Reincarnated as a Sword, also known as I Became the Sword by Transmigrating (転生したら剣でした, Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita) or Tenken (転剣), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuu Tanaka and illustrated by Llo. It started as a web novel on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2015. It was later published as a light novel by Micro Magazine, who released the first volume in July 2016. The series has received a manga adaptation by Tomowo Maruyama, published by Gentosha, as well as a spin-off manga by Hinako Inoue, published by Micro Magazine. Both the light novels and manga were licensed for North American release by Seven Seas Entertainment, as well as the spin-off. An anime television series adaptation by C2C aired from October to December 2022. A second season has been announced.
Synopsis[]
The hero of Tensei shitara Ken deshita differs from your standard otherworldly protagonist in that he is reincarnated as a sword! Beginning his quest by spawning in the middle of a beast-ridden forest, he encounters an injured girl frantically fleeing for her life. Saving her from her assailants, the pair acquaint themselves, and the girl introduces herself as Fran. She bears a heavy past, having endured the enslavement and maltreatment of her tribe, the Black Cats.
As the hero is unable to remember the name from his past life, the young and tenacious Fran bestows him the name "Shishou" and becomes his wielder. Thereafter, Shishou and Fran become a formidable team, embarking on quests to liberate the oppressed and exact justice!
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
List of Published Books[]
Novel[]
Yuu Tanaka started the series as a web novel hosted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in October 2015. Micro Magazine acquired and published the light novel series under their GC Novels imprint, with illustrations by Llo. Fifteen volumes have been published as of March 2023. The fifth volume's limited edition was bundled with a drama CD, telling an original story. Seven Seas Entertainment announced their acquisition of the light novels and began releasing from August 6, 2019.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 30, 2016 | 978-4-89637-574-9 | May 2, 2019 (Digital) August 6, 2019 (Physical) |
978-1-64275-141-3 |
| 2 | December 26, 2016 | 978-4-89637-608-1 | June 27, 2019 (Digital) September 24, 2019 (Physical) |
978-1-64275-142-0 |
| 3 | June 30, 2017 | 978-4-89637-639-5 | August 22, 2019 (Digital) November 19, 2019 (Physical) |
978-1-64275-724-8 |
| 4 | November 24, 2017 | 978-4-89637-670-8 | December 12, 2019 (Digital) February 25, 2020 (Physical) |
978-1-64505-196-1 |
| 5 | May 30, 2018 | 978-4-89637-750-7 978-4-89637-751-4 (LE) |
March 12, 2020 (Digital) June 16, 2020 (Physical) |
978-1-64505-463-4 |
| 6 | October 30, 2018 | 978-4-89637-826-9 | June 11, 2020 (Digital) September 15, 2020 (Physical) |
978-1-64505-722-2 |
| 7 | March 29, 2019 | 978-4-89637-863-4 | October 8, 2020 (Digital) January 5, 2021 (Physical) |
978-1-64505-821-2 |
| 8 | September 28, 2019 | 978-4-89637-924-2 | April 8, 2021 (Digital) May 25, 2021 (Physical) |
978-1-64827-203-5 |
| 9 | March 30, 2020 | 978-4-89637-990-7 | September 23, 2021 (Digital) October 12, 2021 (Physical) |
978-1-64827-266-0 |
| 10 | September 30, 2020 | 978-4-86716-057-2 | February 3, 2022 (Digital) May 17, 2022 (Physical) |
978-1-64827-468-8 |
| 11 | March 31, 2021 | 978-4-86716-124-1 | December 27, 2022 | 978-1-63858-252-6 |
| 12 | September 24, 2021 | 978-4-86716-189-0 | March 9, 2023 (Digital) May 16, 2023 (Physical) |
978-1-63858-649-4 |
| 13 | March 30, 2022 | 978-4-86716-269-9 | November 14, 2023 (Physical) | 978-1-68579-641-9 |
| 14 | September 30, 2022 | 978-4-86716-340-5 | — | — |
| 15 | March 30, 2023 | 978-4-86716-408-2 | — | — |
| 16 | September 29, 2023 | 978-4-86716-408-2 | — | — |
Manga[]
A manga adaptation by Tomowo Maruyamawa was serialized in Gentosha's Denshi Birz magazine from December 9, 2016 to January 15, 2018. After the magazine stopped, it resumed publishing on Comic Boost. The series is compiled into thirteen tankōbon volumes, with the first volume released in April 2017. Seven Seas Entertainment also licensed the manga for North American release, with the first volume released on December 17, 2019.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 24, 2017 | 978-4-344-83975-5 | December 17, 2019 | 978-1-64275-755-2 |
| 2 | November 24, 2017 | 978-4-344-84097-3 | February 18, 2020 | 978-1-64505-207-4 |
| 3 | March 24, 2018 | 978-4-344-84178-9 | June 9, 2020 | 978-1-64505-479-5 |
| 4 | September 21, 2018 | 978-4-344-84303-5 | October 20, 2020 | 978-1-64505-767-3 |
| 5 | March 22, 2019 | 978-4-344-84417-9 | April 13, 2021 | 978-1-64505-970-7 |
| 6 | September 24, 2019 | 978-4-344-84507-7 978-4-344-84508-4 (SE) |
