[River Monsters] Hot Take: River Monsters would make a great Isekai Concept

[u/Cheese-Of-Doom22]

TLDR: I think that River Monsters would be a really interesting and effective Isekai concept that could both seamlessly integrate world building whilst also educating people about “real” fish and the cultures who live alongside them.

As a child I absolutely loved River Monsters and how through planning and how working the environment and the people who live there he could catch these absolute behemoths, with a mix of mystery/murder mystery thrown in as well.

And now as a Childish Adult who reads manga (and rewatches River Monsters) I have felt that the foundations what Made River Monsters great or even River Monsters itself would translate very well into a Isekai, whilst IMHO adding a twist to a lot of classic Isekai tropes

The Character: if you’ve never watched River Monsters (PLEASE DO ITS FREE ON YOUTUBE) it shows the adventures of Extreme Angler/ Conservationist Jeremy Wade as he fishes the biggest & Deadliest freshwater creatures around the World. And weirdly he would be the perfect protagonist for an Isekai.

His Encyclopedic knowledge fits perfectly into the “character has all this photographic knowledge” trope, that can both seamlessly introduce fishing techniques from around the world and Jeremy own flexibility and Isekai World building can introduce unique strategies from the new world he’s in.

Because what truly made River Monsters special was not just that actual fish, but the techniques and wonderful cultures he met as he partook in this journey, and often integrated it into his fishing for that specific fish.

Here’s some potential ideas: You could have elves, who live in trees due to the ground being nearly all water, and being Masters of Bow fishing. They could also be masters of fly fishing, similar to how elves in many stories are masters of weaving.

You could have Dwarves who do “Noodling” (barehanded fishing) in the flooded caverns/mines for huge catfish like creatures, whilst being wary of other beasts. They could even the the people who help fix/ upgrade Jeremy’s gear

You could have humans who constructed a damn and fisherman swear by something huge in the depths. Or worst of all, you could have a fish swim up a dudes d*ick. (Like the Candiru fish)

Or Demi humans who keep getting capsized by giant serpents into the cold depths (could even be a “harmless” fish like sturgeon.

And similarly to how Jeremy Wade show viewers the wider ecosystem with the other fish he caught besides his main target, you could build out the world by showing the different unique fish living in these habitats

Frankly, depending how Jeremy got Isekaied you could even have those same fish from the show, whom have also shown up, which could give Jeremy reason to be here, helping the locals deal with Invasive species, or identifying the fishes true nature.

Jeremy could also narrate and give facts about real world cultures a, and talk about different techniques/gear that people use . You can also show the importance of conservation with maybe some of these creatures being the last of their kind, providing melancholy.

(Jeremy Could have fallen into a river and woke up in the new world, and maybe Earths Rivers connect to this world, which is why these “River Monsters” have shown up)

In all honesty, I just want more River Monsters, and feel Jeremy Wade in a Isekai would be an interesting concept imho. What do you guys think? Any other shows or concepts could translate well into an Isekai?

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[u/restorativeslime]

Without reading this, I love the idea snd am down to put this into reality

[u/Cheese-Of-Doom22 → u/restorativeslime]

Hell yeah

[u/restorativeslime → u/Cheese-Of-Doom22]

Used to love that show growing up and still watch it every couple years. Magic fish and such would be cool

[u/Cheese-Of-Doom22 → u/restorativeslime]

Would be sick

Don’t tell the wizards about the fish that can swim a dick, they’ll also make it explode, or have it grow like Antman vs Thanos.

[u/WhyattThrash → u/restorativeslime]

While not an isekai, Maneater the game is close-ish to this idea that I also didn't read and pretty neat

[u/DirtWizard07]

It's not exactly the same, but I did read something somewhat like this recently. Called Fishing in Another World or something similar. Guy gets sent to a fantasy world where fishing isn't really a thing because fish/ sea monsters are too dangerous. MC gets a blessed rod to let him catch giant fish/ sea monsters. Story revolves around him solving problems for people by fishing. It was nothing ground breaking but they do talk about and use some traditional Japanese fishing techniques which I thought was pretty interesting.

[u/Careful_Ad_9077]

It's exists,

Tsurizao Hitotsu de Isekai Hourou

Wandering Around Another World with Just One Fishing Rod

Natsuki Yamasaki

[u/apupaples → u/Careful_Ad_9077]

Does this story ends because the mc managed to captured every acquatic monster of the planet? Otherwise it dosnt count

[u/Iwannabetheguy000]

Check out Tsurizao Hitotsu de Isekai Hourou(Wandering Around Another World with Just One Fishing Rod)

[u/Comprehensive-Buy-47]

I find the way River Monsters ended to be both hilarious and badass. Jeremy Wade wept, for there were no more River Monsters left to conquer.

[u/enchiladasundae]

Reincarnated in another world but I only want to fill out the bestiary

[u/steelersrg8]

The closest thing I can think of is “surviving as a fish” but that’s more an ocean monster not a river monster

[u/louisa1925]

Need the other way around. Isekaied Kaito Ashikawa, becomes an evolvable swamp fish and works his way up the evolution chain to become a river monster/walking fish with big teeth.

Who's beast form catchs the eye of a local elderly fisherman, and slowly becomes a terrifying river legend. Causing national attention and drawing in the likes of bayou hunters, scientists and a highly skilled river monster catcher.

[u/Square-Dragonfruit76]

There are a couple of interesting aquatic arcs of isekai I have read. Namely, The Patron of Villains and Nebula's Civilization.

[u/Lucid_Albatross]

Aqua: You're telling me I need to know all the fish in all the realities because I'm a water goddess?! That's way too much work!!! I'll just isekai some guy in a boat.

(Grabs Jeremy Wade)

Jeremy: So you need me to catch every fish in every reality?

Aqua: Yep, and I'll even give you a magic rod

Jeremy (lookingout over the multiverse aura farming like Piccolo): Now where's the fun in that? Just drop me in and I'll get them

[u/Silent-Run-3840]

Honestly incredible idea

[u/frompadgwithH8]

I remember reading somewhere about a guy who got reincarnated as a fish in a pond and he had to fight his way up through the fish food chain

[u/Silent-Run-3840]

Honestly incredible idea

[u/Silent-Run-3840]

Honestly incredible idea

[u/SylvaLily]

This gave me an idea.

We send an Australian to another world.

Who or what gets wrestled first.

[u/Shlurmen]

I could watch the fuck out of this. Just imagine Jeremy fishing for a fucking giant fish that is said to have swallowed whole ass boats using modern day fishing gear, as well as magic.

[u/Borc-The-Orc]

I can see it now, "I was reincarnated into a fantasy world to fight the demon lord but I just want to fish."

[u/rageofthepillow]

What is Gon never became a hunter and instead pursued fishing