Summary
Isekai worlds aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. In fact, they’re usually dangerous, since they lack the technology and customs most people are comfortable with. It can be difficult toadjust to a new environment, especially after being magically transported to a different dimension.
It’s even more difficult when the locals are hostile. In some isekai manhwa, the protagonist is reincarnated as a villain or otherwise unlikable character who has a terrible reputation. Not only are they hated by the public, but even their family disrespects them. In order to live in the new world, they must turn their lives around.
7Latna Saga: Survival Of A Sword King
The Fantasy World That Hates Isekai
One of the smartest things a person can do in a hostile environment is blend in and try not to be noticed. Ryu Han-bin manages to pull it off after being isekai’d to the world of Latna. In this new world,otherworlders are despiseddue to the damage they’ve done to the planet in the past, and as soon as one is identified, they are hunted down. The planet’s residents also develop an addiction to killing if they kill a human, which is obviously not great.
Han-bin manages to avoid being noticed because his level is stuck at five due to a glitch in the system, and most isekai’d people are usually over level twenty by the time they make it to the first village. He does manage to find allies who know his secret, but to the rest of the world, he’s a villain who needs to be eliminated.
6Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story
The Real Enemy Is The Story Itself
Invillainess stories, protagonists often start rebuilding their lives immediately after realizing the situation.Not Your Typical Reincarnation Storyis interesting because it doesn’t quite do that. When the main character reincarnates as Edith Rudwick, she tries her best to be kind and courteous. Unfortunately, Edith’s past exploits solidified her position as an antagonist, and she’s treated accordingly.
What’s great about this story is that Edith’s reputation doesn’t get better right away. She marries into a rival family, and none of them trust or accept her. It takes a long time for even her husband to treat her like a normal person and respect her. The author does a great job of showcasing the protagonist’s inner turmoil as she’s forced into this unfavorable situation and living in a body that’s not her own.
5Kill The Villainess
The Villainess Actually Wants To Die
Very few people who get isekai’d actually look for a way to go home, especially because their lives tend to be better in the fantasy world. That’s not the case in this manhwa, in which a normal woman is transferred into the body of Eris Miserian, the minor antagonist andrival in a romance novel. Trapped in an unknown world and having a lousy time, she continues to look for a way out, even if it means ending her own life.
Kill The Villainessis unlike any other isekai that involves replacing someone in another story. While other protagonists will try their best to maintain the flow of events, Eris only pretends enough to pass as the character she’s become. While not everyone in the world hates her, many of the important cast members regard her negatively. The Miserian family is also known for using underhanded tactics, which doesn’t help her image.
4The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide
The Bully Of The Story Wants To Stay In School
Minor villains are usually forgotten after they’ve beenbeaten by the hero, because they’re no longer relevant to the plot. In this isekai, that isn’t the case. After becoming Ed Rothstaylor, the protagonist has no choice but to be involved with the affairs of the original story. If he leaves the academy like he’s supposed to, he’ll end up poor and homeless.
Ed is originally kicked out of the academy for trying to manipulate the hero’s grades, and since then, his reputation has been at rock bottom. Being disowned by his noble family didn’t help either. Although he’s hated by the majority of the student body, he eventually makes friends with four of the female leads, who see him differently now that he’s changed.
3How To Win My Husband Over
Living With The In-Laws Who Hate Her
Like many other villainesses, Ruby is put into a bad situation due to the original story. At her father’s command, she is married to the family’s mortal enemy and instructed to kill her husband’s sister. Having been isekai’d into that world,Ruby tries to make alliesinstead by appearing innocent and acting overly affectionate. However, that task proves incredibly difficult when everyone is giving her the cold shoulder.
The animosity the people of the north feel towards Ruby is plain to see. From hiding firewood to purposefully leaving her out at events, the entire nation seems bent on making her life miserable. She doesn’t fight back, because anything she does will prove her point. Even when her husband starts actually caring for her, many still see her as untrustworthy and manipulative.
2Villains Are Destined To Die
Playing As The Worst Character In The Game
Noble families in manhwa almost never treat their children well, especially if the child is adopted or born out of wedlock. InVillains Are Destined To Die, a girl istransported into an otome gameas Penelope, the adopted daughter of Duke Eckhart. In order to survive in this game, she needs to receive a confession from one of the male leads, but since she’s on the hardest difficulty, she can’t even see the favorability of the characters.
It becomes obvious in the story that Penelope isn’t hated for any particular reason. She was adopted by the duke and received the ire of both his sons. As she got older, she began acting out because of the abuse she was facing from her new siblings. She’s so hated that any wrong choice in the game immediately leads to her death. The protagonist must be extremely careful as she navigates the story, so she can get to the ending alive.
1Greatest Estate Developer
What Happens When A Bully Becomes A Rich Philanthropist
One of the most famous manhwa characters is Lloyd Frontera. Although he’s well-loved by readers, that’s not exactly the case in his story. Kim Suho is transported into the world of a novel and becomes Lloyd, a minor noble with a penchant for getting drunk and harassing people. To prevent the inevitable downfall of his family, he has no choice but to clean up his act, which he does by improving the lives of the commoners and getting rid of scammers who are after his money.
Eventually, Lloyd’s feats and exploits earn him respect and love from many people, but at the start of the story, he is hated and feared by many. It takes a long time for his reputation to improve because he doesn’t bother hiding his greed or pettiness. While they appreciate him and all he’s done, they still find him a bit of a jerk.
