Mao (manga)
Mao is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine since May 2019, with its chapters collected in 26 volumes as of November 2025. In North America, the series is licensed for English release by Viz Media. An anime television series adaptation produced by Sunrise is set to premiere on NHK General TV in Q2 2026.
Plot
Eight years ago, Nanoka Kiba was saved from the wreckage of a fatal accident at Gogyō Town Shopping Center. Drawn to the abandoned passage of storefronts on her walk home from school in present day, she becomes inexplicably transported to Japan's Taishō period where she meets the mysterious Mao, a fellow traveler whose arrival at a ghost-inhabited village is simultaneous with hers. Together, they investigate the bizarre events that begin to occur around them, and Nanoka soon pieces together her broken memories of the accident and how she and Mao may have something more sinister in common.Characters
Main characters
;Mao;Nanoka Kiba
;Otoya
;Byōki
Heian Era Goko Clan
;Hyakka;Kamon
;Masago
;Shiranui
;Hakubi
;Daigo
;Natsuno
;Sana
;Yurako
;Master
Taishō Era Goko Clan
;Soma Kagami;Kagari Hosho
;Renji
;Mei Mitazono
;Sasuga
Other characters
;Uozumi;Shiraha
;Tenko
;Ayame Hosho
Media
Manga
Mao is written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and was announced in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday in December 2018. The manga started in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 8, 2019. A two-part interview between Takahashi and Satoru Noda, author of Golden Kamuy, was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump to celebrate the then upcoming first volume of Mao and the new volume of Golden Kamuy in September 2019. Shogakukan has collected the manga chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was published on September 18, 2019. A promotional video for the fifth volume release, narrated by Inuyashas character Sesshomaru, was posted in August 2020. A promotional video for the sixth volume release, narrated by Inuyasha's characters Inuyasha and Kagome, was posted in October 2020. On July 7, 2021, the series reached 100 chapters and a promotional video, featuring Yuki Kaji as Mao, Hiro Shimono as Hyakka and Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kamon, was posted. As of November 18, 2025, 26 volumes have been released.In February 2021, Viz Media announced that they licensed the series for English release in North America and the first volume was published on September 14, 2021. On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.
Anime
In July 2025, it was announced that the manga would be receiving an anime television series adaptation produced by Sunrise, which is set to premiere on NHK General TV in Q2 2026. The series will be directed by Teruo Sato, with series composition by, character designs and chief animation direction by Yoshihito Hishinuma, and music composed by.Reception
By July 2021, the manga had 1 million copies in circulation. In December 2019, Brutus magazine listed Mao on their "Most Dangerous Manga" list, which included works with the most "stimulating" and thought-provoking themes. The School Library Journal listed the first volume of Mao as one of the top 10 manga of 2021.In her review of the first volume, Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network ranked it as B−. Silverman called the series’ time period and its world building elements interesting, praising as well Takahashi's art. Silverman, however, criticized the series for its "reused" story elements and character designs, noting similarities to Takahashi's previous works like Inuyasha and Rin-ne. Also reviewing the first volume, Nick Smith of ICv2 commented that Mao is "closest to Inuyasha in style", and while he stated that the series has "nothing new or innovative", he praised the story and its artwork, adding: "his is the start of what could turn out to be another classic series, if the story develops from this starting point."