Reincarnation vs Transmigration

[OP1000]

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

There was a discussion about that. If I'm not mistaken, reincarnation = MC is born as a child into a new world. Transmigration = MC enters a body that previously had a different person's mind\soul. Is there any difference? On paper, yes. But usually, no, as both are used as a plot device.

 

[NotaNuffian]

If you must force a difference, reincarnation has the MC going into isekai as a fresh account while transmigration is like MC playing some dude's game and most of the time, that dude has shit play.

With a fresh account and creepy pedo vibe, MC can nurture himself into a fucking munchkin.

With an already built account though, MC would have to work his way around with the lore and dealing with pre-existing problems first before nurturing himself into a munchkin.

To be fair, it feels the same, just that the main difference is human relation.

Which some transmigration novels mitigate with the previous owner of body being a fucking recluse.

 

[Love4NovelGuy]

If you must force a difference, reincarnation has the MC going into isekai as a fresh account while transmigration is like MC playing some dude's game and most of the time, that dude has shit play.

With a fresh account and creepy pedo vibe, MC can nurture himself into a fucking munchkin.

With an already built account though, MC would have to work his way around with the lore and dealing with pre-existing problems first before nurturing himself into a munchkin.

To be fair, it feels the same, just that the main difference is human relation.

Which some transmigration novels mitigate with the previous owner of body being a fucking recluse.

No matter how you spin the damn thing, reincarnation is easier so long as the romance comes later, LATER on.

Transmigration sounds like it should be easier on paper, but you might as well reincarnate them if you’re not going to use the trope of everyone reactions to the changes the MC goes through.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Both have pro's and cons but it really depends on how well you can write them. What can make or break the story is how the transmigration or reincarnation aspects are handled in relation to the story and world.

 

[Love4NovelGuy]

Both have pro's and cons but it really depends on how well you can write them. What can make or break the story is how the transmigration or reincarnation aspects are handled in relation to the story and world.

Exactly.

I like ‘Release that Witch’ as a transmigration story because they never drop the fact that the MC is ‘different’ mentally. Other people make their minds up about him after seeing the actions as a result of his change, not immediately.

While ‘Jobless Reincarnation’ (Mushoku Tensei) was appealing because it allowed the character to be remade from the ground up. It’s not about change, but more about growth. Time in another world alters him, unlike a dramatic shift from some sort of enlightenment.

What you get differs depending on the genre.

 

[SMILEME]

There was a discussion about that. If I'm not mistaken, reincarnation = MC is born as a child into a new world. Transmigration = MC enters a body that previously had a different person's mind\soul. Is there any difference? On paper, yes. But usually, no, as both are used as a plot device.

No it's different in a small matter but that enough for a plot....I believe Reincarnation is Rebirth from the womb ....while transmigration is soul transfer to another grown or still growing body ....ahhh...my head ..
what I can say there is no different...matter closed any objections?
Read and give me your feedback so I can improve as a writer

 

[RepresentingWrath]

No it's different in a small matter but that enough for a plot....I believe Reincarnation is Rebirth from the womb ....while transmigration is soul transfer to another grown or still growing body ....ahhh...my head ..
what I can say there is no different...matter closed any objections?
Read and give me your feedback so I can improve as a writer

What?

 

[SMILEME]

What?

I posted a picture of my novel...I was just trying to say the differences but it's was so little I think it's pointless

The name is Reincarnated in a game

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I posted a picture of my novel...

Err, why?

 

[SMILEME]

W

Err, why?

For feedback

 

[RepresentingWrath]

W

For feedback

 

[SMILEME]

??

 

[Mystic_Grasshopper]

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

I think there should be a major difference because of the definition used on site but I understand that most times they are mechanically the same in structure, because most people use it as here's someone from our world in another world look at how they react and dominate (or not).

One of the main ways this should differ between the two is that the mc shouldn't have so many questions about things or how they work if they were an actual individual who has lived a good chunk of their life in the other world prior to getting headjacked. But lo and behold most of the mcs are down right brain damaged before getting replaced by someone with actual agency (supposedly). The other problem here being that most authors who are new to this type of thing think it's organic to have a transported individual receive or beg for exposition to give them an excuse to write it and hide behind dubious character motivations.

The other problem present is that the definition that exists on this site about transmigration isn't completely accurate, it states that the protagonist inhabits an existing person's body (ie the headjack), but in some stories the mc is the literal reincarnation and they only just managed to unlock their past life memories and their personality from the past becomes dominant for the rest of the story. In other transmigration stories they are just a soul that plops into a dead body or at least soul dead.

