Narou Kei

A collective term for works originating from the web novel platform "Shousetsuka ni Narou" (Let's Become a Novelist), or more broadly, works that share the formulaic plot structures and settings commonly found there.

These works typically follow specific patterns such as isekai (other world) reincarnation or transportation, overpowered cheat-like abilities, RPG-style status screens displaying skills, and harem dynamics. The label is not limited to works actually published on "Shousetsuka ni Narou"; it is also widely applied to light novels, anime, and manga with similar structural elements.

The name comes from the web novel submission platform "Shousetsuka ni Narou" (Let's Become a Novelist), launched in April 2004 by Yusuke Umezaki as a personal website. The site attracted a large volume of works with overlapping settings, such as isekai reincarnation and cheat-like abilities. As these works were increasingly picked up for commercial publication in the 2010s, readers and online communities organically began calling works with the above template settings as "Narou-kei" as a catch-all label.

No single person coined the term; it was not named by any individual or official organization. For the record, HINAproject Inc., the company that operates the site, does not officially use the label "Narou-kei."

The word "narou" is the volitional form of the Japanese verb "naru" (to become). The site name translates to "Let's Become a Novelist."

Is "Narou-kei" a negative term?

The term itself carries no inherently negative meaning, but it is frequently used critically on social media and message boards. This is largely driven by a tendency to mock formulaic tropes: protagonists with no real achievements being showered with praise by everyone around them, or heroines falling for the protagonist for no particular reason.

That said, many Narou-kei works have gained significant popularity both in Japan and overseas through anime and book adaptations, and the genre's presence continues to grow year by year.