In a sense, yes. I read a good number of works that overlap with the "progression fantasy" genre, and I'd say they have 3 main characteristics: 1. Fantasy. T

In a sense, yes. I read a good number of works that overlap with the "progression fantasy" genre, and I'd say they have 3 main characteristics: 1. Fantasy. They have interesting and engaging fantasy worlds. There's a lot of mixed results here, I personally don't think DBZ or Cradle are that interesting. 2. The main characters are empowered to actively participate in events that surround them. The trope here is that they fight back against the latest unfairness of the world, but more creative storytelling can make this very fresh and interesting. 3. The main characters aren't defined by their circumstances. They prove themselves by their work ethic or cleverness, not by being born to a powerful family. Most works in this category are rehashes of CRPG or Xianxia tropes. I'd personally recommend Mother of Learning as the best progression fantasy I've read.