So you’ve heard about Kemono Jihen — maybe through the anime, maybe through a recommendation, maybe through browsing a manga shelf — and now you want to know how many Kemono Jihen manga volumes there are, what they cover, and where to start buying. This guide breaks it all down.
Kemono Jihen Manga Volumes: 24 in Japan and 21 in English So Far
Kemono Jihen (怪物事変) is an ongoing supernatural manga by Sho Aimoto (藍本松). It’s been running in Shueisha’s Jump Square magazine since December 2016. If you’re new to manga, here’s how that works: manga series in Japan are first published as individual chapters in magazines on a regular schedule (this process is called serialization), and those chapters are later collected into numbered paperback volumes — which is what you buy at bookstores. As of this writing, the Japanese edition has reached 24 volumes, while the English edition published by Seven Seas Entertainment currently sits at 21 volumes — meaning the English release is still actively catching up.
The series blends yokai mythology — yokai being the traditional Japanese term for supernatural creatures and spirits from folklore — with dark supernatural mystery and shonen-style action. Shonen refers to manga aimed primarily at a younger male audience, typically featuring action and adventure, though series in this category often appeal to readers of all ages and genders. The central concept revolves around kemono — beings that are part human, part beast — and the strange incidents that surround them. If you like the idea of Japanese folklore creatures mixed with unsettling body horror (disturbing imagery involving physical transformation or grotesque injury), emotional character development, and investigative storytelling, this is a series that delivers on all of those fronts.
A few quick facts to orient you:
- Status: Ongoing (no end date announced)
- Japanese volumes: 24
- English volumes: 21
- English publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
- Magazine: Jump Square (Shueisha)
- Serialized since: December 2016
- Genre: Supernatural, dark fantasy, action, horror-tinged
- Content note: The series includes body horror, depictions of child neglect and abuse, and emotionally dark themes involving identity and abandonment. Readers sensitive to these subjects should be aware going in.
The gap between the Japanese and English releases means you’ll have something to look forward to as new English volumes continue to roll out. For readers who prefer to binge a completed series, know that Kemono Jihen isn’t there yet — but 21 English volumes gives you a substantial amount of story to work through.
What Each Manga Volume Covers — A Quick Breakdown
One of the things Kemono Jihen does well is build its world gradually. Early volumes establish the characters and setting, then the series steadily escalates into more intense supernatural story arcs — meaning multi-chapter storylines within the larger series — with higher stakes and darker themes. Here’s a sense of what to expect as you move through the volumes.
Volume 1: The Boy Who Smells Like Death
Volume 1 introduces Kabane, the protagonist — a quiet, emotionally detached boy living in a rural village where he’s treated as an outcast. When a detective named Inugami arrives to investigate strange animal deaths, he discovers that Kabane is a half-kemono (part human, part supernatural creature). Inugami brings Kabane to Tokyo to work at his agency that handles supernatural incidents. This first volume does a strong job of setting up the world: kemono exist alongside humans, and the boundary between those worlds is messy and dangerous. The tone is established early — there’s genuine warmth between characters, but the supernatural elements carry real menace and occasionally disturbing physical transformations.
Volume 2: The Team Takes Shape
The cast expands significantly here. New kemono characters join the agency, each with their own abilities and troubled backgrounds. The investigative case structure starts to take form — Inugami’s team gets pulled into incidents involving rogue kemono, and the dynamic between these misfit characters becomes the emotional core of the series. Volume 2 is where you start to feel the ensemble cast clicking into place.
Volume 3: Bloodlines and Buried Histories
Volume 3 pushes deeper into the lore around kemono bloodlines and what makes Kabane different from others. His mysterious origins get their first real exploration here, and the mythology of the series starts to feel richer and more layered. If Volume 1 hooked you with the premise and Volume 2 hooked you with the characters, Volume 3 is where the world-building starts pulling its weight.
Volume 4: The Stakes Get Real
The threats escalate. The kemono underworld — rival groups, power struggles, ancient grudges — starts to come into focus as a larger force shaping the story. Characters face real danger, and the series makes it clear that consequences are not going to be soft. The action sequences intensify, and the darker supernatural elements become more pronounced.
