The Eminence in Shadow

The Eminence in Shadow
First light novel volume cover
陰の実力者になりたくて！ (Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!)
Novel series
Written by	Daisuke Aizawa
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	May 2018 – present
Light novel
Written by	Daisuke Aizawa
Illustrated by	Tōzai
Published by	Enterbrain
English publisher	NA Yen Press
Demographic	Male
Original run	November 2018 – present
Volumes	4
Manga
Written by	Daisuke Aizawa
Illustrated by	Anri Sakano
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	NA Yen Press
Magazine	Comp Ace
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	December 2018 – present
Volumes	6
Manga
Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden
Written by	Seta U
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	Comp Ace
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	July 2019 – present
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Anime and manga portal

The Eminence in Shadow (陰の実力者になりたくて!, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Tōzai. It began serialization online in May 2018 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Enterbrain, who have published four volumes since November 2018.

A manga adaptation with art by Anri Sakano has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Comp Ace since December 2018 and has been collected in six tankōbon volumes. A spin-off manga by Seta U titled Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden (陰の実力者になりたくて！ しゃどーがいでん, "The Eminence in Shadow! Shadow Side Story") has also been serialized via Comp Ace since July 2019. It has been collected in two tankōbon volumes. Both the light novel and main manga have been licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation has been announced.

Plot[]

Ever since he was a child, he wanted to become a shadowbroker, a person who operates in the shadows. He trained up his body, doing practically everything possible in the world, until one day on one of his training sessions, he encountered magic. However, this was not magic and was in fact, the headlights of a car. And so, he died.

Even after reincarnating, the boy, now the son of a noble, Cid Kagenou, wanted to achieve his dreams. After rescuing a girl, Cid creates an elaborate plot about how he was the leader of an ancient organization, sworn to fight the Cult of Diabolos, so as to prevent said cult from resurrecting Diabolos. The girl swears her allegiance to Cid and so, he builds his organization, the Shadow Garden.

Little does he know that his eighth-grader syndrome-induced story has actual basis in the world...

Characters[]

Main Characters[]

Cid Kagenou[]

The protagonist, Cid Kagenou is the son of a noble family. He is also secretly the leader of the Shadow Garden, an organization that fights in the shadows against the imaginary Cult of Diabolos. (In reality, the Cult actually exists and Cid's operations unknowingly interferes with the plans of the Cult.) Originally he lived in a world similar to our own but in his quest for magic he reincarnated to another world with magic in it.

Claire Kagenou[]

Cid's older sister. She thinks herself as stronger than Cid and pushes him around, often acting aggressively towards him in the form of punching him and other forms of bodily harm when she finds herself annoyed by him. Though she seems antagonistic towards him she does care about him, acting quite recklessly when she thinks her brother might be threatened. She was trained as a spellsword from a young age and is thus considered highly skilled.

Alexia Midgar[]

A haughty princess, she makes it her job to make Cid's life as annoying as possible. She is also one of the only characters to have personally seen "Shadow" in action (outside of Shadow Garden members) but not know that "Shadow"'s true identity is in fact Cid himself.

Rose Oriana[]

The princess of the neighbouring kingdom of Oriana, a country known for its art. She controversially took up the sword instead of traditional arts and became a transfer student at the Midgard Spellsword academy. She became the student council president and her swordmanship at the academy was considered only second to the first princess of Midgar, Iris Midgar.

Shadow Garden[]

Alpha[]

The First of Shadow Garden, a beautiful Elven girl. When Cid first encountered her she was suffering from Demon possession and was hardly recognizable as a human being. Cid experimented on her and inadvertently found a cure for Demon possession, in return for curing her she swore fealty to him. She went on to find and recruit the other 6 main members of Shadow Garden and leads them in their pursuit of the Cult of Diabolos.

Beta[]

The second member of Shadow Garden, she was the first member to be found by Alpha instead of Cid. An Elf known for her natural beauty and ample chest. She writes 'the war chronicles of Shadow-sama', in which she details the exploits of Cid in his Shadow persona.

Gamma[]

The third member of Shadow Garden, though she is weak both physically and in technique she possesses great intelligence. She is responsible for the creation and daily operations of Mitsugoshi Company. The company that Shadow Garden gains its funds from. Cid originally told her about concepts and products from his original world in the form of his "Shadow Knowledge" that Gamma was eventually able to recreate and sell for great profits.

