Zom 100 Manga: Where to Start & Buying Guide

What Is the Zom 100 Manga?

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Zom 100 ~Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto~) is an ongoing manga written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata. It falls into the seinen category, meaning it’s aimed at young adult men, though it has broad appeal well beyond that demographic. The series has been running in Shogakukan’s Monthly Sunday Gene-X magazine — where individual chapters are published before being collected into volumes — since October 2018. The English edition is published by Viz Media.

Haro Aso is also known for Alice in Borderland, a survival-thriller manga that became a massively popular Netflix series. In that story, characters are trapped in a mysteriously emptied-out Tokyo and forced to compete in lethal games to stay alive. If you enjoyed Alice in Borderland’s blend of genre storytelling with real emotional stakes, Zom 100 hits a lot of the same notes — just with a completely different tone.

Here’s the setup: Akira Tendo is a young man who landed his dream job at a video production company — only to discover it’s a nightmare of unpaid overtime, abusive management, and soul-crushing exploitation. He’s essentially a corporate zombie already. Then one morning, he wakes up to find that an actual zombie apocalypse has broken out.

And for the first time in years… he feels alive.

Instead of panicking, Akira grabs a notebook and writes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie. Learn to surf. Go camping. Eat the world’s best sushi. Confess his feelings. Fly first class. The manga follows Akira and the friends he gathers along the way as they chase these bucket list goals through a zombie-infested Japan.

The genre blend is what makes Zom 100 special. It’s comedy + horror + action + social commentary, all working together. The zombie apocalypse provides the danger and the gore, but the emotional engine of the story is Akira rediscovering joy after being ground down by a toxic workplace. The tone is genuinely uplifting — and that’s what separates it from almost every other zombie story out there.

Think of it this way: if Shaun of the Dead were a manga with a sharper critique of corporate culture, you’d get something close to Zom 100.

Story and Main Characters (Spoiler-Free)

One of Zom 100’s biggest strengths is its cast. The characters feel like real people you’d actually want to survive the apocalypse with — and their dynamics are a huge part of what keeps the series fun.

Akira Tendo

The protagonist. Before the apocalypse, Akira was a hollow shell of a person — overworked, sleep-deprived, and barely functioning. After the outbreak, his personality does a complete 180. He becomes endlessly optimistic, recklessly enthusiastic, and determined to squeeze every drop of joy out of the time he has left. He’s not naive, though — the manga gradually reveals that his relentless positivity is both his greatest strength and something more complicated than it first appears.

Kenichiro “Kencho” Ryuzaki

Akira’s college best friend and the series’ main comedic foil. Kencho is a former host club worker — host clubs are Japanese entertainment venues where men are paid to charm and socialize with female customers — and he brings a big personality and unwavering loyalty to the group. He and Akira have fantastic chemistry. Their friendship feels genuine and lived-in, and Kencho’s humor balances out the story whenever things get heavy.

Shizuka Mikazuki

A pragmatic, hyper-prepared survivalist who approaches the apocalypse with spreadsheets and risk analysis. She’s essentially the opposite of Akira’s “wing it and have fun” approach, and the friction between their philosophies creates some of the best character moments in the series.

Beatrix Amerhauser

A German backpacker and skilled fighter who joins the group. Beatrix (often called Bea) brings a different cultural perspective and some serious combat ability. She’s a great addition to the group dynamic and gets her own compelling backstory as the series progresses.

The Bucket List as Story Engine

This is the structural trick that makes Zom 100 work so well. Each major story arc — a self-contained chunk of the narrative with its own beginning, middle, and end — is built around a specific bucket list goal. Camping, making sushi, visiting a theme park, and more. This gives the manga a natural episodic structure that keeps things fresh while still building longer narrative threads.

And here’s the thing that sneaks up on you: the real villains of Zom 100 aren’t the zombies. Throughout the series, the most dangerous antagonists are exploitative people and systems that were already monstrous before the dead started walking. Corrupt bosses, authoritarian survivors, people who see the apocalypse as an opportunity to control others — the manga keeps drawing a line between the zombies eating people and the human systems that were already devouring lives.

It’s surprisingly thoughtful stuff for a series where a guy rides a shark through a flooded city.

How Many Volumes of the Zombie 100 Manga Are There?

Here’s the current volume count (as of 2026):

Edition	Volumes Available	Status
Japan (Japanese)	22 volumes (ongoing as of April 2026)	Ongoing
English (Viz Media)	19 volumes (ongoing as of April 2026)	Ongoing
Latest English volume	Vol. 19 (April 2026)	Out now

A few things worth noting:

• The series is still ongoing in Japan. There’s no announced end date, so there’s more story coming.
• New English volumes come out roughly every 4–5 months, so the gap between the Japanese and English releases stays relatively small.
• There is no omnibus, box set, or special collected edition available for Zom 100 at this time. An omnibus bundles multiple volumes into one larger book, and a box set packages the whole series together — neither exists for this series yet. It’s single volumes only.
• All English volumes are published by Viz Media in standard paperback format.

If you’re a collector hoping for a box set, you’ll likely have to wait until the series wraps up in Japan — Viz tends to release box sets after a series is complete. Given that the manga is still ongoing with no end announced, that could be a while. For now, individual volumes are the way to go.

Anime vs. Manga — Where to Start Reading the Zom 100 Manga

Zom 100 has a pretty active multimedia presence. Here’s how the different versions line up:

Anime Season 1

The first season aired from July to December 2023 (with a notably rocky production schedule that caused delays). It ran for 12 episodes — a fairly short season by anime standards — and covers roughly the first six volumes of the manga (through Chapter 22, the final chapter of Volume 6 — just after the Hometown of the Dead arc wraps up).

