To Be a Power in the Shadows! (WN)

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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


FirosAhoge
FirosAhoge rated it
May 4, 2019
Status: c154
Lol! This is the best. It's a chuuni that was actually became strong in his past life was reincarnated into another world where he's completely OP because there's actually magic here! His delusions are so hilarious. If this becomes an anime, I'm sure it'd be memed into the ranks of legends.
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HelveticaDumplings
HelveticaDumplings
April 1, 2019
Status: c125
why is this series so entertaining XD

I love all the misunderstandings, and him thinking that everyone around him are just playing along for his sake lol.

I really like how they portray the POVs where if it’s first person it’s the MC but if it’s third person kinda it’s the other characters.

... more>> The side characters are fun to read, and I like how they glorify Shadow, despite him being so s*upid sometimes.

Im just waiting for the Catharsis of when every misunderstanding is fixed and what everyone’s reactions will be when they find out the guy they thought was weak was the mastermind behind everything! I also hope he figures out that everything he’s made up as a kid was true cause I find this whole thing hilarious! XD

This was a great find! Not to mention, unlike some other translations, these are really easy to read (some chapter not to much but majority is pretty good) I hate how sometimes it’s hard to understand what’s happening or it gets boring halfway though in other novels I’ve read. This had been entertaining all the way though, and I’m looking forward to the chapters from hereinafter! <<less
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Gsichtselfmeter
Gsichtselfmeter rated it
February 16, 2019
Status: c90
An amazing story, genuinely funny, innovative and easily makes my top-5 of japanese novel/manga/anime (The others being Dorohedoro, Gintama, HunterXHunter and One-Punch-Man)
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AsuhaNyan
AsuhaNyan rated it
February 10, 2019
Status: c97
All I want is for Rose to retain her love for Sid even after their separate and would be better if she's still in love w/ him even after she knew the truth that he is Shadow. She's the only one outside of the Seven Shadows who fell in love w/ him despite all of his flaws so our chuuni protagonist deserves someone like her.

Anyways. The only flaw I can say w/ this novel is that Sid is somehow annoying w/ how he's so fixated on being a mob. Can't... more>> the author make him be be low profile w/out insisting being a mob? Sid's more annoying than Tillia. <<less
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SisConEcho
SisConEcho rated it
February 10, 2019
Status: c176
So good that I'm trying to read raws, they come out pretty frequently.

The story is a huge gag. MC is an idiot like Saitama, don't take this seriously. Saitama trained so hard he lost his hair. This guy trained so hard he lost his common sense (there's an arguement that he is a genius and his subconscious does all the work for him).

I can't stop laughing. I was burnt out on LNs until I started reading this. Read the first ch of the manga before reading this. It sets the... more>> proper mood to reading this. Reading raws atm, they come out pretty frequently

Contain spoilers for yet to be translated chapters

Spoiler

so the side characters like 666 and super sub plotlines like black tower are not wasted but utilized later really love it as it shows some planning involved by the author

[collapse]
<<less
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N0r
N0r rated it
February 1, 2019
Status: --
Verrrrrrrrry nice ?

Super funny and interesting. One of the very few novels that I re-read from time to time.
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Aho555
Aho555
January 23, 2019
Status: c117
<5 stars>

I've been reading stuff on here for years now and this is definitely the most unique and well executed story I've come across. Thanks to the many 5 star reviews that convinced me to give this a try.

It's a fun, hilarious story where even though the MC is the sole gag character and hard to relate with, the people around him make up for it and it's fun to follow their character development. Well, MC does get serious and sincere once in a blue moon.
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Tenku_kun
Tenku_kun rated it
January 11, 2019
Status: c44
You're hard to come by a Japanese as good as this in what it chooses to do. It's just that the MC is so dumb it ticks me off. Enough to make me drop the novel. This however, is just my opinion, I'll still recommend this to anyone looking for a light comedy novel and time to spare.
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LordGrim102 rated it
November 18, 2018
Status: c112
There are quite a few plot holes and flaws in this novel but all in all, it is overshadowed by the good part.