Delta[]

A beast-kin girl, she is neither skilled at the manipulation of magic or refined techniques with the sword. But for that she compensates with raw power and violence. Due to her beast-kin nature she also has heightened senses, such as being able to recognize scents from great distances and uses these to find and hunt her targets. She only listens to those stronger than her, so far she has only acknowledged Alpha and Cid as stronger than her.

Epsilon[]

An Elven girl known also as 'the precise' for her refined control of magic. Is known for her haughty attitude. She is skilled in the use and manipulation of the slime bodysuits that all members of Shadow Garden possess and utilize.

Nu (#13)[]

After the first 7 members of Shadow Garden (those recruited by Cid himself) come the 'numbers'. Nu is the first of the numbers to be featured, a formerly noble girl cast aside when she contracted Demon possession. She was later saved and initiated by one of the Seven Shadows in to the Shadow Garden. She is highly skilled at make-up and disguises. Utilizing specially treated slime to mimic skin and shaping it to its desired form.

Media[]

Light novels[]

The series is written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Tōzai. It began serialization online in May 2018 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was acquired by Enterbrain in November 2018, who have published four volumes. Yen Press licensed the series for English publication.^[1]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	November 05, 2018[2]	978-4-04-735302-2	August 11, 2020[3]	978-1-97-535906-5
Prologue: Preparing the Perfect Stage! Chapter 1: Starting the Shadowbroker Tutorial! Chapter 2: Assuming the Role of a Side Character at School! Chapter 3: My Official Beginning as a Mastermind in Action! Chapter 4: The Two Sides of the Shadow Garden?! Chapter 5: Mastering the Peaceful Life of a Nobody! Chapter 6: The Scene Where Terrorists Take Over the School Final Chapter: My Idea of the Ultimate Shadow Commander! The Chronicles of Master Shadow Complete Version: Volume 1
2	March 05, 2019[4]	978-4-04-735580-4	November 10, 2020[5]	978-1-97-538699-3
Prologue: To Lindwurm, the Scared Land! Chapter 1: Fun Times at the Goddess's Trail! Chapter 2: Investigating the Sanctuary! Chapter 3: When Things Get Boring, It's Time for Explosives! Chapter 4: This Situation Calls for a "Who Is That Guy?!″ Chapter 5: A Battle to Attract Only MVPs! Chapter 6: A Mastermind Always Plays Piano Under Moonlight! Chapter 7: Showing Off a Smidgen of My Strength! Chapter 8: Lay Your Eyes on My True Powers! Final Chapter: Just Who Is This Mysterious Badass?! The Chronicles of Master Shadow Complete Version: Volume 2
3	July 26, 2019[6]	978-4-04-735711-2	April 27, 2021[7]	978-1-97-531578-8
Prologue: Heading to the Lawless City over Fall Break! Chapter 1: Lawless City Bandit Hunting! Chapter 2: Storming the Crimson Tower! Chapter 3: Pursuing the Blood Queen! Auxiliary Chapter: Field Notes on a Little Brother — by Yong Claire! Chapter 4: I'll Destroy It All and Start from Scratch! Chapter 5: Printing Fake Money as Mitsugoshi Throws Down with the Major Corporate Alliance! Chapter 6: Circulating Counterfeit Cash! Epilogue: The One to Destroy It All and Start from Scratch — with Fakes Bills! The Chronicles of Master Shadow Complete Version: Volume 3
4	February 26, 2021[8]	978-4-04-735878-2	—	—

Manga[]

A manga adaptation with art by Anri Sakano has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Comp Ace since December 2018 and has been collected in six tankōbon volumes. Yen Press also licensed the manga adaptation.^[9]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	July 25, 2019[10]	978-4-04-108471-7	September 14, 2021[11]	978-1-97-532519-0
2	September 24, 2019[12]	978-4-04-108683-4	November 16, 2021[13]	978-1-97-532520-6
3	June 25, 2020[14]	978-4-04-109326-9	January 18, 2022[15]	978-1-97-532522-0
4	August 25, 2020[16]	978-4-04-109332-0	—	—
5	February 26, 2021[17]	978-4-04-111002-7	—	—
6	June 25, 2021[18]	978-4-04-111564-0	—	—

A spin-off manga by Seta U titled Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden (陰の実力者になりたくて！ しゃどーがいでん, "The Eminence in Shadow! Shadow Side Story") has also been serialized via Comp Ace since July 2019. It has been collected in two tankōbon volumes.

Anime[]

An anime television series adaptation was announced on the fourth volume of the light novel on February 26, 2021.^[19]

References[]

External links[]

• Web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
• Manga official website (in Japanese)
• The Eminence in Shadow (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia