I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! (俺は星間国家の悪徳領主！, Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryōshu!, lit.'I'm the Villainous Lord of an Interstellar Empire') is a Japanese light novel series written by Yomu Mishima and illustrated by Nadare Takamine. It began serialization as a web novel published on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in August 2018. It was later acquired by Overlap who began publishing it under their Overlap Bunko light novel imprint in July 2020. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kai Nadashima began serialization on Overlap's Comic Gardo manga website in May 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Quad premiered in April 2025.
Premise
A man has a horrible life due to his righteous and kind nature. He is also unfairly fired and blamed for things he did not do. A being known as the Guide offers to reincarnate him in a new world, so he may live as selfishly as he wishes. After the deal is made, the Guide is revealed to be evil, having amped up and manipulated everyone around him to make the man's life a living hell; even ruining his cheating wife's life as a coup de grace.
Things begin going haywire for the Guide, as the newly reborn Liam Banfield is living an incredibly good life as the Lord of his planet. His definition of evil is backwards to the new world and all his attempts to build his power to become a tyrant keep backfiring.
Characters
Liam Sera Banfield (リアム・セラ・バンフィールド, Riamu Sera Banfīrudo)
Having lived a miserable life being virtuous, Liam decides to be evil in this next life. However, a combination of his long-term plans to strengthen and develop his fiefdom, comparison against the often corrupt and indolent nobility of the Empire, and comedic happenstance, he ends up looking like a benevolent and just ruler. Even his desire for gold looks odd as it has relatively low monetary value in the new world compared to metals like mithril and adamantium.
An AI maid robot gifted to Liam on his fifth birthday by his mother, before she and her husband abandoned the Banfield domain for the Imperial Capital Planet.
Former "Princess Knight" of the Holy Kingdom of Rosebreyer, captured by Goaz's pirate gang and subjected to inhumane torture after the destruction of her home. She and other victims are rescued by Liam after defeating Goaz's fleet.
A malevolent emotion eater, who feeds on misery, despair, and other negative emotions. He made Liam's life hell by helping his cheating wife frame him for tons of things. Because Liam keeps on succeeding in the new world despite the Guide's best efforts to bring misery, Liam continues to hold the misapprehesion that the Guide is his benevolent guardian, with his feelings of gratitude hurting and starving the Guide.
A redhead who cheated on him and birthed her lover's daughter. To make matters worse, she used him to pay for everything and accumulated debt that she pushed on him; even getting him fired for embezzlement that someone else did. After the Guide decides to give her horrible luck, she spends the rest of her life in regret; the husband who was always there for her dead, she had nothing to live for.
Media
Light novel
Written by Yomu Mishima, I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing site Shōsetsuka ni Narō on August 15, 2018.[6] It was later acquired by Overlap who began publishing it with illustrations by Nadare Takamine under their Overlap Bunko light novel imprint on July 25, 2020. Ten volumes have been released as of March 2025.[7] The light novel is licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[8]
Its spin-off I'm the Hero Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! (あたしは星間国家の英雄騎士！, Atashi wa Seikan Kokka no Eiyū Kishi!) began serialization on Shōsetsuka ni Narō on November 16, 2021.[27] It also was later acquired by Overlap who began publishing it with illustrations also by Nadare Takamine under Overlap Bunko on December 25, 2022.[28] Four volumes have been released as of March 2025.[29] The spin-off is also licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[30]
A manga adaptation illustrated by Kai Nadashima began serialization on Overlap's Comic Gardo manga website on May 29, 2021.[37] The adaptation's chapters have been collected into eight volumes as of April 2025.[38] The manga adaptation is also licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[39]
For its spin-off I'm the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire!, a manga adaptation illustrated Jū Ishiguchi also began serialization on Comic Gardo on July 21, 2023.[53] The first tankōbon volume was published on December 25, 2023.[54] The spin-off manga is also licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[55]