The anime is a solid adaptation with great color work and voice acting. If you watched it and enjoyed it, you’ve got a good sense of the series’ tone and characters.

Where to Start Reading After the Anime

If you’ve already watched Season 1 and want to continue the story in manga form:

Pick up from Volume 7 (Chapter 23 onward).

That said, even if you watched the anime, there’s a real argument for starting from Volume 1. The manga’s pacing is different — Akira’s internal monologue gets more room to breathe, and some character moments that the anime compressed hit harder on the page. Takata’s art is also just gorgeous in print. But if you’re eager to get to new story content, Volume 7 is your entry point.

Anime Season 2

A second season has not been officially announced (as of July 2026). Season 1 was produced by Bug Films, and any sequel news would come through the official site and simulcast platforms first — for now, the manga is the only way to continue the story. It’s significantly ahead of where Season 1 ended, so there’s plenty of new material ready for you.

Netflix Live-Action Film

A live-action film adaptation was released on Netflix in August 2023. It’s a separate, condensed adaptation — fun in its own right, but it covers its own version of the early story and shouldn’t be used as a reference for where to start in the manga. If you saw the film and want the full experience, start from Volume 1.

Why Zom 100 Works as a Horror Manga for Beginners

Let’s be real: Zom 100 is not a traditional horror manga. If you’re looking for something that’s going to keep you up at night — like the work of Junji Ito, the legendary manga artist known for psychologically disturbing stories like Uzumaki and Tomie — this isn’t that. But it’s a fantastic entry point into horror-adjacent manga, and here’s why:

The Real Horror Is Relatable

The scariest part of Zom 100 isn’t the zombies — it’s the opening chapters depicting Akira’s life at his exploitative company. The unpaid overtime. The boss who takes credit for everything. The slow realization that you’ve lost years of your life to a job that doesn’t care about you. For a lot of readers, especially younger adults entering the workforce, those early chapters are uncomfortably real.

The zombie apocalypse almost functions as catharsis. The horror comes first, and it’s human.

The Gore Is Present but Not Overwhelming

There are definitely zombies, and they definitely bite people. The manga doesn’t shy away from blood or zombie violence. But the gore is stylized and serves the story — think zombie bites and intense chase scenes rather than prolonged body horror or drawn-out suffering. It’s closer to an action manga in tone than a gore-focused horror series. You’ll never hit a stretch of Zom 100 that’s just relentless bleakness.

The Art Is Colorful and Dynamic

Kotaro Takata’s art is a huge part of why Zom 100 feels so different from typical horror manga. The character designs are expressive and appealing, the action scenes are kinetic and easy to follow, and the overall visual tone is bright and energetic. Even in the standard black-and-white collected volumes, the pages feel lively. This is a manga that wants you to have fun reading it.

It’s a Great Gateway

If you’re someone who enjoys zombie movies or shows but hasn’t read much manga, Zom 100 is an incredibly accessible starting point. The humor keeps things approachable, the characters are immediately likable, and the social commentary gives it substance beyond pure entertainment.

And if you end up wanting something darker after Zom 100, you’ll be well-positioned to branch out into heavier horror manga from there.

Reading Order and Buying Guide

Good news: Zom 100’s reading order is completely straightforward. There are no spinoffs, no prequels, no alternate timelines, and no required supplementary material. You start at Volume 1 and read forward.

Reading Order

Volume 1 → Volume 2 → Volume 3 → … → Current Volume

That’s it. The series is designed to be read sequentially, and each volume picks up where the last one left off.

Where to Buy

All English volumes are published by Viz Media and are widely available:

• Physical copies: Available at most bookstores and online retailers
• Digital: Available on Viz.com, Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and other major digital platforms

Budget-Conscious Starting Point

If you’re not sure whether Zom 100 is for you and don’t want to commit to a big purchase, just grab Volume 1. The first volume is remarkably self-contained — you’ll get a complete introduction to Akira’s situation, the apocalypse, and the bucket list concept. By the time you finish it, you’ll know whether this series clicks for you.

Volume 1 does a great job of establishing the tone and hook. If the premise of “burnt-out office worker finds joy in the zombie apocalypse” makes you grin, you’re in for a good time.

If You Love Haro Aso’s Writing

If Zom 100 gets you interested in more of Haro Aso’s work, check out Alice in Borderland — his other major series. It’s a completed survival-thriller manga where characters are forced to compete in lethal games in a mysterious empty Tokyo. The tone is much darker and more intense than Zom 100, but it shares Aso’s talent for compelling characters and high-concept premises. Alice in Borderland is published in English by Viz Media as well.

Quick-Reference Summary

Detail	Info
Full Title	Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Writer	Haro Aso
Artist	Kotaro Takata
English Publisher	Viz Media
Japanese Magazine	Monthly Sunday Gene-X
Serialization Start	October 2018
Status	Ongoing
Japanese Volumes	22 (as of April 2026)
English Volumes	19 (as of April 2026)
Next English Volume	Vol. 20 (forthcoming)
Anime Season 1	12 episodes (July–December 2023)
Anime Season 2	Not announced (as of July 2026)
Live-Action Film	Netflix, August 2023
Read After Anime S1	Start at Volume 7 (Chapter 23)

Final Thoughts

Zom 100 is one of those manga that just works. It takes a genre you’ve seen a hundred times — zombie apocalypse — and finds something genuinely new and heartfelt to say with it. The humor lands, the action is exciting, the characters are easy to root for, and the underlying message about reclaiming your life from systems that exploit you is surprisingly moving.

It’s a zombie manga that makes you feel good about being alive. Honestly, just grab Volume 1 and see for yourself.