The Eminence in Shadow

## The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden

***The Eminence in Shadow*** (Japanese: 陰の実力者になりたくて!, Hepburn: Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Tōzai. It began serialization online in May 2018 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Enterbrain, who has published the series since November 2018.

A manga adaptation with art by Anri Sakano has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's *Seinen* manga magazine *Comp Ace* since December 2018. A spin-off manga by Seta U titled *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden* (陰の実力者になりたくて！ しゃどーがいでん, "The Eminence in Shadow! Shadow Side Story") was also serialized via *Comp Ace* from July 2019 to September 2023. Both the light novel and main manga have been licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation produced by Nexus aired from October 2022 to February 2023. A second season aired from October to December 2023.

## Synopsis

Shadowbrokers are those who go unnoticed, posing as unremarkable people, when in truth, they control everything from behind the scenes. Sid wants to be someone just like that more than anything, and something as insignificant as boring reality isn't going to get in his way! He trains in secret every single night, preparing for his eventual rise to power—only to be denied his destiny by a run-of-the-mill (yet deadly) traffic accident. But when he wakes up in another world and suddenly finds himself at the head of an actual secret organization doing battle with evil in the shadows, he'll finally get a chance to act out all of his delusional fantasies!

(Source: Yen Press)

## List of Published Books

### *Light Novel*

The series is written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Tōzai. It began serialization online in May 2018 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was acquired by Enterbrain in November 2018, who have published six volumes. Yen Press licensed the series for English publication.

LN Vol. 1LN Vol. 2LN Vol. 3LN Vol. 4LN Vol. 5LN Vol. 6
### *Manga*

A manga adaptation with art by Anri Sakano began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's *seinen* manga magazine *Comp Ace* on December 26, 2018. It has been collected in twelve *tankōbon* volumes. Yen Press also licensed the manga adaptation.

Manga Vol. 1Manga Vol. 2Manga Vol. 3Manga Vol. 4Manga Vol. 5Manga Vol. 6Manga Vol. 7Manga Vol. 8Manga Vol. 9Manga Vol. 10Manga Vol. 11Manga Vol. 12

#### Spin-Off

A spin-off manga by Seta U titled *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden* (陰の実力者になりたくて！ しゃどーがいでん, "The Eminence in Shadow! Shadow Side Story") was also serialized via *Comp Ace* from July 26, 2019, to September 26, 2023. It has been collected in six *tankōbon* volumes.

Manga Vol. 1Manga Vol. 2Manga Vol. 3Manga Vol. 4Manga Vol. 5Manga Vol. 6
## Character

### Aliases:

* Cid Kagenou [シド・カゲノー] *(True Name)*
* Mundane Mann
* John Smith
* Jack The Ripper

### Nickname:

* Minoru Kageno *(Previous Life)*
* The Black Knight
* Fancy Bandit Slayer
* The Warlock/Demon-Shadow *(by Midgar)*
* Fancy Hoodlum Slayer
* Ski Mask Berserker
* Suzuki Hope

### Affiliation:

* Shadow Garden
* Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy
* Mitsugoshi Company

### Allied:

* Seven Shadow
* Aurora *(Acquaintance)*
* Yukime *(Acquaintance)*
* Crimson *(Acquaintance)*

## 「Biographical Information」

### Traits:

Reincarnated, Vigilante, Anti-Villain, Chunnibyo

### Relatives:

**Pre-Reincarnation**:* Unnamed Previous Father *(Presumably safe in America)*
* Unnamed Previous Mother *(Presumably safe in America)*
* John *(Past-life's pet dog)*

**Post-Reincarnation**:

* Mr. Kagenou *(Father)*
* Mrs. Kagenou *(Mother)*
* Claire Kagenou *(Older Sister)*
* Alexia Midgar *(Fake ex-Girlfriend)*

### Occupation:

* Leader of Shadow Garden
* Student of Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy
* Student of Sakurazaka High School *(Former)*

### Like:

Money, Crowbar, Hunting Bandits, and becoming Eminence of shadow

## 「Physical Description」

### Eye Color:

* Black
* Red *(Shadow/Overdrive)*

## 「Voice Actor」

### Japan VA:

* Kentarō Kumagai *(Commercial)*
* Seiichirō Yamashita *(Anime)*
* Hikaru Midorikawa *(Mundane Mann)*
* Jun Fukuyama *(John Smith)*

