Dear Anime World Lovers, let’s talk about an anime that quietly walked into the dungeon genre and flipped everything upside down: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: Level 9999.
If you think this is just another “guy gets betrayed, guy gets strong” anime, slow down for a second. Level 9999 isn’t just about power. It’s about position. Who’s on top, who’s at the bottom, and what happens when the weakest person in the room finally stops accepting their place.
Most fantasy anime follows the same playbook. Humans run the world. Elves and beast people usually end up as slaves or second-class citizens, or at best side characters meant to support the human lead. We’ve seen it over and over. This anime does the exact opposite. In Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: Level 9999, humans are the weakest race. They’re disrespected, used, and tossed aside like they don’t matter. Elves sit at the top of the hierarchy and act superior because the world has always told them they are. It’s not just background lore either. You feel it in every interaction, every dungeon run, and every “sacrifice” that gets made when things go wrong.
That’s where Light comes in.
Light doesn’t start off special. He isn’t secretly overpowered or chosen by destiny. He’s just a human trying to survive in a system designed for him to fail. Then Sasha and the others betray him. Not with guilt. Not with hesitation. They simply decide his life isn’t worth saving and leave him behind in a backwater dungeon meant to erase people.
The anime doesn’t rush past Light’s betrayal, and that’s part of why it hits so hard. You feel his fear, anger, and loneliness. From that moment on, he learns one thing: no one is coming to save him… well, almost no one. A mysterious ally does show up, and she’s loyal to him in a way that feels almost like worship. She respects him like a lord, and it’s clear that once she’s on his side, she’s there for him completely.
As Light grows stronger, something interesting happens. People stop seeing him as just another human. He becomes Light in a different sense. A symbol. A presence. Eventually, people start treating him like a god.
What’s cool is that Light doesn’t stand around asking for worship. It happens naturally. To people who have always been powerless, he represents hope and revenge at the same time. He proves that the hierarchy can be broken. But there’s always tension underneath it all. Light knows better than anyone how easy betrayal is, so you’re constantly wondering if the people who follow him would ever turn on him too.
That question never really leaves the story, and it makes everything more interesting.
Now let’s talk about the best part. The revenge.
Light’s revenge on Sasha and the others is incredibly satisfying. It’s not rushed, loud, or sloppy. It’s calm and controlled, which honestly makes it hit harder. He doesn’t just beat them in a fight. He crushes the confidence that made them think betraying him was okay in the first place.
Watching the people who threw him away finally realize how wrong they were feels earned. Every moment lands because the anime took its time building up to it.
Yes, Light becomes insanely powerful. The Level 9999 title isn’t just for show. But the anime makes it clear that raw strength isn’t the whole point. What matters is how Light uses that power and what kind of person it turns him into.
He’s not a traditional hero. He’s not some laughing villain either. He exists in this uncomfortable middle space where you understand his actions even when they’re scary. That moral gray area keeps the story from feeling boring or predictable.
Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: Level 9999 works because it understands something a lot of dungeon anime forget. Power alone isn’t interesting. Context is.
By flipping the usual fantasy hierarchy, putting humans at the bottom, and making betrayal the heart of the story, this anime feels fresh without trying too hard. Light’s rise from abandoned human to god-like figure is fun to watch, his revenge is satisfying, and the world itself feels cruel enough that every win actually matters.
If you’re tired of predictable dungeon anime and want something darker but still easy to get into, Level 9999 is definitely worth checking out. Just don’t expect Light to forgive easily. In this dungeon, betrayal comes with consequences.
Bye,
Anime World Lovers.
Anime World 