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The trope of reincarnating as a villainess in isekai manga and manhwa has especially exploded in popularity in the last couple of years to the point of being recognized as its own sub-genre, and it’s not hard to see why. The trope allows a series more flexibility in terms of characterization, making room for more nuanced and morally grey, if not completely evil, protagonists that are much more compelling to read about. Amidst this villainess manhwa mania, one series in particular that has stood out as exceptional is Villains Are Destined to Die written by Gwon Gyeoeul and illustrated by Suol.
Since its localization on Tapas in October 2020, Villains Are Destined to Die has garnered 12.4 million views on the platform and has now wrapped up four very successful seasons. The series’ reception on KakaoPage is even more impressive, with the series having accumulated 96.5 million views on its home platform with a perfect 10.0 rating to date. Villains Are Destined to Die is now headed for its fifth season, and here’s everything fans need to know about this must-read villainess manhwa.
When Season 5 of Villains Are Destined to Die Releases
The Korean release of Villains Are Destined to Die on KakaoPage wrapped up Season 4 with Episode 162 on September 12th, 2024, while the official localization of Episode 162 dropped on Tapas on December 25th, 2024. According to announcements by the series’ official publisher, D&C Webtoon, and the series’ illustrator, SUOL, the Korean release of Villains Are Destined to Die returned with Season 5 on March 14th, 2025, with new episodes dropping every Thursday at 10:00 PM KST as per the release schedule so far.
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Having said that, the official release of Villains Are Destined to Die on Tapas is still on hiatus, with the publisher yet to officially announce a release date for the same. Though the Korean release currently has about 10 chapters out already, it will likely be a while until the official English localization releases. It is hard to estimate when exactly Season 5 of Villains Are Destined to Die will release on Tapas, though, assuming the series wants to maintain roughly the same three-month gap as before, fans could potentially be looking at a June release date.
What Happened in Villains Are Destined to Die‘s Story So Far
Season 4 of Villains Are Destined to Die ended on quite a dramatic note with the end of Hard Mode locking away the percentage counter on affection scores and Penelope’s dreaded coming-of-age ceremony causing quite a stir. The final few episodes of Season 4 see Derrick, who’s been completely brainwashed at this point, bring the Duke’s real daughter, Ivonne, to the ceremony despite the Duke’s orders. When the time comes to raise a toast, Penelope, thanks to her necklace that reacts in the presence of magic or poison, realizes Ivonne’s goblet has been poisoned and swaps them, drinking the poison herself and inevitably collapsing.
With first aid from Winter, who’d anticipated a poisoning, Penelope barely survives but remains in critical condition, with Callisto barely leaving her side throughout. The Eckharts, together with Winter and Callisto, attempt to find the culprit, though this proves difficult with Derrick still under Ivonne’s spell, Winter unable to reveal his own secrets, and Ivonne’s maid the only suspect found dead in her cell before anyone can question her.
Despite not wanting to, Callisto is forced to leave a comatose Penelope to deal with a rebellion in the north, though before he leaves, he begs her to stay alive. Meanwhile, Pennelope finds herself in a mysterious subconscious realm where she sees her real-life self in a giant mirror. However, despite getting a “game over,” she finds she’s unable to leave the game as she’s entered a supposed “hidden route.”
What to Expect From Season 5 of Villains Are Destined to Die
Going off the ending of Season 4 alone, it is inevitable that Season 5 of Villains Are Destined to Die will see Penelope wake up and recover from the poisoning. The coming-of-age ceremony has proved that there’s much more to Ivonne than meets the eye and that she may just be the biggest underlying threat to Penelope’s survival.
Though before all of that, Penelope may have to defend herself and prove that she was not behind the poisoning herself, which is sure to feel like returning to square one all over again. Penelope is sure to be even more single-mindedly focused on her survival than before, though hopefully, amidst the adversity, fans get to see her relationship with Callisto grow into a pillar she can lean on. Either way, Season 5 of Villains Are Destined to Die has plenty more to look forward to, and fans can only hope that the series officially returns soon enough.
Villains Are Destined to Die is available to read on Tapas.