### English VA:

* Adam Gibbs *(Anime)*
* Joe Daniels *(Mundane Mann)*

After a tragic accident involving a truck, Minoru Kageno, a high-school student obsessed with becoming a mastermind who orchestrates grand schemes to control every event from behind the scenes and exerts enormous power as a third faction to both the protagonists and the antagonists, finds himself reincarnated in a world where magic exists. In this new fantasy world, he has been reborn as "Cid Kagenou," the son of a lesser noble family/a rural baron governing a territory, utilizing the potent magical powers gained from his rebirth to discreetly lead the Shadow Garden—an organization he founded to operate in the shadows and combat the Cult of Diablos (ディアボロス教団, Diaborosu Kyōdan). Intriguingly, Kageno dismisses both organizations as imaginary, viewing their participants as mere role-players.

Despite his inclination to assume the role of a "mob" character and seamlessly blend into the background by acting as mediocre, cowardly, weak, and scummy as possible, Kageno grapples with chūnibyō tendencies, shaping his actions based on what he believes would appear the most flashy and impressive, making him look the coolest. When he is in his mob role, he purposefully engages in utterly shameless acts like soiling his pants, needing to relieve himself outside, snatching food from a princess's plate, and acting as a pet dog for the princess in exchange for money. He does all this out of obsession so people will think of him as a dogshit of a human being, and no one will consider him a person or pay him any attention. Eventually, people will forget him, making him hardly recognizable or memorable to anyone.

When he dons his Shadow persona, he tries to appear as the coolest, sublimely good-looking, and hottest as possible, which is in stark contrast to his mob persona during the play of that role, where he tries to be as mediocre and forgettable as possible. This is the main reason he has been so successful in fooling his family, his fake mob friends, classmates, cultists, and common people alike in the first place, as both of his personas are so contrasting that they make him look like two completely different people cut from two different cloths.

Moreover, with the other personas rather than the mob ones he tries to portray, he puts full dedication into acting completely differently, even changing his voice, mannerisms, gaits, postures, and the use of elements such as the pattern, wavelength, and manner of magic. This causes other people not to associate his shadow persona with that persona in action at that moment, such as John Smith or Jack the Ripper. Only persons who know him well, like Alpha, can see through his disguise.

He looks at things in two categories: things that he likes and things that he dislikes, and among them, he further divides the things into significant and insignificant. Also, he categorizes his friends into two categories: fake friends that he needs as tools to further solidify his mob status and real friends who go along with his antics like his Shadow Garden friends. Dedicated to surpassing the capacity of the firepower of a nuclear bomb, he staunchly holds that there is no pinnacle in power. Guided by his recent motto of advocating perpetual self-improvement, Kageno dedicates himself to continuous training with extreme means with the ultimate objective of achieving immortality.

Beneath his outwardly absent-minded demeanor, Kageno is a combat savant boasting remarkable battle prowess, a talent for controlling magical energy, and a creative problem-solving approach in ferocious battles. Despite his intelligence and deductive abilities, he easily succumbs to boredom unless engaged in activities associated with his eminence in shadow. Currently immersed in his Mob persona where he assumes the bottom tier of a student at the Midgar Royal Sword Academy, Kageno aspires to cast it aside, ultimately striving to become a fully-fledged eminence in the shadow upon the accomplishment of his ambitious goals.

Kagenou is a perfectionist; in both his past and current life, he has dedicated immense effort to training, a level of dedication that can only be described as absolute madness. Despite possessing extraordinary talents, as confirmed by numerous adversaries throughout the series, he does not believe in relying on talent alone. Instead, he places exclusive emphasis on rigorous training to perfect his skills. Kagenou exhibits remarkable proficiency in weaponry, magic control, martial arts, battlefield manipulation, deduction, and even research and development, creating items and methods such as slime suits, slime swords, overdrive, I am Atomic, possession, and magic overload healing. His training regimen is so intense that he remains unsatisfied, continually striving for perfection even in areas where he may lack by the slightest margin.

He never had a mentor or any formal training from a school or dojo. All his achievements are the result of his unwavering, assiduous hard work. He attained them solely through self-learning while conducting independent research, keeping his capabilities and activities discreet. Whether in martial arts, swordsmanship, magic, combat and battle strategy, deduction, research and development, product development, knowledge, or wisdom, he pursued excellence through his own efforts.

