Kara Dennison
April 6, 2025 
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! is an uncommon isekai, even in its subgenre of villainess reincarnation isekai. And it’s not just because the hero is a 52-year-old bureaucrat. There are a lot of moving parts in this winter anime series. And while we did get a nice “soft” ending with the student council’s play, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered.
With the future of the show uncertain (at least for now), here are three things we’re dying to know about our favorite villainess dad:
What Happened to the Real Grace?
Most villainess isekai just kind of assume that the reincarnated hero simply is the villainess. But From Bureaucrat to Villainess challenges that. At one point, Kenzaburo sees Grace in a giant birdcage, seemingly locked away deep within her own mind. We also see this visual repeatedly in the opening sequence. In other words, Grace and Kenzaburo are separate people. Dad’s just driving the bus at the moment.
With that in mind, what’s up with Grace? This world, as we see throughout the series, is full of magic. Was some sort of spell cast on Grace that required outside intervention? Or is Kenzaburo’s presence part of why she’s locked away? We can’t help but wonder if someone in this world knows more than they’re letting on…
What’s up with the moms?
As From Bureaucrat to Villainess proceeds, we meet a lot of new characters. Yes, there are fellow students to get to know. But there’s also family—specifically, the mothers of our two heroines. There’s a lot more to both Jacqueline Auvergne and Audrey Doll than meets the eye. Kenzaburo can hazard a guess at some of it… but what’s really happening here?
We get hints that Anna Doll’s mother, presumably a baker, may be a former noble. Kenzaburo decides not to chase this point up, but it feels as though this is more than a little important. And Grace’s own mother has hidden depths, too. What exactly is her magic? What’s her real reason for being absent? And who—or what—is she talking to in the last episode of the series? We’re also wondering if getting the answers to these questions would shed some light on our big final question…
What is Dad’s purpose here?
As From Bureaucrat to Villainess comes to a close, Kenzaburo ponders his purpose in this dating sim world. Eventually, he decides it’s his job to watch over his classmates, rather than fully embrace the villainess role he was reborn into. And he’s been doing a great job of that thus far, building up his peers’ confidence along the way. But is he right? And if so, who made it happen?
It’s clear that something happened to Grace (the real one) between her childhood and now. She was a kind child who loved to learn, but changed as she grew older. Could it be that someone saw this change for the worse and decided to take action? Because it’s very clear there’s a higher power—and some major magic—at play!
Watch From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! on HIDIVE.
