Skeleton Knight in Another World
Skeleton Knight in Another World is a Japanese light novel series written by Ennki Hakari and illustrated by KeG. It began serialization online in October 2014 on the novel self-publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Overlap, who have published 10 volumes since June 2015 under their Overlap Novels imprint.
A manga adaptation with art by Akira Sawano has been serialized online via Overlap's Comic Gardo website since February 2017 and has been collected in 14 volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Kai and Hornets aired from April to June 2022. A second season produced by Aura Studio is set to premiere in July 2026.
Plot
Upon awakening, an unnamed gamer finds himself in the avatar body and armor that he was using in his online game. Seeing his reflection in a river, he is shocked to discover that his appearance is that of a skeleton due to the special avatar skin『Skeleton』he used. In unfamiliar territory, the gamer decides that it would be best to hide his appearance by never removing his helmet and to search for inhabitants. Spying a band of bandits attacking a group at a distance and seeing they're about to rape two women, he springs into action and kills the brigands. The women introduce themselves as Lauren du Luvierte, a noblewoman, and Rita Farren, her maid. Using his game name, the knight introduces himself as Arc and agrees to escort the two ladies to the town of Luvierte. While he refuses a reward, he accepts a copper passport from Rita which will allow him easier passage through any city in the territory.Near the town of Diento, he dispatches a group of bandits who had attacked him. While exploring their cave hideout, he discovers a wounded green-furred cottontailed fox imprisoned in a cage. Freeing the creature, he heals its wound with magic and befriends it. The fox indicates that it wants to travel with him, and he names it "Ponta".
Later, Arc encounters a male elf outside Diento and learns about the human trade in capturing and enslaving elves. The elf is surprised that Ponta is so attached to Arc and that Arc doesn't seem to share the fear and prejudice against elves that most humans in this world seem to have.
Some time afterwards, Arc stumbles across two elf soldiers, one male and one female, battling a band of human slavers; when their leader uses the captured elf children as hostages, the female elf seems ready to surrender when Arc intervenes and helps the elves wipe out the slavers. After Ponta's presence convinces the elves that Arc is a friend and the captured elves are freed and healed of their wounds by Arc's magic, the female elf, Ariane Glenys Maple, hires Arc to help her free other enslaved elves being held in Diento itself. Meeting up with Danka, another elf soldier who has been scouting inside Diento for information, the three invade the slave warehouse. During their initial search, Arc encounters a catgirl ninja, who gives him information about humans involved in the slave trade and about other captured elves being held in the local lord's castle. After freeing the captured elves, Arc uses Teleportation magic to get them all away from Diento, then he and Ariane head for the castle while Danka escorts the freed elves home. After they free the two female elves and escape, Ariane asks Arc to accompany her back to their lands. Arc is reluctant and shows why by removing his helmet, revealing his skeletal form. While initially shocked, Ariane realizes that, despite his appearance, Arc is not evil but under a curse, and promises that the elves will keep his secret.
At the elvish settlement of Lalatoya, Arc meets and is welcomed by Elder Dillan and his wife Glenys, who are also Ariane's parents. At a meeting of Elders in the elvish capital city of Maple, at which the information about human Nobles being involved in the slave trade and the clear violation of the Elf-Human peace treaty is discussed, it is decided that while no direct retaliation against the humans will be made, the secret operations to free elf slaves will continue. Dillan offers to hire Arc to continue helping Ariane, and as payment provides him with information about a magic pool in Dragon Lord country that may lift his skeleton curse. Arc agrees, and he and Ariane, with Ponta, begin their quest to free the captured/enslaved elves and totally end the slave trade. They are joined in their mission by Chiyome, the ninja Arc had previously encountered and a member of the Jinshin Clan of beast people, who is engaged on a similar mission to free her fellow beast people who have likewise been captured and enslaved by humans.
Meanwhile, in Olav, the capital city of the Rhoden Kingdom, King Karlon, who, thanks to the events in Diento, has learned of the possible involvement of nobility in the slave trade in elves, dispatches his daughter Yuriarna on a diplomatic mission to the Grand Duchy of Limbult to arrange a meeting with the elves. However, her older brothers Sekt and Dakares both have ambitions to inherit the throne and are vying with other for power. Yuriarna suspects Dakares of being involved in the slave trade and Sekt of knowing about it but trying to use it for his own advantage...and that both will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it means eliminating anyone in their way.
As Arc, Ariane and Chiyome's quest progresses and they gain friends and allies while traveling to different kingdoms across the world, they learn that the slave trade is merely the tip of the iceberg and that the Holy East Revlon Kingdom, ruled by the ruthless Emperor Domitianus, and this world's main religion, the Holy Hilk Kingdom, may be behind all the evil they are fighting to overcome.
Characters
;Arc / Arc Lalatoya;Ariane Glenys Maple / Ariane Glenys Lalatoya
;Ponta
;Chiyome
;Danka
;Dillan
;Glenys
;Eevin
;Goemon
;Sekt
;Dakares
;Yuriarna
;Domitianus
;Cetrion
;Sasuke
Media
Light novel
The light novel series is written by Ennki Hakari with illustrations by KeG, and has been published by Overlap under Overlap Novels imprint since June 25, 2015. As of May 2021, the series is still ongoing with 10 volumes released. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series on September 20, 2018, and released the first volume on June 11, 2019.Manga
In February 2017, the first chapter of the manga adaptation by Akira Sawano was published in Overlap's Comic Gardo; though Akira is the author of the manga series, character designs are credited to KeG. Overlap collected the individual chapters into volumes; the first volume was released in August 2017. In September 2018, Seven Seas Entertainment announced its licensing of the manga series for localization in North America under the title Skeleton Knight in Another World.Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on April 17, 2021. The series will be animated by Studio Kai and Hornets and directed by Katsumi Ono, with Takeshi Kikuchi supervising the series' scripts, Tōru Imanishi designing the characters, and eba and Tsubasa Ito composing the series' music. It aired from April 7 to June 23, 2022, on AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS11. The opening theme song is "Aa, Waga Roman no Michi Yo" by PelleK, while the ending theme song is "Bokura ga Oroka da Nante Dare ga Itta" by DIALOGUE+. Crunchyroll streamed the series worldwide outside of Asia. Muse Communication announced the license for South and Southeast Asia the day after the anime announcement.On April 11, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on April 28.
A second season was announced at the Overlap Bunko 10th anniversary event on December 15, 2024. Toshizo Nemoto replaced Takeshi Kikuchi as the scriptwriter, and Aura Studio took over production of the second season, replacing Studio Kai and Hornets. It is set to premiere in July 2026.