KonoSuba

• 1. Introduction

  ›

  KonoSuba begins with an embarrassing death, one so ill-timed that a goddess found it worth mentioning the moment she met Kazuma Satou. Natsume Akatsuki wrote the light novel series to work against typical fantasy tropes, turning the genre's usual seriousness into something else entirely. A joke this contrarian might have stayed a niche curiosity. Instead, KonoSuba spread into manga, anime, films, music, and games across more than a decade. What is it about a reluctant, complaining protagonist that pulled in so many different audiences? And once professional composers, animators, and game designers took hold of the joke, how far did it actually travel?

• 2. A Dysfunctional Party

  ›

  Right after Kazuma dies, a goddess named Aqua meets him and lays out one choice. She offers him reincarnation into a fantasy world built on MMORPG rules, where monsters can be fought and adventures found. Along with the reincarnation, she offers a superpowered item or ability to bring into the new world. Some provocation from Aqua pushes Kazuma to spitefully choose her instead of any weapon or power. He quickly finds her absent-mindedness far less useful than a blade would have been.

  The pair settle in the town of Axel, tied together because Aqua cannot return to the afterlife until the Devil King falls. They recruit two more members to complete the party: an explosion-obsessed magician named Megumin, and a masochistic crusader named Darkness. Their combined abilities prove dysfunctional enough that Kazuma gives up on fighting the Devil King directly. He tries instead to settle into a comfortable life in Axel. Yet his daily routine keeps forcing the party into battles with the Devil King's generals anyway.

  That mismatch between what Kazuma wants and what his party forces on him only exists because of deliberate choices its author made from the very first draft.

• 3. Writing Against The Grain

  ›

  Before anything else, Natsume Akatsuki read Record of Lodoss War, the novel that sparked his lasting interest in fantasy. He grew into a fan of other series too, including Slayers and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. He also became a devoted fan of the video game Kantai Collection, admitting he thought up his pen name while playing it. Before writing KonoSuba, he submitted a draft to a light novel contest and was told to work on the basics of novel writing. Rather than quit, he kept writing to sharpen his skills before committing to writing seriously.

  Wizardry and Final Fantasy fed directly into the fantasy elements built into KonoSuba, alongside tabletop role-playing games Akatsuki had played growing up. When it came to the cast, Akatsuki aimed to give every character a distinctive quirk, however trivial it seemed. He points to Aqua's fixation on unusual rocks as one example. Some characters shifted from his original plans. Mitsurugi, for instance, was meant to rival Kazuma's party but instead became just another eccentric, foolish character. Of the whole cast, Akatsuki has named Dust and Vanir as his personal favorites.

  None of that preparation told him when an anime studio might come calling.

• 4. A Call In The Snow

  ›

  In January 2015, Natsume Akatsuki first learned that an anime adaptation of his series was in development. At the time he was living in Fukui Prefecture and had been summoned to a meeting in Tokyo to discuss it. Heavy snow had buried his house, though, leaving him unable to make the trip. He ended up hearing the news of his own anime adaptation over the phone instead.

  Koichi Kikuta and Momoka Komatsu shared the role of chief animation director. Kikuta handled the odd-numbered episodes while Komatsu took the even-numbered ones. Komatsu's character designs stayed close to the light novel illustrations by Kurone Mishima, giving the cast a more conventionally attractive look. Kikuta took a different approach, basing his designs on children's shows like Pokémon since he felt KonoSuba's story shared their sensibility.

  None of that internal debate about character design made it into the light novels themselves, which kept moving forward on their own separate schedule.

• 5. From Web Page To Print

  ›

  Natsume Akatsuki posted the original KonoSuba story as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō. He ran it there from the 20th of December 2012 to the 21st of October 2013. Once it appeared as an actual book, the web novel came down from the site on the 10th of December 2013. Akatsuki also wrote a separate side story for the same site, centered on the characters Wiz and Vanir. Kadokawa Shoten then published the light novel version, illustrated by Kurone Mishima, under its Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint. The imprint ran the series from the 1st of October 2013 to the 1st of May 2020. From the sixth volume onward, the light novels diverge sharply from the web novel's plot and even change the characters' ages. Volume 17, the final book in the series, uses its afterword to hint at what the teased After Story spin-offs might contain.

  A Megumin-focused spinoff, written and illustrated by the same pair, is set a year before the main story. It ran in three volumes from the 1st of July 2014 to the 1st of June 2015. A two-volume sequel followed, releasing on the 28th of December 2016 and the 1st of March 2019. A separate spinoff centered on Vanir came out on the 1st of April 2016. A third spinoff, featuring Dust as its central character, began publication on the 1st of August 2017, written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Uihime Hagure. Four volumes of short story collections mixed previously published and new material by Akatsuki and Mishima. These came out between the 1st of January 2020 and the 28th of February 2026. Hirukuma and Mishima also produced a light novel tied to the KonoSuba Fantastic Days smartphone game, published on the 1st of March 2022.