Volume 5: New Enemies, Darker Turns
Major storyline developments kick in with new antagonists who bring genuinely unsettling abilities and motivations. The thematic darkness of the series deepens — this isn’t a format where each chapter presents a new, self-contained threat anymore. The overarching conflict starts to take shape, and the emotional toll on the characters becomes a significant part of the narrative.
Volume 6: Revelations
Volume 6 is a turning point. Significant revelations about the characters’ pasts reshape how you understand their motivations and relationships. Without spoiling specifics, this is where a lot of readers feel the series levels up — the storytelling becomes more ambitious, and the emotional payoffs hit harder because of all the groundwork laid in earlier volumes.
Volumes 7–12: Expanding the Conflict
From Volume 7 onward, the scope of the series widens considerably. New kemono factions and mythological creatures enter the story, and the arcs shift toward larger-scale confrontations between organized kemono groups with competing agendas. The central mystery of Kabane’s nature continues to deepen, and the supporting cast members get their own substantial backstory arcs that recontextualize their roles in the group. These volumes reward the investment you’ve made in the characters — the action is bigger, but the emotional stakes driving those fights are personal and specific.
Volumes 13–21: Toward the Heart of the Mystery
The later English volumes push the series into its most intense territory yet. The mythology expands into darker and more complex layers, the antagonists become more formidable and morally ambiguous, and the story begins converging on the central questions about Kabane’s origins and the nature of kemono themselves. The balance of action, horror-inflected imagery, and emotional storytelling that defined the early volumes remains intact, but the scale and consequences are significantly larger. Volume 21 (the latest English release) leaves plenty of story still to come, with the Japanese edition continuing through Volume 24.
I won’t spoil specific plot points, but the general trajectory is: the series keeps escalating without losing track of the character relationships that make it compelling.
Reading Order and Where to Start
Good news — Kemono Jihen has one of the simplest reading orders in manga. It’s a straightforward sequential series. Start at Volume 1, read in numbered order, and you’re set.
There are no spin-off manga, no prequels, no alternate timelines, and no “read this side story between volumes 8 and 9” situations. The main series is the only series.
This matters because the supernatural lore and character backstories in Kemono Jihen build cumulatively. Information revealed in Volume 3 recontextualizes events from Volume 1. Character motivations introduced in early volumes pay off many volumes later. Skipping ahead will genuinely confuse you — not because the plot is convoluted, but because the emotional weight of later events depends on understanding what came before.
For complete beginners: Volume 1 is designed as your entry point and does its job well. You don’t need any background knowledge of Japanese mythology or the kemono concept. The manga introduces everything you need as you go.
Quick reading order summary:
- Start: Volume 1
- Continue: Volumes 2–21 (current English release) in order
- After that: Wait for ongoing English releases, or switch to the Japanese edition if you read Japanese
That’s it. No flowcharts needed.
Kemono Jihen Manga vs Anime — What the Volumes Cover Beyond the Show
A TV anime adaptation of Kemono Jihen exists, covering early material from the manga. The anime ran for 12 episodes and adapts roughly the first several volumes of the series. It’s a solid adaptation that captures the tone and character dynamics well, but here’s the key thing for anime-first readers: the manga has continued far beyond where the anime stopped.
With 24 Japanese volumes and 21 English volumes now available, the vast majority of the Kemono Jihen story exists only in manga form. The anime covers what amounts to the opening act. If you watched the show and enjoyed it, the manga has significantly more story waiting for you — deeper mythology, bigger conflicts, and character development that the anime only began to set up.
Where to Pick Up After the Anime
If you watched the anime and want to continue in the manga, you have two options:
- Start from Volume 1 anyway. The manga’s darker elements and unsettling imagery are often more intense on the page than in the animated version. Details, internal thoughts conveyed through text and caption boxes, and visual storytelling that didn’t make it into the anime are worth experiencing. Starting from the beginning isn’t a waste of time — it’s a richer version of the story you already liked.
