To Be a Power in the Shadows! (WN)

Description

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Just like how everyone adores heroes in their childhood, a certain boy adored those who hid in the shadows. One day, after living the mediocre life of a side character while undergoing frenzied training by night, he reincarnates in a different world and gains ultimate power. The young man who is only playing at being a secretive powerhouse, his misunderstanding subordinates, and a struggling, giant, shadowy organization…

This is the story of a boy who adored shadowy manipulations who might possibly reign over the dark side of another world.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
TEIS
The Eminence in Shadow (LN)
想要成为影之实力者
陰の実力者になりたくて!
Related Series
To Be a Power in the Shadows! (LN) (Light Novel)
Recommendations
I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! (21)
Tilea’s Worries (14)
My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending (14)
There Was No Secret Organization to Fight with the World’s Darkness so I Made One (In Exasperation) (11)
Overlord (LN) (8)
I Got Reincarnated And Mistaken As A Genius? (8)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Action - Cultivation - Adventure (On going)
  2. Misunderstandings, but with major event going on b...
  3. Novels That I Have Read Over The Years
  4. Mentally ill protagnoists
  5. Isekai Fantasy | #1

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/28/22 Placeholder c205.5
10/09/22 Placeholder characters
10/05/22 Placeholder c205
10/05/22 Soafp c205
03/09/21 Placeholder c204
10/08/19 WangMama c203
09/17/19 WangMama c202
08/27/19 WangMama c201
08/23/19 WangMama c200
08/21/19 WangMama c199
08/16/19 WangMama c198
08/13/19 WangMama c197
08/05/19 WangMama c196
08/02/19 WangMama c195
07/17/19 WangMama c194
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209 Reviews sorted by


Ecchan
Ecchan rated it
February 18, 2019
Status: c119
my side hurting from all the laugh!

as isekai reader, I've had my fair share of seeing op MC whom humbleness seems smugly annoying (like = "oh my, I just strike rich from beating legendary dungeon + gaining super artifact + saving the princess - but oh gee, I wonder why is women's blushing upon seeing me").

MC is chuuni who knows he's chuuni, and striving in all his chuuni-ness. I love his oblivious chuuni-ness. May you be oblivious chuuni forever.
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fearthedeep
fearthedeep rated it
November 9, 2018
Status: c113
This started off as annoying, the characters density was driving me crazy. But soon after I started reading it grew on me. And now I find myself wanting more.

You have to read it like a gag story of sorts and even its action scenes which lack comedy are pretty enjoyable. You get a good mix between the silly and the action.

I'm sad that I've caught up and there hasn't been another translation for a bout a month. Hope to see more again soon.
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scooby1234567
scooby1234567 rated it
July 24, 2018
Status: c11
I only read a little of the story and from what I've read its cringe.

I've read a ton of issekai LN. And most times the world revolves around the MC

In this is LN its next tier. The MC randomly created a name and purpose an organization and then boom the organization became a real thing having the same name and purpose

Oh and the following the shadow thing and all the stuff every one of his followers and he seems to be making stuff up as they go and it just... more>> weird

And finally, I don't understand what he is trying to accomplish. If hes good or evil anti hero idk <<less
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Ixcez
Ixcez rated it
June 1, 2018
Status: c73
This is a story about a boy stuck in his chuunibyou and pretty much becomes a mental patient because of it. Who then get's teleported to a world and tries to outlive his fantasies

To be the power in the shadows! The man behind the man!

Settings minor spoiler

... more>>
Spoiler

So after rescuing a random girl on a whim the MC explains to her what his reason for doing all of this is. Which is to defeat the evil organisation who is in control of the world and trying to ruin the heroes decendents who the girl is one of!

This is all made up by the MC to outlive his fantasies and get the girl to play along.

However not known to the MC is that all his made up stuff is real and the girl in turn goes on to create a huge shadowy organisation to fight this evil (their all girls btw since only the female decendents of the hero becomes cursed since the heroes were all female) so while the hero thinks their all just playing games the girls are all seriously fighting this organisation.

While believing the MC to be all powerful since he keeps pulling stunts like being shown a map of enemy hideouts and asked which one to go hit. Then he random throws a knife on the map and the knife just happens to hit a secret base the girls hadn't found yet and which is the correct one to hit.

[collapse]

The MC is seriously mental though since he truly believes everything is just make believe and while thinking such he kills people left and right. At the same time he doesn't care if he is the hero or the terrorist the only important part is to act like a power in the shadows this comes from a guy who has a mental age of a 33-34 year old but after 20 years playing as a shadowy power he still acts the same as a 13 year old.