  Yen Press announced on the 20th of May 2016 that it had picked up the light novels for release in North America. Its first English volume arrived alongside the second manga volume on the 21st of February 2017. The final novel volume followed on the 2nd of August 2022. Yen Audio released the first light novel volume as an audiobook on the 20th of June 2023. It followed with an audiobook of the Fantastic Days novel on the 18th of July 2023.

  None of those print numbers say anything yet about how the story would look once artists began drawing it instead of writing it.

• 6. Screens Multiply

  ›

  Masahito Watari's manga adaptation of KonoSuba began serialization on the 9th of September 2014. It appeared in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age, in the magazine's October 2014 issue. By the 9th of February 2026, twenty two tankōbon volumes had been released. Yen Press picked up the manga at the same time it licensed the original novels. Three more manga spinoffs followed, each covering a different corner of the story. Tamako Buta illustrated a manga based on the Extra Attention to that Wonderful Fool! novels. It ran in Media Factory's Monthly Shōnen Ace from the 26th of January 2018 to the 24th of January 2020. Publishers later collected it into two volumes. Suzume Somemiya illustrated a manga adaptation of the Consulting With This Masked Devil! novel. It ran in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive from the 27th of February 2018 to the 26th of January 2019. That series was also collected into two volumes. Kasumi Morino illustrated a manga based on the KonoSuba Fantastic Days smartphone game. It ran in Monthly Comic Alive from the 26th of March 2022 to the 27th of May 2024. Four volumes collected the series.

  Kadokawa announced in May 2015 that an anime television adaptation of KonoSuba had been green-lit. Studio Deen produced it, Takaomi Kanasaki directed, Makoto Uezu wrote the scripts, and Koichi Kikuta designed the characters. The first season ran on Tokyo MX from the 14th of January to the 16th of March 2016. Eight other networks and several video-on-demand services carried it afterward. Crunchyroll simulcast the series in North America and other regions, while AnimeLab simulcast it in Australia. An OVA came bundled with the ninth light novel volume in June 2016. Crunchyroll released an English dub on the 15th of January 2019. Discotek Media put the first season and its OVA on Blu-ray in North America on the 26th of May 2020.

  Takaomi Kanasaki returned to direct a second season at Studio Deen, announced right after the first season's finale aired. Uezu and Kikuta again reprised their roles as scriptwriter and character designer. It aired on Tokyo MX from the 12th of January to the 16th of March 2017. Crunchyroll later added the second season to its library. A second OVA was bundled with the light novel's twelfth volume, released on the 24th of July 2017. An English dub of the season arrived on Crunchyroll on the 25th of February 2020. Discotek Media released the second season and its OVA on Blu-ray in North America on the 23rd of February 2021.

  In October 2018, KonoSuba characters were announced to appear in a crossover anime called Isekai Quartet. That crossover also featured characters from Re:Zero, Overlord, and The Saga of Tanya the Evil. It aired from April to June 2019 and later spawned two more seasons plus a film of its own. In July 2021, the official KonoSuba anime account on Twitter confirmed a new project was underway. That project turned out to include a third season of the main series. It also brought a television adaptation of KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Drive produced both, Yujiro Abe directed them, and Takaomi Kanasaki served as chief director, with the rest of the original staff returning. KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! aired on Tokyo MX from the 6th of April to the 22nd of June 2023. The third season followed on Tokyo MX from the 10th of April to the 19th of June 2024. Crunchyroll licensed both series. A third OVA played theatrically in Japan on the 14th of March 2025, then reached Blu-ray and DVD on the 25th of April. In March 2025, a sequel to the anime was announced, later revealed to be a fourth season.

  Jun Fukushima and Rie Takahashi, the voice actors behind Kazuma and Megumin, announced plans for a new KonoSuba anime project in July 2017. A film adaptation entered development at J.C.Staff, announced in June 2018, with the television series' cast and staff reprising their roles. The finished film, titled KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson, premiered in Japan on the 30th of August 2019. Crunchyroll began streaming an English-subtitled version on the 25th of March 2020, followed by an English dub on the 1st of January 2021.

  Masato Kōda composed the score for all three seasons of the anime, as well as for An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Machico sang the opening theme for every season. That included 'Fantastic Dreamer' for the first season, 'Tomorrow' for the second, 'Stay Free' for the Explosion adaptation, and 'Growing Up' for the third. Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano, voicing Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness, performed the ending themes for the first season, second season, and third season. For An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, the ending theme, 'Jump In', was instead performed by Takahashi as Megumin alongside Aki Toyosaki as Yunyun.

  HobiRecords released an audio drama CD featuring a different voice cast from the anime on the 1st of March 2015. A second drama CD followed in March 2017, packaged with an original soundtrack by Kouda Masato and a character song album.

  None of those soundtracks or scripts, though, explain how Kazuma's world found its way onto a game console instead of a television screen.

• 7. Beyond The Books

  ›

  Game creator Tachi built a PC video game bundled into the anime's first Blu-ray and DVD volume, released on the 25th of March 2016. It was made using the software RPG Maker VX Ace. A second game, created by Team Ladybug and Krobon, came packed into the limited edition of the second season's first Blu-ray and DVD volume, released on the 28th of April 2017. That one was a side-scroller with gameplay resembling the Mega Man series.

