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Credit: Kentaro Miura/Berserk Illustration Book
There are a lot of tools that can be used to drive up the stakes of a particular character’s journey.
Good ‘ol betrayals, are one option – and these offer a great hook, especially if it’s done right at the beginning of the story.
On that note, you’re here ‘cause you wanna read about main characters getting betrayed.
Well I’ve got plenty of suggestions to go around – especially if you’re a fan of betrayals and revenge plots!
15. The Hero Who Seeks Revenge Shall Exterminate With Darkness
Here we have a relatively new manga that doesn’t even have its own anime adaptation yet.
Though considering how many mangas are getting their own adaptations, it’s safe to say we probably won’t have to wait long.
The Hero Who Seeks Revenge Shall Exterminate With Darkness, despite how “unheroic” the MC looks in the cover art, is actually a pretty accurate (albeit ironic) title.
It’s a story of a hero who abandoned everything “good” and “moral” upon being betrayed by the very same people he fought for.
All in all, this manga has a decent plot and is backed by a relatively bold art style, that depicts wanton acts of violence sure to keep you glued to every page.
14. Nidome no Yuusha
If unapologetic wish-fulfillment mangas are more your thing, then Nidome no Yuusha will surely be a pretty good read for you.
It also has a beginning similar to “The Hero Who Seeks Revenge Shall Exterminate With Darkness”.
This manga starts off with the MC being betrayed by his trusted companions.
Although with Nidome no Yuusha, we get to see the MC reincarnate before any of the tragic events unfold – instead of simply reincarnating him in the present.
This essentially means that Kaito is hundreds of steps ahead of his enemies. And he already knows who they truly are and what they’ll do.
Using his knowledge of possible events, Kaito then exacts his revenge on those who wronged him — one gut punch at a time!
13. Executed Sage is Reincarnated as a Lich and Starts an All-Out War
In terms of the sheer quality of the illustrations, Executed Sage is Reincarnated as a Lich and Starts an All-Out War is definitely one of the stronger titles on this list.
Plus the story itself is not half bad!
The absurdly long title pretty much gives away the gist of it, but yeah…
It’s about a powerful Sage named Dwight, who was betrayed and incarcerated by the kingdom he used to serve with his friends.
Overcome with regret and hatred, Dwight lashes out onto the world with righteous indignation and a ton of undead skeletons under his command.
Maybe Jim messed with him a little too much… er, wrong series.
12. Chillin Different World Life Of The Ex-Brave Candidate Was Cheat From Lv2
Most isekai worlds are cold and unforgiving.
If you’re not the MC, that is.
Luckily we get a small change in Chillin Different World Life Of The Ex-Brave Candidate Was Cheat From Lv2.
Our MC (Banaza) is actually an absurdly broken character with all the cheats imaginable.
Other characters don’t know this, though. And almost all of them have abandoned him simply because he was deemed as “useless” right off the bat.
While this manga doesn’t really offer anything different from the prior titles we’ve covered, this is the first one that has an MC who’d rather just sit back and relax, instead of showing his antagonists what for.
11. Because I Wasn’t a True Companion so I Decided to Have a Slow Life at the Frontier
Lots of long titles, huh?
Because I Wasn’t a True Companion so I Decided to Have a Slow Life at the Frontier also features an MC that was abandoned by his so-called “friends”
The manga is about Red — our protagonist and the all-around backbone of the hero’s party who was kicked out for being deemed useless.
What makes this manga an admittedly satisfying read is the fact that Red made anyone who threw him aside regret their actions eventually, though he doesn’t know it.
Basically, this manga shows us that even if the MC takes the non-revenge route after being done dirty, the story can still be quite entertaining.
10. Sairin Yuusha no Fukushuu Hanashi
As some of you have probably already noticed, betrayals are pretty much a staple in the isekai genre.
I mean, you can’t even scroll through most isekai plots without seeing the words “betrayal” and “betrayed” somewhere.
Sairin Yuusha no Fukushuu Hanashi, like most isekai manga and anime nowadays, starts off with a betrayal from the MC’s companions.
This in turn ends up pushing our main character (Amatsuki Iori) towards his former enemy, in order to both exact his vengeance and save the world.
A two-for-one deal!
While the illustrations are a little underwhelming in this one, the decent plot and the few mildly memorable characters it has are enough to warrant checking it out.
9. Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
What is it with classmates betraying isekai MCs?
Sorry to tell you, but I haven’t got the slightest clue either
Nevertheless, this strange trope must be very effective because Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest is among the few mangas on this list that has gotten its very own anime adaptation.
I do have to say that the overall plot of the manga was pretty unique when I first read it years ago.
And it had some pretty decent artwork too – which is always a plus
And while I admit that the light novel is a tad better than both its manga and anime adaptations, the manga is still a good read for those of you who haven’t checked it out yet.
