The Beginning After the End
The Beginning After the End is an American web novel series written by TurtleMe and illustrated by Fuyuki23. It began serialization on the web fiction platform Royalroad in October 28, 2015 to August 24, 2025 before migrating to Tapas in January 2017. A webtoon adaptation, also illustrated by Fuyuki23, began serialization on Tapas in July 2018. Yen Press is publishing the webtoon in English; as of November 2025, nine volumes have been released. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio A-Cat aired from April to June 2025, with the second season set to premiere in April 2026.
Premise
It follows the life of the late King Grey after his untimely and mysterious death. Reborn as Arthur Leywin, he seeks to correct his past mistakes in the vibrant new continent of Dicathen, a world of magic and fantastical creatures. Equipped with the knowledge of a powerful king at the age of 38, Arthur navigates his new life as the magic-wielding child of two retired adventurers and gains purpose through each of his new experiences—something he lacked in his previous life. When a kind dragon sacrifices her life to protect him, Arthur resolves to live a sincere, kind, and courageous life with those he loves. With the help of a lost elf princess and the Elven Kingdom of Elenoir, Arthur begins his long journey to find his true place in the world.As the years pass, Arthur becomes more and more comfortable in this world, positioning himself as a young, but respected figure. However, deja-vu strikes as a war brews between Dicathen and the Vritra, a clan of banished deities now ruling over a faraway continent. Arthur must rise as a leader, despite his fear of becoming the war-hardened monster he once was in his past life. As the war rages on, Arthur discovers that he was not reborn to this world by chance...nor was he the only one.
Characters
Leywin family
; Arthur Leywin / King Grey; Reynolds Leywin
; Alice Leywin
; Eleanor Leywin
; Sylvie
; Boo
; Regis
Twin Horns
; Jasmine Flamesworth; Durden Walker
; Adam Krensh
; Angela Rose
; Helen Shard
Indrath Clan
; Sylvia Indrath; Kezess Indrath
; Myre Indrath
; Windsom Indrath
Vritra Clan
; Agrona Vritra; Khaernos
; Orlaeth
; Exeges
; Oludari
; Kiros
House Helstea
; Vincent Helstea; Tabitha Helstea
; Lilia Helstea
House Eralith
; Tessia Eralith / Cecilia; Virion Eralith
; Alduin Eralith
; Merial Eralith
House Glayder
; Blaine Glayder; Priscilla Glayder
; Curtis Glayder
; Kathyln Glayder
House Greysunders
; Dawsid Greysunders; Glaudera Greysunders
Xyrus Academy
; Cynthia Goodsky; Clive Graves
; Fable Kristwood
; Jarrod Redner
; Theodore Maxwell
; Feyrith Ivsaar III
; Vanesy Glory
; Gideon Bastius
; Lucas Wykes
Alacryans
; Caera Denoir; Alaric Maer
; Uto
Lances
; Varay Aurae; Aya Grephin
; Biron Wykes
; Mica Earthborn
; Olfred Warned
; Alea Triscan
Scythes
; Cadell; Seris
; Dragoth
; Viessa
; Melzri
; Elijah Knight / Nico Sever
Thyestes Clan
; Ademir Thyestes; Aldir
; Kordri
; Taci
Asclepius Clan
; Mordain; Dawn
; Soleil
; Aurora
; Chul
Titans
; Wren Kain III; Redox
; Raedan
; Rockford
House Bladeheart
;Claire Bladeheart;Kaspian Bladeheart
Media
Novel
Written by the Seattle-based South Korean-American writer Brandon Lee, better known as TurtleMe, and illustrated by the Indonesian artist Fuyuki23, the web novel began serialization on the web novel platform Royalroad on October 28, 2015 before migrating to Tapas on January 18, 2017 and receiving press release on May 5 of the same year. The novel concluded on August 24, 2025 on the 529th chapter on TurtleMe´s Patreon account.Volumes
Webtoon
A webtoon adaptation of the web novel, also illustrated by Fuyuki23 who is the CEO of the Jakarta-based illustration studio Kisai Entertainment, began serialization on Tapas on July 7, 2018. Fuyuki23 ceased illustrating the webtoon in June 2023. An executive of Kakao Entertainment, Tapas' parent company, said the webtoon adaptation was specifically created for the North American market. At New York Comic Con 2021, Yen Press announced that they would be publishing the webtoon in print. As of November 2025, nine print volumes have been released.Seasons
Volumes
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced at New York Comic Con on October 19, 2024. It is produced by Studio A-Cat and directed by Keitaro Motonaga, with Takamitsu Kōno writing series scripts, Masami Sueoka designing the characters, and Keiji Inai composing the music. The series aired from April 2 to June 18, 2025, on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block. The opening theme song is "Kingsblood", performed by Kala, while the ending theme song is "Mahiru no Tsuki", performed by Seiza. Crunchyroll streamed the series. An English dub was produced concurrently, which premiered on April 16 of the same year.The first season was initially planned to air in two cours with a total of 24 episodes. However, after the broadcast of Episode 11, Crunchyroll announced that the season would conclude with Episode 12, with the second season premiering in April 2026 on the same programming block. The ending theme song will be performed by 22/7.
Episodes
Reception
Mel Lake of Multiversity Comics praised the main character's journey, particularly its psychological aspects. Lake also praised the artwork, particularly its fight scenes, backgrounds, and faces. Vanessa Piña of Screen Rant compared the series to Solo Leveling, while also describing its aesthetic and storytelling as "distinct".Alex Trent of Game Rant reported that 40,000 fans have signed a petition demanding the anime series be remade due to disappointment with the animation quality of the series.