KonoSuba

• 1. A NEET's Embarrassing End

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  Kazuma Satou, a Japanese teenage shut-in known as a NEET, dies in an untimely and embarrassing manner. He meets Aqua, a goddess who offers to reincarnate him into a parallel world with MMORPG elements. This new realm allows him to adventure and battle monsters alongside other players. Despite being offered a superpowered item or ability for his journey, Kazuma makes a spiteful choice. Following some provocation from the goddess, he selects Aqua herself to accompany him to the town of Axel. He quickly finds her absent-mindedness to be less than beneficial for their survival. With Aqua unable to return to the afterlife until the Devil King is defeated, the two form a party. They recruit two other members: an explosion-obsessed magician named Megumin and a masochistic crusader named Darkness. The party possesses dysfunctional abilities that prevent them from defeating the Devil King. Kazuma gives up on saving the world and tries to live a comfortable lifestyle instead. Daily circumstances force him and his party to encounter and battle the Devil King's generals anyway.

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• 2. Contrasting Fantasy Expectations

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  Natsume Akatsuki wrote the series with the intention of setting a contrast with typical fantasy tropes found in light novels. He had been a fan of novels since youth, reading series such as Record of Lodoss War, Slayers, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Record of Lodoss War was the first novel he read, which became an influence in his interest in fantasy. He is also a fan of the game Kantai Collection, admitting he came up with his pen name while playing it. Prior to writing KonoSuba, he had submitted a draft to a light novel contest but was told he needed to work on the basics of novel writing. He continued writing to practice his skills before deciding to pursue writing more seriously. The author wanted to write a series different from typical light novel series. His story would contrast against expectations about the fantasy genre. The series' fantasy elements were derived from fantasy video games like Wizardry and Final Fantasy, as well as tabletop role-playing games. In writing the characters, Natsume Akatsuki aimed to give each one distinctive quirks regardless of how trivial they might seem. Aqua's interest in unusual rocks serves as an example of these small details. Some characters developed differently from their original conception during the drafting process. Mitsurugi was initially intended to serve as a rival to Kazuma's party but instead became another eccentric and foolish character. Akatsuki has stated that the supporting characters Dust and Vanir are his favorites.

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• 3. From Web Novel To Print

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  Akatsuki released the original web novel series on Shōsetsuka ni Narō from the 20th of December 2012, to the 21st of October 2013, under the pen name . Following its publication as a book, the web novel was removed from the website on the 10th of December 2013. A light novel version with illustrations by Kurone Mishima was released under Kadokawa Shoten's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from the 1st of October 2013, to the 1st of May 2020. The light novel diverges significantly from the web novel's plot from the sixth volume onwards. It also features changes to the characters' ages. The final book in the series, Volume 17, contains information in its Afterword on possible future development that the teased "After Story" spin-offs might contain. A Megumin-focused spin-off light novel series was released from the 1st of July 2014, to the 1st of June 2015, in three volumes. A two-volume sequel followed on the 28th of December 2016, and the 1st of March 2019. Another spin-off featuring Vanir was published on the 1st of April 2016. A third spin-off series began publication on the 1st of August 2017. It is written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Uihime Hagure, and features Dust as the central character. A light novel adaptation of KonoSuba Fantastic Days smartphone game was published on the 1st of March 2022. Yen Press announced on the 20th of May 2016, that it had licensed the light novels for release in North America. The first volume was released in conjunction with the second manga volume on the 21st of February 2017. On the 20th of June 2023, Yen Audio released the first volume of the light novel as an audiobook.

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• 4. Animation Choices And Style

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  In May 2015, Kadokawa announced that an anime television series adaptation of KonoSuba was green-lit. It was produced by Studio Deen and directed by Takaomi Kanasaki. Scripts were written by Makoto Uezu and character designs were handled by Koichi Kikuta. The first season aired on Tokyo MX from January 14 to the 16th of March 2016. It was later broadcast on eight other networks and several video on demand streaming networks. The series was simulcast by Crunchyroll in several regions such as North America, and by AnimeLab in Australia. An original video animation was bundled with the ninth light novel volume of KonoSuba in June 2016. A second season aired on Tokyo MX from January 12 to the 16th of March 2017. In July 2021, the official Twitter account for the KonoSuba anime confirmed that a new anime project was in production. Both series were produced by Drive and directed by Yujiro Abe, with chief direction by Takaomi Kanasaki. The rest of the main staff returned from previous seasons. KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! aired on Tokyo MX from April 6 to the 22nd of June 2023. The third season aired on Tokyo MX from April 10 to the 19th of June 2024. A third OVA consisting of two unaired episodes was released theatrically in Japan on the 14th of March 2025. Koichi Kikuta responded to criticism about inconsistent character animation by stating such design was intentional. He hoped to bring out the individuality of each character rather than the prettier artwork in the light novels. His animation displayed their more human sides like their unflattering traits and their distressed moments.

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• 5. Games And Multimedia Expansions

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  A PC video game developed by game creator Tachi is bundled with the first Blu-ray/DVD volume of the anime series on the 25th of March 2016. The game is developed using the software RPG Maker VX Ace. Another video game created by Team Ladybug and Krobon is bundled with the limited edition of first Blu-ray/DVD volume of the anime series' second season and was released on the 28th of April 2017. It is a side-scroller with gameplay resembling the Mega Man series. A visual novel adaptation for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 was developed and published by 5pb., and was released in Japan on the 7th of September 2017. The game features an original story where Kazuma discovers a cursed ring that allows him to steal the underwear of others near him. He learns the only way to undo the curse would be by raising enough money. Judgment on this Greedy Game! introduces an Underwear Judgment system. A Nintendo Switch port of the game was released on the Nintendo eShop on the 17th of December 2020. The sequel to KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Judgment on this Greedy Game! was released on the 24th of September 2020, for the PS4 and Switch in Japan. A western release including a Microsoft Windows port came out on the 8th of February 2024. A mobile gacha RPG titled KonoSuba Fantastic Days was released for iOS and Android devices on the 27th of February 2020. It was developed by CyberAgent subsidiaries Sumzap, with Nexon Korea handling the global release. The latter announced that they've transferred the global publishing rights over to Sesisoft, which took effect on the 1st of June 2023. On the 30th of January 2025, official service for the game was discontinued following nearly five years of support.

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• 6. Sales Figures And Critical Praise

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  By the 2nd of March 2016, the 11-volume series had a total of 1.5 million copies in print, each volume selling 136,000 copies on average. In January 2018, the light novel series ranked first among the top 50 best selling digital manga and light novels in worldwide stores by BookWalker. By February 2019, the light novels had 6.5 million copies in print. By November 2021, the novels had a total circulation of 10 million copies. The series won BookWalker's 2016 Grand Prix Award. In 2016, the anime was voted as the tenth-best TV anime in the Newtype 2015, 16 Awards. KonoSuba also finished runner-up for Best Comedy in the Crunchyroll's Anime Awards 2016 to Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto. In 2019, the anime won Isekai Series of the Decade at the Funimation's Decade of Anime poll. Reviewing the first few episodes, Anime News Network's Theron Martin described the second episode as the funniest episode of anime he has seen since Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun aired. He praised the series' musical score. The voice acting has been a subject of praise; Nick Creamer of ANN commended Sora Amamiya and Rie Takahashi's roles as Aqua and Megumin for the energy provided in their performances. Martin applauded Jun Fukushima for his work in voicing Kazuma, considering his dry tone an additional factor in the show's humor.

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