15 Must-Read Villainess Manhwa For Fans Of My Next Life As A Villainess (2023)

Being reincarnated into a fantastical new world sounds amazing to most people. There can be magic, different cultures, and you get a second chance at life. For some, this means the world to them as they can live life however they please. On the other hand, when people are reincarnated, they can also be faced with death, people who are after them, and many other harsh factors.

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One theme that is rising in popularity in both manga and manhwa is people who are reincarnated as villainesses. In manga, one of the more popular titles is My Next Life As A Villainess, which also has an anime adaptation. However, there are many more funny and enjoyable "reincarnated as a villainess" manhwa that are a must-read for fans of the genre.

Updated on May 2023 by Chelsea Steele: The villainess trend has been a huge success over the last few years, and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon. For fans of this unique genre, there are tons of titles to choose from, and it's hard to know which to try out. This list features some of the best villainess manhwa currently available, and we've updated it with even more great titles for readers to enjoy.

15 Roxana

In Roxana, a young girl finds herself reincarnated into the world of a novel known as "The Abysmal Flower." Here, she's reborn as Roxana Agrece, daughter of the story's villain. Now living in an unknown world with a treacherous new family, Roxana must do whatever it takes to survive and escape her family's fate.

When the heroine's brother, Cassis Pedelian, is captured by the Agrece family, Roxana takes matters into her own hands. Hoping to grant herself a pardon, she latches onto Cassis and assists him in any way she can. With his help, Roxana goes up against her villainous family and tries to turn her life around.

14 How To Win My Husband Over

After a horrific plane crash brings her first life to an end, a young woman wakes to find herself reincarnated into the body of Rudbeckia de Borgia, a minor villain from a historical novel who's destined to die by the end of the story. Refusing to die once again, Rudbeckia does whatever it takes to change her fate—including getting married.

Now under the care of her new husband, Rudbeckia needs to use her charms and hopefully win his affection and protection. With gripping drama and intense, bittersweet romance, this manhwa series is perfect for fans who love a twisted love story.

13 The Villainess Turns The Hourglass

While most villainess stories feature a nameless heroine who reincarnates into the life of a villainess, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is a little bit different. In this story, Aria Roscente lives a lavish life after her mother remarries. She takes advantage of her new status and develops a reputation as a vile villainess, which ultimately leads to her death by execution.

However, after her death, she learns the truth of her demise and earns a second chance at life. Aria then reawakens in the past, and now that she's armed with the knowledge she lacked in her old life, she's set to do whatever it takes to keep from suffering the same fate again.

12 The Perks Of Being A Villainess

Villainess manhwa often have one thing in common: they feature a reincarnated protagonist who wants to change her fate as the villainess, often to avoid a harsh punishment or even death. However, in the series The Perks of Being a Villainess, the villainess heroine aims for the exact opposite.

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After reincarnating as Deborah Seymour, the villainess of a novel, this series' protagonist soon realizes that trying to change her wicked ways might not be worth it. Instead, Deborah carries on with her villainy, though rather than acting as a cruel and petty monster, she uses her new status to become a cutthroat businesswoman. This unique spin on the villainess trope is a welcome departure from the usual stories found, and for those who love a strong and capable lead female, it's well worth a read.

11 Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom

Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom is a unique addition to the villainess genre, following the journey of a woman who reincarnates into the wicked stepmother of a fairytale story. Now known as the evil queen Abigail Freidkin, she must navigate her new life—and try to befriend her new stepdaughter, Blanche.

Rather than accepting her role as a wicked stepmother, Abigail does her part to mend the broken relationship of the royal family and uses her talent for sewing and dress-making to bring joy to those around her. This fairytale-inspired villainess manhwa is simple in its story, but the wholesome relationship between Abigail and her new family is nothing short of a delight.

10 Villains Are Destined To Die

In her previous life, Penelope Eckhart was the illegitimate daughter who was tormented by her half-brothers. Her only means of escape was being accepted into a prestigious university. When her friends recommend a dating sim game, she decides to play it. After clearing the normal mode as the heroine, she decides to play the hard mode, which is told from the perspective of the villainess.

After falling asleep, she wakes up as Penelope Eckhart, the villain in the dating sim game that she was playing. Knowing that all her routes lead to death and what her death flags are, she does everything in her power to change her fate, and there’s no reset button for her to try again.

9 The Villainess Wants A Divorce

In The Villainess Wants A Divorce, Carnelia Easter is reincarnated as a popular novel series villainess. In the novel, she is the evil Empress' underling, who marries her off to the first prince. Carnelia wastes her time spending money, bullying the prince, and being evil. However, she is later executed.

