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 (信じていた仲間達にダンジョン奥地で殺されかけたがギフト『無限ガチャ』でレベル9999の仲間達を手に入れて元パーティーメンバーと世界に復讐&『ざまぁ！ 』します！, Shinjite Ita Nakama-tachi ni Dungeon Okuchi de Korosarekaketa ga Gift "Mugen Gacha" de Level 9999 no Nakama-tachi o Te ni Irete Moto Party Member to Sekai ni Fukushū & "Zamā!" Shimasu!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Shisui Meikyō and illustrated by tef.

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
Cover art of the first light novel
信じていた仲間達にダンジョン奥地で殺されかけたがギフト『無限ガチャ』でレベル9999の仲間達を手に入れて元パーティーメンバーと世界に復讐&『ざまぁ！ 』します！ (Shinjite Ita Nakama-tachi ni Dungeon Okuchi de Korosarekaketa ga Gift "Mugen Gacha" de Level 9999 no Nakama-tachi o Te ni Irete Moto Party Member to Sekai ni Fukushū & "Zamā!" Shimasu!)
Genre	Fantasy, harem[1]
Novel series
Written by	Shisui Meikyō
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	April 17, 2020 – present
Light novel
Written by	Shisui Meikyō
Illustrated by	tef
Published by	Hobby Japan
English publisher	NA: J-Novel Club
Imprint	HJ Novels
Original run	May 19, 2021 – present
Volumes	12
Manga
Written by	Shisui Meikyō
Illustrated by	Takafumi Ōmae
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	KC Deluxe
Magazine	Magazine Pocket
Original run	May 25, 2021 – present
Volumes	18
Anime television series
My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon, I'm Out for Revenge!
Directed by	Katsushi Sakurabi
Written by	Hiroshi Ōnogi
Music by	Ryo Takahashi
Studio	J.C.Staff
Licensed by	Sentai Filmworks SA/SEA: Muse Communication
Original network	Tokyo MX, MBS, CBC, BS11, AT-X
Original run	October 3, 2025 – present
Episodes	1

The series started serialization on the online platform Shōsetsuka ni Narō in April 2020, and was later acquired by Hobby Japan for a print release in May 2021, with a manga adaptation by Takafumi Ōmae being published by Kodansha since May 2021. Both series were licensed for an English-language release, with J-Novel Club publishing the light novel series and Seven Seas Entertainment publishing the manga series. An anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff premiered in October 2025.

The series follows Light, a human adventurer who was member of the adventurers group Concord of the Tribes in order to fight discrimination against human race. One day, Light was betrayed by his fellow group members left to die in a dungeon called the Abyss. Infuriated by this act, Light swore to take revenge against them for betraying and leaving him behind.

Premise

The world is inhabited by nine tribes: dragonutes, demons, ghouls, dwarves, elves and dark elves, beast men, centaurs, and humans, with the latter ones being the weakest of all. Despite this, there are humans who receive a special power, known as a "gift", once they reach the age of 10.

Light is a human adventurer bestowed with the gift of "unlimited gacha" allowing him to summon an endless amount of cards to support his comrades. He is a member of the Concord of the Tribes, an adventurer group consisting of the dragonute Drago, the elf Sasha, the dark elf Sionne, beast man Garou, the dwarf Naano, the centaur Santor, the ghoul Diablo and Oboro from the demon race. The group was seemingly formed to fight against the discrimination against humanity.

