Are there any otome games with a misunderstood villainess MC?

[ynnaliaa]

I feel like I see this trope all the time in manhwa/manga, but I rarely come across it in otome games. I'm looking for an MC who is seen as a villainess or genuinely disliked by the LIs because they believe she's a bad person, when in reality she isn't.

I'd especially love something where the misunderstanding actually plays a big part in the story, rather than just being there for comedy. I'm looking for a heroine with a strong personality, good character development, and a story that takes the whole villainess premise seriously.

Basically, I want that "everyone thinks she's evil, but she's actually not" experience LOL. Any otome recommendations that fit this?

 

[orionsbestie]

That's not really a thing in actual otome games... It's literally just a bunch of authors copying each other because they've never played an actual otome game.

You might get lucky and find something like that on itch.io, but not on any commercial Japanese or Chinese game.

 

[q1w3e5]

Virtually none. Even if there are characters similar to a misunderstood villainess, they aren't the female lead—they're actual villainesses.

Characters whose appearance resembles that of a villainess might be positioned as the female lead's best friend.

 

[aquil_aleo]

The Villainess Who Did Not Reincarnate Still Doesn't Know of Her Fate
This is more of a short comedy, so it's probably not what you're looking for

 

[Daisy Magnus229]

I really hope there's an otome game where we start out playing as the heroine. After unlocking all the LIs' good endings, we unlock the villainess as the new heroine with a brand-new set of LIs lol. Two heroines!

Now that the villainess has regressed, she's trying to change things in her own route. Maybe this plot is already so overused that it's hard to make one stand out. BUT I WANT ONE!

 

[Sayorin]

Even if tempest maybe? The femal lead can be seen as if she is a villainess by some other LIs in some routes

 

[xopeachy]

ooooh i'd give anything for an otome game where you play as the villainess

but ig it's too much to ask for one where she's actually mean at the start, not just misunderstod, and then she begins to change/go through a redemption arc

 

[fleyrin]

Cinderella Phenomenon?
Lucette is the only character I could think of. At least, I feel like her archetype is more than just a tsundere.

 

[bravelyflee]

It's definitely not a common trope in otome games.

I think the game Majo'ou (魔女王) from Quinrose would fit this trope. The MC is literally a demon and most of the LIs start out thinking she's evil but she's really a big softie inside.

Unfortunately it's only been released in Japanese and got mixed reviews. Up to you if you want to try it.

 

[ufoufufu]

ooooh i'd give anything for an otome game where you play as the villainess

but ig it's too much to ask for one where she's actually mean at the start, not just misunderstod, and then she begins to change/go through a redemption arc

Not isekai (though Snow White the fairytale exists and is discussed within the story, so you might argue there's some meta commentary about being a heroine/villainess) but Narisokonai Snow White is kind of like this!

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Well, I'm not aware of any villainess games myself, but I'd guess the trope comes from authors that aren't very aware of otoge, except for maybe the visual style of Angelique, as well as influences from 70s shoujo, with the aristocracy theme and all

Most of the time, female characters in otoge are more of a wingman-type characters than rivals ;b

As for recommendations, I second the Majo'ou one! It's the closest game I can think of with this trope. Cinderella Phenomenon doesn't really fit, but it has similar visuals too

 

[sumprrson]

The only ones I can think of are the protagonists of the two Jooubachi no Oubou games (each protagonist is the antagonist of the other game), but that's an eroge (for women) so doesn't really count...

 

[ufoufufu]

Well, I'm not aware of any villainess games myself, but I'd guess the trope comes from authors that aren't very aware of otoge, except for maybe the visual style of Angelique, as well as influences from 70s shoujo, with the aristocracy theme and all

This + the funniest part is that Angelique's 1998 PSX version does let you play as the rival and befriend the heroine lmao. So the modern trend isn't even much of a subversion...