From his previous life to his reincarnation, Cid refuses to mature or grow up; essentially, he remains a child trapped in a teen's body. According to his own admission, he has discarded everything commonly perceived as typical, such as having friends, acquiring lovers, getting spouses, and obtaining jobs. He has cast away and continues to cast away things like love or any interest in women or sex, all for the sole purpose of realizing his dream. Actually, he has absolute zero interest in anything other than his dream. He shows no interest even when fully naked unassailable beauties are in front of him, let alone trying to peek, gawk or get aroused, and doesn't eventually bother being naked in front of his friends like Alpha or Epsilon or other women that he finds very hard to tolerate like Alexia. He is willing to go to any length, even if it means turning against the entire world and having it as his enemy, solely for the sake of fulfilling his dream. Due to being shut in and a social recluse in both of his lives, he is very dense and lacks common sense of both worlds, and his entire perception and worldview are based on his experiences from fictions, manga, light novels, novels, literatures, fairy tales, lore, movies, and televisions, and he fails to understand emotions and situations miserably.

He is neither a good nor evil person; his motto is that it's okay to kill bad persons, and he refrains from killing innocents and the pitiable. In fact, in the WN, he was furious when he almost accidentally killed Millia and sought revenge by torturing Dom to death. He tries to reason away with emotion but feels empathy for the people he doesn't care if a million people die on the other side of the planet if it has nothing to do with him, but he will never do anything to cause even the slightest harm to the innocent like killing, robbing, or hurting them. He felt bad for Sherry Barnett and killed his evil adoptive father in the same manner as how he murdered Sherry's mother. He returned Marie's money and almost lost his composure when he found out that Queen Oriana was working with Dom to kill and betray Rose behind her back. He only kills bad guys like terrorists, bandits, and corrupt politicians or nobles, which, as the son of a baron, actually is his duty. Ironically, as a magic swordsman, if he uses his achievements in killing these people, he can achieve much higher ranks of nobility and claim a better position. He only collects the belongings of the bandits that he hunts, which is legal in that world, but he never collects the bounty for hunting them, as it will reveal his capability, power, and identity.

He only cares about and lives for fulfilling his different fantasies and reenacting various tropes. He believes that there are no real-world conspiracies that can take place in the world; therefore, he self-inserts himself into different plots and situations and tries to influence the plot of that story while acting as a mastermind. He doesn't have any big ambitions like achieving a higher form of nobility, conquering the world, or becoming as wealthy as possible. As long as he can earn enough money so that he can goof off without having to take a real job and meet the absolute minimum of his daily necessities, he is happy. He truly never cares about nobility even for a bit; rather, he prefers to be a commoner, as being a noble, even the lowest class, him will make him draw too much unnecessary attention, which for him is a hindrance from becoming the eminence in shadow.

He hasn't thought about anything for the future yet, other than just doing his eminence in shadow stuff and becoming a real one someday. Everyone, including his Shadow Garden followers and the people outside, is unsure about his true goal or purpose, as he never discloses this to anyone. In the counterfeit act, the main reason for his scheming is to finally become a real eminence in shadow, not just a makeshift one or one who pretends or tries to be and appears before his friends at the final hour with all the gold to save them and help them recover.

Moreover, he doesn't care about money or wealth that much, as his main intention is to be a master puppeteer who controls the economy from behind the scenes. Amidst the battle between Mitsugoshi and the MCA, he schemed behind the scenes to save his friends when the MCA ganged up on them. In the WN, he was wondering what kind of eminence of shadow he should be and needs to find his purpose. It's also interesting that the money he earns or collects, he never spends on luxury items, foods, or any extravagant items; he just saves them and buys items for his eminence in shadow collection.

It was mentioned in the game that he never intends to get into a relationship or dating, let alone getting married or having children. In truth, he doesn't want to take any responsibilities and prefers to live as carefree as possible without any worries while doing things that align with his eminence in the shadow activities other than that doing nothing even working or having a job; when nothing is interesting to his liking he just likes to ignore kind of stuff and laze and when something is interesting happening he wants to perform his eminence in the shadow activities which has different aspects sometimes it is detective, sometimes it is a fathomless power destroying everything at its wake and path, sometimes it is a mastermind, sometimes it is a genius inventor and sometimes it is a ruthless serial and spree killer, sometimes it is someone who knows everything and can predict and foresee everything.