An anime television series adaptation was announced during the "5th Overlap Bunko All-Star Roundup Special" livestream on October 20, 2024. It is produced by Quad and directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa, with scripts written by Katsuhiko Takayama, characters designed by Kazuya Morimae, and music composed by Yūsuke Seo and Shun Narita. The series premiered on April 6, 2025, on the Animazing!!! programming block on all ANN affiliates, including ABC and TV Asahi.[2][a] The opening theme song is "Uchū-teki Mystery" (宇宙的MYSTERY, Space-Like Mystery), performed by Saishū Mirai Shōjo, while the ending theme song is "Nantonaku" (なんとなく, Somehow), performed by Nagi Fujisaki.[5]Crunchyroll will stream the series.[60]Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[61]
In an alternate universe the evil Lord Liam Sera Banfield wins a mighty battle against his enemies. It is revealed in a past life he was a salaryman with a wife and daughter he loved dearly. However, his company forced him to work long hours for low pay. He also discovered his wife was having an affair, and that his daughter called the other man "papa". Things became worse when Liam discovered she was not his biological daughter. The truth exposed his wife left with their daughter, who admitted she loved her real father more than Liam. Money went missing from his company so Liam was fired, forced to get a job as a construction worker and made to pay child support to his ex-wife and repay the money he was accused of stealing. Soon after he realised he had a terminal illness. Dying in his bed a God shows Liam his boss stole the money and was his daughters real father, having schemed with his ex-wife to exploit Liam. Liam wishes desperately for a second chance at life where he will be the one to exploit others for once. The amused God offers to reincarnate him and Liam chooses a science fiction/fantasy setting with advanced technology and magic. Liam is allowed to be reborn as the son of a noble who rules an entire planet and wastes no time in spreading misery and evil across the galaxy.
Liam awakens on his family's planet Hydra on his fifth birthday. His mother gifts him an AI robot maid while his father announces they are retiring to the Imperial Home Planet. Liam automatically replaces him as Count, to his surprise. Meanwhile the God, whom Liam knows as Guide, has Liam's boss exposed as the true criminal and arrested, leaving Liam's ex-wife is penniless. Guide gloats that now he gets to watch Liam bring new misery on himself in his next life revealing that he will feed on his suffering and despair once again, but after disappearing into a portal a glowing puppy appears and touches Liam before he dies and is reincarnated. Princess Christiana Rosebreia of Liebe Kingdom defends her planet from an armada of space pirates. Liam's AI maid Amagi is delivered. Liam learns in this universe humans easily reach 600 years of age. The butler warns Liam there is prejudice against AI since AI almost wiped out humanity centuries ago. As such, if Liam is seen spending too much time with Amagi people might think he is suspicious or untrustworthy. Liam learns his parents have actually run away, leaving Liam with their considerable family debts. Liam comes up with a plan. First he programmes Amagi with three Rules of Robot Maids; she must never allow Liam to be harmed, must obey every order he gives her and must not allow herself to come to harm. He then arranges to spend 6 months in an Education Capsule, which will implant at least 10 years of education into his brain.
3
"Way of the Flash" Transliteration: "Issenryū" (Japanese: 一閃流)
Liam exits the Education Capsule after two entire years. In his absence Amagi has been managing Hydra's finances, which have improved slightly. However, without a larger budget, Liam's ships and robotic suits are suffering from a lack of maintenance. Liam begins learning to pilot one, and how to fight from master swordsman Yasushi. In secret, Yasushi is a fraud who knows nothing about combat. Christiana responds to an offer of peace from pirate Captain Goaz, but realises too late she was lured away from her planet Mysteria so Goaz' ships could invade. For three years Yasushi trains Liam without actually teaching him anything. Liam asks to learn Yasushi's secret art, the Way of the Flash. Since he made this up Yasushi pretends to quit and Liam is so apologetic he offers him even more money to stay. Liam identifies an official who embezzled funds and had his subordinate executed for the crime. Liam executes the official and swears to purge corruption from his government. Amagi advises this would be possible by replacing the majority of his officials with 30 AI maids who could easily handle the workload. His citizens are unhappy about the execution, until they learn Liam has improved education for their children and boosted the construction industry by building more schools. Liam returns to training to pilot a robot. Afraid of his secret being exposed Yasushi claims Liam should not rely on a mass produced robot with an automatic pilot programme, but with an older robot with much more difficult manual controls. Liam's commander suggests the robot that belonged to Liam's great-grandfather.
