Summary

• Bullying transcends worlds: protagonists who were bullied in their original world face similar issues in isekai settings.
• Second chances: from weak and bullied to strong and capable through tragedy, trauma, and transformation in new worlds.
• Redemption and reinvention: Characters use newfound strength in isekai settings to seek revenge, build self-esteem, and find acceptance.

Sometimes, the greatest heroes are born from the deepest scars. In the ever-popular isekai genre, protagonists are whisked away from their ordinary lives into fantastical worlds where adventure, power, and a new destiny await. For some, that journey does not begin with excitement, it begins with pain. These are the characters who were bullied, rejected, misunderstood, or completely forgotten in their original worlds, and in some cases, they come to a new world and face all these issues.

Despite that, being in a new world is an opportunity to change things, as weakness becomes strength, trauma fuels transformation, and their second life becomes a path to redemption, revenge, or reinvention.

8

So I’m A Spider, So What?

Kumoko Is A High School Girl From Japan Who Her Classmates Bullied

In So I’m a Spider, So What?, Kumoko is similar to Hajime in that they both find themselves in a fantasy world where they are bullied and have less power than their adversaries. While Kumoko’s mates reincarnated as princesses, nobles, and so on, she reincarnated as a spider living in a dangerous dungeon.

Kumoko cannot dwell on her past or the unfairness of her new life and must try to avoid being eaten by monsters. She has no cheat powers or allies, and she solely relies on wit, strategy, and RPG-style skill leveling to evolve and survive.

7

The Fruit Of Evolution

Seiichi Was Bullied For Being Overweight

Seiichi is yet another unlucky protagonist who is transported to a fantasy world along with his bullies in The Fruit of Evolution. He was bullied because of his weight, and in the new fantasy world, he was left behind because his stats were low compared to his mates.

Alone and abandoned in the wilderness, he finds and eats the mysterious “Fruit of Evolution,” which causes him to transform. Because of the fruit, Seiichi lost weight instantly, became muscular and handsome, and, more importantly, gained immense power. Thanks to this fruit, Seiichi starts living the life he never had with new friends by his side who respect, admire, and love him.

6

I Got A Cheat Skill In Another World And Became Unrivaled In The Real World, Too

Yuya Was Bullied For Being Kind In His Previous World

Despite being bullied by his mates, rejected by his family, and sent to live in his late grandfather’s house alone, Yuya remained kindhearted. One day, while cleaning the house, he comes across a mysterious door that leads him to another world. There, he defeats a monster, gains cheat-like powers, and his body undergoes a dramatic transformation, turning him into a more athletic and handsome version of himself, turning him into the capable hero of I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too.

Being bullied took a toll on his confidence and self-esteem. However, with things turned around for him, Yuya gradually began to rebuild his confidence, make genuine friends, and experience the life he had been denied.

5

Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average In The Next Life?!

Adele Was Bullied In Her Previous Life Because She Was Smart

Being smart is not a crime, but to Misato in Didn’t I Say to Make my Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, now Adele in her new world, it felt like it was, because she was constantly being bullied and no one wanted to be her friend. After dying while saving a child, she gets a chance to be reborn in another world, and she takes it with the condition that she is average and not smart like she was in her previous life.

However, her request to be “average” gets lost in translation, and the gods make her overpowered. Adele tries her best to hide her strength and lead a normal life, but her powers continue to attract attention. Despite this, she finds people who are willing to be her friends, regardless of her abilities, which helps heal her fear of rejection.

4

Failure Frame: I Became The Strongest And Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells

Touka Was Bullied For Being Kind And Timid

Touka was a quiet and kind high school student who was constantly bullied and overlooked in his previous world. In Failure Frame, he finds himself summoned to a fantasy world to become a hero alongside his classmates. Unfortunately, his skills are low ranking, and the goddess who brought him to this world banished him to a deadly dungeon to die.

In the face of despair, Touka discovers that his supposedly weak “Abnormal State Skill” is actually incredibly powerful. He utilizes his newly discovered powers, combined with his rage at the betrayal he suffered, to survive and conquer the dungeon, thereby embarking on a journey of dark revenge against those who wronged himand made him an outcast.

3

Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest

Hajime Was Bullied By His Classmates In Japan And Was Then Betrayed By Them In His New World

Hajime was unlucky enough to find himself in a fantasy world along with his bullies, who were also his classmates. To make things worse, he was given a lesser power than they were, giving them the upper hand against him once again. Seeing him as a burden and liability, they leave him to die after he falls into an abyss.

Being bullied in both worlds took a toll on Hajime, especially after he was left to die. Hajime wanted revenge, and this was what fueled his desire to live in the abyss. He survives by eating monsters that painfully transform his body and mentality into a cold, determined, and overpowered warrior. Hajime goes from being a bullied underdog to one of the world’s most feared and powerful individuals in Arifureta.

2

The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Naofumi Was Bullied, Framed, And Hated In His New World For A Crime He Did Not Commit

Naofumi is bullied in the fantasy world he finds himself in at the start of The Rising of the Shield Hero. He was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit, banished, and denied the resources needed to thrive as the shield hero. Even before he was falsely accused, he was treated as lesser than the other cardinal heroes, and no one wanted to associate with him.

Naofumi was being treated so badly that he wanted to return to Japan, as he had not asked to be summoned. After he leaves the kingdom, he comes across a demi-human slave, Raphtalia, whom he raises with compassion and care. As they journey together, Naofumi gains allies, power, and recognition, and gradually rebuilds his sense of justice and hope.

1

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Rudeus Was A Shut-In Who Was Bullied And Rejected By His Family

In Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, before the protagonist died and reincarnated as Rudeaus Grayrat in a world where swords and magic exist, he was a lonely 34-year-old shut-in. After living a miserable life filled with isolation, bullying, and regret, he dies a tragic death and is reincarnated in a fantasy world.

His memories, and the trauma of being bullied, hated, and mocked, plus his guilt about not living a meaningful life in Japan, drive him to live a better life in his new world. Unlike typical isekai heroes, Rudeus’ development is deeply rooted in emotional trauma and personal failure, making his story raw and realistic.