Is Remina by Junji Ito on MangaDex?
No. Remina is not available on MangaDex.
Whether you search for “Remina,” “Hellstar Remina,” or the Japanese title, you won’t find it. MangaDex typically removes or restricts manga that have been officially licensed — meaning a publisher has bought the legal rights to translate and sell the series in English. In this case, Viz Media, one of the biggest English-language manga publishers, holds the rights to Remina. This is pretty standard for Junji Ito works that have gotten official English releases — you’ll run into the same situation with Uzumaki, Tomie, and most of his other popular titles.
So if MangaDex was your plan, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Where to Read Remina Legally
The good news: Remina is a single volume (one collected book containing all the chapters), so you’re not committing to a 30-book series. And since you were searching on a free platform like MangaDex, here’s the most budget-friendly option first:
- Library — Check your local library before spending anything. Many library systems stock Junji Ito’s work because it’s so popular. Also check digital lending apps like Hoopla or Libby (also called OverDrive) — these are free apps that let you borrow ebooks and manga with a library card. You might be able to read Remina without spending a dime.
- Physical hardcover from Viz Media — 256 pages, retails at $22.99. It’s a really nice-looking hardcover with that distinctive Junji Ito collection design. Released December 15, 2020. The hardcover doesn’t include extras like author notes or art galleries beyond the bonus story — it’s focused entirely on the manga itself.
- Kindle / digital edition — Available on Amazon if you prefer reading on a screen. Same content, instant delivery, and usually a few dollars cheaper than the hardcover. If you just want to read the story and don’t care about having a physical book on your shelf, this is the faster and cheaper route.
- Bookstores — Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and most local comic shops carry it or can order it.
One thing to note: Remina is not available on Manga Plus (Shueisha’s free manga reading app) or Viz’s free chapter platform. There’s no legal free reading option online for this one, which is why the library route is worth trying first.
Since the volume retails around $15–23 depending on where you buy it, and it’s a complete self-contained story, it’s honestly a pretty good value compared to getting into a longer series.
What Is Remina About?
Here’s the setup without spoiling the best parts:
Professor Oguro discovers an unknown planet emerging from a wormhole — a kind of tunnel through space — in deep space. It’s a huge scientific discovery, and in a burst of fatherly pride, he names the new celestial body after his daughter, Remina.
The public goes wild. Remina the girl becomes an overnight celebrity, a living symbol of this incredible cosmic event. People adore her. Fan clubs form. She’s a star.
Then the planet changes course. It’s heading straight for Earth. And it’s moving way too fast. And it’s… eating other planets along the way.
Suddenly that adoration flips. The public decides that Remina the girl must be connected to Remina the planet. If they can just get rid of her, maybe the planet will stop. Mob hysteria takes over, and what follows is a nightmare on two fronts — the cosmic horror bearing down from space, and the very human horror of a society tearing itself apart.
The big themes here:
- Cosmic horror — a type of horror focused on the fear of vast, unknowable forces beyond human understanding. The planet itself is genuinely terrifying in a way that echoes the stories of H.P. Lovecraft (an early 20th-century horror author known for tales of incomprehensible alien entities), but filtered through Ito’s unmistakable visual style
- Mob mentality and scapegoating — Watching rational people descend into collective madness is arguably scarier than the planet
- Existential dread — That helpless feeling of facing something so far beyond human scale that nothing you do matters
If you’ve read other Junji Ito works, Remina is faster-paced and more action-driven than something like Uzumaki. Where Uzumaki is a slow, gradually building descent into small-town madness, Remina hits the gas early and doesn’t really let up. It’s a wild ride. And if Remina is your first Junji Ito manga, the comparisons section below will help you figure out what to read next.
Remina Manga Details at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Author / Artist | Junji Ito |
| Japanese Title | 地獄星レミナ (Jigokusei Remina) |
| Original Magazine | Big Comic Spirits Zōkan Casual (a manga magazine by Shogakukan, one of Japan’s major publishers — manga chapters typically run in magazines first before being collected into book form) |
| Magazine Run | September 2004 – July 2005 |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Chapters | 7 (7 chapters) |
| Status | Completed |
| English Publisher | Viz Media |
| English Release Date | December 15, 2020 |
| Format | Hardcover, 256 pages |
| Genres | Horror, Sci-Fi |
| Target Audience | Seinen (manga aimed at older teens and adults — despite the label, readers of all genders enjoy it) |
Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
Here’s what to expect from each chapter — kept spoiler-light so you can still experience the escalation yourself.
Chapter 1: The Discovery of Planet Remina
Sets the stage. We meet Remina and her father Professor Oguro. The planet is discovered, Remina becomes famous, and everything seems exciting and optimistic. Ito does a great job establishing normalcy before things go sideways.
Chapter 2: The Approach of Planet Remina
The planet changes trajectory and starts heading toward Earth. Public fascination slowly curdles into anxiety and then outright fear. This is where you start to feel the dread building — both cosmic and human.
Chapter 3: The Sacrifice
The tipping point. The mob decides Remina the girl is to blame, and they want her gone. The shift from celebrity worship to violent scapegoating is jarring and effective. Some of Ito’s most disturbing panels in the volume are here, and they’re not about the planet — they’re about people.
Chapter 4: The Great Panic
Full societal collapse. The planet is getting closer, and any remaining order disintegrates. This chapter is chaotic and claustrophobic — the kind of panicked, walls-closing-in feeling that horror manga does so well.
