The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System
Japanese light novel series
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The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System (Japanese: 追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する, Hepburn: Tsuihō Sareta Tensei Jū Kishi wa Gēmu Chishiki de Musō Suru) is a Japanese light novel series written by Nekoko and illustrated by Jaian. It initially began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in April 2021. Kodansha acquired the series and began publishing it under their Kodansha Ranobe Books light novel imprint in June 2022. A manga adaptation illustrated by Lee Brocco began serialization on Kodansha's YanMaga Web manga website and app in February 2022 before being transferred to the Weekly Young Magazine in September 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by GoHands premiered in July 2026.
| The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System | |
First light novel volume cover | |
| 追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する (Tsuihō Sareta Tensei Jū Kishi wa Gēmu Chishiki de Musō Suru) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, fantasy, isekai[1] |
| Novel series | |
| Written by | Nekoko |
| Published by | Shōsetsuka ni Narō |
| Original run | April 25, 2021 – present |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Nekoko |
| Illustrated by | Jaian |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Imprint | Kodansha Ranobe Books |
| Original run | June 2, 2022 – present |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nekoko |
| Illustrated by | Lee Brocco |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | Kodansha (digital) |
| Imprint | Young Magazine KC |
| Magazine |
|
| Original run | February 11, 2022 – present |
| Volumes | 17 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by |
|
| Music by | Ludvig Forssell |
| Studio | GoHands |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | JNN (MBS, TBS) |
| Original run | July 3, 2026 – present |
| Episodes | 1 |
Plot
Elymas Edvaughn is a fifteen-year-old born into a prestigious family, one that is renowned for producing Master Swordsmen. During the Ritual of Divine Blessing, which determines an individual's class, Elymas manifests the Heavy Knight class, one widely regarded as defective. As a result, he is stripped of his status as heir to the Edvan household and cast into exile. The Heavy Knight class is known for its unbalanced and seemingly useless skills, leading society to view Elymas as a failure.
Elymas realizes that the world he inhabits is identical to a game he played in a previous life. In this game, the Heavy Knight is actually the strongest class when used correctly. Drawing on his prior knowledge of the game's mechanics, Elymas begins his journey as an adventurer, developing his abilities in ways others consider impossible. As Elymas travels, he steadily accumulates power while remaining officially classified as a “weak” class, confounding adventurers, nobles, and institutions that rely on surface-level distinctions.
Characters
- Elymas Edvaughn (エルマ・エドヴァン, Eruma Edovan)
- Voiced by: Takeo Ōtsuka[2]
- Ruche Luvis (ルーチェ・ルービス, Rūche Rūbisu)
- Voiced by: Shion Wakayama[2]
- Malice Edvanghn (マリス・エドヴァン, Marisu Edovan)
- Voiced by: Natsuko Abe[2]
Media
Light novel
Written by Nekoko, The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System initially began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on April 25, 2021. Kodansha acquired the series and began publishing it with illustrations by Jaian under their Kodansha Ranobe Books light novel imprint on June 2, 2022. Four volumes have been released as of December 2025.[3]
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 2, 2022[4] | 978-4-06-527822-2 |
| 2 | April 1, 2023[5] | 978-4-06-531646-7 |
| 3 | February 2, 2024[6] | 978-4-06-534769-0 |
| 4 | December 26, 2025[3] | 978-4-06-541272-5 |
| 5 | July 2, 2026[7] | 978-4-06-543614-1 |
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Lee Brocco began serialization on Kodansha's YanMaga Web manga website and app on February 11, 2022.[8] The manga was later transferred to the Weekly Young Magazine on September 9, 2024.[9] The manga's chapters have been compiled into seventeen tankōbon volumes as of April 2026.[10]
