You might have noticed, but like 90% of the reincarnation, manga and manhwa don’t have a female lead. I have no idea if we guys get reincarnated more into RPGs, but there is quite the gap! Anime-wise it is even worse. I think there are like 4 or 5 decent reincarnation anime with a girl in the main role. Kind of a shame, because the story is often quite different and less focused on getting a harem.
Lucky for you, I have read a lot of manga and manhwa. While there are a lot of stories that make me scratch my head wondering how these ever got published, there are some great ones out there too. Like always, I will try to make a mix between manga that is pretty well known and popular but also try to find some you might have never heard of, that I think deserve more attention.
So here are the requirements for manga like these before I can recommend them. I must have at least read 50% of the available chapters. There must be a girl or woman in the lead role, and she must be reborn. Creature College being a fantasy blog, it is pretty important that there are at least some fantasy elements in it.
7 manhwa and manga where our female lead is reincarnated or reborn!
7. I’ve been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level
Azusa Aizawa has died of being overworked. In Japan, she was a corporate-salary woman that did long hours with little rest and recognition. When she dies, she is reincarnated into a new world. In this world, she is a witch that lives on a cozy farm near a small village. She protects the place by killing about 25 slimes every day.
She has been doing this for 300 years. While slimes give little exp, killing them for centuries does give you some levels! After three centuries, she has become level 99. And with great power comes great challenges?
I think this is a pretty good manga. The whole reincarnation thing does take a backseat to the story and the humor. Our female lead doesn´t refer to our world, or Japan that much. Understandable because she has only lived for less than a 10th of her life there.
If you enjoy a manga where cute girls do wholesome things, you will definitely enjoy this one. The humor is a bit boring and the plot isn’t too interesting either. The female MC is very overpowered, but still has some struggles in certain fights.
6. Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!
Misato Kurihara stood out all the time in her previous life. However, due to this she had no friends or fun experiences that a mundane everyday life brings. When she dies, she is granted one wish before she is reincarnated in a new world. She wishes to be born average, so she does not stand out.
Like many wishes, it doesn’t pan out too well. While she is average, she is the average between the strongest and weakest beings in the world. The strongest being an elder dragon means she is thousands of times stronger than a normal human!
The manga, which is also a web novel, has a pretty likable female lead who is reincarnated in your standard fantasy world. While the premise is pretty cool and funny, it does feel like just another isekai. I had quite a hard time following the manga, not because it was complex, but it was just so boring. However, it seems like people are enjoying this one a lot more than I do because someone threw money at making this an anime. The only reason why it isn’t on the last spot is because of the premise, and there might still be some hope to save this manga in the later chapters.
5. Gal Reincarnation: Different World Life is Very Hard
3 Gyarus have died after being hit with a speeding truck. They are reincarnated – or transported – into a new world. They still have their smartphones to aid them in their adventure, which strangely enough are still able to connect to twitter. There is no evident escape or goal they must complete, so they decide to make the best out of their situation. In a world where their money is worthless, they will have to start working for real money. Turns out their dull home world is not so stupid after all.
This is more of a guilty pleasure of mine. A lot of people hate this manga. I understand that completely. I think I even broke my reincarnation requirement a bit to put this one on the list. Well, sorry to those who like rules and consistency! The manga is pretty unknown, I haven’t met anyone who read it either. I do love the story quite a lot because of the absurdity and the author doesn’t try to pretend that he is writing about a Nobel literature prize winner.
4. Reincarnated as a Sword
Tensei shitara Ken deshita is about Fran, a girl from the Black cats tribe. Her people have been enslaved, killed and abused for ages. All she can think about is getting revenge for what has happened to her people. One day, she comes across a talking sword.
The sword is a man reincarnated in this world and is looking for a cute and beautiful wielder. With this sword, she plans to avenge her kin and go on a marvelous journey with her amazing sword.
I think this one is allowed under my own rules. This is a reincarnation manga with a female protagonist, while she isn’t the one reincarnated – the sword dude is – she is the main lead of this great story. The manga is based on a novel, and dare I say the manga is a bit better!
The manga has great art and the story is great. The main characters and humor are great. While the premise sounds pretty grim, the jokes and scenes are pretty funny and warm-hearted.
Something I really like about this is, how Far is pretty strong, but the sword is too. It is only when Fran wields the sword, their real powers are cultivated. Definitely give this manga a chance, it is one of the best reincarnated in another world manga around, the female lead is amazing and strong, and the premise is great!
3. I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags
Our protagonist is reincarnated in the world of Fortune Lover, a romance game she used to play in the past. When I say protagonist, I actually mean Antagonist, as she is reincarnated as Katarina Claes, the villain in the game. She knows that things don’t end too well for Katarina.
She either gets killed or banished. Using her game knowledge, she swears that she will have a life that makes sure she is not seen as villainess!
