Akuma no Riddle Manga Volumes: Full 5-Book Guide

Akuma no Riddle Has 5 Manga Volumes — Here’s the Full Breakdown

Akuma no Riddle: Riddle Story of Devil (悪魔のリドル) is a completed manga series with 5 volumes and 47 chapters total. That’s it — no ongoing releases, no missing volumes, no complicated publication gaps. The whole story is out and available.

The series is an original story by Yun Kouga (高河ゆん) with art by Sunao Minakata (南方純). It was serialized — meaning published chapter-by-chapter over time, rather than all at once — in Monthly Newtype (月刊ニュータイプ), a Japanese magazine that runs manga chapters alongside anime and entertainment coverage, from September 2012 through November 2016. In Japan, it was published by KADOKAWA under their Kadokawa Comics Ace (角川コミックス・エース) publishing label.

The English edition, published by Seven Seas Entertainment, also consists of 5 volumes, matching the Japanese release one-to-one. Nothing was split, combined, or left untranslated. If you’re collecting in English, you’re getting the complete story across those five books.

For a manga with assassination plots, classroom intrigue, and psychological tension, five volumes is a surprisingly tight package. There’s no padded-out storylines or drawn-out detours — the story knows where it’s going and gets there.

How the Story Is Structured Across 5 Volumes

Before you start buying, it helps to understand how the narrative unfolds — especially if you want to know whether this is a binge-in-one-sitting kind of series (spoiler: it basically is).

The premise: Myoujou Academy runs a secret program called Class Black. Thirteen girls are enrolled. Twelve of them are trained assassins. Their target is the thirteenth student, Haru Ichinose. The catch? Tokaku Azuma, one of the twelve assassins, defects from the mission and decides to protect Haru instead.

The structure is elegant and deadly simple. The series follows a one-assassin-per-story-segment format — each contained mini-storyline focuses on a different classmate making their attempt on Haru’s life. Each volume covers roughly two to three assassination attempts as different classmates reveal their true colors and make their move. Tokaku has to figure out each threat and stop it — while also wrestling with her own identity as someone raised to kill.

If you read horror manga for the sense of dread and psychological unease rather than pure gore, this series fits squarely into that space. The horror here comes from paranoia — being trapped in a room full of people who are smiling at you while planning your death — and from the disturbing backstories of characters warped by violence.

Here’s how the story breaks down across the five books:

• Volumes 1–2 lay the groundwork. You meet the full class, learn the rules of the assassination game, and watch the first attempts unfold. The tension between Tokaku’s assassin training and her growing desire to protect Haru is front and center from the start.

• Volumes 3–4 escalate hard. The surviving assassins get more creative and more desperate. These middle volumes are where the series really leans into character backstories — you learn why each assassin is there, what they were promised, and what they’re willing to sacrifice. The psychological tension gets sharper here, with a growing sense of dread as the threats become more personal and more disturbing.

• Volume 5 brings the final confrontations. The remaining threats converge, the central relationship between Tokaku and Haru reaches its climax, and the assassination game gets its resolution. Without spoiling anything, the manga’s ending is its own beast — and it differs from the anime adaptation (the animated TV series based on the manga) in some significant ways.

The pacing works well for a five-volume series. Each storyline has a clear beginning, middle, and payoff. You’re never stuck waiting for something to happen.

Every Volume at a Glance

Here’s a quick reference for each volume, including Japanese release dates. This is handy if you’re tracking down specific books or just want to see the publication timeline.

Volume 1

• JP Release: July 2013
• JP ISBN: 9784041207888

The first volume drops you right into Class Black. You meet Tokaku Azuma, a cold and efficient assassin-in-training, and Haru Ichinose, her seemingly ordinary classmate who happens to be marked for death. The rules of the game are established: each assassin gets one chance to kill the target. Fail, and you’re expelled. Succeed, and you get any wish granted. The first assassination attempts begin here, and Tokaku makes her pivotal choice to switch sides. This volume does a great job of setting up the premise without over-explaining — you’re dropped into the danger alongside the characters.

Volume 2

• JP Release: March 2014
• JP ISBN: 9784041210567

The assassination attempts continue as more of the twelve assassins reveal themselves. Volume 2 picks up the pace now that the rules are clear. You start to see the variety in how each assassin approaches the kill — some are direct, some are manipulative, and some are genuinely unsettling. The dynamic between Tokaku and Haru deepens as they’re forced to rely on each other. The tension ratchets up because you never quite know which classmate is about to make their move.

Volume 3

• JP Release: December 2014
• JP ISBN: 9784041024591

This is the mid-series pivot. Volume 3 goes deeper into the backstories of the assassins themselves — their motivations, their trauma, the promises that brought them to Class Black. The series starts to complicate the “good guys vs. bad guys” framing. Some of the assassins become genuinely sympathetic even as they’re trying to kill Haru. The psychological and emotional stakes rise significantly here. If you’re reading for the horror elements — the creeping dread, the uncomfortable realization that these characters have been shaped by terrible circumstances — this is where the darkness of the premise really starts to hit.

