Soul is dropped into a dimension where everyone's screaming about a status window he can't see. On top of that, his pet rat, who also got dropped in with him, turns out to be a beastman and a powerful awakener... And in love with him?! Will Soul and Rio accept each other and make it back home safely?

My Rat is an S-Class Awakener has story and art by Zosusuk, based on a work by Jisoun. English localization by Manta. Published by Manta (March 23, 2026). Rated M.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Move over, Chosen Ones, there's a new hero in town, and he's a literal rat named Squeaky. Well, not really a rat, although as far as Soul Kang and Squeaky have always known, that's the case. But when Soul wakes up in a field having been isekai'd away in preparation for one of those Solo Leveling-style dungeon stories to start, it turns out that he's not the Awakener in the situation: it's Squeaky. Soul just got brought along because Squeaky was sleeping in his pajama pocket. Luckily Soul isn't upset by the fact that it was his pet who got chosen, although he is understandably nervous about the entire situation. After all, he's stranded in a game world with exactly zero cheat skills, his entire life dependent on a domestic rat.

Who, wouldn't you know, isn't actually a rat at all. It turns out that Squeaky is a beastman who just never learned either his true nature or how to transform. By the end of the first eight chapters, that's been rectified, but it of course brings with it a whole new set of problems, namely that Squeaky's affection for Soul isn't really that of a pet for his owner, something that becomes very, very obvious once a beastman named Jane teaches him how to transform. Love is love and all that, but this is going to take some getting used to for Soul.

My Rat is an S-Class Awakener is both a delightful lampooning of isekai stories and a decent isekai story in itself. Soul's struggles as a transplant with no powers save linguistic ability force him to be more grounded than most protagonists, and he also sees firsthand the problems the Awakeners cause for the locals. They truly act like everyone in town is an NPC, and while Soul did too, at first, he stops treating them that way as he lives among them. But the other Koreans do things like summon monsters to the town just so they can complete a quest, which the villagers understandably aren't happy with. Squeaky is guided by Soul in his actions, and the two form a much kinder team. They support each other in a way that's unlikely to be shaken up by Squeaky's transformation – at least, not once Soul gets used to the fact that his “pet” now has the ability to kiss him with tongue.

The concept is, I'll grant you, a bit uncomfortable. Soul has always treated Squeaky like a pet, although that changed once they were able to talk after being transmigrated. But the combination of silliness and seriousness works really well, and the art does a good job showing the world's absurdities. It's the right kind of weird, and I'm definitely going back to read more.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

Fresh off The Wolf That Stole The Sun, I was totally ready for another furry beast-person fantasy, but My Rat is an S-Class Awakener didn't quite hit the spot. Soul ends up transported to another world, along with a number of other humans. They are told that they are being trained for a future event. Only, Soul cannot see a status window or manifest any skills. Scared and lost in this other world, and sometimes targeted for being an other-worlder, Soul's only companion is his beloved rat, Squeaky. Now able to communicate, they are very affectionate with each other.

When it turns out that Squeaky is the awakened S-Rank adventure, he and Soul are able to start figuring out how to live in this strange new world. Eventually, Squeaky is able to learn how to manifest his human form and he wants to be even more affectionate with Soul.

The biggest weakness in the story is, honestly, the relationship between Soul and Squeaky. It's not that I don't think pet owners are that affectionate, I know many are. I also don't really want to watch a person kiss their pet that intimately. I imagine many will and will love that little, rotund Squeaky becomes a total hottie as a human.

The rest of the story is also not as robust as I'd hope in order to hold my intention. There is intrigue and, if you're looking for yet another tale of bad guys enslaving beast people as a plot driver, you'll probably like it.

The art here is nice, Squeaky the rat is cute, Soul is average and human form beast people are universally attractive. The world is vaguely fantasy medieval without any unique characteristics.

If you're looking for rebirth story about a man and his rat-man S-rank boyfriend, you probably will like this more than I did.