I absolutely love this manga and the whole story. It is a really relaxing and wholesome story – for the most part. The pacing is very good and it does not feel like a generic isekai. The fact that she is reincarnated into a game, and they actually refer to the game instead of totally forgetting about it after 2 chapters, is great.
My only issue with it is that there is so little fantasy in the show. Yes, there is some magic and fighting but no real monsters to speak of.
2. Saving 80,000 Gold Coins in the Different World for My Old Age
Yamano Mitsuwa falls off a cliff and is transferred to another world that resembles medieval Europe. However, she discovers she has the ability to go and return to earth whenever she wants. In fact, she can hop between the two worlds, and decides to live in both.
To make sure she has a good life when she is old, she is going to aim to save 80 000 gold coins! Using the technology of our world – aka handguns – and the ability to teleport at will between worlds, she sets out in this new world trying to become rich!
This is a medieval fantasy world where the protagonist still has the technology of our world. It is a bit like ¨In another world with my smartphone¨ but not as horrible. What a train wreck that show was. Anyway, our female lead is a lot more likable and uses knives and guns to defend herself.
The story is also pretty cool, however, sometimes it bothers me that the female lead is a 12 year old that seems to be way too smart and mature for her age. There is also this strange theme where people seem not to be impressed at all with the technology. They go crazy over fresh fish and chocolate, but not over digital cameras and solar energy.
1. The Vengeful White Cat Lounging on the Dragon King’s Lap
Ruri Morikawa gets screwed over by her selfish childhood friend who has been making her life miserable for years now, and gets stranded in another world! Even worse, due to a strange and mysterious conspiracy, she is abandoned in a dangerous massive forest.
When she comes across a mysterious bracelet, she gains the ability to transform into a white cat. Our hot-headed female lead swears revenge for being mistreated and betrayed by people she thought she could trust.
So, the manga starts off kinda weak, just like the book. The start is a bit slow and cliché in my opinion, but it gets better, a lot better! The plot is fantastic and Morikawa after getting reincarnated starts as a Mary Sue good girl but evolves into a much deeper complex and the badass woman later on. Her personality is really likable, and the humor is great too.
The premise and how it is used in the story are unique and cool. The manga – and the book- are definitely worth checking out! However, as I said, you really need to keep going and motivate yourself to get through the mess that is the first couple of chapters. This one has a lot of fantasy elements so it is my clear favorite. It also isn’t that well known, so I think a lot of you will not have read this one yet.
Honorable Mentions and summary
May I Please Ask You Just One Last Thing?
Scarlet, our protagonist, her engagement has been annulled without any prior warning. She, a noblewoman, was supposed to marry the second prince of the kingdom, but it was called off during the ball. She is accused of harassing and bullying the daughter of a baron, which the prince was/is in love with.
This is kind of a controversial pick to have in this article, as it isn’t really a reincarnation manga. I just love the female lead of the manga so much. The humor is quite funny and how she goes from calm and collected to full-on crazy is really entertaining. I think this is by far the most badass of all girls on this list, and definitely amongst the noble girls!
The Small Sage Will Try Her Best In the Different World from Lv. 1!
Yuri loves to play the game Elyushia online. One day she switches to a sage job, she starts again at level one. But that is not all! She is transported into Elyushia, just like in the game, she must fight for her survival and try to return to her own world.
I kind of enjoyed the manga. The light novel is pretty good too. However, it does feel a bit too bland for me. It’s a standard Isekai or transported into a game story. I don’t really like the protagonist a lot, and the author often forgets he is writing about a little girl, not an adult in terms of how the world treats her.
Still, I am sure there are a lot of you out there that will absolutely love this novel. That is why I am putting it on the Honorable Mentions list.
| Title | Author | Summary | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| I’ve been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level | Kisetsu Morita | Azusa Aizawa is reincarnated into a new world as a witch that lives on a cozy farm near a small village. She protects the place by killing about 25 slimes every day. She has been doing this for 300 years and has become level 99. | Fantasy, Comedy |
| Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! | FUNA | Misato Kurihara wishes to be born average in her new life, but ends up being the average between the strongest and weakest beings in the world. | Fantasy, Comedy |
| Gal Reincarnation: Different World Life is Very Hard | Shibamura Yuri | Three Gyarus are transported into a new world and must start working for real money. | Fantasy, Comedy |
| Reincarnated as a Sword | Yuu Tanaka | Fran comes across a talking sword and plans to avenge her kin and go on a marvelous journey with her amazing sword. | Fantasy, Comedy |
| I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags | Yamaguchi Satoru | Our protagonist is reincarnated in the world of Fortune Lover as Katarina Claes, the villain in the game. She uses her game knowledge to try to avoid her character’s fate. | Fantasy, Romance, Comedy |
| The Vengeful White Cat Lounging on the Dragon King’s Lap | Mafuyubi | Ruri Morikawa finds herself stranded in a dangerous forest in another world after being betrayed by her selfish childhood friend. After discovering a mysterious bracelet, she gains the ability to transform into a white cat and swears revenge. | Fantasy, Romance |