The humour is thick, at times it is to thick which clogs the humour. The MC is OP as in unstoppable go cry at yo mommah kind but because of wanting to act cool he almost always act so that there will be monologes and some struggle before killing above minion D.

He also seems to like to prop up enemies so that his power in the shadows can become more notorius and mysterious.

The harem is pretty large but at the moment mostly there as an author/reader fullfillment or something.

Spoiler

There are 7 starting girls for his power in the shadow who are all crazily in love with him from what has been shown, on top of this there are at the very least 100+ girls in the group who see's him like a god like exsitance and would do anything for him.

His big sister is a serious brocon and loves him dearly, he has two princesses and a scientist girl who are all in love with him. So yeah all in all he has about 120+ harem members in the first 60ish chapters.

[collapse]

So yes this is a great downtime read when someone is looking for something lighter and funny. The downside being the oversized harem and that the humour is to much up in your face at times <<less
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bluerogue
bluerogue rated it
May 13, 2018
Status: c25
I stumbled upon this LN looking for a new LN to read and have set up this account specifically so I could write a review. This LN is a quick favorite. The source material is excellent, but I feel the humor is aided by a very capable translator. The jokes are very funny!

Tenshi translations deserves props! I feel as if the way he/she translates involves a lot of writing skills. Your work makes this LN very fun to read, please keep it up.

Summary for the uninformed - a chuuni reincarnates,... more>> makes up a chuuni story, trains so he can be a protagonist in said story, poses as a weakling to fill out his backstory, and coincidentally ends up having the story be real. This is a trope I've seen a few times in other novels, but this is the first time I've seen it executed so damn well. I think the source material brings it halfway and the translation gives it that extra push to make this a hilarious and worthwhile read. I hope the translator keeps trucking along, because I don't think I'd want to see this series handed off :* ( <<less
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oblueknighto
oblueknighto rated it
April 17, 2018
Status: c30
This is a fantastic novel about a foolish chuunibyou. He's utterly delusional and that makes his interactions with the others hilarious. A novel full of great misunderstandings that the the main character will never resolve.

It's comedy though so I some people might get irritated at how ridiculous his actions are.
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wss171
wss171 rated it
March 30, 2018
Status: c12
Thank you, translator!

This is good! I like very much the fact that what he imagine turns out to be the actual reality of the world he's living, but he finds it too unbelieveble.
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thorlong
thorlong rated it
March 24, 2018
Status: c7
An excellent example of a web novel worthy of a manga. It is an interesting storyline that few take advantage of. While it develops fast for a web novel that just means that it just needs refining, something to look forward to in a few years. It is geared in a way that even if the misunderstanding is resolved on the MC's side he can just roll with it, that takes a literary talent to accomplish and likely the reason for the early fast paced development.
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Moon29Shadow
Moon29Shadow rated it
March 22, 2018
Status: c5
Can't say much about how it will go, at start atleast this novel got me hooked. For now upto c5 you get a glimpse of the plot which has quite the high potential.

Depending how it goes my rating may change (I hope I don't have to) but for the interesting start I will give it 5 stars.
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Akash Bag
Akash Bag rated it
February 3, 2023
Status: c205.5
First

01. Think MC as not much emotionally expressive but greatly care for his family and companion

02. Think the coincident as the MC has planned everything before 'cause think about it what the MC doing in his early age ; did he really train every day? I think the MC also read every book and gain knowledge of his current world and history of the world like he done in his previous world. I think he know many thing but he play nonchalant every time

But how the hell MC is not... more>> frustrated during his age (you know........). He is close to so many beautiful girls but not interested in anyone. Is MC really is pursuing only his goal and not interested in anything (except money and power) <<less
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DarkD
DarkD
April 4, 2022
Status: --
Honestly, can't rate this because it's absolutely not an idea that suits my tastes, but I figured I'd share what I disliked. The protagonist is literally everything that makes me cringe in a novel. His entire goal is to be a chuunibyuu without actually knowing it. And to accomplish this goal, he makes up ridiculous lies to steer the world in a direction that helps his chuuni fantasies.

Finally, it's a series where the protagonist starts off as a child who due to training and knowledge he brought over from his... more>> past life became OP as early as 10 years old.

Everything I just described is just the height of cringe to me, so I can't read it. <<less
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peterkxm
peterkxm rated it
June 11, 2021
Status: c204
Hilarious misunderstandings after misunderstandings is what this novel can be summarized. The author makes immense usage of cliche tropes and satire to make fun of the whole isekai genre by making the main character obsessed with being a background/mob character.

