The Best Isekai Manhwa Where The Protagonist Is Transported Into A Novel

Summary

• Isekai stories often involve protagonists in video games or novels.
• Novel isekai involve protagonists adopting roles in the original story.
• Unique twists in isekai stories include dark romances and unexpected settings.

Although isekai has few rules, many creators often use similar settings and situations in their stories. For example, if the protagonist isn’t transported into a completely new world, they are most often sent into a video game they played or a novel they once read. Books, in particular, are used in many romance manhwa, using the original romance story as a basis for the rest of the plot.

When it comes to novels, isekai and reincarnation are usually paired together, having the protagonist adopt the identity of a character within the original story. That could be the hero, the princess, or a random side character. However, more often than not, it’s the antagonist that directly challenges the leading characters.

10

Lout Of The Count’s Family

Born To Be Lazy, Forced To Save The World

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.82
• Published: 2020 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Ryeo Han Yu
• Illustrator: PAN4

In Lout Of The Count’s Family, the protagonist is reincarnated into a novel called “Birth of a Hero,” a traditional hero’s story where the main character, Choi Han, is seeking revenge for the lost lives of his loved ones. It’s a story fraught with danger and threats to humanity, so when Kim Roksu wakes up as Cale Henituse, he decides to use his knowledge of the book to his benefit. Cale was originally a minor villain who was defeated and forgotten, but now he has become an influential force in the world.

Unlike many other isekai, this manhwa does not have a traditionally overpowered protagonist. Cale does not fight directly, and he goes out of his way to avoid most conflicts, only doing what is necessary to secure a safe life. Rather than make himself stronger, he allies with powerful people and brings them to his side.

9

The Perks Of Being An S-Class Heroine

A Transmigrator Uses Her Insurance Benefits

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.90
• Published: 2022 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Irinbi
• Illustrator: Grrr

Very rarely do the protagonists in isekai manhwa get to choose where they are reincarnated. It’s usually in the world of the last piece of media they consumed. However, in The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, the main character gets to choose how she reincarnates. Because of her stressful life, she wanted to be reborn as a child in a fantasy romance novel, which is usually peaceful and easy-going. Unfortunately, the novel she is transported into is “Infinite Returns to Save the World,” a story notorious for its painful and dangerous plot.

S-Class Heroine is a refreshing take on novel transmigration in shojo manhwa. Rather than the typical story of nobles and princesses, Ailette and her brother are servants, and instead of political drama, she must find solutions to the novel’s unforgiving plot. It’s even more interesting because she has a game interface, which doesn’t appear often in romance isekai stories.

8

The Perks Of Being A Villainess

The Villainess Tries To Find A Husband

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.99
• Published: 2022 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Villainess, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Mang, Gokim
• Illustrator: Yoteh

In novel transmigrations, female protagonists are often assigned the role of a villain, whether it’s the main antagonist or just a mean side character. In The Perks Of Being A Villainess, Yoon Dohee is reborn as Deborah Seymour, the jealous and rude daughter of Count Seymour. In the original story, she causes many problems because of a special pink diamond, but after the reincarnation, Deborah’s only concern is living comfortably and avoiding the convent, which is why she seeks a contract marriage.

Slow-burning romances can be tedious because there’s no progress in the relationship. In this case, it’s fine because there is an added comedy to it, which happens only because the male lead is living a double life with two different identities. The romance in the story is more fun because it’s a love triangle, but two of the participants are actually one person.

7

Surviving Romance

A Teen Romance With An Unexpected Twist

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.02
• Published: 2021 to 2023
• Genres/Themes: Horror, Suspense, School, Survival
• Author: Yeon Lee
• Illustrator: Yeon Lee

Becoming the main character in a beloved romance novel would be a dream come true for many people. One day, the protagonist of Surviving Romance became Eun Chaerin, the main character of the romance novel “I’ll Love You Every Day.” Loved and adored by everyone around her, Chaerin basked in the attention, but she only had eyes for the male lead, Yu Jeha. Unfortunately, the world turns upside down when Jeha becomes a zombie and tries to bite her before she can hear his confession.

Generally, once someone is isekai’d into a novel, the genre stays pretty consistent as the world sticks to the book’s original plot. That’s why Surviving Romance is so interesting. It starts as a regular romance and quickly turns into a zombie apocalypse story with an added time loop element. Far from a sweet love story, it’s a thrilling tale of survival as Chaerin restarts the day over and over to find the correct solution.

6

The Male Lead’s Little Lion Daughter

A Random Orphan Is Saved By The Male Lead

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.02
• Published: 2021 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Drama, Fantasy, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Latine
• Illustrator: Ttona

One of the most interesting things an author can do in novel isekai is introduce a new character. Rather than reincarnating into the protagonist or the villain, the protagonist of The Male Lead’s Little Lion Daughter is reborn as a young orphan girl, someone who doesn’t exist in the original story. She catches the eye of the male lead, Duke Voreoti, and is promptly adopted and given the name Lionia. They soon begin a new life together as father and daughter, and they learn together what it means to be a family.

