The Game Devil is a massively popular game created by Osamu Sugosugi, featuring a boss so difficult that no one has found a way to beat it. However, the game's concept didn't spawn from Sugosugi's own mind - he took it from his former friend, struggling mangaka Roku Tadano, back when they were children. He's been trying over and over again to publish a manga starring his ideal hero, the Black Knight. However, his submissions are always rejected as rip-offs of The Game Devil, despite him being the original creator.
After one such rejection, Roku attends a special event, in which The Game Devil is to receive a highly-anticipated update. That update turns out to be more than anyone bargained for, as it merges the game with the real world! Now Roku must become the Black Knight for real, and finally defeat the unstoppable Game Devil.
The Game Devil (ゲー魔王) is an ongoing manga series written and illustrated by Kakunoshin Futsuzawa. It began serialization in Shonen Jump+ on September 28, 2022. It is available to read here
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The Game Devil provides examples of:
- Antagonist Title: The Game Devil is the main villain the titular game. After The Game Come to Life, it also becomes the main threat of the manga.
- Art Shift: The manga alternates between a standard manga art style and an Retraux style depending on whether it showing elements from the real world or from the game.
- Black Knight: The protagonist of Roku's manga is a knight in black armor who yield to no one. It is also an event character in The Game Devil and Roku's job when the game becomes real.
- Crippling Overspecialization: The Black Knight Job has very powerful attacks against single target, but lacks any form of Area of Effect. So, while Roku can easily kill giant monsters, he almost dies fighting a horde of goblins.
- The Game Come to Life: Sososugi, as the Game Devil, somehow merges his game with the real world and forces players to take part in a "true adventure".
- Hero Killer: Captain Death and his ghosts kills many adventurers during the raid boss, including three members of the main party.
- Instakill Mook: The various ghosts accompagning Captain Death can inflict a status effect that kills the players after 3 turns.
- Make a Wish: The Game Devil promises that, when defeating, he will grant any wish.
- Naïve Newcomer: Roku isn't an experienced gamer, so other characters often have to explain to him the RPG jargon.
- Now You Tell Me: The Black Knight explains to Roku that his Job isn't suited for fighting many enemies at the same times only after he engaged a horde of goblins.
- Plagiarism in Fiction: Sugosugi copied Roku's manga for The Game Devil, which is why Roku is now unable to get his manga published in Jump like he wanted.
- Reality Warper: The Game Devil can wrap reality to turn it into the titular game.
- Retraux: The titular game is done in with pixel art sprites. Once The Game Come to Life, the monsters and other stuff from the gaùe keep the pixels but becomes 3D.
- Show Within a Show: The titular game is massively popular game, with a Final Boss so difficult no one can beat it. This causes problem when The Game Come to Life.
- The Very Definitely Final Dungeon: The Devil's Castle is the final dungeon of the titular game, where the Game Devil awaits the heroes. After The Game Come to Life, the Game Devil destroys Tokyo and put the Devil's Castle there.