As of the latest light novel volume, Cid Kagenou holds a massive influence, acknowledged and appointed as the ruler of Alexandria by the Mist Dragon. He is the supreme master, leader, undisputed ruler, and lord of the Shadow Garden, commanding the loyalty of 712+ followers ready to fulfill his every demand. Functioning as the economic controller, Cid's dominance extends over the entire Midgar Kingdom, as well as other kingdoms and empires through Mitsugoshi. Additionally, he serves as the master puppeteer, exerting control over the Lawless City through Yukime, the spirit fox. Furthermore, Cid plays a pivotal role in guiding and supporting Rose Oiana as the queen of the Thrones of the Oriana Kingdom while controlling her and her entire kingdom through Shadow Garden from behind the scenes. Ironically any of which is he yet to comprehend. The ironic fact of the series is that Cid never understands his influence. He consistently feels sadness, tremendous bitterness, sorrow, and disappointment because, even after all his efforts, he still cannot become the eminence in shadow. Due to immersing himself completely in his delusions and being detached from reality, he fails to grasp that the world already sees him as someone who holds massive influence.

Cid Kagenou (Game Ver.)Cid Kagenou (Anime Ver.)
### Wisdom Of the Shadows

> "*We all go through life amassing things we cherish. We acquire friends and lovers and jobs… and it keeps going from there. But on the other hand, I cut things out of my life.*"
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> ― **Cid Kagenō**
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He teaches "Seven Yin" the hazy knowledge and skills of Cid's previous life. He demonstrates it as his achievement ("a Godlike knowledge" according to Gamma). As a result, Beta (literature), Gamma (commerce), Epsilon (musician), and Eta (architecture) had a profound impact on the world, and "Shadow Gardens" became far more powerful in many areas, and the other worlds experienced rapid cultural development.

Cid himself is dissatisfied with this behavior of the betas and thinks that it is unfair to exclude him and make money from what he taught them and that it is unfair to make money from a whole bunch of pacifiers.

Incidentally, Cid was not happy that the source of this knowledge and his true identity would be exposed and was extremely distraught when Beta became involved in the situation (although he was upset and shaken, he tried to cover it up with his normal behavior, but in the end Beta showed a clear mind and high adaptability, and his unexpected behavior, which exceeded Cid's expectations, had an impact on the future of Cid and the rest of the world. In the end, Beta's clear thinking and highly adaptive behavior had an impact on the future of Cid and the rest of the world (And Cid doesn't know about it).

As an aside, because of this knowledge, they are seen by the Alphas as "beings of superior wisdom and wit that they cannot match," and are mistakenly believed to be skilled in various knowledge and wits. In reality, they are inferior to the "*Seven Shades*" except for Delta in terms of brains (the ideas themselves are superior to theirs due to the influence of thinking about the setting).

The truth is that Cid's useless and meaningful comments and actions, coincidental situations and events, and others' deep reading all combine to solve and break things down, and this knowledge, combined with the fact that he is "*a wise man who sees through everything*" (Cid is unaware of this).

### Abilities

> "*My name is Shadow: he who lurks in the shadows to hunt the shadows.*"
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> ― **Shadow**
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He has been working hard in his previous life and after his reincarnation to become a powerful figure in the shadows to the point of insanity, and he is proud of his ability that sets him apart from others in the work. His fighting style is unrivaled in all aspects, with a variety of means of combat, making him an extremely versatile fencer. He is capable of long-range attacks, which is extremely rare among the mages of this world, so he can fight all-rounders regardless of distance. In addition, he can immediately learn the superior fighting techniques of his opponents and incorporate them into his techniques.

* Manual combat using techniques from a previous life. As mentioned above, fighting techniques are not sophisticated in other worlds, and martial arts are even lower than swords. Cid is better at this than with a sword, and as mentioned above, martial arts techniques in other worlds are even less sophisticated than swords, so a comparison between martial arts would widen the gap even further.
* In addition, he can overpower his opponents whether they use weapons or not, because he is good at what he does. Cid is skilled not only in punching, kicking, and palm thrusting, but also in soft and hard techniques, such as parrying an opponent's attack and using it to throw the opponent.
* He also excels in attacks that target the opponent's vital points and wallets, and in defense by using his legs and bodywork to close the gap between opponents.