Volume 4

• JP Release: January 2016
• JP ISBN: 9784041034460

Note the gap between volumes 3 and 4 — over a year passed between Japanese releases. Volume 4 brings the most dangerous remaining assassins to the forefront. The attempts become more elaborate and more ruthless. Tokaku is pushed to her absolute limits as a protector, and the question of whether she can truly suppress her assassin instincts gets tested hard. The ranks of failed assassins grow, and the atmosphere becomes increasingly claustrophobic. This is the “everything is falling apart” volume.

Volume 5

• JP Release: December 2016
• JP ISBN: 9784041050484

The final volume. Everything comes to a head as the last assassination attempts play out and the truth behind Class Black surfaces. The central relationship between Tokaku and Haru reaches its emotional peak. Volume 5 wraps up every thread — the assassination game, Tokaku’s internal conflict, and Haru’s secret. For anyone who watched the anime first, this volume contains some of the biggest divergences from the adaptation, so it’s worth reading even if you already know the animated version’s ending.

Which Edition Should You Buy?

This one’s straightforward: there is only one English edition of Akuma no Riddle. The series was released by Seven Seas Entertainment as standard single-volume paperbacks — five books matching the five Japanese volumes exactly.

No omnibus editions (combined volumes that collect multiple books into one thicker release). No deluxe hardcovers. No collector’s editions. No special box set. What you see is what you get.

That actually makes collecting this series refreshingly simple. You don’t need to research which edition has better paper quality or bonus content. There’s one version, it contains the complete story, and all five volumes are the same format.

Each English volume matches its Japanese counterpart exactly in terms of chapter content. Nothing was rearranged, split differently, or reformatted for the Western release.

If you’re the type who likes uniform spines on your shelf — all the books looking consistent when lined up together — you’ll be happy. Five volumes, one consistent design.

Where to Buy Akuma no Riddle in English

Because this is a completed series with a relatively small number of copies printed, availability can fluctuate. Here’s what to keep in mind when shopping:

Physical copies are available through major retailers. Amazon carries the English volumes, and you can also check Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. Since the series is a few years old and wasn’t a massive bestseller, individual volumes sometimes go in and out of stock. If you see all five available at once, that’s a good time to grab them.

The card below shows Vol. 5, the final volume of the series — from its product page, Vol. 1 and the rest of the five-volume run are a click away.

Digital editions are another solid option, especially if a particular physical volume is temporarily unavailable. Look for the series on platforms like BookWalker (a digital storefront specializing in manga and anime content) and Kindle. Digital copies don’t go out of stock, so this is the most reliable way to guarantee you can read the full series whenever you want.

A few shopping tips:

• Since there are only 5 volumes, the total cost to own the complete series is very manageable. At typical retail price, expect to spend roughly the same as you would on any other five-volume manga set — a modest investment for a full story with a clear beginning and ending.
• Check multiple retailers if one is out of stock on a specific volume. Smaller-run manga titles often have patchy availability across different sellers.
• If you’re buying used, double-check that you’re getting the English edition published by Seven Seas Entertainment and not the Japanese original — the cover art is similar and it’s an easy mistake to make.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many volumes of Akuma no Riddle are there?

5 volumes in both the Japanese and English editions. The series contains 47 chapters total across those five books.

Is the manga finished?

Yes. Akuma no Riddle is a completed series. Serialization ran from September 2012 to November 2016 in Monthly Newtype magazine. All five volumes have been published in both Japanese and English. There is no sequel series or continuation — the story is self-contained and fully resolved.

Is there an anime adaptation?

Yes. A TV anime (Japanese animated series) adaptation was produced, and it covers the general storyline of the manga. However, the anime and manga diverge in some notable ways — for example, the manga expands significantly on assassin backstories that the anime condensed or skipped, and the ending plays out differently between the two versions. If you’ve seen the anime and are curious about the differences, the manga is worth reading — especially the final volume.

Do I need to read anything else first?

Nope. Akuma no Riddle is a completely self-contained story. There’s no prequel, no spin-off you need for context, and no shared universe to worry about. You pick up Volume 1, you read through Volume 5, and you’ve experienced the whole thing. It’s one of the nice things about a tight five-volume series — zero homework required.

Is this series appropriate for younger readers?

Akuma no Riddle involves assassination, violence, and some mature themes. The series deals with characters who are trained killers, and several story segments involve life-threatening situations with dark psychological undertones. It’s best suited for older teens and adults. If you’re comfortable with action-thriller content that has some bloody moments and heavy emotional themes, this series falls within that range — but it’s not a lighthearted read. Parents or guardians checking for a younger reader should note the violent premise and treat it as comparable to a mature-rated action thriller.