Warning: SPOILERS for The Game Devil chapter 1A new manga on Shonen Jump's online-only spin-off publication is doing Isekai the right way by giving it a fresh new perspective, which has been a scarcity as of late. Called The Game Devil, this new series might ironically be Shueisha's first foray into the popular Isekai genre, or the first in a long time, when essentially every other series in any other manga publisher's catalog is Isekai.
On the surface, what makes The Game Devil so unique is that it inverts the Isekai trope whereby characters are either transported into another world or inside a game - usually an RPG. But other series have accomplished this like the manhwa Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint where the contents of a webnovel are brought to the human world. What's fun about The Game Devil is that the eponymous game is 8-bit. So when the monsters and non-playable characters (NPCs) enter the human world, mangaka Kakunoshin Futsuzawa expertly juxtaposes these pixelated creations with his normal drawings in what turns out to be a pleasantly nostalgic visual experience.
But the true standout quality of The Game Devil is the main character Roku Tadano's relation with a specific player in the game. Roku, an aspiring mangaka who's stuck being another mangaka's assistant, came up with The Game Devil's storyline, but a childhood friend stole his idea to create what turns out to be a hit video game. The problem is that the game incorporates Roku's beloved hero, the Black Knight, a character who Roku views as his ideal protagonist and the only hero he's ever wanted to write about and draw in a manga. But because the Black Knight is part of such a popular game, his manga version of the Black Knight is always perceived as a rip-off when it's actually his original character. So as Roku struggles with this injustice, the actual Black Knight comes to defend him when the contents of The Game Devil attack humanity in real life.
The Protagonist Is No Longer The Gaming Hero
This is an incredible development that feels more authentic than just the fact that The Game Devil inverts the escapism aspect of Isekai. Usually, whenever the main character gets Isekai'd into a game, the protagonist becomes the gaming hero or is granted a major cheat. But here, Roku forms a real relationship with the actual hero from the game. What's so special about this is that, by first appearing in the real world just to save Roku, the Black Knight finally gives Roku the recognition he's always desired. Roku has always wanted to be recognized for creating the Black Knight and the world of The Game Devil. Instead, he gains validation from the Black Knight himself, a character he cares about so much that he's willing to put his dream of becoming a mangaka at risk if he isn't allowed to create a manga about him. This type of dynamic is akin to the hero of a manga gaining the power of another when they themselves aren't special. By the Black Knight, a hero everyone in Japan knows about, choosing to protect him, Roku is in turn special by default.
Of course, future chapters of The Game Devil could reveal that the Black Knight came to protect Roku for a completely different reason, but it is heartening that the Black Knight actually calls Roku by name, creating the impression that he's aware Roku created him. That, or the Black Knight just feels drawn to him for a reason unbeknownst to him. Hopefully, The Game Devil mangaka Kakunoshin Futsuzawa stays with this dynamic, since the shonen Jump series is unique and incredibly intriguing, unlike most Isekai.