June 1, 2021 | 978-1-64827-236-3 |
| 7 | March 24, 2020 | 978-4-344-84623-4 | September 14, 2021 | 978-1-64827-313-1 |
| 8 | September 24, 2020 | 978-4-344-84706-4 | January 11, 2022 | 978-1-64827-481-7 |
| 9 | March 24, 2021 | 978-4-344-84823-8 | October 25, 2022 | 978-1-63858-359-2 |
| 10 | September 24, 2021 | 978-4-344-84893-1 978-4-344-84894-8 (SE) |
April 25, 2023 | 978-1-63858-753-8 |
| 11 | March 30, 2022 | 978-4-344-85007-1 978-4-344-85008-8 (SE) |
October 17, 2023 | 978-1-63858-982-2 |
| 12 | September 24, 2022 | 978-4-344-85107-8 978-4-344-85108-5 (SE) |
April 23, 2024 | 979-8-88843-378-2 |
| 13 | March 24, 2023 | 978-4-344-85198-6 | — | — |
| 14 | September 22, 2023 | 978-4-344-85298-3 | — | — |
A spin-off manga written by Tanaka and illustrated by Hinako Inoue was serialized in Micro Magazine's Comic Ride website from June 1, 2020 to December 28, 2022. The spin-off manga is also licensed by Seven Seas.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 30, 2020 | 978-4-86716-060-2 | January 18, 2022 | 978-1-64827-678-1 |
| 2 | March 27, 2021 | 978-4-86716-120-3 | March 22, 2022 | 978-1-63858-168-0 |
| 3 | September 24, 2021 | 978-4-86716-187-6 | February 14, 2023 | 978-1-63858-613-5 |
| 4 | March 31, 2022 | 978-4-86716-266-8 | May 16, 2023 | 978-1-68579-458-3 |
| 5 | September 29, 2022 | 978-4-86716-337-5 | December 26, 2023 | 979-8-88843-092-7 |
| 6 | March 31, 2023 | 978-4-86716-404-4 | — | — |
Character[]
The main heroine of this work. She is a former slave of the Black Cat tribe. She is taciturn and a glutton. Likes to bathe. Equipped by her master. 12 years old. She is a magic swordsman. Rank G → D (TV Anime Series), Level 3 → 26 (TV Anime Series). He was traveling with her parents to find clues to the evolution of her race in search of strength, but her parents passed away in the middle of her journey and she was left alone. She spends about four years of her life deprived of her freedom.
While transporting slaves to a town, she is attacked by Twin-headed Bears in a depleted forest, and in an attempt to survive as her guards and other slaves are overrun, she meets the sword she will henceforth call her master on the run. She pulls her master out of the ground and kills the demon instantly, and the surviving slaver is killed by his master's wrath. The slavery contract is thereby annulled, and Fran is free to go.
By equipping a master, the master's skills can be shared and used. This allows for two attacks at once, one by the master and one by Fran when activating magic and skills. She uses her enhanced physical abilities, high-level skills, and high-powered magic to fight at any distance. However, she is not content to rest on her laurels and wants to become stronger through experience and mastery of borrowed power.
Although she is a man of few words, she is not emotionally inert; in fact, she is sensitive to hostility and malice and is often seen mercilessly punishing people who point their blades at him or insult the Black Cat Tribe. Fran also places complete trust in his master, who saved her and reacts excessively to any disparaging remarks about him. Fran has a bad tongue because she is a child, and she sometimes mishears and mispronounces words, and sometimes she calls villains like Auguste "Weak Vice-commander".
Her favorite food is mainly meat, but ever since she tasted his master's curry, she has been completely captivated by it. When asked by his master, "Which tastes the best, sweet, medium-hot, or hot?
- In her Divine Awakening form, Fran manifests a similar physical appearance as Black Heavenly Tigerkin but also gains a more majestic lightning aura with divine energy also longer fangs and nails.
- Adventurers and slave traders alike have tried to harass her, either because they underestimated her or because they were mesmerized by her beauty and petite stature that shadowed her fearsome combat versatility as an adventurer lest she do not attack others unless provoked.
Abilities[]
She fights basically by borrowing his master's skills with the ability to share skills, but she wants to "become strong and worthy of wielding his master's power, rather than relying on borrowed power," and she is willing to get himself hurt and do other reckless things to achieve this goal. According to his master, "I am not a weak Cat". She is the child of a ferocious beast that is sharpening its fangs.
She buys every fight she is offered at the price she is willing to pay, and Fran has no hesitation in killing the bad guys who attack her. Fran will not hesitate to take up relics as well. She has been called "Magic Sword Girl" because of her remarkable achievements, such as defeating a large army of more than 100 goblins soon after becoming an adventurer and trudging through a dungeon almost single-handedly.