  • The main character knows how powerful he is and doesn't want to show it off but not in the way that most isekai novel protagonists do it. Rather than denying the fact that he's some sort of insanely overpowered magic swordsman, he just acts behind the scenes to show off when necessary and be as flashy as possible when he is acting as "Shadow". He doesn't feel a need to show off and get rewarded for his efforts since in the end, he thinks this is all some chuunibyou-like events that just revolve around simple "bandit" groups.
  • He unintentionally created a massive organization that works in the shadows and stops the world from being ruined by Diabolos which is actually a real thing. It's hilarious that he made it up on the spot for Alpha and has continued to believe how fake it is by thinking that his shadow organization members are also just as good at acting as he is and can make up some "deep stuff" about Diabolos when in fact, it's all true.
  • It's a harem but with the protagonist not considering any of the girls as his harem. He thinks they're all there to serve under him as his persona as "Shadow" and fails to realize that all of his 600+ members and counting are in some way, shape, or form in love with him.
  • This novel is a comedy and should not be taken seriously on any note. It's complete satire and makes fun of cliche developments and isekai tropes in every way it can. If you're in for a simple, fun read, I think this novel definitely would be right for you.
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goga
goga rated it
May 10, 2021
Status: c131
update

it's a nice read though cause of some misunderstandings he sometimes will make his subordinates cry, whether they thought that he doesn't trust them enough or that they're not worthy enough to be by his side

that part really breaks my heart, it's really saddening to see that

... more>> it's saddening to see them desperately trying to prove themselves to him, only to be rejected cause he doesn't understand where they're coming from

their feelings and thoughts wouldn't really lead them to anywhere cause the recipient is stuck with his own misunderstandings

it's really sad

Spoiler

Then, she hears his footsteps as he walks away.

She desperately extends her hand, despite her fading consciousness.

"W, Wait...."

But he doesn't stop.

Step by step, he walked away from her.

She's always been chasing after his back.

Finally, she'd thought that she'd finally reached him.

Even so, why........

"Please... don't leave me behind... "

Her voice did not reach him.

[collapse]

old

heh might be entertaining to read at the start, but the for me and the others that liked this, it became sh*t around 112

there's a funny and not really funny misunderstandings and developments, that part where he wanted to usurp/destroy his followers business, just so that they he can feel what it's like to be a boss of some shadow organization that controls commerce and take his "friends" under his wings after their business is gone, falls in the not funny part

the girls adore him then just cause of some shitty misunderstanding and petty delusions, he sides with a chick that wants to benefit as a third party when his "friend's" company is being attacked by some Alliance

welp the author might have wanted to make her his partner cause if he wants the misunderstanding to continue, he really can't involve alpha and the others with him that much.. especially now that he wants the MC to step up and be involved into things

well him stepping up would've been nice if the downside where the readers sees him actively helping some third party gain advantage and the possibility of him causing harm to his followers (which is really gonna be idiotic) is not there <<less
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Silentdmg
Silentdmg rated it
March 7, 2021
Status: c203
Love the story and I just checked the raw site for the WN version and there was and chapter 204 was release like 3 days ago (08/03/2021 or 03/08/2021 for those pesky Americans)

The novel is an incredibly fun read with the only problem being the complete and absolute lack of awareness of the MC, at first it's really funny. But as you get later in, especially once you get to the arc based around the Shadow Gardens Company front vs the Commerce Alliance, and how he goes about getting... more>> involved. That is probably when his at his most frustrating cause.

I think this novel would be much better if he even got a feeling that maybe this is all some massive play that him and his friends are putting on. But other then that, the constant misunderstanding do tend to always lead to a fun and comedic result.

I suggest this novel mostly for people that enjoy an OP MC that is extremely dumb and incompetent (Incompetent not in his ability, but in his way of creating plans as they mostly only work because he is lucky beyond belief or because someone misunderstood his intentions). <<less
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atorresn95
atorresn95 rated it
January 12, 2021
Status: c189
One of the best LN, people should try and read even if it is a isekai, there is a harem tag but I can tell that it is not love but "respect" to their leader so it is not annoying, full of schemes misunderstantings and thats what is really makes this novel funny and enjoyable to read, the MC is OP through hard work but he likes to be weak-person.
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Akunyoba
Akunyoba rated it
January 5, 2021
Status: c203
If you love novel that are so bad it become good, this is the novel for you. If you're the type who can easily go along with everything, this is the novel for you. If you're the type who enjoy cool scenario, maybe this is for you.....

