What if you were reborn as a sentient sword with an A.I.?
In short: After dying in a car accident, an unnamed man wakes up in another world. He has no memory of his name, but he is no longer human. Instead, he is a legendary, sentient sword equipped with a helpful A.I., searching for a warrior worthy of wielding him.
This premise drives the Japanese light novel series Reincarnated as a Sword, alternatively titled I Became the Sword by Transmigrating. After debuting as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō during October 2015, Micro Magazine released the series as a light novel in July 2016. The story centers on the protagonist, who discovers he can gain new abilities by killing various creatures, allowing him to evolve and eventually shapeshift into different types of weapons. The series is also known as Tenken. The original web novel was published on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website.
The protagonist's journey is defined by his partnership with Fran, a 12-year-old Black Cat girl who was sold into slavery after her parents were killed. After Fran uses the sword to kill a two-headed bear, she frees herself from slavery and names the sentient weapon "Teacher." Together, they embark on a quest to help Fran achieve a full evolution, a feat that no other Black Cat has ever accomplished. The duo's travels lead them to encounter various characters, including an Oni warrior who serves as an examiner. They also meet a half-elf who manages an orphanage and acts as a mentor to Fran.
The series has seen significant expansion across different media. A manga adaptation illustrated by Tomowo Maruyama has been published by Gentosha since December 2016, with a spin-off manga illustrated by Hinako Inoue released between June 2020 and December 2022. An anime television series produced by C2C aired from October to December 2022, with a second season scheduled to premiere in October 2026. Seven Seas Entertainment holds the North American licensing rights for both the light novels and the manga. The anime production was handled by the studio C2C.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Reincarnated as a Sword
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