I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (WN)

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

I opened my eyes to find myself in another world. But for some odd reason, I ended up as a sword. Before my eyes laid a plain full of magic beasts, and so, I launched my body and flew in search of a partner, a wielder (females only).

Wait. Absorbing magic stones gets me skills? Oh hell yeah! This will be fun! More, more, give me more! Gimme all your magic stones! Okay, yeah no, but I am accepting anything anyone’s willing to give.

This tale is one that follows your everyday nerd, normal as could be, save for the fact that he happened to reincarnate as a sword.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Sword Shisho
TenKen
Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita
転生したら剣でした
Related Series
I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) (Light Novel)
Recommendations
I Reincarnated Into a Vending Machine (10)
Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (10)
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (WN) (6)
Spirit Migration (3)
The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time (3)
The Elf Is a Freeloader (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. enjoyed my time
  2. My Favorite Novels
  3. good novels
  4. Novels I've read.
  5. Non-humans and their meng pt.3

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1308
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1307
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1306
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1305
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1304
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1303
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1302
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1301
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1300
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1299
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1298
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1297
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1296
02/29/24 FranscurryTL c1295
02/29/24 FranscurryTL c1294
Go to Page...
Go to Page...
Write a Review
98 Reviews sorted by


TimeVoid
TimeVoid rated it
October 10, 2017
Status: c112
This is a very fun and enjoyable story that I read. I suggest to read it.

It is full of adventure to going many places by our main character The Sword (Teacher/Master) with his companion Fran the Nekomimi girl. Together they going to journey discover many things. Yet there are some translators that doesn't mention of whose talking during dialogue. However, the story is very good and I like it.

so 5 stars
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
123jbster
123jbster rated it
June 15, 2017
Status: c304
This series is not a 5-star masterpiece. It's also not a 4.5 star great novel either. You won't jump for joy on every chapter release, but I can say with confidence that if you give this series a chance -- and by that I mean keep reading up til you meet Fran -- or past chapter 12ish or so -- I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

This series is cute, it is fun, it is amusing, it has action, and it has Fran.
Spoiler

Who is the MC's wielder and also the black cat girl you see in the image.

[collapse]
The plot is not anything to write home about, but it is not nonexistent either. It is just quite slow at revealing itself.
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
LivingCorpse
LivingCorpse rated it
March 26, 2017
Status: c57
The first few chapter is pretty boring to be honest... But it all change when the Nekomimi girl entered the scene.

In this novel the MC (a Sword) is the companion/teacher/master/guardian/parent figure for the Girl (The Wielder). In fact it's not an exaggeration to say that the MC is actually the Nekomimi Girl (The Companion) and we just read the story from the point of view of the Sword (The actual MC). Sort of like reading Kino no Tabi from the point of view of Hermes the talking bike. But... more>> it's isn't anything like Kino no Tabi, the premise is different after all.

But that is what make this novel pretty interesting. Watching the development of the Girl from the eye of the MC is what makes me like this novel. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Lolistalker
Lolistalker rated it
January 23, 2017
Status: c59
Far from perfect as my standard is quite high, but!

I really like the fact that the MC is very rational and the heroine is able to be heartless and cruel to the enemies yet still kind toward other people, that is not something a child could do normally which is a bit.... too perfect? she totally got the quality of a hero! at least her temperament that is her unyielding will, naive yet not foolish, kind without being a hypocrite, also she has an awful past yet it never really... more>> shackle her unlike other normal people, and some more actually (like how she doesn't afraid feeling pain nor ever complaining) but lets skip that
she is too good to be true that sometimes it feel unreal but then again it's still a hell lot better than those foolish MC who is kind and merciful not only to their allies but also to the enemies or those who is cruel and merciless not only to the enemies but also to the innocent which is commonly seen in the other WN/LN especially Xin Xia, I don't hate them, disgust is more appropriate to describe my feeling, for example, Yun Che from ATG, I used to love it, even now I still read it but only because I have a thirst for blood but eeeeeew he is so disgusting in so many ways

