Summary
Protagonists being betrayed is not an entirely uncommon trope in anime. The popularity of this particular trope has been on the rise, with betrayed main characters either taking a bloodied path towards revenge or solidifying themselves in doing good. What better way to mix such a beautiful trope than with Isekai?
Considering Isekai is generally set in fantasy worlds, the outcome of betrayal in them is more than often top-notch, with main characters going off the rails or making it back with the most drastic transformations, with magical abilities to boot. They also change mentally, either becoming immersed in revenge or becoming strong enough not to reciprocate the actions of those who betrayed them.
To be picked on and taunted is one thing; to be completely avoided when the need arises is another, and Seiichi Hiiragi was a victim of both. He had always been a subject of ridicule by his classmates because of his appearance, as he was not only ugly but also fat.
The time came for the entire class to be transported to a different world with them waiting in groups. Not being picked by any of them to join their group was the biggest betrayal Seiichi had witnessed. Fortunately, he was still transported, stumbling upon a fruit that changed his life.
The dating sim thatLeon Fou Bartfort ends up trapped inis a world he despises. He deems the world unbearable and just wants to live a nice life in the countryside, but the goals of certain characters do not align with his.
These characters appear untrustworthy to Leon as they break the law and twist events to their advantage, ready to take desperate measures to achieve their goals. Their interests also sometimes clash with those of Leon, and they are ready to betray him despite some of them being his allies in the previous world.
Life was tough for Yousuke Shibazaki during his seventeen years in the fantasy world while in a coma on Earth. His looks seemed to portray him as a villain despite his good intentions, which often led to him being misunderstood and betrayed by his party members multiple times.
They judged him based on his appearance and assumed him to be either incompetent or dangerous. However, the anime does not portray the betrayals he faced in a revenge-like manner like in most shows. Instead, they use it as a comedic premise to spin tales, making his experiences funnier than tragic.
This is a more complex form of betrayal, like the kind of Judas Iscariot. Before their school’s isolation, Nagara had seemed like an everyday character. But with his abilities, he began to gain more attention from his classmates, earning jealousy from Asakaze, who believed Nagara to be below him.
The newly arrived teacher, Aki-sensei,was able to get into Asakaze’s mindusing her sweet words and sexuality. Through this, the other students mobilized to accuse Nagara of his abilities, blaming everything that had happened so far on him, betraying him, and putting Asakaze in the spotlight.
Iruma Suzuki held the family together despite his parents' poor treatment of him. They forced him to engage in dangerous jobs from a tender age, making him put money on the table. Due to his kind nature, Iruma never complained.
His parents then took a large step further,summoning a Demon Lordto exchange their son for money, biting the hand that once fed them. They did not consider Iruma’s feelings and viewed him purely as a means to earn money, betraying him by selling him off for a quick buck without remorse.
Most Isekai often begins with an unfortunate accident, a visitation from Truck-kun, or an invitation to another world. However, to be reincarnated after being betrayed is a whole different story—a storythat the greatest assassin on earth lived.
He was loyal to his organization and capable of carrying out any mission to fulfill their objectives. He was even capable of taking his own life if the organization had ordered him to. Sadly, the organization did not need him anymore and decided to betray him—a ploy that triggered his reincarnation and gave him a fresh start.
The Goddess of the fantasy world, the world Makoto Misumi was later transported to, had made a deal with his parents to give up Makoto. However, when Makoto was transported, the goddess judged him by his looks and cast him to the section of the world meant for the unsightly, the Wasteland.
She also denied him the ability to converse with other Hyumans, another thorn in Makoto’s side. To top it all off, she replaced him with two other humans from Earth she had kidnapped, making them heroes in his stead. The deity, Tsukuyomi, was his only saving grace.
Touka Mimori and his classmates weretransported into another world and granted abilities, making them heroes. However, Mimori received a supposedly useless skill with a low success rate, putting him at the bottom of the group.
He was then betrayed by the goddess who had summoned them, Goddess Vicius. She had decided that the weakest should be cast away, sending him to the Ruins Of Disposal.“If I ever make it back alive, you’d better be ready,“was Mimori’s statement to her, and he did make it back alive, with proper knowledge of his sure-fire abilities.
Betrayal can either reinforce one’s resolve to do good or forever change them, and it is the latter in the case of Hajime Nagumo. He and his classmates were transported to another world as heroes, but he ended up with the short end of the stick in terms of abilities.
Undeterred by this, he still did everything he could to help his friends, till Daisuke Hiyama betrayed him and pushed him to his doom. Hajime managed to survive this brutal experiencebut emerged as a different personentirely, showing no mercy to anyone standing in his way.
Among the four cardinal heroes, the Shield Hero already had a stereotype in the kingdom of Melromarc, and Naofumi Iwatani, unfortunately, ended up in the middle of it. From his arrival, he hadalready been set up by the princess, Malty Melromarc, who took advantage of his lack of companions to swindle him.
Not only did she rob him of his possessions, but she also framed him as a rapist, earning him more hate and discrimination. He was forced to act like a fugitive despite being a hero, earning scraps and resorting to desperate measures to upgrade his abilities.