8. Ubel Blatt
Finally, we have our very first non-isekai manga from our list – and it also has more than a hundred chapters for you to enjoy.
Otherwise known as “Evil Blade”, Ubel Blatt is a manga about Koinzell — our mysterious human/elf hybrid MC who’s also one of the Four Lances of Betrayal.
Ironically, it was actually Koinzell who’s betrayed by the other heroes despite what his title suggests.
Because of this, our MC has vowed to eliminate every single “hero” who wronged him.
Bolstered by good artwork and a stable release schedule that stays pretty consistent, Ubel Blatt is definitely a title to watch out for – even if you’re not interested in revenge stories.
7. Berserk of Gluttony
Most of the manga we’ve gone through so far had their MCs face one or two betrayals at most.
But with Berserk of Gluttony?
It’s pretty much a betrayal-fest up in here.
Most of it comes from the fact that our MC was a bit of a loser and a weakling when the manga started (though surprise surprise, he gets OP later on).
Abandoned, betrayed, bullied, abused, used as fodder and bait… you name it! Fate Graphite has probably experienced all of it already.
Plus if you’re looking for a manga with great artwork, and if you don’t mind waiting long for releases, then Berserk of Gluttony will definitely be a good fit to try.
6. Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells
I know what I said about isekai worlds being unforgiving to anyone but the MC…
But this manga just takes it to a whole new level.
Failure Frame is a story about an isekai’d high-school student named Mimori Touka.
Oh, and he’s also an isekai protagonist who got shunned and betrayed by his own classmates because… why not?
Heck, even the goddess who isekai’d him in the first place hates him, which I have to admit is a pretty refreshing and hilarious contrast to the cliché.
And though it’s still a relatively new manga with only a few chapters (as of this writing), both the artwork and the story actually show promise. This is definitely one to keep an eye on, I’d say!
5. Redo of Healer
Here we have Redo of Healer — one of the most meme’d and controversial manga/anime isekai series in recent times.
A lot of you probably know this already, but Redo of Healer is a title that’s reserved for mature (or cultured) readers only.
It’s about Keare — our formerly kind-hearted protagonist who was betrayed, and then turned into a vengeful, homicidal maniac by the people who abused and exploited him.
And we’re all made witnesses that healers can indeed fight alone.
While it’s personally not my cup of tea, there’s a reason why the anime adaptation of this manga made so much buzz.
If you’re interested, all I have to say is that the shock factor and provocative artwork are the most notable things about this particular manga.
4. Dungeon Seeker
Just in case you’re looking for the manga with the most hard-hitting betrayal out of every title here, then look no further…
Dungeon Seeker is here, and its story is about as bleak and tragic as it gets.
Led by our protagonist Junpei Takeda, Dungeon Seeker starts off as a pretty generic isekai, but then turns into an absolute nightmare a few pages in.
As someone who was so hooked on it that I just had to get ahead and read the light novel back then, I have to say that it truly knows how to make you feel bad for the MC.
To avoid spoilers, I’ll cut it short by saying that despite being a great read, this manga is not for the faint of heart.
3. Seirei Gensouki
Here have a manga that explores mature themes such as racism, classism, and slavery.
Although it must be noted that Seirei Gensouki is actually one of the more “tame” titles on this list.
The story focuses on Rio — a young homeless boy who lives in the slums of Bertram Kingdom. One day, he then acquires the memories of Amakawa Haruto — a student from Japan who got isekai’d-by-train.
Due to him being “different” from the other characters, Rio has suffered several acts of discrimination — not to mention betrayal from clichéd & pompous nobles.
Like a few other titles on this list, Seirei Gensouki also has an anime adaptation.
Although I’d say that the manga is just a touch better in terms of artwork and the coherence of its narrative.
2. The Rising of the Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of my personal favorites – and there’s a few good reasons why I recommend its manga.
Ultimately, this series is one of the few that did the whole “betrayed MC” trope spectacularly. And mostly in a balanced and non-excessive way.
Unlike most MCs in this list, not once did it feel like Naofumi’s sole desire was to get revenge for being betrayed.
This just makes his character better and less one-dimensional in my opinion.
Not only that, but the artwork of the manga is very flattering and easy on the eyes — something that I’ll always consider as a huge positive for any manga of any genre.
1. Berserk
Sitting pretty at our number one spot, we have one of the most critically-acclaimed and well-received manga series of all time.
Pretty much any veteran anime/manga fan knows that Berserk will always top the “Top 10 Anime Betrayals of All Time” list.
Artwork? 10/10
Plot? 10/10
Characters? 10/10
Dark Souls references? 10 victorious boss fights/10
If you haven’t read Berserk yet, and you’re still searching for a great manga where the MC suffers a betrayal at some point in the story, well worry no more.
An average enjoyer of memes, movies, anime, manga, light novels, and video games. He also LOVES gambling — er, playing all sorts of gacha games mostly F2P in his free time.
