Reincarnated as a Sword

Reincarnated as a Sword
First light novel volume cover
転生したら剣でした (Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita)
Genre	Isekai
Novel series
Written by	Yuu Tanaka
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	October 17, 2015 – February 29, 2024
Light novel
Written by	Yuu Tanaka
Illustrated by	Llo
Published by	Micro Magazine
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	GC Novels
Demographic	Male
Original run	July 30, 2016 – present
Volumes	17
Manga
Written by	Yuu Tanaka
Illustrated by	Tomowo Maruyama
Published by	Gentosha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Birz Comics
Magazine	Comic Boost
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	December 9, 2016 – present
Volumes	15
Manga
Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish
Written by	Yuu Tanaka
Illustrated by	Hinako Inoue
Published by	Micro Magazine
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	Comic Ride
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	June 1, 2020 – December 28, 2022
Volumes	6
Anime television series
Directed by	Shinji Ishihira
Written by	Takahiro Nagano
Music by	Yasuharu Takanashi
Studio	C2C
Licensed by	Sentai Filmworks SA/SEA: Medialink
Original network	Tokyo MX, ABC, BS Asahi, AbemaTV
English network	SEA: Animax Asia
Original run	September 28, 2022 – present
Episodes	12

Reincarnated as a Sword, also known as I Became the Sword by Transmigrating (Japanese: 転生したら剣でした, Hepburn: Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita) or Tenken (転剣), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuu Tanaka and illustrated by Llo. It started as a web novel on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2015. It was later published as a light novel by Micro Magazine, who released the first volume in July 2016. The series has received a manga adaptation by Tomowo Maruyama, published by Gentosha, as well as a spin-off manga by Hinako Inoue, published by Micro Magazine. Both the light novels and manga were licensed for North American release by Seven Seas Entertainment, as well as the spin-off. An anime television series adaptation by C2C aired from October to December 2022. A second season has been announced.

Critical reaction has been generally positive, with its visuals, voice acting, action scenes and chemistry between the two leads being praised; however critics also lamented its writing and lack of originality.

Plot

After dying in a car accident, an unnamed man finds himself reincarnated in another world as a sentient sword with powerful abilities and no recollection of his name, though he remembers everything else from his previous life. Accepting his fate as a sword, he begins to seek someone to become his wielder, fighting and gaining powers. He discovers a caravan of slave traders under attack by a two-headed bear. A young catgirl slave, Fran, discovers the sword, and uses him to kill the bear. After being freed from slavery, she names the sword "Teacher", and the two embark on an adventure together.

Characters

Teacher (師匠, Shishō)

Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (drama CD), Shin-ichiro Miki (anime) (Japanese); Ty Mahany (English)

Originally a human in his past life, Teacher finds himself reincarnated as a powerful, legendary sword equipped with an A.I. that gives him pointers. However, after being forced in place, he resigns himself to rest until a mighty warrior can find and wield him. He soon becomes Fran's ally and primary weapon after he frees her from slavery, who also gave him his name. He is able to gain abilities from various creatures after killing them, which allows him to evolve and get stronger. He can also share his abilities with Fran.

Fran (フラン, Furan)

Voiced by: Inori Minase (drama CD), Ai Kakuma (anime) (Japanese); Melissa Molano (English)

A 12-year-old Black Cat girl. Her parents were killed when she was young and was subsequently sold into slavery. However, when her caravan is attacked by a two-headed bear, she comes across and draws Teacher from his resting place, who helps her kill the beast and set her free. Together, the two embark on a quest to help Fran evolve fully, a feat no Black Cat has been able to achieve. When facing great danger, she will not back down despite others warning her otherwise. Her abilities all originate from Teacher. Without him, she is powerless.

Amanda (アマンダ)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (anime) (Japanese); Patricia Duran (English)

A half-elf who runs an orphanage. She has great admiration for Fran whom it is revealed she herself had looked after since her parents had died. Despite her bubbly nature, she is a very powerful warrior who is much stronger than Fran and Teacher. She also serves as a mother figure and mentor to Fran, although Fran did not enjoy it at first. She has a soft side for kids and is one of the only characters who knows about Teacher.

