KonoSuba
often referred to simply as KonoSuba, is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. The series follows Kazuma Satou, a boy who is sent to a fantasy world with MMORPG elements following his death, where he forms a dysfunctional adventuring party with a goddess, an archmage, and a crusader.
Akatsuki wrote the series with the intention of setting a contrast with typical fantasy tropes. The series was serialized as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō between December 2012 and October 2013, KonoSuba was published as a printed light novel series by Kadokawa Shoten under the company's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from October 2013 to May 2020. The light novel series features a divergent plot.
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Masahito Watari, began serialization in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine in October 2014. A radio drama CD was released by HobiRecords in March 2015, and an anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired in Japan between January and March 2016. A second season of the anime aired between January and March 2017. A spin-off light novel series, KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, was published from July 2014 to June 2015. Both the light novels and the manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime film adaptation produced by J.C.Staff, titled KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson, premiered on August 30, 2019. An anime television series adaptation of An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, produced by Drive, aired from April to June 2023. A third season, also by Drive, aired from April to June 2024. A fourth season has been announced.
By November 2021, the series had 10 million copies in circulation. The series received positive reception from critics and fans, with both the light novels and the anime adaptation receiving multiple awards. Critics praised the anime for its humor and voice acting, but its animation received mixed reception for its quality and its fittingness to a comedy series. The series' characters have also proven to be popular, with Megumin ranking highly in multiple polls and awards.
Premise
Following an untimely and embarrassing death, Kazuma Satou, a Japanese teenage shut-in NEET, meets a goddess named Aqua, who offers to reincarnate him in a parallel world with MMORPG elements, where he can go on adventures and battle monsters. Despite being offered a superpowered item or ability to use in this new world, Kazuma, following some provocation, spitefully chooses Aqua herself to accompany him to the town of Axel, quickly finding her absent-mindedness to be less than beneficial. With Aqua unable to return to the afterlife until the Devil King is defeated, the two form a party and recruit two other members; an explosion-obsessed magician named Megumin and a masochistic crusader named Darkness. Due to the party's dysfunctional abilities, Kazuma quickly gives up on the idea of defeating the Devil King and tries to live a comfortable lifestyle, only to find the circumstances of his daily life are forcing him and his party to encounter and battle the Devil King's generals.Development
Novel
Akatsuki 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. He wanted to write a series different from typical light novel series, with it having a story that 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, citing Aqua's interest in unusual rocks as an example. Some characters developed differently from their original conception; for instance, 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.
Anime
Akatsuki first learned that an anime adaptation was in development in January 2015. At the time, he was living in Fukui Prefecture and had been called to a meeting in Tokyo. However, he was unable to go as his house was buried in snow, leading to him being informed of the anime adaptation via phone.Koichi Kikuta and Momoka Komatsu served as chief animation directors for the series, with the former working on odd-numbered episodes and the latter on even-numbered. While Komatsu's character designs closely resembled those of the light novels and had more attractive appearances, Kikuta based his designs on children's shows like Pokémon as he felt KonoSuba story was similar to those found in such shows.
Publication
Web novel
Akatsuki released the original web novel series on Shōsetsuka ni Narō from December 20, 2012, to October 21, 2013, under the pen name Jitakukeibihei. Following its publication as a book, the web novel was removed from the website on December 10, 2013. The author also wrote a side story featuring Wiz and Vanir.Light novels
A light novel version with illustrations by Kurone Mishima was released under Kadokawa Shoten's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from October 1, 2013, to May 1, 2020. The light novel diverges significantly from the web novel's plot from the sixth volume onwards, and 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, also written and illustrated by Akatsuki and Mishima respectively, titled and takes place a year prior to the main series, was released from July 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015, in three volumes. A two-volume sequel, was released on December 28, 2016, and March 1, 2019. Another spin-off featuring Vanir was published on April 1, 2016, called A third spin-off series titled began publication on August 1, 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, written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Mishima, was published on March 1, 2022.
Yen Press announced on May 20, 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 February 21, 2017. On June 20, 2023, Yen Audio released the first volume of the light novel as an audiobook. They also released the Fantastic Days novel on July 18, 2023.
Adaptations
Manga
A manga adaptation of KonoSuba illustrated by Masahito Watari began serialization in the October 2014 issue of Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine on September 9, 2014. As of July 9, 2025, twenty one volumes have been released.Yen Press announced its acquisition of the manga adaptation at the same time that it licensed the original light novels.
A manga adaptation of Extra Attention to that Wonderful Fool! novels, illustrated by Tamako Buta, was published in Media Factory's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine from January 26, 2018, to January 24, 2020, and compiled into two volumes.
A manga adaptation of Consulting With This Masked Devil! novel, illustrated by Suzume Somemiya, was published in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine from February 27, 2018, to January 26, 2019, and compiled into two volumes.
A manga adaptation of the KonoSuba Fantastic Days smartphone game by Kasumi Morino was published in Monthly Comic Alive from March 26, 2022, to May 27, 2024, and compiled into four volumes.
Anime
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, with scripts written by Makoto Uezu and character designs by Koichi Kikuta. The first season aired on Tokyo MX from January 14 to March 16, 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. Crunchyroll released an English-language dub of the series on January 15, 2019. Discotek Media released the first season and its OVA on Blu-ray in North America on May 26, 2020.A second season was announced after the airing of the first season's final episode. Kanasaki returned to direct the season at Studio Deen, with Uezu and Koichi also reprising their roles as the scriptwriter and character designer. The season aired on Tokyo MX from January 12 to March 16, 2017. Crunchyroll later added the second season. A second OVA was bundled with the light novel's twelfth volume, which was released on July 24, 2017. An English-language dub of the season was released on Crunchyroll on February 25, 2020. Discotek Media released the second season and OVA on Blu-ray in North America on February 23, 2021.
In October 2018, it was announced that characters from KonoSuba would appear in Isekai Quartet, a crossover anime also featuring characters from Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, Overlord, and The Saga of Tanya the Evil. The series aired from April to June 2019, and later spawned two more seasons and a film.
In July 2021, the official Twitter account for the KonoSuba anime confirmed that a new anime project was in production. The project was later revealed to be a third season of the main series and an anime television series adaptation of KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!. 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 June 22, 2023. The third season aired on Tokyo MX from April 10 to June 19, 2024. Crunchyroll also licensed both series. A third OVA, consisting of two unaired episodes, was released theatrically in Japan on March 14, 2025, and on Blu-ray and DVD on April 25.
A sequel to the anime series was announced in March 2025. The sequel was later revealed to be a fourth season.