adventurous and engaging fantasy stories that appeal to fans of Reki Kawahara. He often combines RPG-style elements with a lively writing style and memorable characters.
One of his most popular books, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, follows Bell Cranel—a young adventurer who explores dangerous dungeons, faces monsters, and forms friendships along the way.
Nisio Isin stands out with witty dialogue, clever banter, and complex storytelling that plays with reader expectations. Fans of Kawahara's detailed worlds and memorable characters might enjoy Isin's inventive narrative style.
His popular series Bakemonogatari revolves around Koyomi Araragi, a sharp-witted high school student who encounters various supernatural events linked to enigmatic characters around him.
Okina Baba creates immersive fantasy worlds centered around clever plots, humorous narration, and deep exploration of character growth. Her novels often use RPG mechanics to structure the story, much like Reki Kawahara's works do.
In particular, the successful series So I'm a Spider, So What? recounts a humorous yet exciting tale about a teenage girl reincarnated as a weak spider monster who gradually evolves to survive a challenging fantasy environment.
Carlo Zen crafts stories that interweave intense military themes within fantasy or alternate historical settings. Similar to Kawahara, Zen carefully creates detailed worlds backed by strategic storytelling.
In his well-known series The Saga of Tanya the Evil, he introduces Tanya Degurechaff, a ruthless and strategic-minded girl reborn into a violent, war-torn world.
Mamare Touno focuses on RPG-style settings reminiscent of Reki Kawahara's immersive worlds, developing relatable characters trapped within beautifully structured game-like realities.
Touno's popular work Log Horizon tells the story of thousands of players transported into their favorite MMORPG, now forced to rebuild a society from within this strange new reality.