The Eminence in Shadow
The Eminence in Shadow
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The Eminence in Shadow

8.1
Yr 2022
Rt 24m
Status Ended
Animation Comedy Sci-Fi & Fantasy Action & Adventure
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Series Brief

Overview

Shadowbrokers are those who go unnoticed, posing as unremarkable people, when in truth, they control everything from behind the scenes. Sid wants to be someone just like that more than anything, and something as insignificant as boring reality isn’t going to get in his way! He trains in secret every single night, preparing for his eventual rise to power—only to be denied his destiny by a run-of-the-mill (yet deadly) traffic accident. But when he wakes up in a another world and suddenly finds himself at the head of an actual secret organization doing battle with evil in the shadows, he’ll finally get a chance to act out all of his delusional fantasies!

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 60 /100

Critical reception for The Eminence in Shadow is sharply divided, reflecting the risky nature of its self-aware, parodic approach to the isekai genre. Supporters praise the series as a highly entertaining, action-packed show with excellent animation and a unique premise where the protagonist’s delusions accidentally manifest as truth. Fans find it a refreshing subversion of typical overpowered-protagonist tropes, noting its high stylistic quality.

Conversely, critics argue that the series often feels scattered and fails to replace common tropes with meaningful conflict or character growth. Some reviewers find the tonal balance difficult to navigate, noting that if the irony is missed, the show appears to be a generic, edgy fantasy series. Others have criticized it as a failed parody that takes itself too seriously, leaving audiences polarized over whether it succeeds as a clever subversion or falls into the same pitfalls it intends to mock.

“A wonderful, excited, action-packed anime series!”

“A visually stunning anime with top-tier animation and great fight scenes... but the story often feels scattered.”

“It’s complicated without being clever, and it shows that irony and self-awareness are not substitutes for meaningful conflicts.”

“It attempts to make fun of all the tropes of typical isekai anime, but it ends up taking itself too seriously.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Disney Plus
CA • UK
Hidive Amazon Channel
UK • US • CA
Amazon Prime Video
CA
Show 5 more
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
CA
Hulu
US
HiDive
CA • US
Netflix
UK
Netflix Standard with Ads
UK
Why fans love it

The Eminence in Shadow plays on the conventions of the isekai genre by placing a protagonist who is deeply committed to being a background character into a world that takes his delusions quite seriously. While Sid spends his energy perfecting the persona of a mysterious mastermind, the actual stakes of his new reality escalate in ways he does not fully perceive. This persistent mismatch between his internal fantasy and the literal war raging around him creates a specific brand of comedy that defines the 2022 series.