One day, when Light had to be saved in the world's most dangerous dungeon known as the "Abyss" the members revealed to Light that he was no longer a member of the adventurers group and the sole purpose of the group was to observe him for being a potential "master" candidate. It is said that the master is a being with the power of overruling the world and destroying civilization. As Light only was able to summon useless cards they decided to classify him not as a threat, to get rid of him and disguise his death as a monster attack. Before Garou was able to deliver the final blow Light managed to activate a teleportation trap by accident which transported him to the deepest part of the dungeon. As his wounds attracted the attention of numerous monsters he used his gift out of desperation in hoping to summon something to distract the monsters. He summons the seeker maid Mei, a SUR card, who is able to defeat the monsters with only one blow. Mei reveals to Light that he was able to summon her due to the density of magic in this place and that his summons until now were useless because of the lack of magic on the surface. He responds to her question about how he was able to reach the deepest part of the dungeon to summon her, Light told her his story of how he was betrayed and nearly killed by his former comrades. Hearing this, Mei offered to support him in his plans to take revenge on those who betrayed him.

For the next three years, Light spends his time and power to build an underground base in the Abyss and decides to return to the surface of the world to start his revenge against his former comrades. When he visits his hometown he learns that it was completely destroyed and its people were massacred including his parents. He witnessed other races enslaving humans, using them in horrendous experiments or killing them just for fun. So, Light decides to enlarge his revenge to all the other races to free all the humans from enslavement and discrimination as well as to search for his siblings who have seemingly survived the attack on his former hometown.

Characters

Main characters

Light (ライト, Raito)

Voiced by: Nina Tamaki^[2]

A 12-year old human boy with gift of "unlimited gacha" which allows him to summon endless amounts of cards for support. He was a member of an adventurer group called the Concord of the Tribes.

One day while investigating the world's most dangerous dungeon called the "Abyss" he was kicked out of the group and revealed that his comrades were observing him and his gift for being a potential "master" candidate by the order of their kingdoms.

His hometown was destroyed while Light was absent. His siblings seemed to have survived the attack, so Light has multiple goals to achieve: Searching for his lost siblings, revenge against his former comrades and finding the truth behind the reason for his attempted murder.

Summoned card characters

SUR cards Lvl. 9999

Mei (メイ)

Voiced by: Ikumi Hasegawa^[2]

SUR card "Lvl 9999 Seeker Maid Mei" (レベル9999 探求者メイド). She is the first SUR card Light has summoned. She has long, black hair which is tied into a ponytail. Mei is Light's maid and has sworn her loyalty to him.

In the beginning, Mei had trained Light so he was able to raise his own Lvl to 9999 even though it is believed that the level cap for humans was about 100.

Aoyuki (アオユキ)

Voiced by: Shiori Izawa^[3]

SUR card "Level 9999 Genius Beast Tamer" (レベル9999 天才モンスターテイマー). Aoyuki is the second SUR card summoned by Light. She has a childlike figure and blue hair. Aoyuki wears a hoodie with cat ears. As her name suggests, Aoyuki is capable of controlling monsters regardless of their levels and quantity.

Ellie (エリー, Erī)

Voiced by: Ayumi Mano^[3]

SUR card "Lvl. 9999 Forbidden Witch Ellie" (レベル9999 禁忌の魔女エリー). A beautiful woman with long, blonde hair wearing a witch hat. Ellie is the third SUR card which was summoned by Light's gift.

As her title suggests, as a forbidden witch Ellie has mastered magic, wizardry, the dark arts and ghost magic. Ellie is capable of creating new spells and to suppress the magic of her opponents.

Nazuna (ナズナ)

Voiced by: Hana Hishikawa^[3]

SUR card "Lvl. 9999 True Vampire Knight" (レベル9999 真祖ヴァンパイア騎士（ナイト）). Nazuna is a beautiful young woman with fire-red eyes and long, silver-colored hair. She wears heavy armor and is rumoured to be the strongest warrior in the world. In battle she mostly uses a broadsword which is taller than Nazuna herself.

Nazuna is the fourth and last SUR card summoned by Light which is why she is treated like a daughter by the others which led her to develop a childish character.

UR cards Lvl. 7777

Suzu (スズ)

UR card "Lvl. 7777 All-Rounded Gunner" (レベル7777 両性具有ダブルガンナー). A young girl with violet-colored eyes and short, black hair. She is a gunner carrying a talking musket called "Lock" with her.