Later, through training in the labyrinth city of Ulmut and various encounters, she finally mastered "Awakening". He was able to evolve into the legendary "Black Tiger. When they evolve, their eyes turn gold and their tails become striped, but their appearance remains unchanged (in Another Wish, a pattern reminiscent of a tiger appears on their faces). At a martial arts tournament in Ulmut, she performed her "Awakening" and achieved a good result, placing third in her first entry. Her black lightning-clad fighting appearance earned her the nickname "Kokuraiki," and she became the hope of the black cat tribe, which was her original goal.
At first, she was not interested in her own position or fame and even disliked being conspicuous. However, after acquiring the name of Black Lightning Princess, she began to refuse to be conspicuous in order to inspire the Black Cat Tribe. Perhaps because of her age, she was happy to have a strong and cool name.
Fran's already versatile stat and Awakening release boost her stat even further allowing her to defeat two experienced A-ranked adventurers Remmus and Goldalfa in 1 versus 1 match, a feat which surprised every spectator and beyond anyone's expectation given that Fran is a C-ranked adventurer during the tournament.
Fran's stat does not reflect her C rank status, her stat (excluding Awakening) puts her combat ability in a class of a fresh new A-ranked adventurer and that is excluding all the stat boost she will obtain from her Awakening activation. Adding her awakening and recently evolved Sword Arts -> Sword Lord Arts and the fact that she leveled up and gained a few more skills after the tournament (level 45) up to this point (current level 49) would allow her to take on and defeat A ranked adventurer which she struggled to defeat during the tournament with much more ease now. After Fran's training in the forest post chapter 510, her overall strength has once again greatly enhanced to the point that she is almost closely approaching to S-Ranked adventurer including her changes of class from Sword Mage to Sword King and her enhanced level and stat which is Level 61 including better mastery of Magic and her new prolonged awakened state duration.
| 《STATS / PARAMETER》 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current Fran was able to overwhelm and defeat B-Ranked Monster with just sheer sword technique alone using a normal magic sword without the aid of using magic or using Master as a weapon signifying the terrible growth in combat Amanda remarked that current Fran alone without Master or awakening could easily put herself in mortal danger as both Fran's strength and speed greatly surpasses her causing her to be in cold sweat during forest sparring.
As of chapter 913, Fran attained level 70 and a new title, Matchless Warrior, which grants +100 to her overall stat and +200 to both HP and MP, and her level gain boosted Fran's stat tremendously, especially speed and magic, which increased more than 300 overall since level 61 and her HP and MP pushing beyond 1000. Based on the estimation of title + level gain, Fran's overall estimated stat gain compared to level 61 was at least 160 across the board, except for speed and magic, which increased at least by 310, and HP and MP, which increased by 500. Fran's current base stats without awakening place her in the veteran A-Rank bracket, and awakening will boost her stats to the level of a fresh S-Ranker equivalent. Currently, Fran's overall base stat has surpassed Amanda, and supposedly current Fran will be able to defeat Amanda without awakening and will continue to grow even stronger due to high stat gain after level 70 in exchange for the huge experience required and subsequent slow leveling up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 《Details》 | ||||||
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Fran has a distinct and unique style in combat. Having been taught by Master, the job class agreed upon the Sword Mage route, which promised the ability and usage of sword art in conjunction with magic, granting efficiency in battle. With sword-mage having to master the combination of rudimentary sword skill and at least basic magic for the class to actually work in dealing physical damage and magic damage at norms to form hybrid damage, What makes Fran special is that, by standard, Sword Mage could not attain what a focused class could achieve in mastery of swordplay and magic casting, as a standard sword mage could only have a lower mastery of both compared to a single focused job class (Swordsman & Mage), while in Fran's case, she was able to master high-level sword style and high-level magic beyond the single class of physical and magic damage dealers due to skill sharing and her innate talent in learning; in other words, her skills were not bound by class limitation. Fran is shown to be able to master all forms of magic and physical sword art and is able to inflict DPS beyond her job class threshold, including high healing magic, giving her a massive possible way to handle any combat situation above her level. Adding up her innate evolution transformation increases her overall library of combat styles and produces a DPS so powerful that it can slay an A-rank adventurer in one strike should they have not taken any defensive measures. Due to such reasons, Fran was able to operate as a one-man party or army within a dungeon or any combat situation, thus eliminating the need for other job-class party members and support for as long as she could maintain her MP gauge to keep up with the healing in order to keep her physical wound healed, maintaining stamina to nonstop inflicting sword strike damage while at the same time continuously casting magic in rapid succession, as MP is very pivotal to her combat style being effective. After the forest training arc, Fran has tremendously improved herself, not just from the change of class into Sword King, which slightly lowers her magic mastery and tremendously enhances her sword skill permanently, but in fact, Fran trained her magic to overwrite the magic mastery reduction, which not only improves her magic mastery more than before. Fran has also closed the gap between all her inherent weaknesses through sheer training; she is now capable of responding to any combat situation and casting magic almost instantly, which places the current Fran's combat capability far from that of any normal A-Rank adventurer and almost closely approaches the realm of S-Rank. Her battle technique is currently able to overwhelm a B-ranked monster, which equals an A-ranked adventurer, with just sheer sword technique alone.
