I'm The Villainess, So I'm Taming The Final Boss

is a Japanese light novel series written by Sarasa Nagase and illustrated by Mai Murasaki. It began serialization online in May 2017 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Kadokawa Shoten, who have published ten volumes since September 2017 under their Kadokawa Beans Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Anko Yuzu was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Comp Ace'' from June 2018 to August 2019. It was collected in three ''tankōbon'' volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation produced by Maho Film aired from October to December 2022.

Characters

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:The youngest and only daughter of the Duke d'Autriche, Alieen grew up overshadowed by her three older brothers until the Crown Prince of the Ellemeyer Empire proposed to her. The engagement gave Aileen purpose, leading her to work hard and excel in sports and studies. Her dedication made her appear vain and snobbish to her peers, who ostracized her. In her previous life, she was a terminally ill Japanese teenager obsessed with the fictional otome game ''Regalia of Saints, Demons and Maidens'', playing its paths countless times while hospitalized. When her memories of her past life return, Aileen realizes she is destined to die in the normal course of events. To avoid her demise, Aileen decides to earn the loyalty of the final boss meant to kill her, using her vast knowledge of the original game in her favor. Though her initial goal is to avoid death, she develops feelings for the final boss.

:Aileen is politically savvy, a competent tactician and a capable entrepreneur, building and then rebuilding the d'Autriche family's business enterprises a few times throughout the series. Though her character was the villainess in the original game, the "real" Aileen is a compassionate, caring woman who wants to use her position to create a better, more equal world for humans and demons alike. Although she is human, she is easily accepting of demons, which helps her earn their loyalty. She is selective of her friends and allies, which has resulted in her having few, but she is fiercely protective and generous to them. She has an inferiority complex due to the favor her father showered on her brothers, as being the only female meant she did not gain as much attention or recognition. She is an excellent cook and enjoys making sweets, which she often uses as bribes for her demon allies.
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:Claude is the oldest son of the current Emperor. The original heir to the throne, Claude excelled in every aspect of his education, but was disinherited when he displayed vast magical powers early in his childhood, as they revealed his half-demon status. He was eventually banished to an abandoned castle in an outlying region. His powers made demons flock to Claude, who extended his protection over them and grew to become ruler of demonkind. He was the final boss in the original game, destined to succumb to his demonic side and transform into a full demon monster, killing Aileen off-screen before dying at the hands of the Holy Sword Maiden.

:Although stoic and distant to most, Claude cares deeply for all of his subjects, always trying his best to improve the lives of his citizens and preserving the non-aggression pact between humans and demons. He is an intelligent and capable ruler, easily outmaneuvering his half-brother in political matters. Because he was ostracized by them after his demonic nature manifested, he is mistrusting of most humans, with an exception made for his loyal aide Keith. He slowly becomes more open as a result of his interactions with Aileen, whose presence begins to fluster him, much to his servants' amusement. His mood affects the local weather: when he is upset or angry, storms break out and nearby plants wither.
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:Cedric is Claude's younger half-brother and heir to the throne after Claude was ousted. Although charismatic and perceived by the populace as a chivalrous prince, Cedric is in truth a petty, resentful, selfish noble with deep insecurities. Frustrated with the fact Claude was more talented than him in everything as children made Cedric both tremendously spiteful, yet also tremendously fearful of Claude as an adult. He was the heroine's main romantic route in the original game.

:At some point prior to the start of the series, Cedric fell in love with Lilia Reinoise. He and his original intended, Aileen d'Autriche, had been raised together and connected over feeling passed over for their brothers; though he first fell for Aileen, he also harbored a great deal of hidden jealousy towards her for being a stronger individual than him and having the courage to face her fears. This led him to announce the end of his engagement to Aileen by surprise, in the middle of a royal ball with hundreds of attendees. When Aileen gracefully navigates the humiliating episode and is revealed to be involved with Claude, Cedric's wounded pride drives him near madness; leading him to plot against both Aileen and his brother, the two people he envies most.

