If you’re tired of stories where the female lead gets transported into a romance novel as the villainess, I’m happy to report that "Kill the Villainess" gives this common trope a refreshing spin that you won’t expect at first. Instead of the protagonist seeking revenge or a new life of luxury, Eris Miserian is singularly focused on one goal: escape and return home. Since waking up in the body of the novel’s villainess, Eris has been living in misery, unable to die and return to her family due to the story’s strict Laws of Causality, which constantly rewrite her attempts to alter the plot. The only supposed way out is to complete her tragic role, but Eris is determined to find her own path, even if it means initially targeting the story’s female protagonist, Helena.
Kill the Villainess: A Refreshing Spin on the Villainess Trope
If you’re tired of stories where the female lead gets transported into a romance novel as the villainess, I’m happy to report that "Kill the Villainess" gives this common trope a refreshing spin that you won’t expect at first. Instead of the protagonist seeking revenge or a new life of luxury, Eris Miserian is singularly focused on one goal: escape and return home. Since waking up in the body of the novel’s villainess, Eris has been living in misery, unable to die and return to her family due to the story’s strict Laws of Causality, which constantly rewrite her attempts to alter the plot. The only supposed way out is to complete her tragic role, but Eris is determined to find her own path, even if it means initially targeting the story’s female protagonist, Helena.
Kill the Villainess: A Unique Deconstruction of the Trope
What makes "Kill the Villainess" a must-read is its effective deconstruction of the popular transmigration genre. Most similar webtoons quickly move past the idea of the character missing their original life, but here, Eris's longing for her old world and family is the story's core. She desperately misses her home, even with its prior complexities like parental neglect, proving that a flawed reality is still preferable to a fictional prison.
Kill the Villainess: Rich Characterization and Purposeful World-Building
While the world-building is intentionally simple—lacking overly elaborate magical systems or political histories—this serves a crucial purpose: it allows the narrative to intensely focus on the characters and their personal struggles. Almost every single character in Kill the Villainess is important and has a significant, well-defined role. The side characters aren't just props; their actions directly impact Eris's journey, whether they are allies like Anakhin, victims like Helena, or sources of conflict like the morally bankrupt suitors. This rich characterization is key to the story's emotional depth and thematic power.
Characters of Kill the Villainess
Eris Miserian
The main protagonist, a modern person transmigrated into the body of the novel's tragic villainess. She is the Lady of the Duchy of Miserian.
Anakhin
Eris's loyal and devoted knight.
Emma
Eris's devoted maid.
Medea
A witch Eris seeks out for help in her quest to escape the novel world.
Helena
The kind, beautiful heroine of the original romance novel.
Crown Prince Alecto
Eris's former fiancé and the main male lead of the original novel.
Father Hubris
A High Priest in love with Helena.
Jason
A devoted knight (sometimes referred to as the Hero/Dragon Slayer).
Eris's Father (Duke Miserian)
A neglectful and selfish father.
The Empress
The Emperor’s wife and the Crown Prince’s mother.
The Emperor
The ruler of the empire and the father of the Crown Prince, Alecto.
Kill the Villainess: The Depth of Female Relationships and Agency
Something interesting about Kill the Villainess is that the main protagonist, Eris, establishes a relationship with the heroine, Helena. This relationship is not simplistic in any way. In the beginning, Eris believes she’s only helping her because she will essentially be her replacement. However, little by little, Eris starts to notice how Helena herself is a victim of both classism and patriarchy, a system that has robbed her of all her agency. Many relationships in this story are worth writing about, but the way Eris went from disliking Helena, due to her compliant personality, to being unwilling to hurt her speaks volumes about the real person inside Eris.
Kill the Villainess: The Suitors and Their Flaws
Within the story, there are many suitors who are supposed to be after Helena, including Crown Prince Alecto, Jason, and Hubris. But the more you get to know them and their personal motivations, the more you dislike them. Their pursuit was never truly about Helena or Eris; it was purely about themselves. Each of them ultimately wants to possess people they can't have—a desire rooted in their self-centeredness, often stemming from their tragic pasts.
Kill the Villainess: In Defense of Anakhin
I've seen some people not like this character for a multitude of reasons, but besides his name—which I think is a bit silly—I feel like Anakhin compliments our main protagonist in a way no other character could have. First of all, Anakhin is supposed to be a background character, not a male lead. His motivations and purpose all revolve around helping his 'master' achieve her goal, which is to return home, and so he makes decisions based on that alone. If anything, Anakhin is the most selfless character in the series because the only thing he wants is to make Eris happy. Do you think that if Eris had ended up with any of the other main leads, they would have allowed her to escape their world? Because I don't. They would have made her struggles about themselves and then twisted the situation to keep her wherever they wanted.
Kill the Villainess: Anakhin's Conflict of Need vs. Want
Furthermore, we know Anakhin had a rough childhood where he wasn’t able to want things, because if he wanted something, he would then feel afraid it would be taken away from him. That is Anakhin’s core conflict throughout the story: what he needs versus what he wants. Although he would want many things, he prioritizes what he needs, what’s more practical, and what fulfills his role as a “servant.” Anakhin wasn’t overly emotional or overly anything because our focus didn’t need to be on him or the romance at all, but on Eris and her journey. If she found someone willing to help her along the way, that’s just a bonus considering the situations our main protagonist was in.
Kill the Villainess: Dress to Impress
Kill the Villainess is a well-drawn piece with recognizable character designs, but most of my praise goes toward the clothing because it was just so detailed at times. The beautiful eyes and intricate outfits of both Eris and Helena truly draw your attention to them.
Kill the Villainess: A Tale of Despair and Wholesomeness
Ultimately, while I admit I was hesitant to read Kill the Villainess due to its content upon first glance, I'm genuinely glad this story proved to be far more complex and compelling than many others in the genre. This isn't a superficial fantasy; it's a deep dive into a tale where despair is abundant, yet essential specks of wholesomeness and humanity constantly alleviate some of that wretchedness along the way.
The narrative successfully elevates the standard "isekai villainess" plot by focusing on the raw, difficult reality of Eris’s predicament, which makes her desperation profoundly relatable. Crucially, the story focuses on and treats women's stories with the respect they deserve. It moves beyond standard romantic goals to explore themes of agency, powerlessness, and emotional survival. By giving Eris, Helena, and even the Empress complex, internal lives, the story creates something truly special that grants these female voices the volume and relevancy they need, ensuring their experiences—and their desperate fight for self-determination—feel meaningful.