Klimt (クリムト, Kurimuto)

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (anime) (Japanese); Antonio Lasanta (English)

A Wood Elf elementalist who is the guild master of the Alessa Adventurers' Guild. He has a special ability that allows him to see a person's true nature. He is suspicious about the source of Fran's abilities after he could not identify her, but allows her to join the guild and soon sees that she isn't a bad person. He is Frion's uncle.

Donadrond (ドナドロンド, Donadorondo)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (anime) (Japanese); Cyrus Rodas (English)

An Oni warrior who acts as examiner for the Adventurers' Guild, challenging prospective adventurers to duels to test their skills. He is defeated by Fran and allows her to pass the exam.

Nell (ネル, Neru)

Voiced by: Rumi Okubo (anime) (Japanese); Molly Searcy (English)

The receptionist for the Alessa town Adventurers' Guild. She possesses a hidden dark side wishing death on adventurers she dislikes, but quickly warms up to Fran.

Gallus (ガルス, Garusu)

Voiced by: Shinpachi Tsuji (anime) (Japanese); John Swasey (English)

An old dwarf with a passion for blacksmithing. He supplies Fran with all sorts of equipment and knows about Teacher due to him having an ability that bypasses identity blocking.

Randell

An adventurer that Fran and Teacher rescued sometime after the two met.

Lily

An adventurer that Fran and Teacher meet during their journey.

Crull

An adventurer that Fran and Teacher meet during their journey.

Eustace

An adventurer that Fran and Teacher meet during their journey.

August

The cruel vice-captain of Alessa's guards who bears a hatred towards adventurers. He has a special ability that allows him to make others believe his lies. This ability was stolen from him by Teacher, which results in his reputation being ruined. To get revenge on Fran, he hires the Blue Cat assassin Gyuran to kill her, but she turns the tables on them and kills Gyuran instead. August is then put under house arrest permanently by his father as punishment for his crimes.

Gyruan

A Blue Cat assassin. His kind have been known enemies of the Black Cats and is the reason why Fran ended up in slavery in the first place. He takes pleasure in killing Black Cats and selling them into slave labor. August hires him to kill Fran for sabotaging his reputation, but she manages to kill him instead and take his weapon, avenging most of her kind.

Count Holmes

The ruler of Alessa and August's father. After learning of his son's crimes, he punishes August by putting him under house arrest forever. However, it is implied that he has ulterior motives.

Cruise Riouselle

The leader of a party called the Azure Guardians and an examiner tasked with helping a group of warriors whose goal is to defeat a group of spider monsters in one of the world's dungeons.

Rig

A member of the Azure Guardians and an examiner tasked with helping a group of warriors whose goal is to defeat a group of spider monsters in one of the world's dungeons.

Eizelle

A member of the Azure Guardians and an examiner tasked with helping a group of warriors whose goal is to defeat a group of spider monsters in one of the world's dungeons.

Krad

The leader of a group called Dragon's Roar, who join a group of powerful warriors to defeat some spider monsters in a dungeon. Upon meeting Fran, he is resentful towards the idea of having her and Amanda join the party that mostly consists of men, but soon respects her after seeing how powerful she and Amanda are.

Balz

One of the members of Dragon's Roar.

Victor

One of the members of Dragon's Roar.

Gennel

One of the members of Dragon's Roar.

Frion

An elf sorcerer who is the leader of a party called the Eyes of the Forest. He is also Klimt's nephew.

Urushi

A warrior who accompanies Fran's group in eliminating a group of spider monsters in one of the world's dungeons.

Kinan and Flamia

Fran's parents, whom Amanda knows of before they passed away and entrusted their daughter to her.

Jean Du Vix

A necromancer who appears at the end of the first season. It is unknown what his motive is and whether he is friend or foe to Fran and Teacher.