Despite having powerful and puissant combat aptitude and being a dauntless might in her own right, Fran was incapable of leading or commanding a group or party of adventurers at first. Her lack of leadership quality was resulted by her less social, constant solo adventuring, and solo dungeon diving, which gave her little to no chance to be in a party, much less lead a group of adventurers. Her reticent personality does not help the situation either; in fact, it does the contrary. Although this does not pose any issue for her to improve her combat ability alone as she is decently capable of solo adventuring, it also prevented her from enhancing her adventurer ranking above C despite her combat capability being A due to the requirements of having leadership quality and not just the capability of being one-man army in order to rise above C.
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Possessing a penchant for violence, Fran is no stranger to skirmishes and fights whenever there is an opportunity for one, even as far as making excuses to engage in a mortal combat situation against an individual or monster. Having an abnormal amount of fondness for fighting does entail some unwanted trouble and attention, while at the same time causing her rapidly expanding skills and battle experiences to broaden and diversify ever so quickly. Fran experiences high combat during heated fights and extended battles against powerful opponents, resulting in an adrenaline rush that manifests the joy and elation within her to the extent of combat reverie.
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Master/Teacher 【師匠, Shishou】
The protagonist of this work. He is a former human male who died in a car accident and was reincarnated as a sword. The reincarnated sword has a small face, a handle above his head, and a cutting edge below his face. His name and other details of his previous life are unknown. The name "Master" was given to him by Fran. Because of the name "master," all those who know he can speak call him "master," regardless of the relationship between master and apprentice. As an "intelligence weapon," he has possessed several skills since his reincarnation in the Plains of the Demon Wolves, and he can also feed on the skills or characteristics of a defeated demon by cutting its demonic stone. He has been able to fly around freely and levitate objects without any equipment by "telekinesis" since his reincarnation and has spent his days defeating many demons and acquiring skills, dreaming of one day having a beautiful girl swordsman use him. She can also use her power to float freely in the air, cook food by levitating objects, and produce an invisible arm, which she can use to grab objects. However, when he unintentionally landed in a special zone that absorbs magic power, he was unable to escape on his own. In the midst of his desperation, he meets Fran, who is fleeing from a monster attack.  |
PERSONAL INFORMATION
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| Alias/Epithet: | ─ Curry Master ─ Black Thunder Divine Sword ─ Divine Wolfking Blade Fenrir ─ Human Blade Master |
Age: | 1 month (Mentally 30 yrs. old) | Alignments: | Chaotic • Moral |
| Gender | Male (mentally and in a past life, but biologically none as a sword) | Place of Birth | Unknown | ||
| Affiliation: | ─ Fran (wielder) ─ Announcer (Angel) & Urushi (familiar) ─ Goddess |
Race: | Intelligent Weapon → Unique Intelligent Weapon | Type: | Divine Sword |
| Height: | blade: 40-48 inch & handle: 10-15 inch | Status: | Active | ||
| Creator: | Unknown Blacksmith | Voice Actor: | JP: Satoshi Hino (Drama CD), Shin-ichiro Miki (Anime) // EN: Ty Mahany | Traits: | Reincarnated, Non-Human Protagonist, Beyonders, Tactician |
ABILITIES
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Before being reincarnated into a sword, he appeared to be a 30-year-old salaryman who enjoyed anime, manga, VR MMOs, and light novels. He had a friendly personality, enjoyed eating curry, and had some level of proficiency in cooking but had never dated before. At the start of the story, he is killed by an oblivious driver who was texting and driving. Waking in this new world, he seems to have forgotten details of how he came to be and the circumstances of how he was reincarnated.
Upon merging with the fragment shard of an evil god, the power of Oratario, remnants of Divine Sword Fanatix, and also Overgrowth resulting in Master evolving into a full-fledged Divine Sword (Divine Wolfking Sword Fenrir). Aesthetically Master's cord branches out into a shape. Master was able to imbue and utilize evil attribute energy similar to divine attribute giving Fran the aura and was able to call upon dozens of sentient Metal Wolves to attack it's enemies in which these metal wolves possess a similar attribute.
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| 《Gallery》 | ||||||
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TV Anime[]
An anime television series adaptation was announced in the twelfth volume of the light novel on September 24, 2021. The series is produced by C2C and directed by Shinji Ishihira, with Takahiro Nagano writing and supervising the scripts, Atsuki Saitō designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Yasuharu Takanashi composing the music. It aired from October 5 to December 21, 2022, on Tokyo MX, ABC, and BS Asahi. The opening theme song is "Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets, while the ending theme song is "More Strongly" by Maon Kurosaki. At Anime Expo 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced that they licensed the series outside of Asia.