Exactly.

I like ‘Release that Witch’ as a transmigration story because they never drop the fact that the MC is ‘different’ mentally. Other people make their minds up about him after seeing the actions as a result of his change, not immediately.

While ‘Jobless Reincarnation’ (Mushoku Tensei) was appealing because it allowed the character to be remade from the ground up. It’s not about change, but more about growth. Time in another world alters him, unlike a dramatic shift from some sort of enlightenment.

What you get differs depending on the genre.

Unironically MT is a transmigration story.

 

[kokiboki]

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

There's one difference,

 

[AliceShiki]

The other problem present is that the definition that exists on this site about transmigration isn't completely accurate, it states that the protagonist inhabits an existing person's body (ie the headjack), but in some stories the mc is the literal reincarnation and they only just managed to unlock their past life memories and their personality from the past becomes dominant for the rest of the story.

If the author is using transmigration and not reincarnation there, that's the author's fault. This is a reincarnation story, not a transmigration one.

The site has its definition, people not following it when they add their tags is not really the site's fault.

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

When reading...?

Well, tbh, I can't even remember reading a single transmigration story, but I don't think I would notice much of a difference. They're probably handled very similar.

That said, transmigration and reincarnation can explore some different avenues, like...

If someone is reincarnated, then recovers past-life memories as a teen or something, then the personality will probably change at this point... Maybe both personalities will merge, or the past-life personality will become dominant, or I dunno, something like that.

With transmigration, you can explore something different. Maybe an actual conflict between both souls, fighting for dominance within the body and the like... Especially if the way the new soul is handling things isn't something the old soul wanted... I can totally imagine this kind of thing happening and leading to a pretty unique development that you won't see in Reincarnation (maybe the original soul even thinks that they were possessed and like, want to get themselves purified to get rid of the "Hostile Demon" that possessed them).

Or like... When thinking of reincarnation, the person on the previous life died, so like... They just have to accept the new life. OTOH, with Transmigration, the new soul can try to return to previous world and stuff. This leads to different developments too.

They certainly can be different, but whether or not they're actually different depends on the author.

 

[Mystic_Grasshopper]

If the author is using transmigration and not reincarnation there, that's the author's fault. This is a reincarnation story, not a transmigration one.

The site has its definition, people not following it when they add their tags is not really the site's fault.

When reading...?

The site's definition of tags is arbitrary to how the authors interpret and include them, that much should be obvious when not only are there tags without definitions, there are genres that are added to novels that go against what the internet lexicon define it as and I don't mean some edge cases or rarities, there's a whole genre that's been taken over on this site by stories that are at times so low effort and plainly obvious not what they say they are.

 

[Cipiteca396]

The site's definition of tags is arbitrary to how the authors interpret and include them, that much should be obvious when not only are there tags without definitions, there are genres that are added to novels that go against what the internet lexicon define it as and I don't mean some edge cases or rarities, there's a whole genre that's been taken over on this site by stories that are at times so low effort and plainly obvious not what they say they are.

Off topic.

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

The point of using one over the other is to give your character a slow or dramatic start. A newborn baby isn't going to be able to advance the plot without a timeskip, but a character who's already active in the plot has to get their bearings quickly and react on the spot.

If neither of those options is wanted, then you want a summoning. A character just randomly appears in the world with no idea what's going on, possibly intentionally!

Obviously every author is gonna want to put a twist on it, though, so there's no real difference. Some reincarnators strangle snakes in their cribs, some transmigrators lose all agency and get their soul swallowed by their supposed 'host', and some summoned folk know the world better than the inhabitants.

 

[Le_ther]

When reading an isekai novel, do you believe that there is a major difference within the story when the protagonist is reincarnated into a new world/ the protagonist is transmigrated into a new world?

To isekai/Time worldy affecting genre I put it down to 6 classifications.

Transmigator - A person who transmigated through a person/object/something that was already existing.

Reincarnator - A person who was born again in a new life

Returner - A person who came back from another world

Regressor - A person who have rewinded time back into the past.

Summoned - A person was summoned into another world.

 

[OP1000]

To isekai/Time worldy affecting genre I put it down to 6 classifications.

Transmigator - A person who transmigated through a person/object/something that was already existing.

Reincarnator - A person who was born again in a new life

Returner - A person who came back from another world

Regressor - A person who have rewinded time back into the past.

Summoned - A person was summoned into another world.

What about the sixth classification?