I give it 5 stars purely because I really like the character A LOT! plot wise it was quite average, there's nothing really special here other than the MC and the heroine but seeing that even in fictional world a likable human/sentient being is hard to find so there's that, so if you are here for the grand plot and their twist with a realistic and well written story then... nope you wont find that here, at least so far, welp go try read Kumo desu ga, overlord and or dungeon defense if you haven't already if that is what you want, sigh I really hope it could develop similar to Kumo desu ga, but that would be asking too much I guess, well if the author could keep the character consistent from now on that would be enough for me, if you like something more laid back slow pace another world adventure with a decent rational character then it might be for you, but then again that lass is quite the battle junkie so its not that slow paced <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
OfficePony
OfficePony rated it
November 17, 2016
Status: c57
Grammar: 4/5
Story: 3.7/5
Writing: 4/5

Exceptionally well written and translated series. The story might be a little bland at first but it builds the MC with details that are rather delightful for someone coming off of the usual tr*sh novels that seem to suddenly spring forth powers for the authors convenience. Grammar is exceptional with the rare awkward wording/phrasing. The story while a bit of a novelty still has a few tropes that make it feel almost familiar. The writing is again, well done. I applaud the translation groups who... more>> work on this because everything I've read thus far has been exceptionally well thought out.

This series will probably not be for everyone, but it's a good read if you enjoyed the early chapters of works like "I was reincarnated as a Dungeon". (Personally, I slightly disliked the aforementioned title, and find this current series far more enjoyable.)

Only one real gripe I've got with this series, or the Translator site actually, using black text on a dark grey background is just not the way to go. You will strain your eyes whether you know it or not. When using a dark background on should use a lighter text. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Little Big House
Little Big House rated it
August 26, 2016
Status: c14
This novel is not really my cup of tea, but that's only because of how the status is made. I'm just a bit confused with all the skills. I know that MC is OP but I don't know if his opponents are equal or not since there's no Character Level, just Skill Level.

The story itself is good and enjoyable. It's akin to a slice of life (not sure since I didn't read really far, but I will in the next few days). We follow the MC through his evolution in... more>> another world. He quickly evolves into a super OP sword and is able to kill wyverns and giant slimes.

The plot itself is original, there aren't that many (if not any) novel on this website that offers a sword as an MC. Sure the MC will gain some skill that lets him create a human body or something akin but that's not a problem since it can add a relevant part to the story (ex: Does the MC want to become a human ?).

I've seen tons of transfered/reincarnated MC with cheat skills but this novel is a first for me. The author doesn't rush the story, he just has a quick pace (at the start I guess). He reminds me of Satou from Death March or Mikami Satoru from Tensei Shitara Slime Datta ken with their attitude ans OPness. Both don't know exactly how they were transported and are in possession of the most powerful stats. They can absorb skills (Satou has a copy/paste ability that he shows at the start of the novel) and have a mature personality if I may say so.

The first 6 chapters weren't edited, but the translation of Ensig's Writing is good and easy to understand without any major problems.

I do recommend this novel if you want to read some slice of life with an OP MC.
--
If you like this type of novel and wish to read more I recommend you : Death March, Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
UncleOddball
UncleOddball rated it
August 23, 2016
Status: c31
The description is extremly unaccurate!*

A word of advice. To truly enjoy this story, it is recommended (by me) to survive until he (the sword) gets an owner.

Until then, the sword-bro is kind of dull, wich I've enjoyed myself actually.
Why? Because it makes sense to me. He was just a random normal dude, who died and found himself being a sword. An object. I believe we can fairly count his initial attitude as a post-dying shock, as his character expands greatly when he got an owner.

Sword-bro post meeting Fran >... more>> Initial Sword-bro.

As for the story, I'll give it a solid 4 for now.

I enjoy the relationship between the protags. It's healthy, cute and my god it can't be from Japan.

Ah right - *one of the reasons I did ignore this novel so far was the description. It is wronging the story terribly. It made me think that it's another silly op main char story full of crap. And instead, so far as 31 chapter goes, it's quite heart-warming (Sword-bro and Fran interactions kawaaaai :3) and finely paced. A lot is happening and oh boy, can't wait to get more. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
joshan
joshan rated it
July 6, 2016
Status: c33
So many hater reviews when the serie had less than 10 chapters. It does start.. Boring, tho it gets better when the heroine appears. Not "plot" ? The story itself is a plot made by the god who created him to defeat monsters that are fragments of the evil god. No demon lord to defeat yet as not much tactics are involved.. Seems to be a kind of novel where strength and skills is all u need; and maybe some other companions. The cliches are inserted with a feeling of... more>> : "it was inevitable for this to happen" (said by mc) <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Bwapples
Bwapples rated it
May 14, 2022
Status: c389
Genuinely enjoyed the novel though the most glaring issue that this WN has is the translation quality.
It frequently swaps between great translation to almost-machinelike translation plagued with grammatical errors as translators constantly drop the novel. At times you'll encounter meeting completely different characters, skills, and speech as the next translator doesn't exactly understand how to translate kanji names.

