Most episodes of Manga With Josh focus on series created by other writers and artists. I spend a lot of time talking about manga, manhwa, and web novels that I think deserve more attention. This episode is a little different.

After reading countless stories over the years, I eventually reached a point where I wanted to try creating my own. Not because I thought I could do it better, but because I had ideas I wanted to explore and stories I wanted to tell. The result was two series that draw inspiration from many of the genres and tropes I enjoy while trying to put my own spin on them.

The first is The Iron Fist Chronicles, a fantasy adventure series about a champion boxer who dies unexpectedly and is reborn in a world filled with magic, monsters, and adventurers. Unlike everyone around him, he has almost no magical ability. Instead of casting spells or relying on powerful abilities, he survives the only way he knows how: with his fists. What begins as a simple quest for survival grows into a larger journey through ranks, dungeons, dangerous enemies, and a world that constantly reminds him of his limitations.

The second series is I Died and Became the Heavenly Demon. This story takes inspiration from the cultivation and murim worlds that have become so popular in recent years. A manga reader from New York suddenly finds himself transported into the world of a story he has followed for years. Rather than becoming a legendary hero, he wakes up as an insignificant nobody within the Heavenly Demon Sect. Through a combination of bad luck, determination, and a few unexpected opportunities, he begins a journey that slowly changes his fate. While the series contains martial arts, cultivation, and action, it also leans heavily into comedy, character interactions, and the awkward situations that seem to follow the protagonist wherever he goes.

One of the reasons I wanted to create these stories was because so many modern series started to feel familiar. Reincarnation, overpowered protagonists, game systems, and cultivation worlds can be a lot of fun, but after reading enough of them, certain patterns begin to repeat. I wanted to take some of those familiar ideas and approach them from a slightly different angle while still delivering the kind of adventure and progression that made me fall in love with the genre in the first place.

If you enjoy fantasy adventures, dungeon crawling, party-based quests, and underdog protagonists, The Iron Fist Chronicles might be worth a look. If you prefer cultivation stories, murim settings, comedy, and character-driven progression, I Died and Became the Heavenly Demon may be more your style.

This episode is a little more personal than usual because it gives me a chance to talk about the creative side of being both a fan and a writer. Reading manga and manhwa inspired me to create stories of my own, and these two series are the result of that journey.

As always, this is Manga With Josh — where we explore manga you may not have heard of, but probably should have.