- Staff
- Original Author - Yuu Tanaka
- Character draft - Ruroo
- Director - Shinji Ishihira
- Assistant director - Kazunobu Shimizu
- Series composition - Takahiro Nagano
- Character design/chief animation director - Atsuko Saito
- Master Design - Shinya Asanuma
- Monster Design - Hiroshi Arisawa, Itoori Kudo, Ryosuke Kuwabara
- Action Director - Takeshi Nishino
- Key animator - Ryo Haga
- General video supervision - Tomoya Takahashi
- Color design - Masato Takagi
- Art director/setting - Masahiro Sato
- Art board - Koki Nagayoshi
- Prop design - Ryosuke Kuwahara
- Director of Photography - Masaaki Onodera
- 3D Director - Takahisa Ohashi
- 2D Director - Keisuke Sasaki
- Editing - Tsuyoshi Sadamatsu
- Sound director - Shōji Hata
- Music - Yasuharu Takanashi
- Music Director - Mitsuhiro Toyota
- Music Production - NBCUniversal Entertainment
- Chief Producer - Kazuaki Takahashi, Akihiro Narita, Kimito Sekito, Toshihiro Suzuki, Hiroyuki Hayashi, Ro Suga, Mari Okamoto, Jie Shen
- Producer - Ryo Hino, Akiyoshi Ueda, Tomoyo Komon, Ryota Kanda, Yuko Matsui, Ichigo Feng, Shintaro Yoshitake, Kumi Nakamura, Yo Kanda
- Animation Producer - Yosuke Shimada
- Animation production - C2C
- Production - Tenken Production Committee (NBC Universal Entertainment, Glee Entertainment, Micro Magazine, JR East Japan Kikaku, BS Asahi, Seishu Yugi, Nikkatsu, Micro House, Gentosha Comics)
This was followed by an English dub as announced at Anime Weekend Atlanta on October 28, 2022.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Catgirl Meets Sword" Transcription: "Mofumimi ga Deatta no wa Ken Deshita" (Japanese: モフ耳が出会ったのは剣でした) |
Kazunobu Shimizu | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | October 5, 2022 |
| An unnamed man is tragically killed in a car accident and reincarnates in another world as a magical sword. With telekinesis he is able to fly and learn skills by killing monsters. He decides to continue slaying monsters and become the most powerful sword in the world while waiting for his destined wielder. Elsewhere, a Black Cat-girl named Fran lives as an abused slave but dreams of greatness. One day, after acquiring numerous skills and great warrior abilities, Sword enters a forest where touching the ground drains his magic to zero. Unable to fly he is trapped for months. The humans Fran belongs to are attacked by a bear monster. Seeing her fellow slaves being slaughtered, she is desperate to help and spots Sword nearby. Touching his handle he is able to communicate with her via telepathy and fly again. He shares all his skills with her, turning her into a great warrior who uses him to easily kill the monster. Fran’s owner demands she give him Sword and starts hurting her. Angered, Sword kills him and burns Fran’s slave contract, freeing her. He officially asks Fran to be his wielder and she agrees as it is her goal to evolve, something no Black Cat has ever managed before. Seeing him as her teacher, Fran names him Teacher. Teacher decides to dedicate his new life to keeping Fran safe. | |||||
| 2 | "The Hellish Trial at the Adventurer's Guild" Transcription: "Bōkensha Girudo ni Ittara Oni Shikenkan Deshita" (Japanese: 冒険者ギルドに行ったら鬼試験官でした) |
Ayaka Tsujihashi | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | October 12, 2022 |
| Fran rescues an adventurer named Randell from a goblin ambush. Teacher keeps his sentience a secret and only speaks to Fran via telepathy. In Alessa town at the adventurer guild, Nell the receptionist, who keeps her dark side hidden, informs Fran she must pass a battle simulation, and the examiner is Donadrond, a powerful Oni. Fran and Teacher combine sword skills with magic, which Nell notes should be impossible unless Fran has two brains. Donadrond happily admits defeat. Guild master Klimt accepts her as a Sword-Mage. Fran sells some of her loot for a small fortune, earning jealousy from nearby mercenaries. Believing a Black Cat could only be a thief and liar they pick a fight with her but Nell, who has decided she likes Fran, defends her. Unable to stand them insulting the Black Cat species Fran severs the lead mercenary’s legs while beating up the rest. They insist Fran be arrested but Nell and the guild adventurers all agree it was self-defense and fine the lead mercenary 100,000 gold, with Nell revealing her dark side by refusing to heal his legs until he pays. Teacher decides they need a room for the night and armor for Fran. Meanwhile, a dwarf adventurer, who has the highest level Appraisal skill God Sight, is fully aware Teacher is a living, intelligent sword. | |||||
| 3 | "The Grizzled Old Blacksmith" Transcription: "Mahō Kajishi wa Kusemono Deshita" (Japanese: 魔法鍛冶師は曲者でした) |
Hiro Ōki | Takahiro Nagano | Hiro Ōki | October 19, 2022 |