In terms of the plot, it does get a little bit repetitive and slow with how long fights last. The author does gradually get better at writing fight scenes but there's never... more>> a genuine sense of urgency or crisis within the novel. Overall, a well-written webnovel though it can be improved with a little more world-building, story pacing and translation quality. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
durende
durende rated it
December 26, 2021
Status: c325
It's an isekai adventure story with RPG elements, nothing more. But if you like those tags, this is a great webnovel. Especially the adventure part.

The "real" main character is the sword, but he's bound to Fran (the girl in the picture) almost permanently after they first meet a few chapters in. So if you're afraid of the MC being boring because he's just a sword, Fran kind acts more like the main character with the sword character guiding and advising. And Fran is a pretty good character, not deep, but... more>> good. Kind when she wants to be, and ruthless when she needs to be, which is pretty refreshing. None of that sparing thugs who ens*ave people or anything, they get their just desserts

Unfortunately around chapter 305, the translations start getting really bad. I see someone else picked up the later chapters, so it might improve again after you get to them, but I couldn't stand it. Luckily it's been licensed and as of this review, the light novel has 11 professionally translated volumes. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
metalslug710
metalslug710 rated it
September 16, 2021
Status: c643
This work is very good, I highly recommend it.

Her style is pure adventure, taking One Piece as an example, where the protagonists travel from island to island, and each one has great challenges, Ken Deshita is basically the same style, the two MCs travel from city to city, with great challenges each, and the plot is being worked on as they adventure.

Both the MC (sword) and the FMC (user) are charismatic, the FMC is that type of character who speaks little, but who manages to win you over, having moments... more>> that are cute, merciless, responsible, childish, etc... we'll see her go through a lot, and grow a lot as the work progresses. She will guide the story forward, in fact, we can even consider her the true protagonist, because she is the one who will interact with that world, decide the actions they will take, and so on. The MC is exactly what he is, a sword, he will serve more as a moral support, adviser, friend, father, and obviously in fights as it is her weapon.

The interaction of the two is really good to see, due to the circumstances, the MC means a lot to FMC, the friendship and parental relationship between the two is perceptive. The more the work goes on, the more it captivates you, it got to the point that I rooted for FMC as if it were my own daughter lol.

Speaking of fights, as I remember, the vast majority are very complicated fights, despite the MC being a very strong sword, and the FMC evolving very quickly in terms of combat power, practically every fight you feel tension and excitement. Although the two MCs are strong, the enemies are equally, or even stronger than them, so there is no need to worry about overpower, you can be sure that the MCs will suffer a lot in 90% of the fights.

For those who want to know a little more about the plot, using One Piece again as an example, where Luffy and the crew are after the big goal, here again it's the same style. The FMC has a goal that it wants to achieve, and they will go after that goal, in the meantime they will have other plots, such as the mysteries behind the MC, antagonists, and so on. Who likes this style of One Piece, and works of pure adventure in general, Ken Deshita is a full plate.

I believe that's all I have to say, the work is gigantic, and even though I've read more than 600 chapters, I still don't see it near the end. For those who like a good adventure, a great work with a good story to follow, in addition to a well-built world, which the author makes a point of never forgetting characters or things he had previously presented, you can go without fear, because it is one of the best works of the genre.

PS: For me the best (づ ̄ 3 ̄) づ <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Kradmax
Kradmax rated it
September 7, 2019
Status: c318
I find it a really good novel, diferent from the rest, in which the protagonist is a weapon and, from my point of view the true protagonist would be Fran. A really good novel that got me wanting to know what happens next.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
bobIV123
bobIV123 rated it
September 24, 2018
Status: c104
It's good, but I can't say it's great because, although most of it is really good, there are some arcs that are just not very interesting. I'm also a little disappointed that there doesn't seem to be much character growth (other than skills leveling up) so far.

... more>>
Spoiler

The necromancer arc in particular was pretty meh.

[collapse]

I'd say this novel's greatest sin is that it uses cooking as a means for the author to buy time.

