Introducing Maiden in Disguise: New Game!

*Bzzt Bzzt!*

Armin here with exciting news!

It may have taken much longer than its creators may have intended but the very first entry in the new Maiden in Disguise universe is finished and up for sale.

I also have it on good authority that fans of Hardcore Leveling Warrior, Solo Leveling, Sword Art Online, will find this fresh take on gender bender isekai manga quite enjoyable.

Let me tell you all about it!

What is Gender Bender?

For those of you who are new to the Realms that contain anime and all its various tropes (Generally, Realms Athus 5 through 14), “gender bender” — though it does roll off the tongue oh-so-easily — may be a little bit of a strange concept.

Basically, gender bender manga are stories where the main character switches gender! Sometimes it’s accidental, like when being reincarnated into a different world after being hit by a truck (why is it always a truck?). Or, it’s a misunderstanding, like when other characters don’t realize their friend’s outward appearance doesn’t match who they actually are.

As you might expect, this genre tends to be fun, light-hearted, and full of the good-natured, slice of life shenanigans that arise from the delightfully awkward situations of all involved. And, more often than not, they lead to some very wholesome romance! (*wink wink*)

What is Isekai?

Oh yes! While we’re at it — What in Eotera is this “Isekai”? Thankfully, Isekai exists not just in your Realm of Athus 8, but on Athus 12, too! Oddly enough. Ah, here I go again, digressing, as usual.

Anway, “Isekai” comes from Athus 8’s Terran Japanese word 異世界 which means “different world, parallel universe, or alternate dimension.” And yes, it is pronounced exactly as we’ve been saying in Terran English.

Isekai manga is an extremely broad genre that often goes hand-in-hand (or, tentacle-in-tentacle; we don’t discriminate here) with quite a few others — like adventure, harem, combat, and horror. Whether it’s reincarnation via an automobile induced demise, getting trapped in an online video game, or stepping through a closet that’s a portal to a land ruled by a divine lion, you’ll find realities unlike your own just tantalizing you to get lost in them.

It’s no wonder isekai graphic novels are some of the most popular stories in existence at the moment! If you haven’t read one yet, it’s about time you did.

Maiden in Disguise — Gender Bender Isekai Manga with TWO Stories in One!

Maiden in Disguise: New Game is not your typical graphic novel!

Without giving anything away, perhaps the most unique thing about our favorite new story is how the main plot follows the adventures of two completely different characters in two completely different worlds, but who are still essentially the same person.

And best of all?

There are quite a few other things that are different about Maiden in Disguise.

A Manga with a Surprising Twist . . . with a twist!

Right from the beginning, Maiden in Disguise gets its first twist right out of the way. It’s no secret that the world-famous icon Elrynd Aggronar, the strongest character in the most highly watched and played VRMMORPG on Eotera (Luminarion: Legend of Worlds), is actually played by an individual named Elianna Adelaide.

After deciding to reveal herself to the world after years of hiding behind her enigmatic digital alter-ego, her debut into the spotlight of the real world of her reality leads to some unforeseen consequences. Especially as shadowy forces in both worlds conspire to potentially nefarious ends.

And, unbeknownst to her, perhaps she wasn’t very clear to the public on exactly who she really is . . .

Weak MC vs. Overpowered MC

Isekai manga stories generally follow one of two tropes:

1. Either the Main Character (MC) is overpowered from the get-go, easily accomplishing all their aspirations and cutting through swathes of enemies with barely any effort from day one.
2. Or, they start off extremely weak and have to fight tooth-and-nail (or, fang-and-claw; we don’t discriminate here) to get to their overpowered state by the end of the story. This can be more thematically satisfying than the latter, but can end up feeling anticlimactic as the MC easily overcomes their final obstacle because, well, they’re overpowered by then.

However, Maiden in Disguise: New Game asks:

“Why not both?”

Elianna Adelaide and Elrynd Aggronar are polar opposites. One is weak in her world and the other is strong in his. But, is that really all there is?

That’s the fun of a story! You’ll just have to read to find out.

Besides, as far as we’re aware, this is the only gender bender isekai manga out there that has the main character constantly living life on both ends of the gender spectrum.