As Suzu is a timid and silent person, Lock is the one communicating with others on her behalf. However, when provoked, namely by someone insulting Light, she becomes incredibly bloodthirsty and unreasonable.

Mera (メラ)

UR card "Lvl. 7777 Chimera" (レベル7777 キメラ). A tall woman with red-colored eyes and jagged teeth. She is a chimera whose body consists of countless other creatures. Mera can cut off parts of her body and put them back together.

Iceheat (アイスヒート, Aisuhīto)

UR card "Lvl. 7777 Grappler of Ice and Heat" (レベル7777 炎熱氷結のグラップラー). A young woman with two-colored hair (red and light blue) which are tied to twintails. As her name suggests, she has high affinity using fire and ice magic. She is capable of summoning mythical beasts like Ifrit.

She is trained by Mei to be a maid which is why she sometimes wears a maid dress.

Jack (ジャック, Jakku)

UR card "Lvl. 7777 Body of Steel" (レベル7777 鋼鉄のボディ). A muscular young man with green eyes, brown-blonde hair and beard roots. Proud of his strength he fights his opponents with his fists instead of using a weapon. He can envelop his body in a suit of material which is stronger than steel.

Jack sees Light as his younger brother and vowed to protect him.

Lvl. 5000

Gold (ゴールド, Gōrudo)

Voiced by: Katsuya Miyamoto^[3]

UR card "Lvl. 5000 Golden Knight" (レベル5000 黄金の騎士). A warrior wearing a golden armor. Together with Light, who disguised his identity using the pseudonym "Dark" and the assassin Nemumu, Gold forms the adventurer party called the "Masked Clown".

Gold is loyal towards Light and shares his knowledge as a warrior with other adventurers. He and Nemumu tease each other on a regular basis. Giving the impression that Gold and Nemumu can't stand each other, despite this Gold cares for his companions.

Nemumu (ネムム)

Voiced by: Yūko Natsuyoshi^[3]

UR card "Lvl. 5000 Assassin Blade" (レベル5000 アサシンブレイド). A young woman with short, white hair. As an assassin, Nemumu is capable in sneaking up towards her opponents without being noticed. She has high affinity in using knives and creating the strongest poisons. She can inculcate her surroundings by using a scream in ultrasound range.

Together with Light and Gold she is part of "The Masked Clown" adventurer group which was formed to investigate the surface of the world and the other races in search for clues about the "master". Like Gold, Nemumu is loyal towards Light which she shows by kissing his feet even to his embarrassment. She is often teased by gold for her figure.

Concord of the Tribes

Drago (ドラゴ, Dorago)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono^[4]

A warrior from the race of dragonutes. His level is 512. Drago is the leader of the adventurer group Concord of the Tribes which Light was part of. Even when he looks like a prudent and friendly person, Drago was the one who ordered the others to kill Light and disguise the murder as a monster attack.

Sasha (サーシャ, Sāsha)

Voiced by: Ai Kayano^[4]

An archer from the elven tribe. Her level is 308. She was born as a result of an affair between a nobleman and a commoner which is why she was disowned by her family.^[5]

She seemingly had feelings for Light which turned out to be a lie which is why the other members of the Concord of the Tribes mocked her.^[6]

After seemingly killing Light and her engagement with a high-ranked elf her reputation within her race and family increased. When she learned that Light was still alive she tried to kill him in order to keep her reputation. Instead she was captured by Light, after she failed to kill him.^[5]

Garou (ガルー, Garū)

Voiced by: Masaya Fukunishi^[4]

A warrior from the beast men tribe, Garou is a wolf man who fights his opponents with his claws. His level is at 151. Garou was ordered by Drago to deal the final blow on Light. Before Garou was able to kill the young boy, Light escaped activating a teleportation trap by accident.^[6]

After Light was declared dead, Garou became popular among the beast man tribe.^[7] In reality, Garou is a coward and would betray his own friends in order to survive.^[8] As his tribe is one of the weakest (second only to humans), he has no information regarding the mission of the Concord of the Tribes or about the master.^[8] Garou was the first target that Light defeated and captured.