Firstly the narration is kinda irks me sometimes because the author likes to play a prank on readers ex. "Shadow is cut in half by the sword........... or not!" that really irks me every time I read those pranks, but ignoring this kind of narration is tolerable at the moment.

The MC is truly fixated on playing the power in the shadow part that he ignores whats obvious in... more>> front of him ex. yearning and adoration from his subordinates (all females), and dangers that will harm to family, friends, and people he interacts. the best example of that is his sister almost got killed because he went off somewhere doing his power in the shadows play. I bet its the influence of being protagonist that his sister survives cause author will be losing readers if he let her be killed. it is all for it to cover the incompetency of the MC but over all if you ignores his over fixated power in the shadows play then its a quite a good read of a novel.

I wish the LN fix those problems that I stated. I'm giving this novel a 5 star for now cause its quite entertaining for me to read this. But I will rate it 1 star mercilessly when I get really really tired of MC's charade and the narration pranks. <<less
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shader009
shader009 rated it
November 7, 2018
Status: --
Now don't get me wrong, this is a good story...... at the start. Then things get stale. There's only so many times the same tropes can be repeated and still remain funny. Honestly would have been far better if it was shorter or had more character evolution. Yes I know it's a comedy that doesn't take itself seriously and I have nothing against the plot. It's just that this is not a binge read recommendation. Pick it up when you feel like it, give it a break and repeat. It... more>> will put a smile on your face, I'll give it that. <<less
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Kuromori
Kuromori rated it
October 23, 2018
Status: c112
A good laught, a good adventure and a nice read. It's good as you woud expect it to be, and the plot is driven by misunderstandings, although in a comical and surprisingly nice way.
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RahulREG
RahulREG rated it
August 29, 2018
Status: c91
Its good but not the best.

Unlike many op MC, our MC is not annoying (ok slightly probably). But he doesn't have some crazy over-kind heart that shows mercy to all, and during a fight have a nice 1ch long chat about some totally unrelated useless matters.

... more>>
Spoiler

The story hardly has a romantic plot, and though the MC unintentionally builds a harem, he is totally uninterested about this (I mean seriously he's gonna die virg*n unless someone forces him)

[collapse]

Well what else can I say, go read it but don't get your hopes tooooooooooo high. <<less
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JackofXTrades
JackofXTrades rated it
August 25, 2018
Status: c94
This has to be one of my top 10 if not top 5 light novels.

The basic premise is a guy who is reincarnated into a fantasy world and decides to indulge in his 8th grade middle school syndrome. He becomes basically what the title says, "a power in the shadow." He trains and becomes super overpowered like One Punch level and he learns the history of the world he is reborn into just so he can use the interesting bits aka the myths and legends for the background of his... more>> roleplay character.

The twist is that every tid bit of myth and legends from the history books he read is real. He continues role playing as a power in the shadow and keeps being oblivious to how serious the matters happening around him are. Hell even his companions are just role playing with him in his mind, while in reality, they are 100% serious.

Indulge yourself in a comedic story of a reincarnated young man who fulfills his role play dreams in a fantasy world setting, but even he doesn't know that him playing around, may appear to be more than serious to others than he could ever imagine.

It's a comedy novel, and he is practically a "parody" character. The joke is that he is just role playing his Chunibyo fantasies as a power in the shadow, but the lore he used for the background of his role playing character is actually real and it is implied that he will never know that it's real for the whole comedic aspect of the story. Just think something along the lines of Saitama being a hero as a hobby, basically what the MC of this story is doing with the addition of having a Ainz Ooal Gown level of Authority from the Overlord anime/manga/novel. (The MC appears at key moments of the story like Saitama would in One Punch Man and the MC role plays like he knows what he is doing, but in reality it is anything but making stuff up just like Ainz.) <<less
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thecursedone
thecursedone rated it
June 11, 2018
Status: c68
A really good novel, I recommend it for the laugh and it's not bad as ppl say it's unique! If you get bored of its uniqueness then that's your problem, not the novel being bad or anything negative about it.
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facuelfacha12
facuelfacha12 rated it
June 3, 2018
Status: c75
Very funny and entertaining, the story is very interesting and I like it.