:After his own botched plots lead him to rescind his claim on the throne, Cedric becomes more perceptive of the world around him. Though he remains brash and arrogant, he learns to look beyond his insecurities and the way others manipulate him by way of his ego. In time, he makes peace with both Aileen and his brother.
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:Claude's aide and right-hand man. As a child, he was a page to the royal family; he fell into a pond in the gardens and almost drowned. A young Prince Claude used his powers to rescue him, even though this outed him as a demon to all of the onlookers. His selfless rescue earned him Keith's undying devotion. He followed Claude into exile by choice and remains one of the few humans his lord trusts. Keith keeps track of financial matters, like budgeting and tax collection, and other administrative duties. He also prepares Claude's tea.

:In the original game, Keith is the catalyst for Claude's transformation into a full demon. Keith is selling demons to humans in secret, an unethical yet legal market that often results in the demons being mistreated. When Keith's secret is outed, a betrayed Claude will kill Keith in a fit of rage and then succumb to his demon side in his grief. The "real" Keith is in fact being blackmailed into selling demons to save his lord: the deeds to the lands where Claude's castle stands, which Keith had bought, are forgeries, and the human lord who owns the land demands a quota of demons to sell. Should Keith refuse, the lord will have Lord Claude removed from his home. Keith lives in shame of the arrangement, but keeps track of the buyers and then pressures them so that the demons will be well-treated. Aileen later saves Keith and gives him the chance to redeem himself before confessing the situation to Lord Claude.
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:Claude's demon aide. Beelzebuth is fiercely loyal to Claude, often acting as a sort of bodyguard to him. He brooks no insult or disrespect to his lord. Though he is outwardly rough and easily angered, it is revealed that he often masks softer emotions with rage. Having grown up amongst demons, and then a part of Claude's minuscule court, he was never taught the manners and etiquette required when amongst nobility. Aileen earns his loyalty by teaching him manners and etiquette.
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:The game's heroine and main character in the original setting. Lilia is the Holy Sword Maiden, which grants her powers effective against demons and the ability to summon the Maiden's Holy Sword. An outwardly charming, kindly and naïve girl, Lilia is in fact conniving and cruel. Though Prince Cedric fell in love with her and broke his previous engagement to make Lilia his fiancée, Lilia uses her innocent façade to make others fall for her, attempting to earn even Claude's affections at several points in the series. Though she acts kindly to Aileen, in secret she tries to undermine her, even framing her for death threats at one point. The death threats were eventually traced back to Lilia herself.

:It is later revealed that, like Aileen, Lilia was also a teenaged Japanese fan of the game in her past life, killed in a traffic accident. She also has vast knowledge of the game, which she uses to gain suitors and manipulate others for self-gain. She tries to make the game's story play out as intended, despite the many deaths that occur in it and the knowledge that the game's real life counterparts will die true deaths if she succeeds. When she begins to suspect there may be someone else with a grasp on the game, she manipulates Selena Gilbert to discover them. Once she determines it is Aileen, Lilia plots to defeat Aileen, destroying Aileen's happiness and taking back her status as the main character. Though the plot involves destabilizing the entire empire, Lilia is determined to see it through.
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:A crow in the service of Claude. Like most of demonkind, he is very loyal and protective of his lord. He is named Almond by Aileen after he enjoys her almond cookies. Somewhat hostile to Aileen at the start, she is able to coax obedience from his by bribing him with her homemade sweets, and he becomes a devoted ally of hers in time. He often uses the magical doorway in Aileen's shadow to teleport to her location and demand cookies.
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:A close childhood friend of Aileen's and the one she trusts to join her in all her adventures, no matter how dangerous. He is cautious and prudent, which often puts him at odds with Aileen's more risky approach to solving problems. Once in the service of Prince Cedric, he was let go for not living up to the prince's expectations, and he remained unemployed until Aileen struck up a deal with Claude: in exchange for employing all the workers Prince Cedric had fired, she'd repair the demon lord's castle. It is strongly implied that he has feelings for Aileen, and regrets not acting on them before she met Claude. Despite this, he is both loyal to Aileen and supportive of her relationship with Claude.
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:A journalist and friend of Aileen. His newspaper specializes in reporting that champions fairness and truth. Jasper has a vast networks of contacts, who can be trusted to provide sensitive information.
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:A sixteen-year-old genius architect who used to work for Cedric, but was let go from his service for simply not meeting his expectations. He was then brought on by Aileen to work for Claude in renovating his castle, causing him to look up to Aileen and Claude greatly. Due to his youthful looks, he is often mistaken for a boy far younger than his true age. He is also a capable inventor, creating equipment for Aileen's doctor and botanist.
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:A skilled doctor who specialized in clinical medicine. He worked at Cedric's castle, but was let go by the prince for failing to live up to his expectations. When Aileen rehired him in Claude's name, he at first proposed they recreate the pharmaceuticals he'd made for Prince Cedric's businesses, but was persuaded that they'd never be allowed to compete so directly with the prince's business enterprises. He found new joy in harvesting the various plants around the demon lord's castle to make new medicines. He and Quartz are behind the line of cosmetics that Aileen creates to make up for Prince Cedric taking over her pharmaceutical businesses as part of the dissolution of their engagement.
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:A proud botanist who once worked for Cedric, but was let go for merely not meeting his expectations. Prince Cedric further shamed him by taking away the plants he worked so hard to grow for his own needs, which earned him Quartz's enmity. He gains a new lease on life when Aileen brings him on to work at Claude's castle to help maintain all the lord's plants.
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:The president of the Mische Academy school council. James is reserved, distant and wary of strangers, though he performs his duties as president with diligence. When a string of demon attacks threaten the human-demon treaty in the region of Mirchetta, Aileen transfers to the school disguised as a boy to investigate, earning "Ailey Calois" James's immediate distrust. James is a half-demon, born under the name Ashtarte, though he goes to great lengths to hide it: His mother, a human and the sister of the Grand Duke of Mirchetta, eloped with a demon 20 years before the start of the series. His uncle the Duke is aware that his sister birthed a half demon, but is unaware of the child's identity. Nevertheless, James's existence concerns him, both for his half-demon status and the possibility that James might be chosen as the next Duke, and so he grants the local church ample funds.

