Tensei Maou no Dai Gosan - Asumi is really fun! Shitone is a big rival

Tensei Maou no Dai Gosan (The Great Miscalculation of the Reincarnated Demon King) is a light novel written by Awamura Akamitsu and illustrated by kakao. Five volumes have been released so far, which I read a while ago, but it has now been three years since the last volume. I honestly wonder if the series has been cancelled or if the author is simply busy with other projects.

The story follows Kengou, a human who reincarnated as the Demon King of another world. He is supposedly the strongest Demon King in history, but he is actually a coward and is extremely cautious in his actions. He has been put in charge of a new generation of Demon Generals, all of whom are extremely wild individuals.

Because he does not want to be killed, he tries to maintain an act of being powerful and ruthless in front of them while being terrified on the inside. The recurring joke is that his actions are consistently misunderstood by the generals as displays of genius leadership and military prowess. This only increases his fame and makes his position even more untenable.

The narrative alternates between ecchi moments with the female Demon Generals and continuous misunderstandings regarding Kengou's intentions. This creates a nice comedic flow that is interrupted occasionally by large-scale battles showcasing the power of the Demon King’s army.

There are also some emotional moments when the story delves into the backstories of the generals. The overall narrative is very well thought out. I especially loved the arc focused on Belno, which made her much more than just the girl who loves eating introduced in the early volumes.

The main heroines are:

Rushiko: A childhood friend of Kengou who holds the title of Lucifer. She has been deeply in love with Kengou since childhood, but as the embodiment of the sin of Pride, she finds it impossible to be honest with herself. This makes her a rather violent tsundere. She is easy to tease, but it is best not to get on her bad side.

Mamoyo: A strategic and cunning commander with the title of Mammon. She is an expert at manipulating individuals and executing long-term plans. As the embodiment of the sin of Greed, she is initially seen as a potential opponent who might try to steal Kengou's position. In reality, she is also in love with him, though her love is somewhat twisted.

Asumi: The embodiment of the sin of Lust with the title of Asmodeus. She is a petite girl and is the oldest among the generals. She loves teasing those around her and has a field day whenever she can provoke Rushiko and Kengou. Her true feelings are unknown, but she clearly likes all the Demon Generals to some degree.

Belno: A girl with a mature appearance but a childish personality. She is the embodiment of the sin of Gluttony with the title of Beelzebub. She is always seen eating and is generally a calm, silent girl. However, you must never let the food run out, because she will go completely berserk and become so strong that even Kengou has difficulty containing her.

Shitone: The younger sister of the embodiment of the sin of Envy. She is introduced later in the story but quickly becomes important to Kengou because she is gentle, caring, and frankly, extremely attractive. She provides a huge contrast to the violent Rushiko or the teasing Asumi and is generally a place of rest for Kengou.

There are also three other generals who embody the remaining three sins:

Satou: A general with the appearance of a young boy. He is the embodiment of the sin of Wrath with the title of Satan and is the most violent among the Demon Generals. He seems to idolize Kengou and wants to achieve great feats to earn his praise. He later becomes more controlled after a fated meeting with a human.

Levisan: A sly-looking man embodying the sin of Envy with the title of Leviathan. He constantly over-analyzes Kengou's actions, deducing plans and ideas that were never in Kengou's head in the first place. After Kengou saves his little sister, Shitone, he arranges for her to live close to Kengou at all times in the hope that the two will get together.

Azar: An older looking man embodying the sin of Sloth with the title of Belphegor. He is an amazing strategist who usually wins battles without even fighting. He often misinterprets Kengou's words as part of some advanced plan, which he then puts into action much to Kengou's dismay.

My favorite heroine overall is definitely Rushiko because of her strong presence and stunning looks, but in recent volumes, I have found myself leaning toward Shitone. Asumi is a constant source of fun, but it is hard to take her seriously because she spends most of her time teasing others.

Tensei Maou no Dai Gosan is a great light novel that really delivers on comedy and ecchi content. I can easily recommend it even in its current hiatus status because each volume is relatively self-contained. Hopefully, the author will return to writing the series soon.