Hero Syndrome, Vol. 1

勇者症候群 (Novel) #1

by Rei Ayatsuki, Riichu (artist), Gekidan Inu Curry (Doroinu) (artist)

Heroes bristle with the power that can protect and save everyone, and these young men and women battle monsters in their dreams, doing their glorious Goddess’s bidding. …Never realizing that the monsters they fight are actually humans. Infested by the mysterious being known simply as the Goddess and transformed into unthinking creatures of havoc and slaughter, these heroes of destruction wage an endless war of blind justice. Only Charon, an elite unit led by a young man known as Azuma, stand a chance against these terrifying enemies. So what might happen when a young scientist named Kaguya who joins their ranks wants to save the heroes rather than defeat them...?

248 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2023

Reviews

[Rebecca]

3.5 rounded up.

This is probably my favorite genre-savvy take on the "hero" and "isekai" trends in light novels - in this series, a so-called goddess gets into the minds of dying children and turns them into "heroes" by letting them think they're living in their dream world, but they're actually causing massive death and destruction in reality. Only people under the age of twenty can see the heroes, and so it's up to them to stop them. It's cruel but in a way that doesn't feel excessive, and even as I recognized its schlocky elements, I had a hard time putting it down.

CW: suicide, death of children