| The dwarf, Garrus, invites Fran to his shop, explaining he is the famous Wandering Blacksmith of Granzell. Other adventurers are jealous as Garrus is notoriously choosy over who he sells his equipment to. After selling Fran enchanted armor, Garrus asks about Teacher. Teacher is worried he is not as strong as other swords, but Garrus reveals that what makes Teacher most powerful is his ultra-high mana conductivity; the more magic Fran puts into him, the more powerful he becomes. Garrus admits he is not skilled enough to forge a sword like Teacher, so he could only have been forged by a Divine Blacksmith. Teacher pays Garrus to make a scabbard for Teacher and other equipment for Fran. With time to spare Fran and teacher acquire more clothes, food and a room. Elsewhere the surviving goblins that ambushed Randell use magic to evolve into Hobgoblins. On her first quest, herb gathering, Fran rescues three adventurers, Lily, Crull and Eustace, by slaying the Hobgoblins. The adventurers worry; the presence of Hobgoblins means a Goblin King has recently evolved, and he should locate a Goblin Queen; their offspring will form a Hobgoblin army that could even threaten Alessa city. Fran decides to destroy their nest alone but Teacher worries as Fran attacks recklessly, ignoring the injuries she receives. | |||||
| 4 | "The Terrifying Goblin Stampede" Transcription: "Goburin Sutanpīdo wa Ōgoto Deshita" (Japanese: ゴブリンスタンピードはオオゴトでした) |
Ayumu Uwano | Takahiro Nagano | Ayumu Uwano | October 26, 2022 |
| Fran kills all the goblins present, saying she must become stronger. The adventures return with reinforcements and they find the goblins came from a dungeon. Klimt organizes a party to raid the dungeon the next day and gives Fran a promotion. Garrus repairs her armor and says Dungeon Masters are empowered by the Goddess of Chaos. Fran takes Teacher with her to the bathhouse, much to his embarrassment, but Nell reprimands her for bringing a weapon. Nell explains the Goddess of Chaos brings challenges to the world like Dungeon Masters to prevent stagnation. The God of War was evil and slain by other gods, but not before he created goblins and other monsters. Nell complains that August, the captain of the guard, refuses to send knights to assist them and wants Amanda, the guild's ace, to return from her journey. The next day, Garrus gives Teacher his completed scabbard and Fran joins the party, led by Donadrond. The goblins ambush them at the dungeon entrance and kill many. Fran kills several goblins and enters the dungeon. Inside, a goblin gloats that with the monster he just summoned, the Goblin Empire is invincible. | |||||
| 5 | "The Feeble First Dungeon" Transcription: "Danjon Debyū wa Musō Deshita" (Japanese: ダンジョンデビューは無双でした) |
Yūri Kozukata | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | November 2, 2022 |
| Fran and Teacher decide to only kill and absorb crystals from goblins with useful skills and leave the rest to the others. They find the Goblin King and Queen, but kill them with one attack to their surprise. They realize the dungeon goes deeper and fight their way through a swarm of giant beetles. They enter a hidden door and find the Dungeon Master, an intelligent goblin who managed to summon a high level greater demon. The Dungeon Master boasts he will take over the world with his servant, but the demon warns his summoner not to give him orders and attacks Fran. He is much more powerful than any enemy she and Teacher have faced before and slices off Fran's hands, but Teacher quickly heals her. Meanwhile, the rest of the party cannot get past the door to help her. Teacher asks Fran to retreat, but she refuses and continues to fight the demon. The demon acknowledges that Fran's sword skills are superior to his, and then uses his special Skill Taker ability to steal her sword skills, boasting that she is doomed. | |||||
| 6 | "The Greater Demon Cheated" Transcription: "Gurētā Dēmon wa Chīto Deshita" (Japanese: はチートでした) |
Hiroki Ikeshita | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | November 9, 2022 |
| Skill Taker fails to work because Fran's sword skills are borrowed from Teacher. The Dungeon Master attempts to assist the demon, but he refuses his help. Teacher remembers a Dungeon Master's summons cannot survive without him and tells Fran to aim her attacks at him, forcing the demon to shield him. Fran hurls Teacher at the Dungeon Master, but when the demon tries to catch him, he unexpectedly changes direction and impales the demon instead, killing him. Teacher's blade breaks in the process, making Fran think he is dead before he reveals he can repair himself thanks to absorbing the demon's crystal. They kill the Dungeon Master, making the dungeon disappear. The rest of the party congratulates her, but Donadrond berates her for going off on her own and not waiting for them. Teacher soothes her by promising to make her curry, and reveals he gained Skill Taker, and uses his new experience levels to max Skill Taker and his sword skills. Klimt calls Fran and asks what happened to the demon's crystal, as it is a highly valuable material. Fran conceals the fact that Teacher absorbed it and says it just disappeared. Klimt believes her, but August barges into the office and obnoxiously calls her a liar. | |||||
| 7 | "The Horrible Lieutenant of the Knights Brigade" Transcription: "Kishidan Fuku Danchō wa Yana Yatsu Deshita" (Japanese: 騎士団副団長はヤな奴でした) |
Kentarō Mizuno | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | November 16, 2022 |