Media

Light novel

Yuu Tanaka started the series as a web novel hosted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in October 2015 and ended it in February 2024. Micro Magazine acquired and published the light novel series under their GC Novels imprint, with illustrations by Llo. Seventeen volumes have been published as of March 2024. The fifth volume's limited edition was bundled with a drama CD, telling an original story. Seven Seas Entertainment announced their acquisition of the light novels, and began releasing from August 6, 2019.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	July 30, 2016	978-4-89637-574-9	May 2, 2019 (Digital) August 6, 2019 (Physical)	978-1-64275-141-3
2	December 26, 2016	978-4-89637-608-1	June 27, 2019 (Digital) September 24, 2019 (Physical)	978-1-64275-142-0
3	June 30, 2017	978-4-89637-639-5	August 22, 2019 (Digital) November 19, 2019 (Physical)	978-1-64275-724-8
4	November 24, 2017	978-4-89637-670-8	December 12, 2019 (Digital) February 25, 2020 (Physical)	978-1-64505-196-1
5	May 30, 2018	978-4-89637-750-7 978-4-89637-751-4 (LE)	March 12, 2020 (Digital) June 16, 2020 (Physical)	978-1-64505-463-4
6	October 30, 2018	978-4-89637-826-9	June 11, 2020 (Digital) September 15, 2020 (Physical)	978-1-64505-722-2
7	March 29, 2019	978-4-89637-863-4	October 8, 2020 (Digital) January 5, 2021 (Physical)	978-1-64505-821-2
8	September 28, 2019	978-4-89637-924-2	April 8, 2021 (Digital) May 25, 2021 (Physical)	978-1-64827-203-5
9	March 30, 2020	978-4-89637-990-7	September 23, 2021 (Digital) October 12, 2021 (Physical)	978-1-64827-266-0
10	September 30, 2020	978-4-86716-057-2	February 3, 2022 (Digital) May 17, 2022 (Physical)	978-1-64827-468-8
11	March 31, 2021	978-4-86716-124-1	December 27, 2022	978-1-63858-252-6
12	September 24, 2021	978-4-86716-189-0	March 9, 2023 (Digital) May 16, 2023 (Physical)	978-1-63858-649-4
13	March 30, 2022	978-4-86716-269-9	October 12, 2023 (Digital) November 14, 2023 (Physical)	978-1-68579-641-9
14	September 30, 2022	978-4-86716-340-5	January 25, 2024 (Digital) May 21, 2024 (Physical)	979-8-88843-640-0
15	March 30, 2023	978-4-86716-408-2	—	—
16	September 29, 2023	978-4-86716-408-2	—	—
17	March 29, 2024	978-4-86716-554-6	—	—

Manga

A manga adaptation by Tomowo Maruyamawa was serialized in Gentosha's Denshi Birz magazine from December 9, 2016 to January 15, 2018. After the magazine stopped, it resumed publishing on Comic Boost. The series is compiled into fifteen tankōbon volumes, with the first volume released in April 2017. Seven Seas Entertainment also licensed the manga for North American release, with the first volume releasing on December 17, 2019. A spin-off manga written by Tanaka and illustrated by Hinako Inoue was serialized in Micro Magazine's Comic Ride website from June 1, 2020 to January 30, 2023. The spin-off manga is also licensed by Seven Seas.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	April 24, 2017	978-4-344-83975-5	December 17, 2019	978-1-64275-755-2
2	November 24, 2017	978-4-344-84097-3	February 18, 2020	978-1-64505-207-4
3	March 24, 2018	978-4-344-84178-9	June 9, 2020	978-1-64505-479-5
4	September 21, 2018	978-4-344-84303-5	October 20, 2020	978-1-64505-767-3
5	March 22, 2019	978-4-344-84417-9	April 13, 2021	978-1-64505-970-7
6	September 24, 2019	978-4-344-84507-7 978-4-344-84508-4 (SE)	June 1, 2021	978-1-64827-236-3
7	March 24, 2020	978-4-344-84623-4	September 14, 2021	978-1-64827-313-1
8	September 24, 2020	978-4-344-84706-4	January 11, 2022	978-1-64827-481-7
9	March 24, 2021	978-4-344-84823-8	October 25, 2022	978-1-63858-359-2
10	September 24, 2021	978-4-344-84893-1 978-4-344-84894-8 (SE)	April 25, 2023	978-1-63858-753-8
11	March 30, 2022	978-4-344-85007-1 978-4-344-85008-8 (SE)	October 17, 2023	978-1-63858-982-2
12	September 24, 2022	978-4-344-85107-8 978-4-344-85108-5 (SE)	April 23, 2024	979-8-88843-378-2
13	March 24, 2023	978-4-344-85198-6	—	—
14	September 22, 2023	978-4-344-85298-3	—	—
15	March 23, 2024	978-4-344-85386-7	—	—