There are many father-daughter manhwa out there, but this one is definitely one of the best. Lionia is a fun, charismatic protagonist who has an interesting view of the world due to being a child as well as a reincarnator. It’s also intriguing to see a northern duke character outside a romantic role in the story. The two have a very sweet dynamic despite having aggressive and cruel personalities, and that’s what makes this manhwa great.

5

Roxana

A Good Person Is Forced To Be Evil

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.11
• Published: 2021 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Psychological, Villainess, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Kin
• Illustrator: Yeoreumbit

Rather than damsels in distress, many people prefer strong female leads. That can mean someone physically powerful, or it could mean someone who is incredibly resilient. In this manwha, Roxana is the latter. As a member of the evil Agrece family in the novel “The Abysmal Flower,” she is expected to survive murder attempts, poisonings, and attacks from wild beasts. While she is able to do so, it’s not without suffering from intense pain and trauma. Nevertheless, she’s able to persevere.

Roxana is a great story that explores good and evil and the effects of being surrounded by cruelty. Despite acting like a cold and vicious killer, Roxana can maintain her sense of self even as she bears witness to torture, murder, and other gruesome activities. It’s a great iteration of the usual villainess story that explores the darker side of that character archetype.

4

How To Win My Husband Over

A Fulfilling Romance Between Tragic Characters

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.18
• Published: 2021 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Drama, Fantasy, Isekai, Psychological, Villainess
• Author: Nyangi-wa Hyangsinnyo
• Illustrator: Siru

Being transmigrated into a novel isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, especially when that novel features nothing but tragedies. In the story “Sodom and the Holy Grail,” the northern nobility join together to overthrow the corrupt pope and save the kingdom. Unfortunately, the protagonist reincarnates into Rudbeckia de Borgia, the pope’s daughter who will marry the North’s strongest knight. In order to survive, she’ll have to convince the northern people that she’s innocent and means them no harm.

While How To Win My Husband Over doesn’t necessarily do anything new in the historical romance genre, it’s still very well-written, and it offers a great depiction of how people cope with trauma in different ways. Ruby’s abuse causes her to develop a form of Anorexia, and Iske is emotionally detached due to the things he was exposed to in the past. They are complex characters, which is why their romance is so interesting.

3

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion

A Romance With A Hint Of Murder Mystery

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.19
• Published: 2017 to 2021
• Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Milcha
• Illustrator: Gorae

Being the villain in a story can be tough, but being the character who dies at the beginning is even worse. After Park Eunha is pushed off the roof of her school, she wakes up as Raeliana McMillan, the girl who dies at the start of a mystery novel, which causes the main character to enter the story. With no memory of who killed her in her first life, Raeliana is determined to live, so she seeks help from the most powerful person in the story, Duke Noah Volstaire.

As a romance story, The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion is a pretty traditional manhwa with a contract marriage, but as a mystery, it’s a fun and intriguing adventure to find Park Eunha’s killer and the person who brought her into the story world. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it has one of the best plot twists ever seen in manhwa.

2

Who Made Me A Princess

One Girl Lives The True Fairy Tale Life

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.47
• Published: 2017 to 2022
• Genres/Themes: Drama, Fantasy, Reincarnation
• Author: Plutus
• Illustrator: Spoon

People often forget that Who Made Me a Princess is an isekai mostly because it’s only mentioned briefly at the beginning of the story. It takes place in the world of the novel “The Lovely Princess,” where an orphaned girl learns of her royal roots. In that story, Athanasia is the unloved princess who is executed for a crime she didn’t commit. However, the woman who reincarnates as Athy is determined to survive, even if it means playing nice with the killer emperor.

A common critique in novel isekai is that the characters are too concerned with the “original” plot, which often causes them to make bad decisions or stall the story. This manhwa doesn’t have that problem. Athy prioritizes her own survival, and that’s part of the reason this manhwa doesn’t feel like an isekai. The author does a great job of crafting the story so that Athy feels like the only protagonist.

1

The Greatest Estate Developer

The Best Use Of A Degree In A Fictional World

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.77
• Published: 2021 to Present
• Genres/Themes: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Back-kyung Moon
• Illustrator: Hyunsoo Kim

When the protagonist becomes a villain or otherwise bad character in a novel, the first thing they often do is fix their reputation. The same goes for Kim Suho when he reincarnates as Lloyd Frontera in the novel “Knight of Blood and Iron.” Lloyd was originally a poor noble who was constantly drunk and violent, causing property damage and problems in public. To prevent himself from falling to ruin, Kim Suho uses his knowledge of civil engineering to develop the Frontera territory and make some money.

Although The Greatest Estate Developer may seem like a generic isekai story, it has gained incredible popularity because of how fun and entertaining it is. Unlike many other isekai protagonists, Lloyd actually has a personality. He’s greedy, he’s petty, and he’s quick to make fun of people. In combination with its expressive art style, it’s a fantastic comedy that keeps the reader laughing.