The B-Rank Adventurer with a Scary Face Becomes a Father for the Hero and His Friends Volume 1 Review (Minor Spoilers)

Synopsis

Gray is a B-rank adventurer whose terrifying face hides a surprisingly gentle heart. One day, he finds himself suddenly responsible for a group of young kids, including one who may grow up to become the world’s next great hero.

Gray doesn’t know what role he’s meant to play in this RPG-like world he’s been reborn into. (Villain? NPC? Cannon fodder?) So he stops trying to play it right, and simply follows his instincts. He takes the children in, becoming their devoted guardian in a story full of muscles, mean mugs, and maximum domesticity.

The Good: Demonic Face, Golden Heart

What struck me right away about The B-Rank Adventurer with a Scary Face is how it skips the usual isekai formula. Gray hasn’t played the game he’s been reincarnated into and doesn’t know the quests, tropes, or “correct” path beforehand. Aside from recognizing the hero’s name, he’s essentially flying blind. And that makes his choices feel more human. He’s not min-maxing for a role; he’s just trying to do what feels right.

It’s also refreshing to have a protagonist without plot armor. Gray doesn’t act like a chosen one; he’s a man trying to give the kids in his care a decent life. He’s capable and kind, but not inexplicably overpowered, and that makes each fight feel earned rather than inevitable.

The kids? Adorable. Each one has a distinct personality, and their interactions with Gray are consistently sweet. (Stella, in particular, owns my entire heart.) There’s some great gap moe here, especially in the contrast between Gray’s intimidating appearance and his soft dad instincts. The recurring gag where his face turns into glowing eyes and a sharp-toothed grin while he’s just thinking about dinner? Never gets old.

Most importantly, there’s a quiet emotional thread running underneath it all in this manga: Gray wants to live a life without regrets. It’s simple, but it hits. We get small glimpses of his original life, and while they haven’t been fully explored yet, they suggest a deeper backstory that shaped his desire to now live this way. I’m genuinely curious to see how his past unfolded and how it ties into the values that now define him as a guardian.

Somewhere in Between: Scrolls of Exposition

For all its emotional strengths, the volume sometimes buckles under the weight of exposition. Dialogue bubbles are often overstuffed, and plot details occasionally show up too early (like learning the resolution of a quest before the quest itself is introduced).

The worldbuilding itself isn’t necessarily dull or uninteresting, but the delivery often made me want to skim ahead. And, in a few places, the font size and text density made the dialogue physically difficult to read.

It’s clear this is adapted from a light novel, and sometimes it leans too hard on the prose. The core material is strong, but the manga format occasionally struggles to carry the density of the original. This is a visual medium, and I often found myself wishing the panels had more space to breathe to let the art, mood, and character beats speak without so much textual noise.

The Bad: She’s 13…

Okay. I truly believe this story wants to stay in wholesome, found-family territory, but there are some minor one-liners that threw me off: namely, a line referring to a 13-year-old girl as a woman. Big yikes. Elsewhere, the same character is described more like a mother than a sister, and there’s an awkward interaction involving Gray’s former lover that further muddies the tone. The story clearly means to keep these dynamics familial, but the wording raises unnecessary red flags. (I poked around, and novel readers confirm things stay strictly familial with the girl in question. A big relief, if you ask me.)

A similar scene hits another sour note: at one point, a village offers a young woman to Gray as “payment.” He firmly refuses, which reaffirms that he’s not the kind of man to exploit anyone, but the scene still clashes with the rest of the story. In a narrative built on care and protection, moments like these feel like tonal whiplash. They don’t ruin the volume, but they do interrupt the otherwise warm, emotional flow.

The Verdict

This first volume is equal parts tender and intense. It might stumble a bit in presentation, but it more than makes up for it with sincerity, charm, and a protagonist worth rooting for.

Gray isn’t just another reincarnated lead with a gimmick. He’s a refreshing twist on the archetype: a man with a terrifying glare, a golden heart, and the quiet determination to live without regrets. His bond with the kids gives the story its emotional core, balancing sharp teeth with soft moments in a way that feels genuinely heartfelt.

If future volumes lean further into the family dynamics (and ease up on the text density), this series has real potential to become something special.

If you like The B-Rank Adventurer with a Scary Face, you may also like…

• The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting
• Mr. Villain’s Day Off
• School Babysitters

Credits

Written and illustrated by Cogeme
Original Story by Enji
Character design by Kazuhiro Hara
Translated by Nate Derr

Thank you to One Peace Books for providing a review copy. Receiving this did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.

Article edited by: Anne Estrada