Another Wish

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	September 30, 2020	978-4-86716-060-2	January 18, 2022	978-1-64827-678-1
2	March 27, 2021	978-4-86716-120-3	March 22, 2022	978-1-63858-168-0
3	September 24, 2021	978-4-86716-187-6	February 14, 2023	978-1-63858-613-5
4	March 31, 2022	978-4-86716-266-8	May 16, 2023	978-1-68579-458-3
5	September 29, 2022	978-4-86716-337-5	December 26, 2023	979-8-88843-092-7
6	March 31, 2023	978-4-86716-404-4	June 18, 2024	979-8-88843-649-3

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced in the twelfth volume of the light novel on September 24, 2021. The series is produced by C2C and directed by Shinji Ishihira, with Takahiro Nagano writing and supervising the scripts, Atsuki Saitō designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Yasuharu Takanashi composing the music. It aired from October 5 to December 21, 2022, on Tokyo MX, ABC, and BS Asahi. The opening theme song is "Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets, while the ending theme song is "More Strongly" by Maon Kurosaki. At Anime Expo 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced that they licensed the series outside of Asia. This was followed by an English dub as announced at Anime Weekend Atlanta on October 28, 2022.

After the airing of the final episode, a second season was announced, but there is currently no release date yet.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Storyboarded by	Original air date
1	"Catgirl Meets Sword" Transliteration: "Mofumimi ga Deatta no wa Ken Deshita" (Japanese: モフ耳が出会ったのは剣でした)	Kazunobu Shimizu	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	October 5, 2022 (2022-10-05)
An unnamed man is tragically killed in a car accident and reincarnates in another world as a sentient, magical sword. With telekinesis, he is able to fly and learn skills by killing monsters. He decides to continue slaying monsters and become the most powerful sword in the world while waiting for his destined wielder. Elsewhere, a Black Cat-girl named Fran lives as an abused slave, outfitted with a collar that prevents her from defying orders, but dreams of greatness. One day, after acquiring numerous skills and great warrior abilities, the sword enters a forest where touching the ground drains his magic to zero. Unable to fly, he is trapped for months. The humans Fran belongs to are attacked by a bear monster. Seeing her fellow slaves and one of her owners being slaughtered, leaving her one of the only survivors, she is desperate to help and spots the sword nearby. Touching his handle, he is able to communicate with her via telepathy and fly again. He shares all his skills with her, turning her into a great warrior who uses him to easily kill the monster. Fran’s owner, another one of the survivors, demands she give him the sword and starts hurting her when she refuses. Angered by this abuse, the sword kills him and burns Fran’s slave contract, causing Fran's collar to fall off, freeing her. He officially asks Fran to be his wielder and she agrees as it is her goal to evolve, something no Black Cat has ever managed before. Seeing him as her teacher, Fran names him Teacher. Teacher decides to dedicate his new life to keeping Fran safe.
2	"The Hellish Trial at the Adventurer's Guild" Transliteration: "Bōkensha Girudo ni Ittara Oni Shikenkan Deshita" (Japanese: 冒険者ギルドに行ったら鬼試験官でした)	Ayaka Tsujihashi	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	October 12, 2022 (2022-10-12)
Fran rescues an adventurer named Randell from a goblin ambush. Teacher keeps his sentience a secret and only speaks to Fran via telepathy. In Alessa, a town at the adventurer guild, Nell the receptionist, who keeps her dark side hidden, informs Fran she must pass a battle simulation, and the examiner is Donadrond, a powerful Oni. Fran and Teacher combine sword skills with magic, which Nell notes should be impossible unless Fran had two brains. Donadrond happily admits defeat. Guild master Klimt accepts her as a Sword-Mage. Fran sells some of her loot for a small fortune, earning jealousy from nearby mercenaries. Believing a