How is the Maiden in Disguise manga similar to Hardcore Leveling Warrior?

In the Webtoon Hardcore Leveling Warrior, Ethan Gong is a downtrodden and luckless individual in the real world who is best known in the game Lucid Adventure as the cocky and invincible character of the same name as the story. As Hardcore Leveling Warrior, he stands peerless above all, snickering with his ever-present sneer at all beneath him, until an unfortunate event sends him straight back to level 1.

Maiden in Disguise draws a lot of inspiration from this popular Webtoon, what with how Elrynd also shows no mercy to the noobs who seek to dethrone him from his #1 spot and there being a simultaneous game/real world story. Elrynd and Ethan would probably make for good friends, except, you know, they wouldn’t.

However, in Hardcore Leveling Warrior’s Lucid Adventure game, all characters stay consistently unilateral in their gender across both worlds. Plus, while the game is exceedingly popular, its in-world events aren’t exactly widely observed by the outside world.

Plus, Maiden in Disguise: New Game aims to be considerably less dark than Hardcore Leveling Warrior can get at times, while still preserving tons of awesome action scenes (or so I’ve been told).

How is the Maiden in Disguise manga similar to Solo Leveling?

The overpowered MC trope is best experienced only after witnessing how that character reached that peak after tons of hardship and suffering. And Solo Leveling’s Sung Jinwoo is one of the best characters to enjoy that adventure, as he goes from the weakest E-rank Hunter barely clearing Gates to the planet-decimating OP MC that makes even Nation Ranked Hunters quiver in fear.

Unfortunately, once Sung Jinwoo reaches a certain level of power, he quickly becomes too powerful and basically all of his battles become, in a word . . . boring. Oh, don’t get us wrong. The fights are exciting, beautifully drawn, and Sun Jinwoo is hotter than any man has the right to be, but combat manga loses a certain amount of thrill when battles are extremely one-sided. No matter how gorgeous the fight scenes are illustrated.

Maiden in Disguise: New Game aims to be a gender bender manga with OP MC that is never quite that OP, if you catch my drift.

Luminarion: Legend of Worlds, the MMORPG game in Maiden in Disguise is one in which even the most powerful of characters (*cough* Elrynd *cough*) are ever invincible. And, a little cleverness by even some of the weakest of players can go a long way.

How is the Maiden in Disguise manga similar to Sword Art Online?

Sword Art Online (SAO) is arguably not an isekai — depending who you talk to — yet it’s the anime that largely popularized the genre in the modern Athus 8 Realm. And, it’s also the one that made the concept of being stuck in a video game world or reincarnated into one super vogue (sorry, .hack//Sign).

If you don’t already know, the Sword Art Online story follows Kazuto Kirigaya, AKA Kirito, as he logs into the game synonymous with the anime’s name. Shortly after many other players log in, they quickly learn from the game’s enigmatic creator that they are now stuck in the world of Aincrad until the final level of the game is beaten. And, of course, that they’ll die in the real world if they are killed in the game world, or if they are disconnected from the game for any reason.

It gets pretty heavy sometimes, for sure.

Maiden in Disguise has definitely got the like-real-life VRMMORPG thing. And while both stories do an excellent job of blending the separate lives of the characters in each of the worlds together, Maiden in Disguise does its best to be much less traumatic, while still maintaining high stakes via other means.

Plus, Elrynd Aggronar is, in our completely biased opinion, much more of a convincing badass character than Kirito. Sad, black-haired loners need to move aside for the cocky and jacked dragonman about to take over!

Where to buy Maiden in Disguise: New Game

If you’re looking for a new gender bender isekai manga to read, you’ll definitely find lots of enjoyable tropes being satisfied with just the right amount of unexpected subversions.

Our professional recommendation on where to get Maiden in Disguise: New Game on Realm Athus 8? (That’s where your Earth is, if you’ve forgotten where you exist in the Vast Realms of the Multiverse).

You can buy the book here:

https://promos.eotera.com/

However, you’re not quite ready to buy the actual book yet, you can read the manga as it becomes available for free on our Manga Page.