He trains his body efficiently based on his memories of his previous life, and further modifies his body itself using magic power (apart from strengthening his body with magic power) to make it suitable for handling magic power, and also modifies the underlying physical abilities (muscles, nerves, and skeletal structure) to improve his abilities, making him the strongest in the work. He is also a super short sleeper, using a unique sleeping method that combines super-recovery of magical power and meditation.

 ─ *Sword of Nature** It is his true swordsmanship, which Shadow originally handled. There are no preliminary movements, no killing intent, no hesitation, no force, just a natural swing.
* Therefore, the opponent cannot be aware of the attack, and it is extremely difficult to defend against it (with a little luck and intuition, it can be prevented).
* It is the "peak of swordsmanship" and the "realm of sword and Zen unity" in the abyss that no one can reach (he denies that there is such a thing as the peak of martial arts), and is the strongest sword technique of Shadow, which has no waste whatsoever and is one with nature.

> "*Once you decide where you're standing is the peak, you stop moving.*"
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> ― As **Shadow**, Light Novel Volume 05
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Through the aforementioned physical training and body modification, he surpasses even beastmen, who have physical abilities greater than those of humans. He is aware that no matter how much he trains or how much he strengthens his body with magic, he is inferior to Delta in the senses of smell and hearing.

* **Spinning Guard, Bloody Tornado:** After receiving an attack, the individual reels back in a spiral aerial course, trailing blood behind them. For added effect, add additional blood while on the ground. The blood is kept in containers and secretly opened during flight.
* **Ten-Minute Death, Heartbreak Mob:** Magic supplements standard blood and heart functions after a lethal attack. The body will appear dead to outside observers. As it induces cardiac arrest, it is dangerous and can spell disaster if done improperly.
* **Swiss-Cheese Dance, Bloody Marionette:** The technique creates the illusion of bullets perforating the body. It is achieved by grotesquely thrashing and letting out cries of pain. The generous use of fake blood completes the effect.
* **Technique 49 (No Official English Name)**: Slows down the perception of time by magically enhancing the body. It is used to cheat on tests to get average grades.
* -??-

In some areas, Cid's intelligence is above average, but in others, it is below average. He possesses exceptional fluid intelligence when fighting; as a combat savant, his calm analysis and tactical decisions support his methodical approach to combat; his astuteness has dissected enemy techniques and replicated them with refinements; in science and technology, Cid presents as a generalist, only displaying a surface comprehension of modern enlightenment, Shadow Wisdom. What he lacks in natural talent, he makes up for it with repeated trial and error for novel technologies—the discovery of slime conductivity was a major breakthrough—increasing his analytical mind for non-combat strategies or investigatory deductions.

Cid speaks a few different languages; he is fluent in Midgard's language and retains the Japanese language skills to his former life, which shows knowledge of hiragana, kanji, katakana, and romaji; he has a restricted repertoire of English words, but not adequate to be looked at fluent; Cid's social acumen arrives at the cost of his combat prowess since his interpersonal emotional intelligence is severely limited.
Cid's body has been remodeled with magic power to make it suitable for the use of magic power. While otherworldly people release magic power from their bodies as it is, in addition to the aforementioned physical modifications, they generate high magic power by compressing and exploding magic power in their bodies at high speeds, just like an internal combustion engine.

In addition to the physical modification with magic power that makes it easier for him to manipulate magic power, he also has extremely good control of magic power, which he has trained since he was a baby, and it is this control of magic power that enables him to completely break the spell of "demon possession. Cid believes that "the true value is not in the amount of magic power, but in the ability to control magic power. (Magic power loses control when it leaves the body, and overcoming this problem requires a great deal of precise magical power).

Cid can not only send magic slashes, but can also rain magic, create wind pressure that can be fine-tuned with magic power, create tremendous winds with his swordsmanship through magic power, and shoot magic bullets.