Chapter 5: From the Depths of the Earth
The true nature of the planet is revealed, and it’s… a lot. This is peak Junji Ito cosmic horror. If you’ve seen the planet’s design floating around online and wondered what the context was, this is the chapter.
Chapter 6: Remina the Wanderer
The climax and resolution. Without giving anything away — it’s an ending that fits the tone of the story. Some readers love it, some wish for more closure. It’s worth forming your own opinion.
How Remina Compares to Other Junji Ito Works
If you’re trying to figure out where Remina fits in the Junji Ito catalog — or if Remina was your first encounter with Ito and you want to know what else he’s done — here’s a quick comparison with his most well-known titles.
Remina vs. Uzumaki
Uzumaki is Ito’s most famous manga — a gradually building, atmospheric descent into madness centered on a small town that becomes obsessed with spirals. It builds dread across three volumes. Remina is a full-throttle catastrophe story that operates on a planetary scale and moves much faster. If Uzumaki is a creeping fog, Remina is a freight train.
Both are great, but they scratch very different itches. Uzumaki is often considered Ito’s greatest work, and if you haven’t read it yet, it’s absolutely worth picking up:
Uzumaki (3-in-1 Deluxe Edition) — All three volumes in one beautiful hardcover. This is the definitive way to read it.
Uzumaki (3-in-1 Deluxe Edition)
Remina vs. Tomie
Tomie is another major Junji Ito series — it focuses on obsession, jealousy, and horror centered around a single enigmatic girl who keeps reappearing no matter what happens to her. It’s more personal and psychological. Remina is about collective human madness — society as a whole losing its mind. If Tomie is a scalpel, Remina is a wrecking ball.
Remina vs. Gyo
Both Remina and Gyo deal with large-scale catastrophe, but in very different flavors. Gyo is body horror — horror that comes from disturbing transformations and violations of the human body — with a dash of dark comedy. Remina leans harder into cosmic sci-fi horror. If you liked the “everything is falling apart on a massive scale” aspect of either one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.
Is Remina a Good Starting Point for Junji Ito?
Yes, actually. It’s self-contained in one volume, tells a complete story, and showcases several of Ito’s strengths — cosmic scale, mob psychology, detailed grotesque artwork, and that signature feeling of inevitability.
That said, most people start with Uzumaki or one of his short story collections, and those are also great entry points. If you want to sample a wider range of Ito’s style before committing to a full narrative:
Junji Ito Story Collection — 3 Books Set (Lovesickness, Deserter, Fragments of Horror) — Three short story collections bundled together. Each book contains multiple standalone horror stories, so you get to experience many different flavors of Ito’s horror in one set.
Junji Ito Story Collection 3 books set: Lovesickness, Deserter, Fragments of Horror
If You Liked Remina, Read Next
- Uzumaki — If you want more Ito but slower and more atmospheric. His most celebrated work for good reason.
- Sensor — Another cosmic horror story by Ito, with a similar blend of sci-fi and dread. It’s a single volume like Remina and deals with mysterious, incomprehensible forces.
- No Longer Human — Ito’s manga adaptation of a famous Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai about a man’s psychological disintegration. It’s psychological horror rather than cosmic horror, but Ito’s artwork transforms it into something deeply unsettling.
- H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness (Manga) — A manga adaptation of Lovecraft’s classic novella by artist Gou Tanabe, who specializes in bringing Lovecraft’s cosmic horror stories to life in manga form. If the cosmic horror angle of Remina was your favorite part — that feeling of encountering something vast and unknowable — this one delivers that beautifully.
H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness Deluxe Edition (Manga)
FAQ
Can I read Remina for free on MangaDex?
No. Remina is not available on MangaDex due to its official English license with Viz Media. The only legal way to read it is to purchase the Viz Media edition (physical or digital) or borrow it through a library. Your best bet for a free read is checking whether your local library has it — either on the shelf or through a digital lending app like Hoopla or Libby.
Is Remina the same as Hellstar Remina?
Yes. Hellstar Remina is the alternative English title that was commonly used before the official Viz Media release. When Viz published the English edition in 2020, they simply titled it Remina. Same manga, different name. If you see either title referenced online, they’re talking about the same work.
How long does Remina take to read?
It’s one volume, 256 pages. Most people finish it in 1 to 2 hours. It’s a fast read — the pacing is brisk and the pages fly by. Great for a single-sitting horror experience.
Is there an anime adaptation of Remina?
No. As of 2025, Remina has not been adapted into anime. There hasn’t been any official announcement of one either. Given the renewed interest in Junji Ito’s work — including the Uzumaki anime that aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami block in 2024 and the Junji Ito Maniac anthology series on Netflix — it’s not impossible down the line, but nothing is confirmed.
What age is Remina appropriate for?
Remina contains graphic horror imagery, violence, and disturbing scenes of mob violence. It’s classified as seinen manga, which targets an older audience, and is generally recommended for older teens and adults. If you’re comfortable with horror in general, you’ll be fine — but it’s not one to hand to young kids.
Is Remina Junji Ito’s best work?
That’s really a matter of taste. Most fans and readers tend to point to Uzumaki as his greatest work, with Tomie as a close second. Remina is well-liked but sometimes considered a step below those two in terms of overall storytelling. However, plenty of people rank it among their Ito favorites specifically because of its cosmic horror scope and relentless pacing. At one volume and a couple hours of reading time, it’s a low-commitment way to experience one of horror manga’s most celebrated creators — and you’ll know pretty quickly whether Ito’s style clicks with you.