  5pb., later known as Mages, developed and published a visual novel called Judgment on this Greedy Game!, for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. It came out in Japan on the 7th of September 2017. Its story has Kazuma discover a cursed ring that lets him steal the underwear of anyone nearby. The only way to lift the curse is by raising enough money. An 'Underwear Judgment' system has the player help Kazuma return lost underwear to its rightful owner. Machico performed the opening theme 'Million Smile', while Amamiya, Takahashi, and Kayano sang the ending theme '101 Pikime no Hitsuji'. A Nintendo Switch port followed on the 17th of December 2020.

  A sequel to Judgment on this Greedy Game!, this one with outfit crafting mechanics, released for PS4 and Switch in Japan on the 24th of September 2020. In its story, Kazuma's party discovers a slab that can conjure clothing, but it curses them with personality changes in exchange. A western release, including a Microsoft Windows port, followed on the 8th of February 2024.

  A dungeon crawler for PS4 and Vita came out in Japan on the 27th of June 2019. An updated version followed on the 27th of August 2020, for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. A separate dungeon RPG was released for PS4 and Switch in 2022.

  A mobile gacha RPG launched for iOS and Android on the 27th of February 2020, developed by CyberAgent subsidiary Sumzap. Nexon Korea handled the global release, which reached players worldwide outside Japan on the 19th of August 2021. Nexon later transferred its global publishing rights to Sesisoft, effective the 1st of June 2023. Official service for the game ended on the 30th of January 2025, after nearly five years of support.

  None of those launch dates or discontinuation notices say anything about whether critics and fans actually liked what all this added up to.

• 8. Praise And Pushback

  ›

  By the 2nd of March 2016, the eleven-volume light novel series had 1.5 million copies in print, averaging 136,000 copies sold per volume. In January 2018, BookWalker ranked it first among the top 50 best-selling digital manga and light novels in worldwide stores. By February 2019, that print total had grown to 6.5 million copies. Andy Hanley reviewed the first novel for UK Anime Network. He praised its comedy for standing out in a 'tired genre' and liked how the cast's traits made them appealing. He criticized the short length of the first volume, though. The series went on to win BookWalker's 2016 Grand Prix Award.

  In 2016, the anime ranked tenth-best TV anime in the Newtype 2015-16 Awards. That same year, KonoSuba finished runner-up for Best Comedy at Crunchyroll's Anime Awards 2016, losing to Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto. In 2019, the anime won 'Isekai Series of the Decade' at Funimation's Decade of Anime poll, where fans voted for their favorites across multiple categories.

  Anime News Network's Theron Martin called the second episode 'the funniest episode of anime I have seen since Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun aired,' while also praising the show's musical score. He further applauded Jun Fukushima's voicing of Kazuma, saying his dry tone added to the show's humor. Fellow ANN critic Nick Creamer praised Sora Amamiya and Rie Takahashi's performances as Aqua and Megumin for their energy. Creamer also found relatability between the protagonists and the audience, since the party deals with debt and takes questionable jobs for high pay. He did, however, disapprove of Kazuma's negative attitude, feeling it hurt the show's comedy.

  Daryl Harding, writing for Crunchyroll News, praised Legend of Crimson's story and comedy, noting that 'classic humor of (the TV series) translates well to a film runtime.' He also criticized the film. He wrote that 'it doesn't look too different than the TV series,' despite 'more effects placed over the animation during scenes of explosive magic.' A more common criticism of the anime overall was its inconsistent character animation, sometimes described as 'low budget' when characters appeared off-model. Koichi Kikuta responded that the look was intentional. He meant to 'bring out the individuality of each character' rather than the prettier light novel art. His animation showed 'their more human sides, like their unflattering traits and their distressed moments.' Crunchyroll's Kim Morrissy, by contrast, considered the animation humorous and especially fitting for a comedic series. Kotaku's Richard Eisenbeis argued much of the show's humor comes from watching Kazuma's hopes of becoming a hero get deconstructed as he's forced to struggle.

  Kazuma's party has drawn some of the strongest reactions from the anime community. Nick Creamer described the group's dynamic as a 'strange but endearing chemistry,' noting they're unfriendly with each other yet still close. Kim Morrissy added that their 'emotional bond is also evident in the ways they interact with each other.' She called the show's attention to those nuances her favorite part of watching it. Megumin, in particular, became one of the series' most popular characters, winning Sneaker Bunko's official Favorite KonoSuba Character poll. She placed sixth for Best Female Character in the Newtype 2015-16 Awards, where Kazuma placed third in the male category. She also drew the most 'Other' votes in the Best Girl category at Crunchyroll's Anime Awards 2016. Natsume Akatsuki, interviewed by The Anime Man, said Megumin gives off 'a pure and elegant atmosphere' like an anime heroine. He sees that as the reason for her popularity.

  That comment from her own creator suggests Megumin's appeal was never really about the explosions; it was about how sincerely everyone around her took her nonsense.