| August, vice-captain of Alessa’s knights, uses his skill Falsehood to identify Fran’s lies. Teacher appraises August and finds he abuses his skills to falsely accuse commoners and charm his superiors. August demands all the dungeon loot as a fine for Fran lying to a noble but Klimt refuses as the loot belongs to the adventurers. Teacher uses Skill-Taker to secretly steal August’s skills Falsehood and Etiquette, leaving him socially dysfunctional. Fran is promoted to D rank and becomes popular with her guild-mates. Fran discovers Etiquette has made her more charming. Teacher dreams of his reincarnation which included three beautiful women. Teacher makes Fran the curry he promised and other meals to keep preserved in his dimensional storage space for Fran to eat on long journeys. Fran hears a rumor August socially embarrassed himself before royalty, angering his father Count Holmes. August appears to Fran, balding and so filthy Fran mistakes him for a zombie. He accuses Fran of cursing him, ruining his life, and has hired an assassin to kill her. The assassin is revealed as a Blue Cat, long time enemies of Black Cats like Fran. Elsewhere, a woman with pointed ears approaches Alessa. | |||||
| 8 | "The Villainous Blue Cat" Transcription: "Aoneko-zoku wa Kyūteki Deshita" (Japanese: 青猫族は仇敵でした) |
Hiro Ōki | Takahiro Nagano | Hiro Ōki | November 23, 2022 |
| Fran reveals it was the Blue Cats who systematically made the Black Cats weaker and discriminated against over centuries. The Blue Cat, Gyuran, gleefully describes torturing and murdering Black Cats. Fran is afraid until Teacher reminds her she is not alone. Fran severs Gyuran's limbs and loots his sword, swearing that one day Black Cats will no longer fear Blue Cats, then severs his head. She considers killing August too but is stopped by Klimt who has made a deal with August’s father; in exchange for a large fee to the guild August will be placed under house arrest forever. The elven eared woman, A rank adventurer Amanda, appears and instantly falls in love with Fran’s cuteness, declaring herself Fran’s new mother, which Fran rejects. Amanda begins following Fran everywhere until she complains to Nell who reveals Amanda actually runs an orphanage, earning the title Guardian of Children, despite seeming a creepy stalker. Klimt offers Fran 5 high level monster crystals if she will join adventurers investigating a spider monster nest in an already defeated dungeon. Fran accepts and also receives permission to investigate another active dungeon near Ulmutt village. Teacher absorbs the crystals to level up again but Fran is despondent when Amanda insists on joining the quest as well. | |||||
| 9 | "The Monstrous Rank A Adventurer" Transcription: "Ranku Ē Bōkensha wa Bakemono Deshita" (Japanese: ランクA冒険者はバケモノでした) |
Takeshi Nishino | Takahiro Nagano | Takeshi Nishino | November 30, 2022 |
| Fran learns defeating the spiders is also a promotion exam for two E-rank teams, Dragons Roar and Forest Eyes, overseen by the examiners Cruise, Rig and Eizelle. Krad, leader of Dragons Roar, accuses Fran of manipulating Klimt into promoting her unfairly and challenges her to a duel to prove she earned her promotion, so she uses the flat of Teacher's blade to beat him up. Intrigued, Amanda asks to duel as well, wagering Fran must call her Mama if she loses. After a short difficult fight Fran is defeated, but not before managing to land one hit on Amanda. Amanda is unharmed due to one of her defensive skills but is impressed Fran is the first person in years to come close to hurting her. Teacher is proud of Fran’s progress. Unconscious, Fran dreams of her mother. Upon awakening she agrees to call Amanda Mama, but Amanda stops her as it is obvious Fran’s mother holds a special place in her heart, but she swears to always support Fran. Using Falsehood, Teacher detects Amanda’s every promise of motherly affection is sincere and she has truly earned her title Guardian of Children. Krad realizes Fran really is as strong as everyone claims. The next morning everyone prepares to enter the dungeon. | |||||
| 10 | "The Totally Unfair Spider Traps" Transcription: "Kumo no Torappu wa Hansoku Deshita" (Japanese: 蜘蛛のトラップは反則でした) |
Ayumu Uwano | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | December 7, 2022 |
| A sinister man approaches the dungeon while the party enters it. Amanda reveals that she lost several comrades to this dungeon in the past, leading her to care for their orphaned children. They battle booby traps, giant insects, and Trap Spiders while collecting their valuable silk. Amanda gives Fran combat and magic lessons while noting how unusual it is that Fran can use three elements. Upon learning about it, Fran and Teacher quickly master Thunder magic. Fran thanks Amanda by sharing curry, which no one has heard of and she finds delicious. Deeper in the dungeon, the Trap Spiders have evolved into Trick Spiders with deadlier venom and greater strength and speed. The party retreats, but two of Krad's friends, Bart and Victor, bump into Fran and they land on a teleport square. They are teleported away without their weapons, including Teacher, and land in front of the Trick Spider's ultimate evolved form, the massive Trickster Spider. As Amanda picks Teacher up and they search for them, Teacher cannot reach Fran with telepathy, while Fran panics and asks what she can do without Teacher. | |||||