Black Cat could only be a thief and liar, they pick a fight with her, but Nell, who has decided she likes Fran, defends her. Unable to stand them insulting the Black Cat species, Fran severs the lead mercenary’s legs while beating up the rest. They insist Fran should be arrested for attacking them, but Nell and the guild adventurers all agree it was self-defense and fines the lead mercenary 100,000 gold, with Nell revealing her dark side by refusing to heal his legs until he pays. Teacher decides they need a room for the night and armor for Fran. Meanwhile, a dwarf adventurer, who has the highest level Appraisal skill God Sight, is fully aware Teacher is a living, intelligent sword.
3	"The Grizzled Old Blacksmith" Transliteration: "Mahō Kajishi wa Kusemono Deshita" (Japanese: 魔法鍛冶師は曲者でした)	Hiro Ōki	Takahiro Nagano	Hiro Ōki	October 19, 2022 (2022-10-19)
The dwarf, Garrus, invites Fran to his shop, explaining he is the famous Wandering Blacksmith of Granzell. Other adventurers are jealous as Garrus is notoriously choosy over who he sells his equipment to. After selling Fran enchanted armor, Garrus asks about Teacher. Teacher is worried he is not as strong as other swords, but Garrus reveals that what makes Teacher most powerful is his ultra-high mana conductivity; the more magic Fran puts into him, the more powerful he becomes. Garrus admits he is not skilled enough to forge a sword like Teacher, so he could only have been forged by a Divine Blacksmith. Teacher pays Garrus to make a scabbard for Teacher and other equipment for Fran. With time to spare, Fran and teacher acquire more clothes, food and a room. Elsewhere, the surviving goblins that ambushed Randell use magic to evolve into Hobgoblins. On her first quest, herb gathering, Fran rescues three adventurers, Lily, Crull and Eustace, by slaying the Hobgoblins. The adventurers worry; the presence of Hobgoblins means a Goblin King has recently evolved, and he should locate a Goblin Queen; their offspring will form a Hobgoblin army that could even threaten Alessa city. Fran decides to destroy their nest alone, but Teacher worries as Fran attacks recklessly, ignoring the injuries she receives.
4	"The Terrifying Goblin Stampede" Transliteration: "Goburin Sutanpīdo wa Ōgoto Deshita" (Japanese: ゴブリンスタンピードはオオゴトでした)	Ayumu Uwano	Takahiro Nagano	Ayumu Uwano	October 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
Fran kills all the goblins present, saying she must become stronger. The adventures return with reinforcements and they find that the goblins came from a dungeon. Klimt organizes a party to raid the dungeon the next day and gives Fran a promotion. Garrus repairs her armor and says Dungeon Masters are empowered by the Goddess of Chaos. Fran takes Teacher with her to the bathhouse, much to his embarrassment, but Nell reprimands her for bringing a weapon. Nell explains the Goddess of Chaos brings challenges to the world like Dungeon Masters to prevent stagnation. The God of War was evil and slain by other gods, but not before he created goblins and other monsters. Nell complains that August, the captain of the guard who dislikes adventurers, refuses to send knights to assist them and wants Amanda, the guild's ace, to return from her journey. The next day, Garrus gives Teacher his completed scabbard and Fran joins the party, led by Donadrond. The goblins ambush them at the dungeon entrance and kill most of the party. Fran kills several goblins and enters the dungeon. Inside, a goblin gloats that with the monster he just summoned, the Goblin Empire is invincible.
5	"The Feeble First Dungeon" Transliteration: "Danjon Debyū wa Musō Deshita" (Japanese: ダンジョンデビューは無双でした)	Yūri Kozukata	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	November 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)