Sionne (シオン, Shion)

Voiced by: Yurika Kubo^[4]

A young woman and researcher from the dark elf tribe at level 304. Sionne is considered a prodigy and was able to graduate at a renowned university where people from all races can study without facing discrimination.

She became a professor at the university and was fired after it was discovered that she used humans for her research about the "gift". Due to the loss of her professorship and her source of income, she decided to work as an adventurer and was soon scouted to become a member of the Concord of the Tribes.

To her, her research has the highest priority which is why she shows no emotions, neither towards humans nor to her own tribe. She is willing to sacrifice each and everyone as long as she can accomplish her goals in her research.

Sionne made a pact with a soul dragon, a monster from another world in hopes to reach her goal. Her character was added in the manga.

Naano (ナーノ, Nāno)

Voiced by: Atsushi Ono^[4]

A smith from the dwarven tribe whose goal is to create a godlike weapon.^[9] His level is 301. Due to his fame he was chosen by the dwarven king to join the Concord of the Tribes to observe Light and his gift.^[9]

After the mission was accomplished, Nano became addicted to alcohol because he failed to reach his own goal and was denied a second chance to look for the "master" which he blamed Light for.^[9]

Naano tests his forged weapons on humans. One day he received an instruction Manual for smithing a holy weapon by a mysterious merchant.

Santor (サントル, Santoru)

Voiced by: Jiro Saito^[4]

A warrior from the centaur tribe whose level is at 152. His character was added in the manga.

Oboro (オボロ)

Voiced by: Yōhei Azakami^[4]

A ghoul warrior at level 419. His is the second strongest member of the Concord of the Tribes right after Drago.

Diablo (ディアブロ, Diaburo)

Voiced by: Yusuke Shirai^[4]

A fighter from the demon race who is at level 403. His character was added in the manga.

C's Group

C is a mysterious being that made themselves known while Light was dealing with Naano. Not much is known about C, except they know about Light's quest for vengeance. and it's implied by Kaava that the other masters are either searching for or working against C.

Kaava

Known as the Level 5000 Flesh Zombie, Kaava is a human with the ability to boost his abilities by eating human flesh. It was revealed later on that he was actually created by a master known as Hisomi merging various humans together.

Media

Light novels

Shisui Meikyō began writing the series as a web novel and started publishing the chapters on Shōsetsuka ni Narō on April 17, 2020.^[10]

Japanese publisher Hobby Japan acquired the rights for a print release of the series and started publishing the novel under their HJ Novels imprint.^[11] The light novel, written by Meikyō and illustrated by tef, was published in physical format with the first volume released on May 19, 2021.^[11] As of April 2025, twelve volumes have been published.^[12]

In July 2022, American publisher J-Novel Club announced to have licensed the novel series for an English-language release.^[11]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 19, 2021[13]	978-4-7986-2499-0	October 20, 2022[14]	978-1-7183-5448-7
2	September 18, 2021[15]	978-4-7986-2587-4	February 16, 2023[14]	978-1-7183-5450-0
3	January 19, 2022[16]	978-4-7986-2715-1	May 4, 2023[14]	978-1-7183-5452-4
4	May 19, 2022[17]	978-4-7986-2840-0	August 4, 2023[14]	978-1-7183-5454-8
5	September 20, 2022[18]	978-4-7986-2931-5	November 9, 2023[14]	978-1-7183-5456-2
6	January 19, 2023[19]	978-4-7986-3053-3	February 19, 2024[14]	978-1-7183-5458-6
7	May 19, 2023[20]	978-4-7986-3188-2	May 13, 2024[14]	978-1-7183-5460-9
8	October 19, 2023[21]	978-4-7986-3314-5	September 26, 2024[14]	978-1-7183-5462-3
9	March 19, 2024[22]	978-4-7986-3466-1	December 19, 2024[14]	978-1-7183-5464-7
10	July 19, 2024[23]	978-4-7986-3589-7	March 27, 2025[14]	978-1-7183-5466-1
11	November 19, 2024[24]	978-4-7986-3679-5	October 10, 2025[14]	978-1-7183-5468-5
12	April 18, 2025[12]	978-4-7986-3815-7	—	—
13	October 18, 2025[25]	978-4-7986-3985-7	—	—