:James was the final boss of ''Regalia of Saints, Demons and Maidens 2'': in the original game, James is targeted by a powerful church within the duchy. The church sends assassin after assassin to kill him, until a distraught James gives in to his demon side, declares himself the successor of Claude Ellemeyer as demon lord (who would have died in the original first game) and raises a demon army to destroy Mirchetta. Aware of his fate, Aileen aims to save him. There are heavy hints that he too developed feelings for Aileen once she revealed she was a girl and after she saved him.
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:The vice-president of the student council of the Mische Academy and the most popular romance route of the original sequel game. He is the first to befriend the disguised Aileen, defending her and quickly allying himself with her goal to protect others while maintaining the truce between humans and demons. He is a very skilled swordsman, surpassed only by Lord Claude in ability. He is compassionate and personable, always eager to protect his underclassmen, which has earned him many admirers amongst the girls of the Mische Academy. Despite the sexism inherent to the region of Mirchetta, Auguste is against viewing women as inferior to men. In the original sequel's "best ending", he borrows Lilia's Holy Sword and defeats a transformed James.
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:A member of the Mische Academy school council and the second romance route of the original sequel game. He is an outgoing flirt, even as he jokes that fellow council member Kyle Elford has more fans than he does. Despite being an open ladies' man, he is a gentleman and treats women fairly. Though he is welcoming of a disguised Aileen, he intuits from the start that she is a woman in disguise; finding her cute, implying that he has a growing attraction for her. Walt later reveals that he is a demon hunter, trained from an early age to serve Mirchetta's powerful church. He and Kyle were both sent to eliminate the demon that they suspect is behind the vampire attacks at the Mische Academy. He is the only member of the student council who figures out Aileen's secret before she reveals it herself, which he keeps a secret once Aileen promises not to out him as a demon hunter; his genuine feelings for her become more apparent as he chooses to accompany her through many outings in the academy.
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:A member of the Mische Academy school council and the third romance route of the original sequel game. Despite often appearing cold and jaded, he is actually placid and polite. He is considered very popular, as Walt teases him that crowds of fangirls follow him around the school. Like Walt, Kyle is a demon hunter, trained from an early age to serve Mirchetta's powerful church and sent to the school to eliminate the demon that the church is sure is behind the vampire attacks at the Mische Academy. In his spare time, he prefers to be alone and tend to the cats that live behind the academy building; becoming very embarrassed when the disguised Aileen discovers this.
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:A female student at the Mische Academy and the heroine in the original sequel. Selena is a respected upperclassman to whom the female students both look up to and fear. Her status means she is often called on to mediate between students, especially between girls and boys. She instantly dislikes a disguised Aileen for speaking out against Lilia's tacit endorsement of female submission, as Selena is a fan of Lilia. Though she is attentive to the underclassmen, Selena is also haughty and snobbish, bullying those she considers beneath her. She also uses the information entrusted to her by the very underclassmen who seek her guidance for her own benefit. She has an unrequited crush on Auguste, and disparages any girl who expresses interest in him to stop them from approaching him. She holds great respect for Claude, uncaring that he is half-demon, and reminding that he is half-human while also disapproving of his engagement to Aileen (thinking it was forced on him). It is later revealed that she had been instructed via letter by Lilia on how to out James as a demon, though she believed to be acting for Lilia's benefit. Once she learns that she was being manipulated, Selena develops a deep hatred of Lilia.
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:A female student of the Mische Academy. A disguised Aileen defends her from her abusive betrothed on her first day at the academy. When Rachel tells Aileen her name, Aileen is surprised: Rachel was the villainess in the original sequel game, but in reality she is meek and submissive. She is a frequent target of Selena's bullying. The first victim of the purported demon attacks at the Mische Academy was a friend of hers, which led Rachel to attempt to unravel the mystery on her own. She is emboldened by Aileen and begins to stand up for herself, even to Selena. She eventually leaves Mirchetta to join Aileen's household as a maid-in-waiting. She develops feelings for Isaac.
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:A mage and member of the Levi tribe, he was the final boss of the fan disc of the original game. He approaches Aileen instead and offers her and Claude his allegiance from the beginning. Unbeknownst to them, he is an ally and a suitor of Lilia's, tasked with separating Aileen and Claude, then with ensuring Aileen is exposed as a traitor to the Emperor and Dowager Empress. Once Lilia betrays him, a remorseful Elephas tries to avert the destruction of his tribe and the empire by allying himself with Aileen.