Fran and Teacher decide to only kill and absorb crystals from goblins with useful skills and leave the rest to the others. They find the Goblin King and Queen, but kill them with one attack to their surprise. They realize the dungeon goes deeper and fight their way through a swarm of giant beetles. They enter a hidden door and find the Dungeon Master, an intelligent goblin who managed to summon a high level greater demon. The Dungeon Master boasts he will take over the world with his servant, but the demon warns his summoner not to give him orders and attacks Fran. He is much more powerful than any enemy she and Teacher have faced before and slices off Fran's hands, but Teacher quickly heals her. Meanwhile, the rest of the party cannot get past the door to help her. Teacher asks Fran to retreat, but she refuses and continues to fight the demon. The demon acknowledges that Fran's sword skills are superior to his, and then uses his special Skill Taker ability to steal her sword skills, boasting that she is doomed.
6	"The Greater Demon Cheated" Transliteration: "Gurētā Dēmon wa Chīto Deshita" (Japanese: 上級悪魔（グレーターデーモン）はチートでした)	Hiroki Ikeshita	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	November 9, 2022 (2022-11-09)
Skill Taker fails to work because Fran's sword skills are borrowed from Teacher. The Dungeon Master attempts to assist the demon, but he refuses his help. Teacher remembers a Dungeon Master's summons cannot survive without him and tells Fran to aim her attacks at him, forcing the demon to shield him. Fran hurls Teacher at the Dungeon Master, but when the demon tries to attack him, he unexpectedly changes direction and impales the demon instead, killing him. Teacher's blade breaks in the process, making Fran think he is dead before he reveals he can repair himself thanks to absorbing the demon's crystal. They kill the Dungeon Master, making the dungeon disappear. The rest of the party congratulates her, but Donadrond berates her for going off on her own and not waiting for them. Teacher soothes her by promising to make her curry, and reveals he gained Skill Taker, and uses his new experience levels to max Skill Taker and his sword skills. Klimt calls Fran and asks what happened to the demon's crystal, as it is a highly valuable material. Fran conceals the fact that Teacher absorbed it and says it just disappeared. Klimt believes her, but August barges into the office and obnoxiously calls her a liar.
7	"The Horrible Lieutenant of the Knights Brigade" Transliteration: "Kishidan Fuku Danchō wa Yana Yatsu Deshita" (Japanese: 騎士団副団長はヤな奴でした)	Kentarō Mizuno	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	November 16, 2022 (2022-11-16)
August, vice-captain of Alessa’s knights, uses his skill Falsehood to identify Fran’s lies. Teacher appraises August and finds he abuses his skills to falsely accuse commoners and charm his superiors. August demands all the dungeon loot as a fine for Fran lying to a noble, but Klimt refuses as the loot belongs to the adventurers. Teacher uses Skill-Taker to secretly steal August’s skills Falsehood and Etiquette, leaving him socially dysfunctional. Fran is promoted to D rank and becomes popular with her guild-mates. Fran discovers Etiquette has made her more charming. Teacher dreams of his reincarnation which included three beautiful women. Teacher makes Fran the curry he promised and other meals to keep preserved in his dimensional storage space for Fran to eat on long journeys. Fran hears a rumor that August socially embarrassed himself before royalty, angering his father Count Holmes. An insane August appears to Fran, balding and so filthy Fran mistakes him for a zombie. He accuses Fran of cursing him, ruining his life, and has hired an assassin to kill her. The assassin is revealed to be a Blue Cat, long time enemies of Black Cats like Fran. Elsewhere, a woman with pointed ears approaches Alessa.
