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Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
The Eminence in Shadow
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Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: 陰の実力者になりたくて!

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Dec 26, 2018 to ?

Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy

Themes: Isekai, Reincarnation

Serialization: Comp Ace

Authors: Sakano, Anri (Art), Aizawa, Daisuke (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.28¹ (scored by 26,918 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #325²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #211

Members: 73,574

Favorites: 2,728

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 16 / 17

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Filter Preliminary Spoiler

Aug 29, 2019

SiriusTimeKeeper

Recommended

Preliminary (9/? chp)

Not an Isekai trash/ Chunibyo to the MAX/ Dark Comedy

Before I read this manga, I thought this is just another normal Isekai or Isekai trash with harem… little would I know, after reading 8 chapters, that this manga is currently sitting at one of the top of my “must follow” list.

Before you read this manga, Cid knows that you will enjoy this manga because he has already "envisioned" it. Everything is according to his plan. He "knows"!

*Minor Spoilers*
Q: What happens when a person (with symptoms of Chunibyo) talks sh*t randomly and say something imaginary to act cool?
A: He is f**cking stupid, ignore him.
Q: But ...

Oct 1, 2019

dirtyuncle

Recommended

Preliminary (10/? chp)

The protagonist is a psychotic chuunibyou version of Haruhi in a fantasy world. Most of his delusions turn out to be true, but he isn't self-aware enough to realize it. If that sounds absurd, that's because it is - but man, what a ride!

Although the story essentially relies on one joke, it remains consistently hilarious, and later on, in a strategy similar to One Punch Man's, we see a bigger focus on the side characters, so whenever the protagonist makes an appearance with his chuuni antics, it's always a treat.

The manga also pokes fun at isekai tropes which should get a laugh out of any ...

Sep 5, 2019

trivia_lover

Recommended

Preliminary (22/? chp)

TL;DR - Hilarious. Recommend to everyone.

The isekai genre is known for being a hackneyed and predictable genre that has dominated the manga market in an attempt to be the next big thing, but ended up all being different variations of the same blank slate main character, the same harem with the same harem stereotypes, the same backstory and lore, and a plot so simple that one might think they were all written by the same three year-old.

Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute completely disregards all of these notions. In fact, whenever a stereotype shows up in this manga, it intentionally pokes fun at it in various, ... creative ways. The best instances of this occur when the main character, Cid, responds to a typical scenario in isekai. While most protagonists will say something cool in an attempt to make themselves seem badass, Cid will say something cool and then reminisce on how good he felt when he coined that one-liner and mentally store it so he can use it again.

Cid is a pretty fun character to watch. His only goal is to become a "master of the shadows," one who pretends to be a mob character but is actually extremely powerful and defends justice as a masked anti-hero. Basically, he embodies all of our childhood spirits, back when we would make swords out of dry erase markers and pretend to smoke lollipop sticks in an attempt to roleplay as badass antiheroes. Except Cid is actually blessed with superhuman abilities, effectively making him able to use this new isekai world as his personal playground.

When presented with the opportunity, Cid makes up an organization (the Diablos Cult) and convinces a young elf that her illness comes from this cult. He then proceeds to cure her with his incredible magic ability and recruits her to his side, so that he might have some fun acting like a mafia boss and pretending to attack hideouts that belong to the cult. This grows a little out of hand as his new recruit finds other members and tells them the same story, and the organization begins to branch out rapidly, expanding and accumulating immense influence at an incredible rate.

In a satirical twist of fate, the Diablos Cult ends up being quite real and the Shadow Legion actually becomes a massive force to counter them. Cid convinces himself that he's just playing around, but everything that he says during his made-up roleplays end up being true. Some of the best moments in the manga are when the side characters react to his decisions by overanalyzing everything that he does. This is a bit of an overused cliche in many stories that involve overpowered main characters, but the manga doesn't stop to dwell on anything, and jumps to something else in an instant. It's a clever tactic that prevents any of the gags from becoming stale.

Some more tropes you see in manga a lot are a sad backstory and a rival to catch up to. Cid does share a brief story of his previous life, but it's quite hilarious. And his arch-rival? A nuclear bomb.

The pacing in this manga is so fast that you might be surprised at how much you need to slow down in order to really soak in everything. It packs so many things into one chapter - lore, plot, character introductions, JoJo references, special moves - that if you don't pay close attention, you'll miss something. But even if you do, the manga never loses its charm of being brutally honest and making fun of every cliché it possibly can.

To be quite honest, most of the side characters don't really matter. They simply serve as archetypes to fill out their roles in Cid's world. But the manga never tries to make it seem like they are more than what they are, and makes these boundaries very clear. This parody takes a refreshingly unique approach to a trite genre and completely delivers with every chapter.

