History YMMV / MushokuTensei

* BrokenBase: The ending of the WebNovel for many fans - some found it an average ending after all Rudeus had been through and appreciate the fact that he tried his hardest to get to where he did, but others deemed it cheap because [[spoiler:the hero leaves his job of defeating Hitogami to the future and his kin]]. The story of ''Mushoku Tensei'' concluding on that note without a {{Sequel}} to finish off that particular thread seems unfair.
%%** One of the most controversial aspects of the story is its very premise as a "Redemption Arc". The main problem with it stems from the possibility of "redemption" being used to justify horrible or terrible actions based on the idea that the perpetrator will "grow up" or "learn from it". This is further compounded by the fact that the behavior being condemned for is also "rewarded" in a sense, [[spoiler:such as when Rudeus winds up marrying three of the women he once sexually-harassed, he and Eris wind up together despite her horrible abuse of him, and Paul winds up marrying the woman he had an affair with]].
* FandomRivalry: A minor, but increasingly intense one has grown between the series and ''LightNovel/ReZero'' primarily due to the way the anime versions of both have been adapted. The studio for Mushoku Tensei, Bind, is a Joint studio with members from Egg Firm and White Fox. The latter has caused concerns among ''LightNovel/ReZero'' fans that the anime from the 2nd season onwards (Particuarly the Winter Cour from 2021) has degraded in animation quality, and have since blamed the exitence of Mushoku Tensei for it, bashing the series for its controversial themes.
* JustHereForGodzilla: For the 2021 anime, there are viewers who find the writing [[{{Squick}} not to their taste]] but continue watching for the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt gorgeous visuals and animation.]]
%%* LesYay: Eris shares her family's obsession with Beast-race women [[spoiler: enjoys cuddling with Lynia and Pursena when she's not plowing Rudeus. Rudeus even considers himself part of Eris' harem]].
* {{Narm}}: The main character being made fun of for his small penis isn't exactly a way to make deep drama.
* PopularityPolynomial: This was one of the largest hits of Shōsetsuka ni Narō, [[GenrePopularizer popularizing]] the ReincarnateInAnotherWorld trope. After the formula was copied dozens upon dozens of times by other isekai stories, each with their own specific spin on it, it came to be seen as too generic and uninteresting. However, by the time it was finally given an anime adaptation in 2021, new viewers actually found it fresh and interesting due to its SlowPacedBeginning. The series emphasizes more nuanced consequences of an "average" person being reincarnated in an unfamiliar world, such as what personal flaws from a former life would be carried over and what it would actually be like for real parents to raise a child with the mind of an adult. This made it new and interesting all over again, since most of its imitators would skip or ignore most of that stuff in favor of the familiar tropes and new gimmicks.
* PopularWithFurries: Due to Ghyslaine's nature as being LittleBitBeastly and an AmazonianBeauty. Has instantly endeared quite a lot of people from the furry/kemono circles.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The series was one of the biggest hits of Shōsetsuka ni Narō, a novel publishing website, and one that brought attention to what's typically thought of as a ReincarnateInAnotherWorld story (not the same premise as TrappedInAnotherWorld). That said, looking back on it now will make some readers think it's terribly cliched when ''Mushoku Tensei'' helped ''make'' those clichés in the first place. Among other things, it's responsible for the DeadUnicornTrope of "reincarnation via being run over by a truck".
* SlowPacedBeginning: After ''Mushoku Tensei'' popularized the ReincarnateInAnotherWorld genre of isekai, most of its imitators skipped past the hero's childhood and culture shock of being reborn into a strange world with PastLifeMemories, usually leaping into the {{Harem|genre}} or PowerFantasy. When the anime adaptation aired in 2021, the slow burn which focused on character development and worldbuilding became one of its major draws and distinguished it from the many, many isekai that saturated the market.
* {{Squick}}
** Kirishika gouging out Rudeus' eyes just to give him one of her special eyes is this.
** The fact that a baby is looking at you with lustful eyes is even more so. The poor mother is a bit confused by him ''licking'' after a nursing.
** In the West at least, [[spoiler:Rudeus' youngest son ending up in a relationship with his sister (and the boy's aunt) Aisha, with the add-on that he lost his virginity to her at ''ten'' and ended up impregnating her]], especially in hindsight seeing that one of his biggest regrets in the old world (at least in the WebNovel) was [[spoiler:masturbating to pictures of his own young niece]].

* BrokenBase:
** The ending of the WebNovel for many fans - some found it an average ending after all Rudeus had been through and appreciate the fact that he tried his hardest to get to where he did, but others deemed it cheap because [[spoiler:the hero leaves his job of defeating Hitogami to the future and his kin]]. The story of ''Mushoku Tensei'' concluding on that note without a {{Sequel}} to finish off that particular thread seems unfair.

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** If there's one character a lot of people love, it's Badigadi. An awesome incarnate of a character.
** Ghyslaine in the anime, on the account of being a skilled fighter and an AmazonianBeauty.

* FandomRivalry: A Minor, but increasingly intense one has grown between the series and ''LightNovel/ReZero'' primarily due to the way the anime versions of both have been adapted. The studio for Mushoku Tensei, Bind, is a Joint studio with members from Egg Firm and White Fox. The latter has caused concerns among ''LightNovel/ReZero'' fans that the anime from the 2nd season onwards (Particuarly the Winter Cour from 2021) has degraded in animation quality, and have since blamed the exitence of Mushoku Tensei for it, bashing the series for its controversial themes.