Spoiler

There's an entire arc about the MC's curry (which is even described by the MC as mediocre), but it's so poorly executed, I can only believe that the author simply didn't have something "real" to write about. The author doesn't really do anything interesting with how the food is prepared or what food they make, and it just assumes that a bunch of foreign cultures will fall in love with Japanese cuisine (or Indian, in this case).

[collapse]

I really don't care to slog through at least a dozen chapters of people talking about curry, to the point that I've put this series on hold.

That being said, I do intend to come back and skim through this s*upid curry arc, so I guess that means this is a good novel overall. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
IsekaiJake
IsekaiJake rated it
July 22, 2018
Status: c105
I would give this novel 5 stars if it had a different female lead.

Fran is one of the most plain characters I have ever read about. Her way of thinking is pretty repetitive: "Fight", "Eat" and "Beg". Everyone around her seems to think she is a genious of a child, when in truth, it's all about the sword, it didn't matter who picked it up, the end result would have been the same.

Author should have worked more on developing the lead more.

If you don't mind that, it's a very good... more>> read and the MC is very well developed. You could varely think that it's a JP novel since the MC is not a pushover, he thinks before acting but not enough to get a boring feeling out of it and above all, he doesn't have the "Do not kill" values that make all other MC's boring and s*upid. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Quantum qwazi
Quantum qwazi rated it
May 12, 2018
Status: c100
Not action-adventure slice of life

I read this because of the relatively original premise sword new world expecting action adventure I was sad that the first obstacle an inanimate should have is the inability to move it’s solved via telekinesis automaticly he didn’t even have to try this is fine got the charecter going I guess but it’s indicaive of why this isn’t action adventure it’s slice of life no problem is solved creatively barring one or two fights are a foot note generally the few that aren’t is just throwing... more>> a bunch of skills at it till it stops then spend the next five chapters lamenting how amazing it was I’m only kinda exaggerating that last bit it puts a stop to at three now might see at something impressive if he didn’t literally have 100s of skills any of which he can switch out to have 10 active at any time making these fights pretty simple really not that these skills are often used in any way creative all the skills s*upid overpowered

so obviously this isn’t what the book is about so now I learned I’m reading a slice of life I don’t like those at all But this one is particularly yawn inducing because the MCs are both bland and inconsistent I just don’t care how they interact with the world because of that also author is terrible about making the world revolve around the mcs

world building is flat and unoriginal

and translator makes very regular error also can’t spell gold if that’s intentional idc there are plent other mistakes translation quiality 3/5 on the most recent cite <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Naeddyr
Naeddyr rated it
May 10, 2018
Status: c245
[Note that I'm trying for a stricter personal rating scale; your star rating may vary]

Simple and cute popcorn reading. I also suggest reading the manga, which edits things down at the start and gets straight into the true focal point of the series: Fran. The only downside is some visualized le*dness, which doesn't come through the same way in the novel.

Some stories are great, but not readable or easy. Reading and following them requires some effort, and if over long periods of time of following a translation project that effort... more>> required exceeds that of the immediate enjoyment you get from single chapters it becomes tougher to keep on going. These sorts of reads are better in bigger batches.

Reincarnated As A Sword is the opposite. Pretty brainless, fluffy and devoid of nutritional value, it's like a bowl of popcorn flavored with cuteness and crunchy with the occasional gory dismemberment, but with some actual core story going on that you care about in some vague sense. You can pick up the newest chapter and not worry about what the plot was up until then, it's just five minutes of comforting routine.

So obviously better than 98% of the other stuff on this site. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Kyself
Kyself rated it
April 14, 2018
Status: c115
I like this WN, as simple as it is, but the King of Cooking arc is awful. Uninteresting filler. Overall, the character development is lackluster and it bothers me how ... more>>
Spoiler

the author doesn't talk about how weird it is for a sword to have a human doppelganger, or at least have Fran react to it in any way; unless it was so underdeveloped that I skimmed over it. The first mention of Shishou using it is done off-screen in secret, but more as a surprise for Fran than something he wanted to actually hide.

[collapse]

So much focus being put on cooking and Fran's appetite was such a monumental mistake for the story. I'm only reading on in hopes that it gets better. Comet Translation's machine-filtered garbage from Ch. 67-72 almost made me drop this from how bad it was. Good luck. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ohems
Ohems rated it
December 18, 2017
Status: c142
A nice, fun and somewhat enjoyable adventure story which I can't really blame nor praise much. The events happening in the story are well planned and executed, but feel ultimately a bit pointless and uninteresting. The main characters just happen to be where trouble takes place and kind of just solve it. Their personal goals are rather whimsical and unimportant, often getting buried under all the random encounters and endless side plots. Also, the extended cooking competition side story kind of added to this and made me rather bored.

