The cream of the crop. No BL. Ranking after the first page is largely the order I remembered and added them. I think they’re all... more>> worth reading anyway so I didn’t put a huge amount of thought into rankings past the first page. I added small reviews/blurbs with my thoughts on each. <<less

These are some of the best novels I've read thus far. Usually, the MC is calm, very smart with no hero complex. No Harem, No Slice of Life, and Most likely no romance, and if there is, just know that the story is still awesome :)... more>>

That being said, keep in mind that some of these novels may not necessarily follow the above pattern. (For example some may include harem.)

I'll add description to novels later <<less

Not ranked in any particular order. Leads that make you root for evil

The order of the seires in the list the ranking i give them by preference... more>>

If you have a recommendation of a suitable seires please write it in the comments <<less

Here in this list, you will find my pick of KR, CN & JP novels of various genres with male protagonists. No BL, though. ... more>>

Novels with less than 10 chapters are those I found promising. The list is in no particular order. <<less

This list contains novels where the Main Character starts out normal or seemingly normal to a deranged or twisted or distorted person in terms of personality, ideals, morality, actions. ... more>>

Some where the MC's normal desires such as "protecting family" is distorted and warped in to the extremes.

Some where the MC starts out already as a bit outside a normal person and gets more and more distorted through the progress of the novel.

Some where the MC starts out as a normal person and ends up completely twisted and warped.

MC's can end up as either righteous, evil, antihero, etc but the character distortion is where this list focuses on.

If there is no english translation, I'll add a link in the comments. Btw this list is made from the novels I have read and I have not read everything, so if you have a novel that I have not read please comment it.

NOTE: Please note that the order has no meaning and is simply the order in which I added them to the list. <<less

Novels which I've enjoyed or I plan to read. ... more>>

I care a lot about characters, plot and overall translation quality/writing so some of these should look interesting to any picky reader out there like myself.

They're all from a variety of genres.

Not in any order. 
Open to recommendations :) <<less

A little bit of everything.~

add to that : ... more>>

- Shadow s*ave (SS) 

- Chaos heir (S) 

- Fire mage (A+) 

- Death and me (A) 

- Hitman with a badass system (B+)       

- Journey of the fate destroyer emperor (A) 

- Supremacy games (S)

- Supreme magus (A)

- Dimensional descent (S) 

- Villain retirement (A+) 

- divine path system (B+) 

- the author pov (A)

- Mother of learning (SS)

- The perfect run (A) 

- The great demon system (B) 

- Darius supreme (B) 

- Birth of demonic sword (B+)

- The beginning after the end (A)

- Blood warlock (B+)

- Cultivation online (C+)

-  <<less

I made a list that includes what I considered the best of the best but I slowly built up a sizable list of novels that I wouldn't consider "great" but were a pleasant/tolerable read regardless. These managed to avoid most of the annoyances I have with novels while remaining interesting enough to keep me reading for a decent amount of time. In no particular order.... more>>

If you want to check my best novels list then click my username. <<less

good novels i recommend it

That are all novels that I read till the last chapter at that point. The higher ranked the better, at least in my opinion...... more>>

Other good novels from other websites:

Deathworld Commando, Chrysalis, Mother of Learning, Authors POV, The perfect run, Nanomancer Reborn, Supremacy Games, Devourer, A (Not So) Simple Fetch Quest, Spider Queen, Birth of the demonic sword(ch. 900), Alien Evolution System, Imposter system, Tree of Aeons, The Game of a Blood Mage, Zero Fate against the world, Reborn: Apocalypse, Empress: A World Conquest Isekai, Super Minion, That time an American was reincarnated into another world, Isekai Speedrun, Warlock of the Magus World(ch. 280), Doom Valley Prep School, Reborn as a DRAGON, Lazing about in a Dating Sim, reborn as a demonic tree, TREEvolution, Apocalypse: Reborn as a Monster, Re: Evolution Online, Heros Carnage

Fan-Fiction: 

Naruto - Dream to Immortality, Avatar - Awakened Gamer, One Piece: Desperate, HP - Dimensional Wizard, Naruto: Tango with Death, HP: the arcane thief, HxH: A selfish Wish, Naruto: I became a god, So I'm a Supreme Being; so What?, Game Cafe in Marvel and DC, Getting Warhammered, Magnum Opus, Marvel: Game Maker System, Travel through the Multiverse, Overlord - The Origin, MHA: I am Shigaraki Tomura, Possessor in Naruto, Solo Leveling: Reborn as Thomas Andre´s Son, Star Wars -  Road to Eternity, Attack on Titan: Redemption, I am Rimuru Tempest, HP: Magic of the End, I am Kyuubi  <<less

No description.

novel dump (ง `ω´)۶... more>>

>no harem, minimal romance.
>mosty level headed, ruthless MCs <<less

WARNING: Minor spoilers for some stories in the description.... more>>

Main characters who feel like villains.

Some of these stories are psychological, some of them comedic. Make sure to check the tags. <<less

The best novels out of 144 I've read based on my personal opinion, and in the order of how much satisfaction or enjoyment i had while reading them. This list mostly consists of relatively new novels so old classics like CD,DE,RI,ISSTH are not included.... more>>

Enjoy! <<less

Read Lord of the Mysteries and fell absolutely head over heels for it. these are some novels i think have similar elements: lovecraftian/occult horror, steampunk/victorian vibes, themes of humanity fighting against fate, etc.  A mix of read and TBR, as well as BL/GL/gen.... more>>

Recs from outside of Novelupdates:

- Mother of Learning on RoyalRoad, TBR. time loop f*ckery babeyyy. apparently there’s a good magic system and some character development. I’ve heard nothing of good things about this one!

- The Forsaken Sovereign on Webnovel, TBR. LOVECRAFTIAN THEMES AND ELDRITCH GODS I AM SO EXCITED. 

(feel free to forum message me to gush about any of these novels!) <<less

I’ve been using this cite for a while without an account so I’ve never made a reading list but I thought people might be interested... more>> in the books I’ve curated over the years. TBH I have a pretty high literary standard but at the same time I like to indulge in tr*sh taste, so the quality of these books might be mixed but they should at least leave an impression. Be prepared for a lot of isekai. Also I'm a bit*h for completed novels, proper conclusions are great. <<less

Novels that have interesting plots.

These protagonist are all selfish, cruel and shameless. I have read all the novels on this list and recommend them. Ranked by how evil the... more>> protagonist is. <<less

A list of stories with: male lead, kingdom setting, transmigration/reincarnation/regression 

Could have forgotten some but most should be in here. Also this is mostly as a recommendations guide to my veteran friend Yoda, if other... more>> stumble upon it, feel free to take a look. <<less

Just some story I read over the years. I don't read much and I mostly read JP

All genres... more>>

No cliche plot , good mc character , interesting story , something unique , surprise ending, good cliffhanger , with an awsome peripeteia , and at the end we find non-linear narrative .  <<less

No description.