Manga

Takafumi Ōmae started a manga adaptation of the series on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket website on May 25, 2021.^[26] The first volume of the manga was released in print on August 6, 2021 in tankōbon format. As of October 2025, eighteen volumes have been released.^[27]

In May 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment announced to have licensed the manga for an English-language translation.^[26]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	August 6, 2021[28]	978-4-06-521299-8	December 27, 2022[29]	978-1-63858-954-9
1. "Unlimited Gacha" 2. "Dawn of Revenge" 3. "Garou's Ace in the Hole" 4. "A Transcendent Level" 5. "The Journey Begins"
2	November 9, 2021[30]	978-4-06-522356-7	April 18, 2023[31]	978-1-63858-991-4
6. "Operation Adventurer" 7. "Cutting in Line" 8. "Into the Dungeon" 9. "Invasion" 10. "Amazement" 11. "The Comforts of Company" 12. "Treasure" 13. "Test Subject" 14. "Prayer"
3	February 9, 2022[32]	978-4-06-523160-9	August 1, 2023[33]	978-1-63858-893-1
15. "True Colors" 16. "Triumph" 17. "What Makes a Hero" 18. "Verdict" 19. "Descendant" 20. "Impossibility" 21. "Just a Loser" 22. "Thank You"
4	May 9, 2022[34]	978-4-06-524476-0	December 5, 2023[35]	978-1-63858-959-4
23. "Taking Action" 24. "Obsession" 25. "White Knights" 26. "Under the Surface" 27. "Second Coming" 28. "The Chase" 29. "Perfection" 30. "The Party Begins"
5	August 9, 2022[36]	978-4-06-525988-7	April 16, 2024[37]	979-8-88843-334-8
31. "Interception" 32. "Dejection" 33. "Scorching Heat" 34. "Checkmate" 35. "Riddled with Bullets" 36. "Salvation" 37. "The Ironblooded Barricade"
6	November 9, 2022[38]	978-4-06-529712-4	August 27, 2024[39]	979-8-88843-846-6
38. "The Best!" 39. "Uwaaaah!" 40. "Long Time No See" 41. "Shall I Begin?" 42. "Despair" 43. "EX" 44. "Ah Ha Ha!" 45. "Shutout"
7	February 9, 2023[40]	978-4-06-530526-3	December 17, 2024[41]	979-8-89160-035-5
46. "Goodbye" 47. "Horde" 48. "Surrender" 49. "Sionne" 50. "Blade of the Isles" 51. "Disembarking" 52. "Contact" 53. "Presence"
8	May 9, 2023[42]	978-4-06-531556-9	April 15, 2025[43]	979-8-89160-547-3
54. "The Card Repository" 55. "Ghost" 56. "Brute" 57. "Fainting in Agony" 58. "Different Class" 59. "Ineffective" 60. "A Dream?" 61. "I'm Sorry"
9	August 8, 2023[44]	978-4-06-532601-5	August 12, 2025[45]	979-8-89373-345-7
62. "Thirst for Research" 63. "Struggle to Understand" 64. "Unlimited Supply" 65. "99,999,999 Cards" 66. "Purification" 67. "Together Forever" 68. "Love You" 69. "Hell's Gate"
10	November 9, 2023[46]	978-4-06-533510-9	December 23, 2025[47]	979-8-89373-397-6
70. "Report" 71. "The Abyss" 72. "Leveling Up" 73. "Orochi" 74. "Stratagem" 75. "Building Battle Strength" 76. "Level 9999" 77. "Nightmare"
11	February 8, 2024[48]	978-4-06-534547-4	April 21, 2026[49]	979-8-89373-600-7
78. "The Human Kingdom" 79. "Visiting the Great Tower" 80. "Shadow Double" 81. "Ruler of the Abyss" 82. "Last Resort" 83. "Top-Secret Meeting" 84. "Meeting" 85. "Please Prepare Yourselves"
12	May 9, 2024[50]	978-4-06-535540-4	—	—
86. "Naano" 87. "Please, Lemme Lick It!" 88. "Ruins of the Past Civilization" 89. "...Ah!" 90. "Please Leave it to Us" 91. "Stone Golems" 92. "Ultimate Sticky Web"
13	August 7, 2024[51]	978-4-06-536515-1	—	—
93. "Ocean View" 94. "Giant Blue Whale" 95. "I'm Terribly Sorry" 96. ""Flesh"" 97. "A Bad Vibe" 98. "Greatsword Prometheus" 99. "The Strongest in the Abyss" 100. "Heave Ho!"
14	November 8, 2024[52]	978-4-06-537423-8	—	—
101. "WHOOOOSH!" 102. "Complete Cooperation" 103. "Still Not Enough" 104. "N-No Way!" 105. "Trash" 106. "Flesh Zombie" 107. "Whaaat?!"
15	February 7, 2025[53]	978-4-06-538410-7	—	—
16	May 9, 2025[54]	978-4-06-539456-4	—	—
17	August 7, 2025[55]	978-4-06-540358-7	—	—
18	October 9, 2025[27]	978-4-06-541099-8	—	—