In other... more>> words, a well written story that has struggled to keep my interest in itself. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
saihamaru
saihamaru rated it
November 30, 2017
Status: c120
This is an enjoyable read. Not the best out there, but certainly entertaining enough for me to write this review despite my shitty english (do hope you forgive me for that)

The setting of this novel is pretty unique compared to other reincarnated/isekai stories i've read:
First of all, protagonist choose to stay as weapon instead of trying real hard to get humanoid form. Sure he have a way to get humanoid form, but author decided to give huge minus on that method, so MC rarely use it. As result,... more>> he's not mindlessly building harem.

The sub-genre is pretty diverse... so far we have power leveling arc, dungeon crawling arc, detective arc, and even some cooking competition arc. It's hardly getting boring with all of that. It's just... the author sometime jumped sub-genre too suddenly that some chapters feel detached from the main story.

The supporting characters are pretty well defined too. They don't feel like just a side character whose reason being there is to make MC look strong. I really like it when we get their PoV chapters, too bad they're very few in between.
Spoiler

i especially liked that certain chamberlain chapter

[collapse]
Though some mob characters certainly feel too forced as evil. But their idiotic evil act is indeed amusing to read as MC proceed to punish them.

Last but not least, even if you think MC and heroine pair is overpowered, they always manage to find an even stronger adversaries that they have a hard time to deal with. These fights often led them to use tricks and even then, they win just barely, shounen-manga style. I personally prefer this to MC steamrolling everything with his godly strength. It make the powerleveling chapters feel worth the while. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
captain crunch
captain crunch rated it
October 21, 2017
Status: c118
Rating: 3.5-4, Translation: 3.5-4

(My reviews may sound negative, but my format is short on positive comments (avoiding spoilers), and often lists reasons why I didn't give 5 stars.)

[Rating/Translation scale: 5 = almost all readers may enjoy / infrequent minor errors. 4 = large majority of readers may enjoy / frequent minor errors or infrequent major errors, no difficulty to read. 3 = 50% of readers may enjoy / frequent major errors, unable to understand some sentences or a paragraph in a chapter. 2 = niche audience may enjoy... more>> / unable to understand moderate portion of a chapter. 1 = portion of niche audience may enjoy / unable to understand most of a chapter.]

Intro: Guy gets hit by car, reincarnates as an "Intelligent Magic Sword" in an alternate, fantasy-RPG world. He has the cheat abilities of floating/flying around on his own, absorbing skills from defeated enemies, and sharing them with his "owner." He meets as 12-year-old cat-girl, and they decide to level up and travel around the world.

Positives: Contains all the regular makings of an Isekai reincarnation story, while going the route of reincarnating as a nonhuman. Becoming an inanimate object is a less common idea, so it may be a novel idea to some readers. The storytelling is simple and focused, so it does not suffer from jumping around too much or from poorly developed arcs. The relationship of a sword being the guardian of a middleschool-aged cat-girl is a little cute.

Negatives: The storytelling scope might be a little small for some readers, as the 2nd MC is a kid and doesn't participate in big events in the world. They are just traveling from one town or adventure to the next. Because the story is focused, it may feel to slow to some readers. The intro, maybe first 15 chapters, may feel especially slow. The MC sword does have lots of cheat abilities and quickly levels up; some readers may not like that. Story does have the usual Isekai tropes; an example is it spends a whole arc on a cooking contest, which I was less interested in.

Other: There is a LN version of this WN; I don't know what the difference is. I think the LN is not far along in translation. The recent translation rate is quite fast, 2-3 per week.

Translation: There have been multiple translators. Most are pretty good, around 4 on my scale. One potential issue is I suspect the current translator may be taking creative liberties with the translation. It seems a bit different from the previous translators. An example is the amount of mild profanities used, when almost none were previously used.

Overall: Somewhat different variation of Isekai story, MC becoming an inanimate object, partnering with a cute cat-girl. Cute and focused/straightforward story. There are some issues, but I think most reincarnation fans would enjoy; close to a 4 on my scale. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.