I highly recommend this manga. It really makes you FEEL like a badass shadow leader.

Aug 2, 2021

733

Recommended

Preliminary (31/? chp)

No spoiler review.
What makes a good manga story? Great Art, a Good Story, Good Characters, and Enjoyment in every chapter. Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute aka The Eminence in Shadow has it all. The manga made me read the whole web novel and after that, the whole Light Novel, and I can assure you that it's really good.

How the story portrays the main characters and the side characters is brilliant. The main character himself is a gag and the story handles the dark moments with the comedy really well. The whole story is a gag, so if you are looking for a serious manga with ...

Mar 28, 2020

tomateunmate

Recommended

Preliminary (15/? chp)

There is a certain type of japanese comedy where they are intentionally stupid and just play along with it, I think it's one of those things that you either like or you don't. Judge if you want to read this based on that first. Bottom line: Funny man accidentally badass in an uncool way but so earnestly that it becomes cool.

Isekai is currently the most popular genre in fantasy, to the point that we don't have just direct parodies doing the opposite of what's expected but a full range of absurd takes on the concept. You have the land of the failure that is Konosuba, ... you have cute girls doing cute things disguised as isekai with Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!. And in this case you have the standard OP protagonist taking the chance to be the biggest chunnibyou* ever.

Unlike the crimson mages from konosuba that are comedic exaggerations of over the top dark heroes, we're supposed to be part of the joke instead of mocking them. The MC is living his life the way he wants and doing the most of it. When he spouts non sense badass lines he himself doesn't understand, when he worries if he's going insane for doubting a human can take a nuke one on one, or when he's training secret techniques to get his ass handed to him in the most background character way, the reader is supposed to laugh, clap and respect his way of life. He is a badass, not for the things he can do, but for his dedication to the most idiotic things possible. Everyone around him progresses in life while the invincible MC is playing pretend.

My main complain so far, with 15 chapters read, is that the initial joke where his chunni openly fake story happens to perfectly match with the huge conspiracy to take over the kingdom and destroy the world for no reasson. All the time we're seeing both sides of the story: his impression of what he's doing and how others see it; and the outsider perspective matches the world when his doesn't. That's the joke, he's brute forcing his fantasy into a working world. But the initial building block of the whole plot just happens, because. I assume that at some point it's revealed that either the world is being changed around him, he's responsible for everything bad happening, or some god implanted those ideas. But having that hanging is like a thread that needs to be pulled and I fear it will take away the fun when it does.

*Chunnibyou, or chunni, eight grade syndrome, is a term that refers to people who has self important power fantasies in 8th grade, made them public and maybe kept them in HS. For boys it's usually being a secret badass hiding a huge power (probably tied to an arm or eye) and for girls it's seeing the future or cursing people with magic. If they took it in stride it'd be just a thing they like, but being a chunni is tied to the embarassment from realizing how lame you were while trying to be cool. It's a pretty universal thing.

Jun 26, 2022

-ShInIgAmIsAmA-

Recommended

Preliminary (41/? chp)

What if anything you can think of when you are having your chuuni moments, come true?

STORY:
First things first, I still have no idea (and I'm sure it's intentional) whether Cid has chuuni powers or it's really all just coincidences. The whole story evolves around this trope and wow, it delivers a lot of entertainment value. However, things do get confusing at times and I feel that there are parts skipped. I haven't read the LN but there are times that a new member suddenly pops up without much introduction on who they are. And since there are already quite a number of characters, I sometimes ...

Oct 2, 2022

Thevsamovies

Recommended

Preliminary (44/? chp)

I'm writing this review before the anime begins because the anime is either gonna be a total hit or a complete flop - and that will 100% depend on the studio's ability to adapt the source material IMO, because the source material itself is easily 10/10.

I'd say it's very easy to mess up the "OP protagonist" story. It's common that in these stories protagonist's primary trait just becomes "wow he/she is OP!" because the character's personality is just... kinda weak with no development. Fortunately, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! has a protagonist that is actually interesting and likable. Let's go over a few reasons ...

Feb 16, 2021

TojiAni

Recommended

Preliminary (25/? chp)

This manga is one-of-a-kind, legendary.

Story (10/10):
When it comes to misconceptions, this manga takes it to the extreme and delivers outrageous comedy! It does have few shortcomings, but when it comes to cracking a laugh, this is the one to read without a doubt.

Art (8/10):
With it's dorky comedy, switching between serious and crude humour. The art delivers very well. No need to be critical.

Character (8/10):
Our main character is an extreme chuunibyou, and everything surrounding him is serious, which creates the ideal dark comedy I'm looking for.
...

