Everyone in anime is looking for a new lease on life nowadays, preferably in an alternate world with a few new magic abilities to call their own. Some less fortunate protagonists have to get to their new world the hard way, and getting reincarnated after an unfortunate accident is the prime way to find yourself in this position. Most of the deaths in isekai light novels are the result of traffic accidents, but every once in a while, something truly random causes the hero to kick the bucket. Here are just a few gruesome examples:

Death By Vending Machine (Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon) Our hero is a self-styled vending machine maniac. He travels far and wide to appreciate different vending machine models and try out their different food items, from kitsune udon to milk tea. So it's only fitting that he goes out the way he lived: crushed by a vending machine that falls off the back of a truck. He even admits that he could have avoided his ironic fate were he not so taken with the machine's beauty. So it's little surprise that he's reincarnated as a vending machine himself. Dubbed Boxxo, he'll live out the rest of his days as a magical item dispenser for intrepid dungeon explorers.

Death By Impending Meteor (Isekai Canceller) Don't you hate it when you're in the middle of a dungeon crawl and then the entire world justends? You didn't even get to save your progress! That's what happens inIsekai Canceller when the nameless protagonist ends up dead and reborn into the last video game he was playing. He and the rest of Earth's population are decimated by an impending meteor that crashes into the planet and snuffs out life as we know it, so it's a good thing he's got a brand-new life in his video game world where he can cancel out everyone else's abilities. Yeah, that's not a fantastic power, but the protagonist decides to make the best of it by getting creative and figuring out how to be the strongest with his unique skill.

Death by Shock/Tractor (Konosuba)Konosuba is all about poking fun at isekai tropes, so its hero Kazuma doesn't exactly die in a traffic accident. He attempts to save a girl from being hit by a truck, but it actually wasn't a truck at all, just a tractor slowly moseying along. And it's not the tractor flattening him that kills him either, but the shock of the close call itself. I guess this could be attributed to Kazuma being a shut-in without much life experience outside of hisotaku routines. So instead of being elated that he rescued the girl, he assumes he's been hit by a truck and just keels over right there from a heart attack.

Cicadas Only Have 3-Week Lifespans (Even a Cicada Becomes a Dragon If Reborn) Light novels likeThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime orSo I'm a Spider, So What? star creepy creatures that started out as human. Not so much inEven a Cicada Becomes a Dragon if Reborn, which follows a cicada who gets reincarnated as a dragon. The cicada itself dies of natural causes—meaning that after spending a few years eight feet underground, it emerged, molted, attempted to mate, and then perished after a few weeks. This one lucky cicada catches a break after being reborn as a fearsome dragon, but apparently it still wants to do what cicadas do best: sing really loudly and find the girl-bug of its dreams.

Death By Mountain Climbing (Shirokuma Tensei)This is another case where the cause of death seems to predict a character's new life. A 28-year-old mountain climber dies out on the slopes only to be reborn as an actual polar bear. Of course, this is a fantasy world, so instead of attempting to survive on the increasingly smaller ice caps, he's now living in the woods and hanging out with animal girls building sheds. The lingering questions about his human life, like if anyone ever found his frozen body, aren't really answered.

Death By Dragon Consumption (The Unwanted Undead Adventurer) Adventurer Rentt actually originates from a fantasy world but gets reborn nonetheless after meeting a truly unfortunate end. Tired of barely getting by on killing low-level monsters, Rentt explores a previously undiscovered path only to be confronted by a dragon that makes a quick meal of him. Rentt's demise isn't his end though, as he soon discovers himself to be living on as little more than a skeleton robed in his old equipment. He escapes the dragon but has to live on as his new undead self in hopes of finding a cure.

Death By Falling Asleep on a Bike (Cheat Skill: “Sleep Learning” ~Heartwarmingly Living the Other World Life) I can relate to wanting to take a nap anywhere and everywhere, but you probably shouldn't do that while operating any kind of vehicle. Harumi made this fatal mistake while riding his bike. Like other isekai protagonists, Harumi died in a manner befitting his hobby; it's just that his hobby was sleeping all the time. I guess my point is that Harumi didn't die due to exhaustion or narcolepsy; he died because he just liked sleeping so much that he thought he could also ride a bike at the same time. When he awakens in another world, he just goesback to sleep, and that's how he learns that he can acquire any abilities used on him so long as he's sleeping.

The new poll: Who is your favoritecatBOY?

The old poll: Who is your favorite cat girl?

1. Blair (Soul Eater)
2. Aisha Clan-Clan (Outlaw Star)
3. Black Hanekawa (Monogatari series)
4. Iki Hiyori (Noragami)
5. Toujou Koneko (High School DxD)
6. Merle (Vision of Escaflowne)
7. Ichigo Momomiya (Tokyo Mew Mew)
8. Neko (K Project)
9. Nuku Nuku (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku)
10. Eris (Cat Planet Cuties)
11. Serval (Kemono Friends)
12. Haineko (Bleach)
13. Felicia (Darkstalkers)
14. Neferpitou (Hunter x Hunter 2011)
15. Nekomusume (GeGeGe no Kitarō)
16. Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois (Dog Days)
17. Archer of Red (Fate/Apocrypha)
18. Chocola (Nekopara)
19. Ryo-Ohki, humanoid (Tenchi Muyo!)
20. Shizuka Nekonome (Rosario + Vampire)