Knowing what’s in store for her, Carnelia decides to change her future. She must convince the prince to divorce her peacefully. Things don’t go to plan for Carnelia, however, and she wonders if she really will be able to survive.

8 What It Takes To Be A Villainess

Hwayoung was dumped by her boyfriend, who was cheating on her with her best friend. While drinking alcohol alongside a river, she accidentally falls into it and drowns. Before going to heaven, she is reincarnated as Satiana Altisee Kaylon, House Kaylon's sole daughter, a villainess.

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Soon after, Hwayoung is selected to be a candidate to become the next Empress. She has to learn to survive alongside scheming and devious candidates to win her place or else her family will suffer a terrible fate.

7 The Tyrant's Only Perfumer

Before being reincarnated, Ariel Winston was a girl who loved flowers but was incredibly sickly. Unfortunately, she ended up dying but was reincarnated into the body of Ariel Winston, the villainess in a novel she was reading before her death. Knowing her fate, Ariel decides to break off her engagement with Duke Cedric Evans, the novel's protagonist.

Duke Cedric Evans is cursed with a condition that causes him to become bloodthirsty when he can’t smell a particular scent constantly. The only person who knows how to make it is Ariel—which is why she forced the Duke into marriage in exchange for the scent. But now that she is reincarnated, she has no intention of following that deathly role and lives her life to the fullest.

6 Beware The Villainess!

Beware the Villainess! is a brilliant romantic comedy about a woman who died in a car accident, which she thinks is better than her eventual death from being overworked. The main protagonist is reincarnated as Melissa Podebright, a novel's villainess. Even though her character in the novel doesn't die, she doesn't like the idea of being cruel and harming the other characters.

So, she does what she wants—starting with asking for an annulment with the Crown prince. She doesn't care about society and etiquette; she's going to live her life how she pleases because life is too short for her to waste.

5 When The Villainess Is In Love

In When The Villainess Is In Love, a young girl is reincarnated as the villainess, Princess Libertia. As she knows what's going to happen in the novel, Libertia decides to change everyone's fate and find a way for them to live happy lives instead of dying.

As she changes her ways and tries to help people, Libertia hopes to go from villainess to heroine. But even as she begins to do good deeds, she's not sure if it's enough for people to see her in a new and forgiving light.

4 The Villainess Is Retiring

(Video) Top 10 I became a Villainess Manga/Manhwa/Manhua you should read in 2021.

After dying in an airplane crash on a business trip, an office worker is reincarnated as Everia Oberon, the villainess who is destined to die a tragic death in a romance novel. However, Everia wants no part in that ending and decides to live a quiet and peaceful life in the countryside, instead.

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Once she arrives with inflammable wood in the cold region, she calls upon the Archmage Theoharis to warm her home with his blue flames. What she didn't expect, however, is that by calling upon him, they are now bound together for life and her hopes for a peaceful life become nonexistent.

3 Daddy, I Don't Want To Marry!

A young girl is reincarnated as Jubellian Eloy Floyen, the villainess in a novel that the main character was reading. Unfortunately for the main character, she died on her way to her part-time job. She knows that if she doesn't change her future, she will end up committing suicide to save herself from being tortured.

So, Jubellian decides to break off her engagement with the prince and live her life without trying to pursue the affections of others, including her father. Jubellian vows to live a life free of entanglements and improve her reputation, but things don't exactly go according to her plan.

2 The Villainess Is Happy Today

In The Villainess Is Happy Today, a young woman's best friend stole her boyfriend and gave her an invitation to their wedding. Upon sleeping, she finds herself reincarnated into the body of the villainess in a romance and fantasy novel, Leilin Shan Candmione.

Leilin has everything—power, money, influence, and intelligence. Leilin is done with her cheating fiancé and happily throws him and the heroine together. She decides to live her luxurious life however she wants while trying to find a much better man than him.

1 Villainess In Love

A young woman is reincarnated as Yunifer Magnolia, the villainess character who was incredibly jealous that Duke Ishid Lucrenze only had eyes for Raelle, Yunifer's best friend. In the story, Yunifer torments Raelle so much that Yunifer ends up being killed.

Upon her reincarnation, Yunifer plans on doing everything possible to avoid her death and help Raelle and the Duke get together. The only problem, however, is that after a drunken night, she finds herself in bed with the Duke and all of her plans aren't going the way she wanted them to.

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