| 11 | "The Wolf Summoned Hither" Transcription: "Shōkan Shitara Marō Deshita" (Japanese: 召喚したら魔狼でした) |
Shigeru Ueda | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | December 14, 2022 |
| The Trickster Spider, which has the upper body of a woman, toys with Fran, Bart, and Victor by triggering booby traps on them. The party splits up to look for them while Amanda goes by herself. With little options, Teacher reveals he can speak and move to Amanda and summons an Onyx Wolf as a Familiar to try to find Fran. The wolf goes berserk due to excess mana and Amanda says Familiars have to be named. Teacher names it Jet and it calms down, evolves into the much larger Darkness Wolf, and follows Fran's scent. Fran, Bart, and Victor are incapacitated by poison darts and the Trickster Spider sends her spiderlings to devour them. Fran imagines herself as a helpless slave again, but a vision of Teacher inspires her to get up and fight back with her bare hands. Teacher, Urushi, and Amanda arrive and blast the Trickster Spider, who retreats, then heal Fran. Fran is happy to meet Jet and they confess Teacher's secrets to Amanda, who is amazed. They heal Bart and Victor, who had passed out and don't know about Teacher, and go to the rendezvous point, but no one else is there. The Trickster Spider heals her wounds and screams, which they hear, then they see a large white bird appear in a flash of light. | |||||
| 12 | "An Excited Fran Sets Off" Transcription: "Tabidatsu Furan wa Wakuwaku Deshita" (Japanese: 旅立つフランはワクワクでした) |
Kazunobu Shimizu | Takahiro Nagano | Shinji Ishihira | December 21, 2022 |
| The bird was Tarua, the familiar of a party member who leads the group to the others who are trapped by the Trickster Spider and her children. As they rescue them, Fran fights the Trickster Spider. Amanda remembers how she adopted a male and female Black Cat named Kinan and Flamia but refused to teach them how to fight due to not wanting them to get hurt, which backfired when they tried to become adventurers anyway and got killed. Determined not to let Fran die, she annihilates the Trickster Spider, but angers Fran by destroying its crystal too. After clearing the dungeon, Klimt gives Fran permission to go to Ulmutt and she is promoted. Garrus gives Fran new armor; Teacher is angered that it exposes her belly, but he shows it protects her with a force field. Garrus says he is going to Ulmutt too, by a different route. As the guild bids Fran goodbye, she finally calls Amanda Mama, causing her to realize Fran is Kinan and Flamia's daughter. Klimt discusses with his nephew, Tarua's owner, how August's father hired someone to give the spiders evolution potions. Tarua judges Fran as having good character and is not a spy despite her unusual strength. Fran surfs through the sky on Teacher, only for them to get knocked down and confronted by the necromancer Jean du Vix. | |||||
| TRAILERS (SEASON 1) | |
After the airing of the final episode, a second season was announced.
| TRAILER (SEASON 2) | |
Short Voice Drama[]
A short voice drama will be available exclusively on ABEMA on October 5, 2022. The illustration used in the voice drama was drawn by Atsuko Saito for the "NBCUniversal Anime × Music 30th Anniversary 24-hour TV 「Turning sword part (転剣パート, Utate ken pāto)」" broadcast on September 25.
Web Radio[]
Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita shishō, issho ni rajio suru
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A&G+ x ABEMA Anime Special Radio Program - "Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita" SP
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Reception[]
In his review of the first volume of the light novel, Theron Martin of Anime News Network praised the interactions between the two lead characters, saying: "Beyond the action scenes, Tanaka's writing skill is a little above average. Dialogue and character development flow smoothly and world-building, though somewhat limited, does fit with the perspective of the central characters." However, he criticized the story's lack of originality, noting its similarities to So I'm a Spider, So What?, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon.
External Links[]
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita ─ Web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita ─ Official light novel site (in Japanese)
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita ─ Official manga site (in Japanese)
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita: Another Wish ─ Official spin-off manga site (in Japanese)
- TV Anime "Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita" Official website
- TV Anime "Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita" Official (@tenken_official) - Twitter
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita ─ Wikipedia JP
- Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita ─ Wikipedia EN
See Also[]
- Bocchi Jieikan no Isekai Funsenki, is another light novel series with the same illustrator.
- Maydare Maou Tenseiki: Oretachi no Maou wa Korekara da. (Gaiden), is another light novel series with the same illustrator.
- Deck Hitotsu de Isekai Tanbou, is another light novel series with the same illustrator.
Trivia[]
to be added.