Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?
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@zing I'd rather they don't exist from the beginning.
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@sinnoaria it's hard to find a good level to draw a line, so consider this: if you rank them according to how bad/annoying they are on a scale, then try to keep that value as low as possible. And if I have to define it roughly, it should be "people/organizations that scheme directly against MC or MC's side". A passing bunch of bandits won't count, but if some of them survive and go for a revenge, that counts.
Most opponents in 300 years of slime turned out to be cute and fluffy in the end, so maybe that's good enough? -
If there is no antagonist, it's going to be a rather boring story. And not very realistic.
In real life, we all have "antagonists" of varying importance and strength. They may or may not be people. But solving the problems they cause is part of living, vs. existing.
Real Life Antagonist (RLA) #1: Obtaining necessary nourishment to survive. We pick up other RLAs dealing with #1.
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@tgquan67 I was thinking about Summoned Slaughterer... There is technically no antagonist, except for protagonist who is his own worst enemy.
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@someoldguy said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
In real life, we all have "antagonists" of varying importance and strength. They may or may not be people. But solving the problems they cause is part of living, vs. existing.
Ooh, is it time for today's Writing Lesson on the types of conflict?
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@taedirk I don't know... SOMEONE stole my class schedule, so I have resolve who it is, and squash them like a bug!
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@zing I wasn't able to finish it, but isn't the princess an antagonist in summon slaughter? She may be completely powerless but she is still opposing the MC (or at least trying to).
Do you like death, war and misery ?
Do you like badass op loli who let nobody got in their way ?
Do you like vengeance story?
If so then then vote for The girl who ate a death god -
@raitoiro I had to put it on hold after 128 chapters. But she is opposing him only because he thinks it would be fun to let her oppose him.
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@eternal-wanderer said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
Probably only closest example I can think of is I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level.
I was going to post this. It's a fun, warm-hearted slice of life series.
Woof Woof Story is another light and (ahem) fluffy series that I enjoy.
Abilities Average is my favorite FUNA series, but the other two are good. (Don't hold your breath on Slow Press releasing volume 2 of 80,000 gold :( )
Unwanted Undead Adventurer might fit.
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is arguable. The focus especially after volume 1 is in being a tourist, cooking, crafting and having slice of life fun with his wards. He fights the occasional demon lord but he is so overpowered that there is never much tension and there is no long-term nemesis that appears over many volumes. (The novels are also more slice of life than the anime, which didn't do a good job of making clear that he is treating his new life as a vacation from his old one. Being a tourist is his motivation not saving the world.)
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Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World is a laid back one though the main drawback is that we're lucky to get a chapter a year now, seems author may be focusing on LN amongst other things.
Further things others generally complain about:
MC's women are all slaves.
Too much of MC doing it with his women.
Too much slice of life.
No over reaching goal/plot/specific endgame.
Too much detail, not enough action.
(This I kind of agree)MC worries about certain things to the point of almost being a psychosis.Again laid back, SLOW, slice of life with dungeoning, game elements, and harem action that tends to be missing from general mainstream.
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Does "Strongest Gamer in Another World" have antagonists? Been too long since I read volume 1. I don't think it had any. Only lasted the two volumes though.
Cooking with Wild Game has obstacles to overcome (mostly familial / tribal related conflicts between the main character's cooking or his friend's staying single being a source of conflict for the tribe's men) and animals to hunt for food, but no enemy through two volumes...
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@terrence said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
Cooking with Wild Game has obstacles to overcome (mostly familial / tribal related conflicts between the main character's cooking or his friend's staying single being a source of conflict for the tribe's men) and animals to hunt for food, but no enemy through two volumes...
I would say the Suun clan is a very unambiguous enemy, they just haven't been brought to the forefront quite yet.
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@terrence said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
Does "Strongest Gamer in Another World" have antagonists? Been too long since I read volume 1. I don't think it had any. Only lasted the two volumes though.
Book 1 is 90% "player vs. environment" and slice of life but does have one section with antagonists. Book 2 does have an antagonist though much of the content is still slice of life and dungeon maintenance.
That was a nice mostly slice of life short series, but even though I liked it I don't think it fits.
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Reincarnated into a vending machine, could be an option. It mostly business and dungeon exploration
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A couple I can think may not have (at least currently)
Unwanted undead adventure
Ms. Elf
Middle-aged businessmanCould be mis-remembering, someone correct if wrong please.
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Ascendance of a Bookworm counts, at least for now. I haven't read the webnovel much past where the light novel is currently translated, but so far the conflict is largely in trying to rise out of poverty to have a better quality of life. No real named antagonists specific to the protagonist, unless you count regular business professional competition.
My Life As A Villainess (aka Bakarina) has named antagonists per volume, but they're not really the focus, and most of it is just seeing Katarina blunder about being supremely and unintentionally charismatic.
Me A Genius is also technically isekai, albeit to a near-future (almost contemporary) setting rather than fantasy. No constant antagonists, apart from maybe the (mis) understanding that the protagonist is an amazing genius. Warning that the story appears to be dead, after setting up a plot arc that does hint at a (new) antagonist.
Outbreak Company does technically have antagonists, but they're of the "ruthless and uncaring society" type, rather than someone to beat down. As in, there are situations where people do need to have violence done against them, but that's just for self-defence, and almost always merely a symptom of a greater issue. The focus is on trying not to be colonialist.
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@unsynchedcheese said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
Ascendance of a Bookworm counts, at least for now. I haven't read the webnovel much past where the light novel is currently translated, but so far the conflict is largely in trying to rise out of poverty to have a better quality of life. No real named antagonists specific to the protagonist, unless you count regular business professional competition.
Doesn't High Bishop qualify as an antagonist?
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@hiroto said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
@unsynchedcheese said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
Ascendance of a Bookworm counts, at least for now. I haven't read the webnovel much past where the light novel is currently translated, but so far the conflict is largely in trying to rise out of poverty to have a better quality of life. No real named antagonists specific to the protagonist, unless you count regular business professional competition.
Doesn't High Bishop qualify as an antagonist?
He's more like a representation of systemic issues than a central antagonist. (Similar to the various "enemies" in Outbreak Company.) The plot isn't about conflict with the Bishop, except as far as the Bishop just happens to be in the way of what Myne wants (and is against common decency and kindness, to make him unsympathetic to the reader). But I believe there was a comment in the Bookworm thread that a lot of Myne's story is "Myne vs Feudal System Of Nobility", and the Bishop is merely the immediate representative of the "bad stuff born from systemic issues".
In other words, to "defeat" someone like the Bishop, Myne would have to change the entire world, rather than just fight against the Bishop specifically. Even if she does and somehow succeeds, it's not a given that the next Bishop, or the one after that, or any one of the future Bishops would be any better. So I wouldn't call him an antagonist, but only just a symptom.
EDIT: Come to think of it, there's another "antagonist" worthy of the name: the Devouring. Myne has to fight against it all the time, and it hinders her at every turn. So if a "disease" (simplifying) can be counted as an antagonist, then the Devouring is definitely one.
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@khaos said in Is there any isekai novel without any antagonist?:
A couple I can think may not have (at least currently)
Unwanted undead adventure
Ms. Elf
Middle-aged businessman
Could be mis-remembering, someone correct if wrong please.Middle-aged Businessman does have opponents that are more than bandits or monsters, though not as "the one true big bad," especially
Ms. Elf does have one significant opponent in volume 2
