RuriDragon


RuriDragon is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Masaoki Shindo. It was originally a one-shot published in Shueisha's Jump Giga magazine in December 2020, before being serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump starting in June 2022. Following an 18-month hiatus, the series was moved to Weekly Shōnen Jumps digital version and the Shōnen Jump+ service in April 2024. Its chapters have been collected into four volumes as of November 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation has been announced.

Premise

Ruri Aoki wakes up one day and notices that horns started growing from her head. When asked about it, her mother reveals that she is actually a half-dragon. Despite this revelation, Ruri tries to continue living a normal life, though it is more challenging than she thought.

Characters

Kuromata High School students

;Ruri Aoki
;Yuka Hagiwara
;Airi Kashiro
;Ryunosuke Yoshioka
;Homura Kagami: A boy with blonde hair who jokes Ruri is a biological weapon. She promises to take him for a ride if she learns to fly. He runs the first leg of the relay race for Class 1–3.
;Kana Miyashita
;Asuka Mikura: One of Ruri's study buddies in Kashiro's group.
;Akari Maeda: Initially, she does not get along with Ruri because she thinks Ruri does not care about other people. Superficially, she resembles Hagiwara with blonde hair in a short bob, but her hair falls straighter. Maeda is a talented artist.
;Yoru Kurosawa: A student from Class 1-3 who invites Ruri to go bowling with her group. She wears oval glasses and has shoulder-length hair.
;Hinata Tazaki: She has longer blonde hair and also is in Ruri's class; she is one of the other bowlers.
;Makoto Ryuzaki: Student council vice-president.
;Chikuma Kosaka: Student council president.
;Shiota: A girl in Class 1-3 and aspiring who designs a logo for Sports Day. She wears her blonde bangs tied back.
;Nakamura: Another first-year student who helped Ruri after her first attack with venom.
;Sato: Another first-year student who joined the Sports Day planning committee, but lost his voice.
;Kazuki Kume: The Athletics Council President and student in Class 3–1, he lacks tact.
;Shigure Kariya: Class 3–2, Student Council General Affairs
;Kamata: One of the girls who tries to bully Ruri.
;Shima: A boy in Class 1-4 who asks Yoshioka to introduce him to Ruri if their class wins the relay race.
;Sakuya Onizuka: The "ice queen" student in Class 1-3 who runs the second leg of the relay race.
;Kokoro Komichi: The flustered student in Class 1-3 who runs the third leg of the relay race.
;Hideyoshi Sakuma: A muscular boy in Class 1-3 who anchors the tug-of-war team.
;Mitsuki Mori: A student in Class 1-3 who excels at the ball-basket event.
;Koma Shinozaki: A student in Class 1–5
;Ringo Mizue: A student in Class 1–5
;Kurama: A student who is surprisingly good at science, despite his attempts to be average at everything and avoid social relationships. He joins Airi's study group.

Adults

;Umi Aoki
;Ruri's dad
;Takemoto
;Gunji: The vice principal of Kuromata High School who gives a speech kicking off Sports Day.
;Airu Kashiro: Airi's older sister, a designer and part-time model who conceals her shyness behind a punk rock aesthetic. She says she has met a dragon before.

Production

The initial ideas for RuriDragon were formed when Masaoki Shindo wanted to make a visual representation of the idea that "being different is interesting", following years of feeling that they were "different" from others. In writing the series, Shindo aimed for character dialogue that was "spoken naturally as opposed to being written" and also did not feel scripted nor "overly fictional". The author stated that they use the manga's fourth chapter as a reference during the writing process, noting it was when they realized the type of series that it is. RuriDragon initial one-shot in Jump Giga received favorable reception, which led to the series being serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Shindo, RuriDragon was initially a one-shot published in Shueisha's Jump Giga magazine on December 28, 2020. It began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump on June 13, 2022. On August 1, 2022, Weekly Shōnen Jump announced that the series would go on indefinite hiatus due to Shindo's health. The first volume was released on October 4, 2022. As of November 2025, four volumes have been released.
On February 21, 2024, it was announced that RuriDragon would resume its serialization, publishing five chapters in Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 4 to April 1, before moving to a biweekly schedule in the magazine's digital version and the Shōnen Jump+ service starting on April 22.
Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series digitally in English. In May 2024, Viz Media announced that it would release the manga in print format; the first volume was published on January 7, 2025.

Volumes

Chapters not yet in ''tankōbon'' format

These chapters have yet to be published in a volume.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation was announced on December 28, 2025.

Other media

Shueisha released a voice comic adaptation of the one-shot in September 2021, and adaptations of the first three chapters in September and October 2022; they feature Chiaki Omigawa as the voice of Ruri Aoki. In July 2022, a set of digital stickers based on the series was released in the instant messaging service Line. A promotional video for the third volume, animated by Coalowl and featuring music by Zutomayo, was released on March 3, 2025.

Reception

By October 2022, RuriDragon had 200,000 copies in circulation; it had over 850,000 copies in circulation by March 2025, and over 1.1 million copies in circulation by November 2025. The first volume debuted at number seven on Oricon's weekly manga chart, with recorded sales of 74,874 copies; the second volume entered the chart at fourth place with 77,508 copies sold; the third volume debuted at seventh place with 72,514 copies sold; the fourth volume debuted at second place with 56,184 copies sold. The manga ranked first in the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023" survey answered by bookstore clerks in Japan, who described the series as "a warm story that accepts diversity without hesitation". RuriDragon was also nominated in the 2023 Manga Award. The series ranked ninth in the 2024 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga for male readers, tying with Suna no Miyako. It ranked second in the Web Manga category of the 2024 Next Manga Awards.
The first chapter received positive reviews from Japanese readers, who found the art "cute" and said that the story's loose atmosphere is not typical of a Jump manga. Brian Salvatore of Multiversity Comics praised the art and tone for approaching the juxtaposition between Ruri and her surroundings in a way that balances comedy and absurdity, adding that the way the story unfolds "seems natural to 'real' life". Chanmei of described RuriDragon as "a book that will make you want to think about the kindness and love of those around you". Writing for GamesRadar+, Austin Wood praised the manga for its "clean art and stellar expressions" and how it approaches its fantasy premise, adding that its setting, pacing, and main character are a stand out within Shōnen Jumps lineup.