Anime fans are no strangers to long titles thanks to many of the light novel series that have been getting adaptations, but a new Fantasy anime announced just might have the longest title ever as Shisui Meikyou and tef’s original light novel series, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World, is now getting an adaptation of its own. Which is definitely now in the running for most distinct anime titles we’ll ever see.
Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World won’t be the title that fans will likely use in conversation, but it’s hilariously a perfect way to encapsulate why this light novel series is gearing up for an anime adaptation next. It clearly has a fun premise, and you can see the official announcement for this new adaptation in the video above.
Videos by ComicBook.com
What Is Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon?
Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World was originally released by Shisui Meikyou and tef’s for Shisui back in 2020, and Hobby Japan then picked up the series from then on in 2021. The series falls in line with a trend fans might have noticed from these light novel adaptations where the main character is pushed out of their party in some way before getting supremely strong in their vengeance.
It’s the case with Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon as well as while this series is firmly set within a fantasy world (and not an Isekai anime as some others might have expected from such a long title) where humans are the lowest rung on the totem pole, but get special abilities at the age of 10. In Light’s case, he gets the power of Gacha, which allows him to randomly summon cards with support powers to help his teammates. When things don’t do as well as they hope, he’s betrayed by his party and abandoned within a dangerous dungeon known as the “Abyss.” From here, Light becomes a powerful dungeon master in his own right and builds a powerful party that helps him get his revenge.
RELATED: What Makes a Good Isekai Anime?
What’s With the Long Titles?
If you have seen light novel adaptations with long titles such as the aforementioned Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World, that’s just how marketing is these days. There are trends to follow, and stories capitalizing on those trends. It’s why you’re seeing a greater turn towards Fantasy rather than a genre like Isekai lately, for example. It’s just what’s popular at the moment.
These titles are necessary to get the attention of those browsing on shelves. Imagine it like an elevator pitch for a movie. If you’re standing next to someone and trying to recommend the series, saying the full title of a series like this gives away the entire premise to see if it can hook them as a reader. It’s basically an argument for why you should read one series over another, and it’s a back and forth that’s been going on for so long that the only way to differentiate oneself now is with something like Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World that gets attention for a whole other reason.