8	"The Villainous Blue Cat" Transliteration: "Aoneko-zoku wa Kyūteki Deshita" (Japanese: 青猫族は仇敵でした)	Hiro Ōki	Takahiro Nagano	Hiro Ōki	November 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Fran reveals it was the Blue Cats who systematically made the Black Cats weaker and discriminated against them over centuries. The Blue Cat, Gyuran, gleefully describes torturing and murdering Black Cats. Fran is afraid until Teacher reminds her she is not alone. Fran severs Gyuran's limbs and loots his sword, swearing that one day Black Cats will no longer fear Blue Cats, then severs his head. She considers killing August too, but is stopped by Klimt who has made a deal with August’s father; in exchange for a large fee to the guild, August will be placed under house arrest forever. The elven eared woman, A rank adventurer Amanda, appears and instantly falls in love with Fran’s cuteness, declaring herself Fran’s new mother, which Fran rejects. Amanda begins following Fran everywhere until she complains to Nell who reveals Amanda actually runs an orphanage, earning the title Guardian of Children, despite seeming a creepy stalker. Klimt offers Fran 5 high level monster crystals if she will join adventurers investigating a spider monster nest in an already defeated dungeon. Fran accepts and also receives permission to investigate another active dungeon near Ulmutt village. Teacher absorbs the crystals to level up again, but Fran is despondent when Amanda insists on joining the quest as well.
9	"The Monstrous Rank A Adventurer" Transliteration: "Ranku Ē Bōkensha wa Bakemono Deshita" (Japanese: ランクA冒険者はバケモノでした)	Takeshi Nishino	Takahiro Nagano	Takeshi Nishino	November 30, 2022 (2022-11-30)
Fran learns that defeating the spiders is also a promotion exam for two E-rank teams, Dragon's Roar and Forest Eyes, overseen by the examiners Cruise, Rig and Eizelle. Krad, leader of Dragon's Roar, who doesn't like the idea of women joining them, accuses Fran of manipulating Klimt into promoting her unfairly, but his bullying is constantly stopped by Amanda. He later challenges her to a duel to prove she earned her promotion, so she uses the flat of Teacher's blade to beat him up. Intrigued, Amanda asks to duel as well, wagering Fran must call her Mama if she loses while Fran wagers that if she wins, Amanda will leave her alone. After a short difficult fight, Fran is defeated, but not before managing to land one hit on Amanda. Amanda is unharmed due to one of her defensive skills, but is impressed Fran is the first person in years to come close to hurting her. Their actions having accidentally started some fires, but the party manages to put them out. Teacher is proud of Fran’s progress. Unconscious, Fran dreams of her mother. Upon awakening, she agrees to call Amanda Mama, but Amanda stops her as it is obvious Fran’s mother holds a special place in her heart, but she swears to always support Fran. Using Falsehood, Teacher detects Amanda’s every promise of motherly affection is sincere and she has truly earned her title Guardian of Children. Krad realizes Fran really is as strong as everyone claims. He also reveals that they all challenged Amanda, but also could not beat her. The next morning, everyone prepares to enter the dungeon.
10	"The Totally Unfair Spider Traps" Transliteration: "Kumo no Torappu wa Hansoku Deshita" (Japanese: 蜘蛛のトラップは反則でした)	Ayumu Uwano	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	December 7, 2022 (2022-12-07)
A sinister man approaches the dungeon while the party enters it. Amanda reveals that she lost several comrades to this dungeon in the past, leading her to care for their orphaned children. They battle booby traps, giant insects, and Trap Spiders while collecting their valuable silk. Amanda gives Fran combat and magic lessons while noting how unusual it is that Fran can use three elements. Upon learning about it, Fran and Teacher quickly master Thunder magic. Fran thanks Amanda by sharing curry, which no one has heard of and she finds delicious. Deeper in the dungeon, the Trap Spiders have evolved into Trick Spiders with deadlier venom and greater strength and speed. The party retreats, but two of Krad's friends, Bart and Victor, bump into Fran and they land on a teleport square. They are teleported away without their weapons, including Teacher, and land in front of the Trick Spider's ultimate evolved form, the massive Trickster Spider. As Amanda picks Teacher up and they search for them, Teacher cannot reach Fran with telepathy, while a now-powerless Fran panics and asks what she can do without Teacher.