Media

Light novels

The series by Sarasa Nagase began serialization online on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in May 2017. It was acquired by Kadokawa Shoten who began publishing it as a light novel with illustrations by Mai Murasaki through their Kadokawa Beans Bunko imprint on September 1, 2017. The light novel is licensed in North America by Yen Press. As of December 2022, eleven volumes have been released.

Manga

A manga adaptation by Anko Yuzu was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Comp Ace'' from June 2018 to August 2019. It was collected in three ''tankōbon'' volumes. The manga is also licensed in North America by Yen Press.

Anime

On October 1, 2021, an anime adaptation was announced. It was later revealed to be a television series produced by Maho Film and directed by Kumiko Habara, with scripts written by Kenta Ihara, and character designs handled by Momoko Makiuchi, Eri Kojima, and Yūko Ōba. The music is composed by Natsumi Tabuchi, Hanae Nakamura, Miki Sakurai, Sayaka Aoki, and Kanade Sakuma. It aired from October 1 to December 17, 2022, on Tokyo MX, MBS, Wowow, AT-X, and BS-TBS. The opening theme song is by Rie Takahashi, while the ending theme song is by ACCAMER. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia, and have streamed an English dub starting on October 15, 2022. Medialink also licensed the series across Asia-Pacific.

Reception

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network said of the first volume of the light novel: "It isn't wholly innovative, but Aileen's growing awareness that she's actively rewriting the plot is good, and the novel just gets better as it goes on." She praised the illustrations and said that "Aileen's active script-flipping gives the book a real edge", but criticized its use of familiar story beats and present tense narration. She later reviewed the second and third volumes, stating: "Both books have a lot of good giggles in them, with the ducks being a highlight across both volumes. The epilogue to volume three is a delightful comedy of errors ... and Aileen, although at times unbelievably dense, is mostly a very engaging heroine."

See also

* '' The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor'', another light novel series by the same author
* '' Zutaboro Reijō wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru'', another light novel series by the same illustrator

Notes

References

External links

* at Shōsetsuka ni Narō
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{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss
2017 Japanese novels
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Seinen manga
Shōsetsuka ni Narō
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Villainess anime and manga