Beyond the humor, the production balances action and magic through the lens of a secret organization with grand aspirations. The interplay between characters led by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka pushes the narrative into territory that leans heavily on parody while maintaining a consistent aesthetic of power and intrigue. By treating a character’s obsession with being a shadowy puppet master as the catalyst for global conflict, the show carves out a niche in the current landscape of fantasy animation.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 15
Longest run 37 eps
Asami Seto
Asami Seto
as Alpha (voice)
32 episodes
Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa
as Alexia Midgar (voice)
23 episodes
Fairouz Ai
Fairouz Ai
as Delta (voice)
32 episodes
Saya Aizawa
Saya Aizawa
as Sherry Barnett (voice)
20 episodes
Hisako Kanemoto
Hisako Kanemoto
as Epsilon (voice)
32 episodes
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
as Skel Etal (voice)
24 episodes
Ayaka Asai
Ayaka Asai
as Zeta (voice)
20 episodes
Shin Matsushige
Shin Matsushige
as Po Tato (voice)
24 episodes
Show 67 more
Reina Kondo as Eta (voice) 32 episodes Yoko Hikasa as Iris Midgar (voice) 22 episodes Rina Hidaka as Claire Kagenou (voice) 32 episodes Seiichiro Yamashita as Cid Kagenou / Shadow (voice) 34 episodes Inori Minase as Beta (voice) 37 episodes Suzuko Mimori as Gamma (voice) 34 episodes Haruka Shiraishi as Rose Oriana (voice) 29 episodes Yui Horie as Akane Nishino (voice) 2 episodes Chikahiro Kobayashi as Kidnapper (voice) 2 episodes Makoto Furukawa as Kidnapper (voice) 2 episodes Masaya Matsukaze as Zenon (voice) 5 episodes Yasuhiro Mamiya as Cid's Father (voice) 2 episodes Mai Nakahara as Cid's Mother (voice) 2 episodes Akinori Egoshi as Bandit (voice) 2 episodes Yuka Nukui as Milia (voice) 2 episodes Rikuya Yasuda as Marco (voice) 5 episodes Junichi Yanagita as Referee (voice) 7 episodes Shota Yamamoto as Glen (voice) 4 episodes Maaya Uchida as Nu (voice) 12 episodes Hochu Otsuka as Ruslan (voice) 2 episodes Nobuhiko Okamoto as Rex (voice) 2 episodes Yuki Ishikari as Audience (voice) 3 episodes Mari Hino as Student Council (voice) 3 episodes Shogo Sakata as Audience (voice) 3 episodes Yu Wakabayashi as Cult Soldier (voice) 2 episodes Kento Shiraishi as Citizen (voice) 3 episodes Reigo Yamaguchi as Soldier (voice) 6 episodes Ryoko Maekawa as Omega (voice) 9 episodes Hayato Kimura as Soldier (voice) 5 episodes Yuga Sato as Passerby (voice) 2 episodes Ryunosuke Watanuki as Tugide Mackenzie (voice) 4 episodes Shoya Ishige as Audience (voice) 2 episodes Mugihito as Nelson (voice) 4 episodes Katsumi Fukuhara as Customer (voice) 2 episodes Hiroki Maeda as Knight (voice) 4 episodes Shohei Kajikawa as Rescue Team (voice) 3 episodes Kaori Nazuka as Aurora (voice) 4 episodes Yuki Arai as Knight (voice) 6 episodes Natsumi Kawaida as Female Student (voice) 3 episodes Taito Ban as Zabra (voice) 3 episodes Keisuke Hamaoka as Knight (voice) 3 episodes Hikaru Midorikawa as Jimina Sennen (voice) 6 episodes Shion Wakayama as Annerose Fusianus (voice) 4 episodes Kenta Miyake as Quinton (voice) 6 episodes Katsunori Okai as Cult Soldier (voice) 4 episodes Kazuyuki Okitsu as Goldoh Kinmeki (voice) 6 episodes Ken Mizukoshi as Passerby (voice) 3 episodes Shinei Ueki as Student (voice) 3 episodes Mikako Komatsu as Beatrix (voice) 4 episodes Show Hayami as Doem Ketshatt (voice) 7 episodes Madoka Asahina as Kana (voice) 4 episodes Yutaka Aoyama as Oriana King (voice) 5 episodes Misato Matsuoka as Clerk (voice) 3 episodes Takehito Koyasu as Mordred (voice) 4 episodes Ikumi Hasegawa as Lambda (voice) 5 episodes Miyu Tomita as 664 (voice) 7 episodes Hina Youmiya as 665 (voice) 7 episodes Mayu Minami as Kai (voice) 8 episodes Kana Ichinose as Natsu (voice) 5 episodes Ai Kakuma as Mary (voice) 3 episodes Shizuka Itoh as Yukime (voice) 8 episodes Jun Fukuyama as John Smith (voice) 4 episodes Daisuke Namikawa as Gettan (voice) 4 episodes Chafurin as Garter Kikuchi (voice) 4 episodes Miku Ito as 559 (voice) 3 episodes Yuko Minaguchi as Reina (voice) 3 episodes Reina Ueda as Margaret (voice) 3 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Editor
Kentaro Tsubone
Music Director
Saori Takeyama
Background Designer
Ko Ji-young Seo Ju-seong Hwang Soo-young Yayoi Suzuki An Eun-kyung
Theme Song Performance
Masayoshi Oishi Hisako Kanemoto Asami Seto Reina Kondo
Producer
Aya Iizuka Shota Watase
Director
Hazuki Mizumoto Daisuke Takashima Kazuya Nakanishi
Storyboard Artist
Hazuki Mizumoto Susumu Nishizawa Daisuke Takashima Kazuya Nakanishi
Executive Producer
Asuka Yamazaki Akira Kubota Sho Tanaka
Art Designer
Lee Bun-sun
Original Music Composer
Kenichiro Suehiro
Sound Effects
Rei Ueno
Original Series Design
Touzai
Key Animation
Kazuya Nakanishi
Character Designer
Makoto Iino
Director of Photography
Takeshi Hirooka
Signal Match

Similarity

Where The Eminence in Shadow overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

magic secret organization reincarnation harem parody anime isekai grand based on light novel
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
October 05, 2022
Status
Ended
Episode Runtime
24 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
320