Dead Mount Death Play
Dead Mount Death Play is a Japanese manga series written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Shinta Fujimoto. It began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan in October 2017. An anime television series adaptation produced by Geek Toys aired in two cours, with the first cour airing from April to June 2023 and the second cour airing from October to December 2023.
Plot
In another world, a hero named Sir Shagrua Edith Lugrid is about to finish off a powerful necromancer known as the Corpse God. However, the Corpse God uses a unique magic skill to reincarnate himself into another world, and ends up in modern-day Shinjuku, in the body of a boy named Polka Shinoyama who just had his throat slit by an assassin. Thinking that this new world could provide the peaceful life he desired in the previous one, the Corpse God takes on Polka's identity and soon integrates himself in the Shinjuku underworld with assistance from a woman named Clarissa and her subordinates.Characters
; Polka Shinoyama; Misaki Sakimiya
; Takumi Kuruya
; Tsubaki Iwanome
; Gōzaburō Arase
; Lisa Kuraki
; Koyū Azuma
; Rozan Shinoyama
; Saya Shinoyama
; Izuna Ajishiro
; Furuto Ichinose
; Saki Aikawa
; Kuon Higuro
; Arius Sabaramond
; Taigai
; Yomogi
Media
Manga
Written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Shinta Fujimoto, the series began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine on October 20, 2017. As of November 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected in 16 tankōbon volumes.Yen Press is publishing the series in English and is releasing chapters simultaneously with their Japanese release.
A manga adaptation of the spin-off novel Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire's Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being composed by Ume Matsutake and illustrated by Yata Sugami began serialization on Manga Up! on November 25, 2023. As of November 2025, the spin-off's individual chapters have been collected in 4 tankōbon volumes. The spin-off is published in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global website and app.
Volumes
''Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire's Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being''
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 15, 2022. It is produced by Geek Toys and directed by Manabu Ono, with assistant direction by Takaharu Ōkuma, sub-direction by Yoshiki Kitai, scripts written by Ono, Yukie Sugawara, and Yoriko Tomita, character designs handled by Hisashi Abe, and music composed by F.M.F, a group composed of Yūki Nara, Eba, and Kana Utatane.The series aired for two cours, with the first cour aired from April 11 to June 27, 2023, and the second cour aired from October 10 to December 26 of the same year, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The first cour's opening theme song is "Nero" by Hiiragi Kirai, while the ending theme song is "Aolite" by Inori Minase. The second cour's opening theme song is "Scrap Art" by Inori Minase, while the ending theme song is "Hope" by Yuma Uchida.
At Anime NYC 2022, Crunchyroll announced that they would be streaming the series. Medialink has licensed this title in Asia-Pacific and it was streamed on Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.
Episodes
Novel
A spin-off novel written by Narita, titled Dead Mount Death Play Gaiden: Kaijin Solitaire no Shinsen Nisejutsu, has been announced. It is centered around Solitaire's origins and began serialization on Manga Up! in May 2023. Three volumes have been released as of November 25, 2025.Reception
Rebecca Silverman, Amy McNulty, and Teresa Navarro from Anime News Network offered praise for the artwork, plot, and characters, though they were critical of the fan service. Richard Gutierrez from The Fandom Post offered praise for the premise and artwork, though he felt the plot was too complicated and confusing.In the 2020 Next Manga Award, the series ranked 20th in the print manga category.