 *Shadow Marionette (WN)** A technique that releases magical power in the form of a black rose into the sky and strengthens others via petals that fall from the rose (those who touch the petals are bruised by the rose petals). The petals are touched, and after they are absorbed into the body, they are made into threads that stretch around the body. In this state, not only is the body strengthened, but it can also be remotely controlled by Cid, and even ordinary people who are not mages can acquire combat power that surpasses that of mages through Cid's manipulation and the strengthening of the petals.
 *Atomization (霧化)** This technique is based on a part of the "*demon possession*" technique used by Alpha and Zeta. In the film, he covers his entire body with slime and at the same time creates wind with his magical power, turning himself into a black mist to ride the wind and leave the scene (he can fly without using wind). (Even without using wind, the atomization allows for flight.) It is thought that the fog itself serves as a sensory organ, as it did for Alpha, the original user of the atomizer.
 *Temporal Things* (空蝉, Utsusemi)
* A technique copied from Fenrir's martial arts. It is an anomalous technique that creates an afterimage with magical power, and at the same time, it also extremely erases the presence of the target, so that the target can be hit (or evade) with a slash.
 *Slime Bullet** A long-range projectile attack by cutting a part of the slime body suit into thumb-sized pieces, rolling it up, and imbuing it with magical power, which fires it like a bullet (in the original story, it creates a small bow in its hand and fires it).
 *Magical Long-Range Slash** A technique that uses precise magic control and an enormous amount of magic power to fire a slash at a great distance. It is more powerful than Epsilon's, which has the same technology. Cid himself sometimes sends "I am Atomic" instead of the usual long-range slashes.
 *Steel Thread** A martial combat technique invented during John Smith's time in the series. The martial art technique allows the wielder to manipulate various kinds of steel threads, which are several times the number of fingers in each hand, at will and control the battlefield. It has a reach greater than that of a sword, so it is possible to fight while maintaining distance, and since dozens of threads are manipulated simultaneously, it is possible to predict movements, create wards, and set traps, making it highly versatile.

* Although there is no mention of it in the book version at this time, Cid's slime is a mixture of Cid's blood and several kinds of liquid slime, or human monsters' magical circuits, and is completely fused with Cid's out-of-the-box magical control, resulting in a top-class performance that surpasses that of artifacts ("The Diabolos Cult"). (It is unscathed even when it is seriously hit by more than 1,000 slashes by the 2nd Awakened of the "Diabolos Cult").
* Even if the above performance was removed in the book version, and the suit was a mass-produced version similar to that of the Garden members, it still shows a performance that sets it apart from the rest, even if only in the depictions that have already been drawn, coupled with his abilities. In particular, it is possible to use the suit even in a magical power-blocking situation, which would normally render it completely unusable.
 As the name suggests, this suit is made of slime. It is also called a "*Slime Suit*." It was developed before Sid established Shadow Garden, It is a standard offensive and defensive suit used by all members of the organization. As described below, the design is based on the wearer's own image, as it can be transformed. However, in most cases, it is a tight-fitting suit with a black base and gold decorations. Only the main character, Cid, wears a hooded cloak. Why don't the rest of the members do the same? You get the idea.
 In conclusion, it is fully compatible with armor, and even has offensive capabilities. It is lightweight, silent, assists with body movement, and has a proven defense capability. It is even comfortable to wear. The original slime is so durable that it can be recycled even if it is damaged. Even if the amount of slime in the fabric is reduced, it can be regenerated by applying magical power to it, making it inexhaustible.
* However, even if it is said to be inexhaustible, the caveat "as long as the magic power lasts" is added. It is also highly portable, and can be easily carried around in a small form, or even hidden inside another piece of clothing. Its greatest feature is its ability to change shape at will by channeling magical power.
* The shape, hardness, strength, and density can be instantly changed at will, allowing the user to create a sword or blade from any location. It is also possible to shred a part of the suit to create bullets or chains, or even to remotely control the suit from a distance after it has been shredded (of course, the reduced suit can be regenerated by replenishing the magic power).
* (Of course, the suit can be regenerated by replenishing its reduced magical power.)
* The most weakness of its performance is dependent on magic power. Depending on the wearer's ability to control magic power, the functions that can be used are limited, If the wearer runs out of magic power or is under a magic blockade, it will be completely unusable, with some exceptions.