Mar 8, 2021

HIYUIM

Recommended

Preliminary (14/? chp)

This shit is so funny you won't believe it, I like how the character is just a big ass chuni that, with crazy luck, get's all his delusions to come true. And how stupid his logic is xD. I honestly enjoy this manga, and the comedy is so gold.

A must read if you love the Isekai genre, Comedy genre, and Action.

The art for this manga is honestly very appealing, it fits the story and the fight scenes look very nice.

The story is alright, it's basically Usopp, with crazy luck, overpowered, and have girls as his followers.

14 chapters in right now, and I can say for ...

Jun 29, 2020

Fan2207

Recommended

Preliminary (18/? chp)

This manga is definitely for that Isekai Trash that got fed up with the tropes and is about to give up Isekai as a whole.

This manga is comedy gold. From the MC (Mob Character in this case) quirks that are relatable and just all-around funny to the entire situation and how what MC BS always come true and even the banter and with side characters and even his inner monologue that borderline fourth wall breaking and witty. I have not seen a comedy isekai of this caliber after Konosuba. In my opinion, it might even surpass konosuba if the core of the story is ...

Aug 15, 2021

Jenius_2005

Recommended

Preliminary (33/? chp)

I'm really looking forward to the anime adaptation of this manga. Really, Manga deserves a 10 rating from me. Anti-hero? Overpowered Mc? Anti-Naive? Harem? Comedy? Dark fantasy? Interesting storyline? Amazing plot twist? Everything is in this manga.

Cid kagenoh, He is the main character who deserves the title of protagonist. Hahaha, I'm kidding. I didn't read the light novel, but I think so far, this Manga is very good. I'm still waiting for the next chapter. 10/10.

Every chapter of this manga makes me laugh. Because every sentence said by MC is always true and his subordinates think that his master is very strong and knows ...

Sep 24, 2021

MufatNuts

Recommended

Preliminary (32/? chp)

TL;DR - You would do yourself, and the world, a big favor by reading this masterpiece of a manga

You know, I really do feel bad for the authors of this manga (and the LN of course). I can't imagine how tough life would be if you had to wake up everyday with the burden of creating the greatest art of all time.

Because that is what this manga and story is. Art.

A masterpiece that manages to wow you at every step of the way. It is so incredibly funny and captivating at the same time. With a great story, great characters, great action, and great comedy. ...

Nov 24, 2021

Splair

Recommended

Preliminary (34/? chp)

This goes beyond isekai- it's just a damn good manga. The comedic timing is spot on, and Cid is such a fun main character. Hell, I didn't even have to look it up his name. I've reread this manga multiple times because it brings joy to my heart. It definitely plays around with what's usually expected out of the 'isekai' genre, in very entertaining ways.

Like for example, usually the twist of an isekai is just in how the main character arrives there, or how the world itself operates. This manga goes beyond that, because it's not simple wish fulfillment of the author. It's wish fulfullment ...

Sep 20, 2022

Ja_Lasso

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (1/? chp)

Plot: When a chuunibyou gets isekai'd and becomes an OP assassin.

Review:
Different than conventional Isekai, the story feels theatrical-like: comedic and exaggerated in execution but grounded in story. The narrative focuses more on other characters and less on the MC, like One Punch Man, which is understandable since they're already OP. Plenty of absurd plot twists which is why I recommend it for the laughs. The art is amateurish tho, although you only notice it when you focus on the art rather than the story.

Honestly, the manga is a hit or miss. If it misses, you're better off not continuing since it doesn't change much ...

Mar 7, 2022

Pslams

Recommended

Preliminary (38/? chp)

*Note: review is on the manga version only

Story(9/10):
The Eminence in Shadow, written by Aizawa Daisuke, is an isekai manga and even in the oversaturated ocean of isekais in the manga industry today, it still manages to stand out. The story puts an interesting and creative twist on the generic OP, black-haired, harem protagonist that other isekais cannot compete with. What if the protagonist is a chuunibyou and not only that… but whatever he deludes about and says is coincidentally true?! This premise allows a whole lot of interesting and genuinely funny scenes to be conveyed. The story is neatly organized and planned out which does ...

Apr 30, 2022

ToxicRock

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (40/? chp)

The manga is about a dude who has a dream about being a mob and blending into the background while secretly being overwhelmingly strong and dies and becomes just that with the addition of the mc being an idiot who has the the ability to not notice anything in his surroundings and skip over blatant facts that even a 7 year old would notice. I can't explain how this series is rated above a 6. It's not funny never has been. Honest to god makes me think anyone who rated this above a 6 is a 6 year old. It's just the same repetitive I ...