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.

• 108. "True Despair and Fear"
• 109. "World Eater"
• 110. "It Tickles"
• 111. "I'll Make Your Dream Come True"
• 112. "The Avatar Project"
• 113. "An Undisclosed Location"
• 114. "Humans or Beasts"
• 115. "Orders from the Dragonute Empire"
• 116. "Mythical Weapon"
• 117. "Another Beautiful Day"
• 118. "Escort Request"
• 119. "Violet Fallen Angel"
• 120. "Friends"
• 121. "No Escape"
• 121. "I Won't Give Up"
• 123. "Beastfoooolk!"
• 124. "I'm the Only One..."
• 125. "Powerful New Military Strength"
• 126. "Bout"
• 127. "I Win"
• 128. "A Pleasant Timbre"
• 129. "Survival of the Fittest"
• 130. "We're Best Friends, Right?"
• 131. "No Right to Live"
• 132. "That Voice"
• 133. "Annihilation Time"
• 134. "Saint Miya"
• 135. "Unseemly"
• 136. "Yuck Yuck"
• 137. "Accept the Consequences"
• 138. "Twinblood Magatama"
• 139. "Won't Let You"

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced on November 15, 2024,^[56] which was later revealed to be a television series that is produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Katsushi Sakurabi, with scripts written by Hiroshi Ōnogi, characters designed by Yukie Suzuki, and music composed by Ryo Takahashi.^[2] The series premiered on October 3, 2025, on Tokyo MX and other networks.^[3] The opening theme song is "Sen Yori Kaminari ya, Sarariya Takaki" (閃より雷や、更りや高き), performed by Tei,^[57] while the ending theme song is "Shirogarasu" (シロガラス), performed by Nowlu.^[58] Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, Australia and British Isles for streaming on Hidive under the title My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon, I'm Out for Revenge!.^[59] Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.^[60][61]

Episodes

No.	Title [62][63]	Directed by [a]	Written by [a]	Storyboarded by [a]	Original release date [64]
1	"Betrayal and Salvation" Transliteration: "Uragiri to Sukui" (Japanese: 裏切りと救い)	Katsushi Sakurabi	Hiroshi Ōnogi	Katsushi Sakurabi	October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03)

Notes

1. Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.