> "*Do not forget. Strength is not power itself, but how you wield it.*"
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> ― **Shadow**, Playing Moonlight Sonata
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As a virtuoso pianist, It was the only lesson he continued to learn in his previous life, and although he only thought of himself as "skillful," he is a top-class technician by otherworldly standards. The reason why he was able to continue is typical of him: "It's not so bad as a shadowy, powerful performance. According to him", "manipulating magic power and playing the piano are similar in feeling". His favorite musical piece is *Sonata No.14, "Moonlight" in C-Sharp Minor, Op.21 No. 2: I. by Ludwig van Beethoven*. Although it began as a parentally forced activity on Earth, Cid grew partial to it and realized that there is much shadow broker potential. A secondary benefit is that it supplied an excuse for his absence from after-school activities.

As he reincarnated in the new world, Cid makes full theatrical use of this skill. He never misses an opportunity to play the piano if one is available to further his shadow broker persona, either as Cid or Shadow. As mentioned in the performer's section, in the animated version, he "changes his voice when he is in disguise. In reality, some people change their voices by moving their larynx up and down, but in Cid's case, it is assumed that in addition to this, his vocal cords are deformed by the application of physical modification.

* Fighting Scene Part2

Cid has proven to be an adept card player. The legitimacy of his present conduct has yet to be confirmed. Cid has hustled others in the past. He specified that he would respond to cheating by cheating. While debatable as an ability, Cid displays an implausible amount of luck. His contrived lore for the world has remarkable accuracy, and whim-based locational decisions coincide with significant events.

― **Shadow**

― **Shadow**, and '**Shadow Garden** Introduction
 "*And one man’s treasure is another man’s treasure.*"
― **Cid Kagenou**

― **Cid Kagenou**
 "*We always have and forever shall carve our own path.*"
― **Shadow**

― **Shadow**, Season 1, Episode 2: "Shadow Garden is Born"
 "*Even side characters have their battles to fight.*"
― **Shadow**, Light Novel Volume 01

― **Mundane Mann'**, Season 1 Episode 18 "Betting on a Moment"
 "*I will gladly accept the guilt of all crimes in the world, but it won’t change anything.*"
― **Shadow'**, Season 1 Episode 9 "The End of a Lie"

## Authors Note

Cid's character was actually developed on the basis of Author Daisuke Aizawa Sensei's own value and experience. The author used to be a chunnibyo, and he confirms that Cid is very intelligent who has self-deluded himself, and he constantly lies to himself to create an artificial reality, making him a highly delusional character who can't separate reality from his delusion.

## Ending Theme

### ED Composer:

Asami Seto

An anime television series adaptation was announced on the fourth volume of the light novel on February 26, 2021. The series is produced by Nexus and directed by Kazuya Nakanishi, with scripts written by Kanichi Katou, character designs by Makoto Iino, and music composed by Kenichiro Suehiro. It aired from October 5, 2022, to February 15, 2023, on AT-X and other networks. The opening theme song is "Highest" by OxT, while the ending theme song is "Darling in the Night" by Asami Seto, Inori Minase, Suzuko Mimori, Fairouz Ai, Hisako Kanemoto, Ayaka Asai, and Reina Kondō. The anime adapts volumes 1 and 2 of the light novel series.

* ***Staff** (SEASON 1)*
	+ Original Author - Daisuke Aizawa
	+ Character draft - Tozai
	+ Director - Kazuya Nakanishi
	+ Series composition - Kanichi Kato
	+ Character Design/Chief Animation Director - Makoto Iino
	+ Chief animation director - Yasuyuki Noda
	+ Art director/art setting - Lee Benseon
	+ Color design - Naoto Tanaka, Junko Okazaki
	+ Prop Design - Daichi Kitahara
	+ Director of Photography - Gaku Hirooka
	+ 3DCG Director - Toshiro Hamamura
	+ Edited by Kentaro Tsubone
	+ Sound Director - Hitoshi Akedagawa
	+ Sound effects - Iku Ueno
	+ Sound production - Magic Capsule
	+ Music - Kenichiro Suehiro
	+ Music production - KADOKAWA
	+ Music producer - Go Wakabayashi
	+ Producer - Norifumi Kikushima, Yuo Mizuguchi, Hiroto Utsunomiya, Hajime Maruyama, Shota Watase (1st season)
	+ Animation producer - Hiroshi Nakamura
	+ Animation production - Nexus
	+ Production - Shadow Garden

Sentai Filmworks licensed the series for a North American release, and Hidive will be streaming it. *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* was released on Blu-ray and DVD in four volumes from January 25, 2023, to April 26, 2023.