** One of the most controversial aspects of the story is its very premise as a "Redemption Arc". The main problem with it stems from the possibility of "redemption" being used to justify horrible or terrible actions based on the idea that the perpetrator will "grow up" or "learn from it". This is further compounded by the fact that the behavior being condemned for is also "rewarded" in a sense, [[spoiler:such as when Rudeus winds up marrying three of the women he once sexually-harassed, he and Eris wind up together despite her horrible abuse of him, and Paul winds up marrying the woman he had an affair with]].

* FandomRivalry: A Minor, but increasingly intense one has grown between the series and ''LightNovel/ReZero'' primarily due to the way the anime versions of both have been adapted. The studio for Mushoku Tensei, Bind, is a Joint studio with members from Egg Firm and White Fox. The latter has caused concenrs among ''LightNovel/ReZero'' fans that the anime from the 2nd season onwards (Particuarly the Winter Cour from 2021) has degraded in animation quality, and have since blamed the exitence of Mushoku Tensei for it, bashing the series for its controversial themes.

** One of the most controversial aspects of the story is its very premise as a "Redemption Arc". The main problem with it stems from the possibility of "redemption" being used to justify horrible or terrible actions based on the idea that the perpetrator will "grow up" or "learn from it". This is further compounded by the fact that the behavior being condemned for is also "rewarded" in a sense, [[spoiler:such as when Rudeus winds up marrying three of the women he once sexually-harassed, he and Eris wind up together despite being mutually toxic to each other, and Paul winds up marrying the woman he had an affair with]].

** In the West at least, [[spoiler:Rudeus' youngest son ending up in a relationship with his sister (and the boy's aunt) Aisha]], especially in hindsight seeing that one of his biggest regrets in the old world (at least in the WebNovel) was [[spoiler:masturbating to pictures of his own young niece]].

* FandomRivalry: A Minor, but increasingly intense one has grown between the series and ''LightNovel/ReZero'' primarily due to the way the anime versions of both have been adapted. The studio for Mushoku Tensei, Bind, is a Joint studio with members from Egg Firm and White Fox. The latter has caused concenrs among ReZero fans that the anime from the 2nd season onwards (Particuarly the Winter Cour from 2021) has degraded in animation quality, and have since blamed the exitence of Mushoku Tensei for it, bashing the series for its controversial themes.

** One of the most controversial aspects of the story is its very premise as a "Redemption Arc". The main problem with it stems from the possibility of "redemption" being used to justify horrible or terrible actions based on the idea that the perpetrator will "grow up" or "learn from it". This is further compounded by the fact that the behavior being condemned for is also "rewarded" in a sense, [[spoiler:such as when Rudeus winds up marrying three of the women he once sexually-harassed, Eris still ends up with Rudeus despite her abusive treatment of him or Paul winds up marrying the woman he had an affair with]].

** One of the most controversial aspects of the story is its very premise as a "Redemption Arc". The main problem with it stems from the possibility of "redemption" being used to justify horrible or terrible actions based on the idea that the perpetrator will "grow up" or "learn from it". This is further compounded by the fact that the behavior being condemned for is also "rewarded" in a sense, [[spoiler:such as when Rudeus winds up marrying three of the women he once sexually-harassed or Paul winds up marrying the woman he had an affair with]].

* DesignatedHero: Rudeus for being a middle aged man reincarnted with all of his memories of his previous life intact. Even if later adaptations turn down or even omit his original CreepyUncle characteristics, he's still for all intents and purposes a DirtyOldMan lusting after underage girls.

* FandomRivalry: A Minor, but increasingly intense one has grown between the series and ''LightNovel/ReZro'' primarily due to the way the anime versions of both have been adapted. The studio for Mushoku Tensei, Bind, is a Joint studio with members from Egg Firm and White Fox. The latter has caused concenrs among ReZero fans that the anime from the 2nd season onwards (Particuarly the Winter Cour from 2021) has degraded in animation quality, and have since blamed the exitence of Mushoku Tensei for it, bashing the series for its controversial themes.

** In the West at least, [[spoiler:Rudeus' youngest son ending up in a relationship with his sister (and the boy's aunt) Aisha]], especially in hindsight seeing that one of his biggest regrets in the old world (at least in the WebNovel) was [[spoiler:masturbating to pictures of his own young niece]].
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Much of the story, at least early on, is built around Rudeus attempting to find some sort of redemption for his past life's many misdeeds and become a better person. The problem is that he is established right at the start to be a pedophile, quickly cementing him as one of the most hateable protagonists in any isekai, [[KarmaHoudini yet there are ultimately little to no consequences for his continued perverted behavior into his second life. If anything, his relationships with those he gawked at for their childlike appearances as a kid (namely Roxy) prove he was only rewarded for his behavior]], which is something that has become a major point of discussion since the 2021 anime was released. While it's true he receives CharacterDevelopment in many other areas, the one flaw of his character most would agree is the worst of all being called out the least by the story led to many people losing their faith in the message of the work that Rudeus is redeeming himself.