Hero Of The Rebellion ~A Cliché Otherworld Summoning And Reverse-Transportation To Japan~ Chapter 37 Discussion

OK, people here have it all skewered because they are not familiar with Karma and Dharma.

There is no "good" or "evil" in the premise, just "Karma".

I explain my reasoning down, but I would advise you to read my explanation until you're certain you're enjoying the novel but don't understand why the Hero is doing things this way, it's properly explained, people are just not used to the premise, and if you are you might understand it without my spoilers.

Spoiler

The "Hero" gains a power called "Karmic Curse" which, you guessed it, haves the culprit receive retribution trough some means that are similar to what they've done in their life, specially what they are more guilty of it's more present when activated, IE: a bandid leader is basically attacked by a whole bunch of the "ghosts" he killed but the only one that looks to have more "solid" form is his wife that he killed in a fit of rage... that's his Karma, what his Dharma has been telling him he did wrong.

IF you're not familiar with the Karma and Dharma premise, you might think he should be doing "more" but the premise in itself is tied to that notion, so he can't do "more" than what the culprits have "accumulated" or he will receive the "backlash".

his "Dharma" doesn't allow him to go beyond a certain threshold, and that threshold is the "Karma" of everyone, basically what they themselves feel guilty of.

This isn't about being "morally ambiguous" or following what you're used to think as "Society Standards and Morals" this is straight up "Amoral", as long as he doesn't go further than the Karma of each person, it's fine.

I get that it's a difficult concept to grasp because people have grown accustomed to a "Judeo-christian" set of values due to their culture, "good" and "evil", someone "judging" what other person is doing, that's not how "Karma" works, Karma works on the premise of the Dharma of each person (personal values, what they consider their own personal moral compass, their religious beliefs and how they interpret them, their position in the universe), if they do something they know is "bad" they must be prepared for a similarly "bad" thing to be done to them, it even plays with the theme when he's done and his victim accepts it, they were always aware that they "deserve" it, even if unconsciously.

The "Dharma" of the MC is set, from the start, to just be able to do things "within" the Karma of the "culprit", all his powers, abilities and effects are steered towards this "Equivalent Exchange" (he knows the misdeeds people have committed with his power), him KNOWING he's a scumbag taking advantage of it doesn't matter because his Dharma is to bring the Karma the others have gathered to fruition.

He said it himself "I'm not here to be judging people and killing them, that's what a Demon Lord would do."

This isn't "Justice".

This is "Karmic Retribution".

In a more "western" way of putting it, "Poetic justice" or "Poetic Irony", it's always pertaining to the particular persons Karma.

It's never from the "Outside in" (someone judging you, implanting on you their ideas) it's always from the "Inside out" (what you judge to be right or correct, what you deserve from your own actions).

If you're willing to kill, be prepared to be killed, if you're willing to torture, be prepared to be tortured.

The Dharma of the "Hero" is to be the person that brings this to fruition, and it's also his Karma (the manifestation of it).

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Leaving that aside, let me point out the fetishes mostly revolve about "voyeurism", "shame play" and "domination" with some "scat" mixed around when appropriate, so it's relatively mild with no real grotesque gore (although just so far, I don't know how it will continue, but considering the premise, I don't think it will go that route)

It's an interesting story that explores the perverse, it really does reminds me of Marquis de Sade, especially in the Poetic Irony of it.

EDIT: oh right, the only thing I have against it is the overly winded over explanation in exposition dump format that sometimes doesn't even matter because it's all BS and we know better since we were already told something different before that is common on japanese WN... but just because of the premise been very well done and the different action scenes written similarly in a very well done way I won't substract a star since it's par of the course on JWN... which for a novel like this I'm willing to endure and don't mind, it would be different if the rest was sub-par, but I'm genuinely enjoying the premise, it makes up in its flaws with the execution of the rest.