## Ending Theme

### ED Title:

* Polaris in the Night (eps 2 - 12)
* Everything is Changing (eps 7)
* Darling in the Night (eps 8)

### ED Composer:

* Lambda (CV: Ikumi Hasegawa) (eps 2,10)
* Nu (CV: Maaya Uchida) (eps 3,6)
* Chi (CV: Mayu Minami) (eps 4,9)
* Omega (CV: Ryouko Maekawa) (eps 5,11)
* Mayu Maeshima (eps 7)
* Shichikage (eps 8)

A second season was announced during a livestream on February 22, 2023, with the main staff returning from the previous season. It premiered on October 4, 2023, and will consist of 12 episodes. The opening theme song is "Grayscale Dominator" by OxT, while the ending theme song is "Polaris in the Night" by Ikumi Hasegawa, Maaya Uchida, Mayu Minami and Ryōko Maekawa.

* ***Staff** (SEASON 2)*
	+ Original Author - Daisuke Aizawa
	+ Character draft - Tozai
	+ Director - Kazuya Nakanishi
	+ Series composition - Kanichi Kato
	+ Character Design/Chief Animation Director - Makoto Iino
	+ Chief animation director - Yasuyuki Noda
	+ Art director/art setting - Lee Benseon
	+ Color design - Naoto Tanaka, Junko Okazaki
	+ Prop Design - Daichi Kitahara
	+ Director of Photography - Gaku Hirooka
	+ 3DCG Director - Toshiro Hamamura
	+ Edited by Kentaro Tsubone
	+ Sound Director - Hitoshi Akedagawa
	+ Sound effects - Iku Ueno
	+ Sound production - Magic Capsule
	+ Music - Kenichiro Suehiro
	+ Music production - KADOKAWA
	+ Music producer - Go Wakabayashi
	+ Producer - Norifumi Kikushima, Yuo Mizuguchi, Hiroto Utsunomiya, Hajime Maruyama, Aya Iizuka (2nd season)
	+ Animation producer - Hiroshi Nakamura
	+ Animation production - Nexus
	+ Production - Shadow Garden

Sentai Filmworks licensed the series for a North American release, and Hidive will be streaming it. *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! 2nd Season* was released on Blu-ray and DVD in three volumes from January 24, 2024, to March 27, 2024.

#### Film

An anime film, titled *The Eminence in Shadow: Lost Echoes* (劇場版 陰の実力者 になりたくて！残響編, *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!: Zankyō-hen*), was announced in December 2023.

## Games

A role-playing mobile game developed by Aiming, titled *The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden* (陰の実力者になりたくて！マスターオブガーデン, *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Masutā obu Gāden*) was released for Android, iOS, and Windows on November 29, 2022. Crunchyroll Games launched the game worldwide on Android and iOS on the same day. The Windows version launched worldwide on May 25, 2023, with support for cross-platform play and progression.

## Reception

By October 2022, the series had a cumulative total of 2 million copies in circulation; over 3.5 million copies in circulation by December 2022; over 4 million copies in circulation by February 2023; and over 5 million copies in circulation by September 2023.

The first Blu-ray volume sold 2,327 copies in its first week of debut; the second volume sold 2,499 copies in its first week.

## External Link

* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* ─ Web novel at Kakuyomu (in Japanese)
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* ─ Manga official website | Comp Ace
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow GAIDEN* ─ Manga official website | Comp Ace
* *TV Anime "Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! SEASON 1"* Official Website
* *TV Anime "Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! SEASON 2"* Official Website
* *TV Anime "Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!"* Official (@Shadowgarden\_PR) - Twitter X
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* *GAME* ─ Official Website **JP**
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* *GAME* ─ Official Website **EN**
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! GAME* Official (@ShadowgardenMoG) - Twitter X **JP**
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! GAME* Official (@emishadow\_rpg) - Twitter X **EN**
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* ─ Wikipedia **JP**
* *Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!* ─ Wikipedia **EN**

## See Also

* *Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement*, another light novel series illustrated by Tōzai