The way the protagonist uses the "clichés" is great.

The supporting characters are very good, each one has different ways of thinking.

... more>> I like the protagonist's followers, as each one has a different personality that makes him/her entertaining.

So far the main story is interesting, it also has good moments that could be considered serious.

Misunderstandings are fun and not boring like in other stories.

And best of all is the special technique of the protagonist.

I recommend it for reading as you will not be bored. <<less
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ryan1248
ryan1248 rated it
May 29, 2018
Status: c70
i think this is an ok read if you dont treat it as serious read.

the beginning may be a little confusing, but the structure get better.

Personally I don't like it that much, although I do like op MC, but there is a difference between OP MC that overcome hardship and OP MC that with plot MC power
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Chance
Chance rated it
May 14, 2018
Status: --
Great for light reading. This is a fun novel, not a literary masterpiece. Just keep that in mind.
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hibatsu
hibatsu
April 30, 2018
Status: c40
MC is a chunibyou who wants to be a power in a shadows, aka useless mob in the day, but some kind of overlord at dark. Kinda like Batman but this time he wants to be stronger to overcome a taepodong/ballistic missile (Yeah, what?). He dies because of his training to be the strongest, and he reincarnates into a world with magic.

There's a lot of misunderstandings caused by the MC, mainly because he thought the backstory he iterated from the beginning was false when it's actually the hidden truth of... more>> that world. And yes, 40 chapters later, he still doesn't know that he guessed right.

At first it was okay, it was entertaining and funny, but the MC does all these s*upid things just so he can put up the appearance of a mob, and it's becoming a joke. Some of the introduced female characters are meh, like how many more can you introduced just to add into the harem? It's becoming cheesy and cringing. I think I'll resume reading again after it piles up more chapters. <<less
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linnil
linnil rated it
April 23, 2018
Status: c59
Normally, I don't like misunderstanding theme. It is so annoying how delusional MC can be when he see other doing what they do.

But this novel is a bit funny. The misunderstanding part is from he playing house and the world just ridiculously playing house with him.

And I found this ret*rd MC is a bit cool so... I give this novel 4 stars! LoL

... more>> Now I know why I don't hate this misunderstand theme novel.

Because it play with the tropes by reversing something.

As you all know in some fantasy fighting for the world peace, there will always be some secret organization coming out, sometime helping the MC, sometime MC will hear bad rumor about them and sometime MC will have conflict with them.

But you will always find those secret boss not enemy nor friend to be super cool. More cool than the MC himself. In that fantasy novel, they will describe the real face of this secret frenemy boss in the ending arc or the author forgetting all about them and the secret boss remaining as a secret. LoL

This story can be closing that plot hole up. Why the secret frenemy boss remain as secretive until the end? Here! Because he is just chuunibyou abduct from our world playing some trope he so love all his life.

This way you can see MC is so stronggggg but look weak in the eyes of other. And suddenly become strong so OP no one can take. Looping this as shouen manga with a reasonable plot. All because MC like to act weak and reveal his true strength as his habit of chuunibyou.

Oh My! this is genius! I can never think of this kind of idea. LoL <<less
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dippityboppity
dippityboppity rated it
November 2, 2021
Status: Completed
Easily one of the best webnovels of all time. It's simultaneously hilarious and also has a very intriguing world with a great main character. Cool action scenes with OP badass MC styling on everyone. Doesn't take itself too seriously though, the whole thing is basically a big joke.
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
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