- Pick up at Volume 4. The anime covers material through approximately the end of Volume 3. Starting at Volume 4 will put you right where the show left off. You may encounter a few pages of overlap with the anime’s final episode, but that’s better than missing important context.
Manga vs Anime: Key Differences
The manga benefits from being the original source — the pacing is tighter in some arcs, the horror imagery is more detailed, and the long-term plotting feels more cohesive when you read it as a continuous story rather than watching weekly episodes. The anime is a good introduction, but the manga is where the full scope of Kemono Jihen lives.
Where to Buy Kemono Jihen Manga Volumes
The English edition of Kemono Jihen is available in single-volume paperback format, with 21 volumes released so far. There are no omnibus editions (multiple volumes collected into one thicker book) or oversized deluxe editions currently — it’s a straightforward volume-by-volume release.
Physical Copies
You can find Kemono Jihen manga volumes at major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores with a manga section. Most retailers will carry the series or can order it for you.
Individual volumes typically carry a list price in the range of other standard manga paperbacks. With 21 volumes available, the full set represents a meaningful investment, so many readers start with the first few volumes to confirm the series is for them before committing further. There’s no box set available, so you’ll be building your collection one volume at a time.
Kemono Jihen Vol. 1
Digital Editions
Digital versions are available on platforms like Kindle and Kobo. Digital is a solid option if shelf space is a concern or if you want to start reading immediately without waiting for shipping. The digital editions are identical in content to the physical volumes.
The English Release Is Still Ongoing
Since the English edition (21 volumes) is still catching up to the Japanese release (24 volumes), new English volumes are still being published. You can follow Seven Seas Entertainment for release schedule announcements. If you start collecting now, you’ll be able to pick up new volumes as they release — which is a nice way to stay engaged with a series over time rather than burning through everything at once.
For the budget-conscious: buying a volume or two at a time as they release spreads out the cost naturally. If you want to catch up quickly, keep an eye on retailer sales — manga volumes frequently appear at reduced prices during major seasonal events.
Is Kemono Jihen Worth Reading?
Yes — with some caveats depending on what you’re looking for.
Across its 21 available English volumes, Kemono Jihen is a strong pick if you enjoy:
- Supernatural manga with yokai-inspired mythology. The kemono concept gives the series a distinctly Japanese folklore flavor that sets it apart from generic supernatural action manga.
- Dark themes handled with emotional depth. This isn’t horror for shock value. The series deals with abandonment, identity, found family (characters who aren’t related by blood forming a surrogate family), and what it means to be considered a monster — and it takes those themes seriously.
- Shonen-style battles with horror elements. The action is satisfying and creative, with kemono abilities that lead to inventive fight choreography. But the body horror and monstrous transformations give the fights a visceral edge that pure action manga often lacks.
- Character-driven storytelling. Kabane’s emotional journey from isolated outcast to someone learning to connect with others is genuinely compelling. The supporting cast each get meaningful development and their own storylines.
Who Might Want to Pass
If you strongly prefer completed series, Kemono Jihen is still ongoing with no announced end date. You won’t be left on a cliffhanger with 21 English volumes — there’s plenty of story to enjoy — but the full picture isn’t available yet.
If you’re looking for sustained dread and psychological tension throughout, Kemono Jihen sits closer to the horror-action end of the spectrum than pure atmospheric horror. The series has genuine horror elements — body horror, unsettling creatures, emotionally harrowing subject matter — and those elements are woven into the story consistently rather than reserved for isolated moments. But the overall structure leans toward supernatural action with a dark edge rather than slow-burn terror. Readers who enjoy series that blend horror imagery with shonen-style stakes will feel right at home.
The Bottom Line
Twenty-one English volumes is a substantial commitment, and the series rewards that commitment. The early volumes build a strong foundation, the middle volumes escalate in satisfying ways, and the ongoing storylines continue to expand the world without losing sight of what makes the characters compelling. If you’re looking for a supernatural manga that balances action, folklore, and genuine emotional weight, Kemono Jihen is well worth your time. Grab Volume 1 and see for yourself.