Alright, this is gold for me. I am enjoying this very much because of it's ridiculousness. The MC is fine, he's chuuni who have power but aren't the type who flaunt or trying to be good samaritan, a pure soul I might say, who's... more>> goal is to become eminence of darkness or the true power/lord in the dark/shadow/under world. Yes he would flaunt his power but that's not due to his pride or anything but just because it looks cool or fitting so there's no feeling of him actually flaunting onto other.

The plot is.... basically non existent. It does have plot but it's done in scenario and more often than not are just series of loosely related problem. World building also basically non-existent for the same reason only on the need to know basis unless it's narrated by other people rather than MC.

The charm of this series is in how much of a shitpost it is, how cool the MC actually is (if you can appreciate it anyway as he's really uncool by standard, still think he's cool with how determined he is to achieve his goal and I do like the stuff he did despite how embarassing it would be in real life). And most importanly the relation between the character. That last one is the main drawing power to me. <<less
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woo00154
woo00154
November 24, 2020
Status: c6
I haven't read much, but let me summarize this in one line:

Overlord (LN) for younger audience.

There is misunderstanding gag, MC acts as a shadowy dark hero, harem and repeated praises, bit of magic, childish writing, so on.

... more>> But for me, this series simply doesn't work....

You see, what makes Chunnibyo funny is the Tsukomi character that goes along with it.

In this novel, there is only Chunnibyo stuff, so your toes and fingers all cringe to the void.

This is literally a 8th grader's wet dream.

It's more Chunnibyo than SAO if that says anything.

It still doesn't beat "Invisible Dragon" in terms of Chunnibyo, tho. (You should check it out)

After Dungeon Defense and Overlord, I was looking for some good Isekai shit, but it's so damn hard to find. <<less
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Rowboat12q
Rowboat12q rated it
June 1, 2020
Status: c5
First, I saw the rating which is high and I started to read it. The world building is pretty normal isekai, being born as a noble and such. The premise of the story is good there is many plot holes but not too major.

i recommend to try it. If the cringe is too much for you than I suggest you dont need to read it. Because the strong point of this novel is the humor unless the humor isn't your cup of tea.
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Scholek
Scholek
April 9, 2020
Status: c171
This is a gag story that seeks to viciously make fun of many cliches including reincarnation, OP protagonists, and isekai. Reading 10 chapters is enough to fully understand how the entire story will continue to develop. Since the entire story revolves around the MC gag character and his obsession with being "a power in the shadows" all readers should expect that the gag will eventually get old.

Thus the most rational prescription is to read the first few chapters of the story understanding that the rest of the story will be... more>> exactly the same gag, and either drop the story because you hate it or continue reading until the gag gets too trite.

Subjectively, I think the MC can be really funny and the premise is ret*rded enough to make me laugh. Objectively, the MC is selfish and childish human scum that somehow obtained overwhelming power.

When I think about the story seriously, such as plot-holes and world-building, I absolutely hate this train wreck. Although I genuinely liked most of the supporting characters.

When I just accept that this story's entire purpose is to perpetuate an gag isekai satire then I can read with excitement and anticipation as the author constantly springs new BS before my eyes.

Yes, I hate the MC as a person, but I like reading about what he does and how he thinks. I also have an obsession, so as I am reading this story I feel an unsavoury affinity with the MC. Perhaps the author legitimately understands s*upid obsessions outside of their writing. <<less
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thgilkcalb
thgilkcalb rated it
June 27, 2019
Status: --
This should've been an epic and great story, but something happen and the author's gone insane... and now it's more and more like a story of misunderstandings with the shadow as only the outward, but the misunderstandings as the core... it's getting really annoying

Summary: story about an ignorant fool who obsessed with be a power in the shadow [which should be good] but NOT serious about it [which is pretty bad] just "playing" shadow once in a while, act "mobly" the rest with NO plan in mind. In fact, it's... more>> more exact to say that he love to play a game call "pretend to be a power in the shadow" than actually BE a power in the shadow, for that he's ready to betray and cast a aside those who helped and loved him... for nothing but his own GAME.

The thing that keep this story going is MC's luck [which should be max], save some girls and they grow great and support his ignorant [or more like wiping his ass] if not he's already a demon king long ago, NOT a power in the shadow.

I don't know if there's a twist later but the MC's now one of the worst

So, it was 5 stars, it's 3 stars now, and the future... let's wait and see

PS: I wonder what's wrong with japan authors??? just when it's going to be fricking good, they've all just gone insane...

It's c106 to be specific, whatever he wanted to be, whatever he wanted to do, it's the lowest of the low when you can't even protect your own family... that said, he's actually kneeling on the ground licking dirty gold coins nearby... <<less
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