The manga's chapters are published in English on Kodansha's "K Manga" app.[11] In July 2025, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the manga for English publication.[12]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 6, 2022[13] | 978-4-06-528143-7 | June 2, 2026[14] | 979-8-89765-669-1 | |
| |||||
| 2 | August 19, 2022[15] | 978-4-06-528804-7 | June 2, 2026[14] | 979-8-89765-669-1 | |
| |||||
| 3 | November 18, 2022[16] | 978-4-06-529810-7 | September 22, 2026[17] | 979-8-89765-670-7 | |
| 4 | February 6, 2023[18] | 978-4-06-530715-1 | September 22, 2026[17] | 979-8-89765-670-7 | |
| 5 | April 20, 2023[19] | 978-4-06-531392-3 | — | — | |
| 6 | July 20, 2023[20] | 978-4-06-532366-3 | — | — | |
| 7 | October 19, 2023[21] | 978-4-06-533609-0 | — | — | |
| 8 | December 20, 2023[22] | 978-4-06-534021-9 | — | — | |
| 9 | March 18, 2024[23] | 978-4-06-534932-8 | — | — | |
| 10 | June 19, 2024[24] | 978-4-06-535606-7 | — | — | |
| 11 | September 5, 2024[25] | 978-4-06-536878-7 | — | — | |
| 12 | December 6, 2024[26] | 978-4-06-537904-2 | — | — | |
| 13 | March 6, 2025[27] | 978-4-06-538912-6 | — | — | |
| 14 | June 6, 2025[28] | 978-4-06-539940-8 | — | — | |
| 15 | October 6, 2025[29] | 978-4-06-541136-0 | — | — | |
| 16 | January 6, 2026[30] | 978-4-06-542132-1 | — | — | |
| 17 | April 6, 2026[10] | 978-4-06-543197-9 | — | — | |
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on September 5, 2024.[9] The series is produced by GoHands and directed by Katsumasa Yokomine, with Shingo Suzuki and Tetsuichi Yamagishi serving as chief directors, Takayuki Uchida designing the characters, and Ludvig Forssell composing the music.[2] It is set to premiere on July 3, 2026, on the Super Animeism Turbo programming block on all JNN affiliates, including MBS and TBS, and will run for two consecutive cours.[31] The first opening theme song is "Awake" performed by Spyair,[32] and the first ending theme is "Lv. 1 Shokugyō: Ningen" (Level 1 Occupation: Human) performed by Reona.[33] Crunchyroll will stream the series.[34] Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.[35][36]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by [a] | Written by [a] | Storyboard by [a] | Original release date [37][b] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I'm Elymas the Heavy Knight" | TBA | TBA | TBA | July 2, 2026 | |
|
As heir to the Edvaughn family, Elymas undergoes the Ritual of Divine Blessing to determine his warrior class. During the ritual, Elymas recalls a previous life in which the world he currently inhabits is actually the game Magic World, which he played obsessively. The ritual concludes and he is thrilled to be granted his favourite class, Heavy Knight, with which he has had much success. Unfortunately, in this world Heavy Knight is considered a defective defensive class that deals very little damage and is deemed worthless. Malice, a cruel and scheming daughter of an Edvaughn branch family, undergoes the same ritual and is granted the class Master Swordsman. Without hesitation, Elymas' father adopts Malice as family heir and disinherits Elymas. Despite this initial setback, Elymas knows with the correct application of skill points, Heavy Knight can become the most overpowered, unbeatable class in the world. Using the pittance his father gave him, Elymas acquires adventuring equipment and heads into the wilderness. There, he encounters another adventurer running from Raana Frogs, of which Elymas defeats dozens at once by taking advantage of his existing skills and boosted equipment stats. Abandoning the Edvaughn name, he styles himself Elymas the Heavy Knight. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Menacing Monkey Spider" | TBA | TBA | TBA | July 9, 2026 | |
Reception
By April 2026, the series had over 3.5 million copies in circulation.[10]
See also
- Gokudō Parasites, a manga series also illustrated by Lee Brocco
- Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling, another light novel series written by Nekoko
- The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, another light novel series illustrated by Jaian