11	"The Wolf Summoned Hither" Transliteration: "Shōkan Shitara Marō Deshita" (Japanese: 召喚したら魔狼でした)	Shigeru Ueda	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	December 14, 2022 (2022-12-14)
The Trickster Spider, which has the upper body of a woman, toys with Fran, Bart, and Victor by triggering booby traps on them. The party splits up to look for them while Amanda goes by herself. With little options, Teacher reveals he can speak and move to Amanda and summons an Onyx Wolf as a Familiar to try to find Fran. The wolf goes berserk due to excess mana and Amanda says Familiars have to be named. Teacher names it Jet and it calms down, evolves into the much larger Darkness Wolf, and follows Fran's scent. Fran, Bart, and Victor are incapacitated by poison darts and the Trickster Spider sends her spiderlings to devour them. Fran imagines herself as a helpless slave again, but a vision of Teacher inspires her to get up and fight back with her bare hands. Teacher, Jet, and Amanda arrive and blast the Trickster Spider, who retreats, then heals Fran. Fran is happy to meet Jet and they confess Teacher's secrets to Amanda, who is amazed. They heal Bart and Victor, who had passed out and don't know about Teacher, and go to the rendezvous point, but no one else is there. The Trickster Spider heals her wounds and screams, which they hear, then they see a large white bird appear in a flash of light.
12	"An Excited Fran Sets Off" Transliteration: "Tabidatsu Furan wa Wakuwaku Deshita" (Japanese: 旅立つフランはワクワクでした)	Kazunobu Shimizu	Takahiro Nagano	Shinji Ishihira	December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
The bird was Tarua, the familiar of a party member who leads the group to the others who are trapped by the Trickster Spider and her children. As they rescue them, Fran fights the Trickster Spider. Amanda remembers how she adopted a male and female Black Cat named Kinan and Flamia, but refused to teach them how to fight due to not wanting them to get hurt, which backfired when they tried to become adventurers anyway and got killed. Determined not to let Fran die, she annihilates the Trickster Spider, but angers Fran by destroying its crystal too. After clearing the dungeon, Klimt gives Fran permission to go to Ulmutt and she is promoted. Garrus gives Fran new armor; Teacher is angered that it exposes her belly, but he shows it protects her with a force field. Garrus says he is going to Ulmutt too, by a different route. As the guild bids Fran goodbye, she finally calls Amanda Mama, causing her to realize Fran is Kinan and Flamia's daughter. Klimt discusses with his nephew, Tarua's owner, how August's father hired someone to give the spiders evolution potions. Tarua judges Fran has good character and is not a spy despite her unusual strength. Fran surfs through the sky on Teacher and approaches a floating island, only for them to get knocked down and crash-land in a building on the island where they are confronted by the necromancer Jean du Vix.

Reception

Reincarnated as a Sword has received generally positive reviews from critics. Theron Martin of Anime News Network, in his review of the first volume of the light novel, praised the interactions between the two lead characters, and said: "Beyond the action scenes, Tanaka's writing skill is a little above average. Dialogue and character development flows smoothly and world-building, though somewhat limited, does fit with the perspective of the central characters." However, he criticized the story's lack of originality, noting its similarities to So I'm a Spider, So What?, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon.

See also

• Mushi-Uta, another light novel series illustrated by the same illustrator
• Oreshura, another light novel series illustrated by the same illustrator
• Unbreakable Machine-Doll, another light novel series illustrated by the same illustrator

External links

• Web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
• Official light novel site (in Japanese)
• Official manga site (in Japanese)
• Official spin-off manga site (in Japanese)
• Official anime website (in Japanese)
• Reincarnated as a Sword (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia