The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants,[Jp. 1] also known simply as The Misfit of Demon King Academy[Jp. 2] or Demon King Academy,[Jp. 3] is a Japanese
light novel series written by Shu and illustrated by Yoshinori Shizuma. The series originally began as a web novel in April 2017 on the user-generated novel publishing website
Shōsetsuka ni Narō when it was later acquired by
ASCII Media Works, which officially began to publish it in March 2018. A
manga adaptation by Kayaharuka was serialized online from July 2018 to July 2021, when it ended due to the author's death. An
anime television series adaptation produced by
Silver Link aired from July to September 2020. A second season premiered in January 2023.
Plot
After 2,000 years of countless wars and strife, the demon king Anos Voldigoad made a deal with the human hero, Kanon, to sacrifice his own life to ensure peace could flourish. Reincarnating 2,000 years later, Anos finds that royal demons now harshly rule over lower class hybrid demons in a society that values Anos's pureblood descendants over the demons who interbred with other species, such as humans and spirits. Finding that magic as a whole has begun to decline and his descendants weaker as a result of the peace he created, Anos, now technically a hybrid himself, decides to reclaim his former title. However, he must first graduate from the Demon King Academy, where he is labeled a total misfit.
A girl who had met Anos in the day of Demon King Academy's entrance exam, then made friends with him. She is the younger twin sister of Sasha, who is a descendant of Ivis Necron, but Misha is not considered as a noblewoman like her sister.
Misha's elder twin sister. She is the original descendant of Ivis Necron (one of the seven Elder Demon Emperors) and known as the Witch of Destruction due to her Demon Eyes of Destruction.
At first she was thought to be a reincarnation of the Hero Kanon, but then it was revealed that she was actually a mass-produced source clone created by Eleonore Bianca.
Anos's former homeroom teacher who was a pureblood royal and daughter of Elio Ludowell, the Demon Lord of Midhaze. She was later killed and reincarnated into a half-demon.
One of the Demon Lords and the heir of the Indu Family.
Media
Light novel
The series was first published online as a web novel in April 2017 on the user-generated novel publishing website
Shōsetsuka ni Narō by Shu.[3] It was later acquired by
ASCII Media Works, who published the first volume as a light novel under their
Dengeki Bunko imprint in March 2018.[20] 15 volumes have been released as of June 2024.[a][21] The light novel is licensed in North America by
J-Novel Club.[22] At
Anime NYC 2022, J-Novel Club announced that the light novel would be released in print by
Yen Press.[23]
A
manga adaptation with art by Kayaharuka was serialized online via
Square Enix's Manga Up! website from July 2018 to July 2021 and was collected in four tankōbon volumes.[3][55] Square Enix published the manga in English.[56] On July 10, 2021, it was announced that the manga adaptation was cancelled due to Kayaharuka's illness as it was previously claimed they were undergoing treatment.[57] It was later announced on July 13 that Kayaharuka passed away on July 6 from pancreatic cancer.[58]
An
anime television series adaptation was announced at the "Dengeki Bunko Aki no Namahōsō Festival" event on October 6, 2019.[3] The anime was originally set to premiere in April 2020, but it was delayed until July 2020 due to production complications resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic.[67] The series was animated by
Silver Link and directed by Masafumi Tamura, with
Shin Oonuma serving as chief director.[68]Jin Tanaka handled the series composition, while Kazuyuki Yamayoshi designed the characters, and
Keiji Inai composed the music.[6][69] The 13-episode anime aired from July 4 to September 26, 2020.[69] Civilian performed the opening theme "Seikai Fuseikai" (正解不正解, "Correct Incorrect"), while
Tomori Kusunoki performed the ending theme "Hamidashimono" (ハミダシモノ, "The Misfit").[70]Crunchyroll streamed the series.[71]
On September 4, 2020,
Aniplex of America announced that the series would receive an English dub,[5] which premiered the following day.[72]
On March 6, 2021, it was announced that the series would receive a second split-cour season with the staff and cast reprising their respective roles.[73][74]Yūichirō Umehara replaced
Tatsuhisa Suzuki as the voice of Anos Voldigoad for the second season.[4] The first cour aired from January 8 to September 24, 2023.[75] The opening theme is "Seien" by Lenny code fiction, while the ending theme is "Esoa" (エソア) by Momosumomosu.[76] On February 11, 2023, it was announced that the seventh episode of the season and beyond would be postponed due to COVID-19.[77] The season restarted broadcasting from the first episode on July 9, 2023.[78][b] The second cour premiered on April 13, 2024.[80][c] The second opening theme is "Maō" (魔王, "Demon King") by
Burnout Syndromes and
Nao Tōyama, while the second ending theme is "Shingetsu" (シンゲツ, "New Moon") by Tomori Kusunoki.[82]
Reception
Sales
According to the official English anime website, the light novels has over 2.2 million copies published by 2023.[83]
Notes
^
abTwenty light novels in total have been released including the second parts of volumes 4, 10, 12, 13, and 14.
^Tokyo MX listed the restart at 24:30 on July 8, 2023, which is effectively July 9 at 12:30 a.m.[79]
^Tokyo MX listed the premiere of the second cour at 24:00 on April 12, 2024, which is effectively April 13 at 12:00 a.m.[81]
^Japanese: 魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~,
Hepburn: Maō Gakuin no Futekigōsha ~Shijō Saikyō no Maō no Shiso, Tensei Shite Shison-tachi no Gakkō e Kayou~
^Japanese: 魔王学院の不適合者,
Hepburn: Maō Gakuin no Futekigōsha, From the English title at the logo of anime version
^Japanese: 魔王学院,
Hepburn: Maō Gakuin, From the address of anime's official website (both English and Japanese version)
^"魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~" [The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants] (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
^魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~ 1 [The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants 1] (in Japanese).
Square Enix. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~ 2 [The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants 2] (in Japanese).
Square Enix. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~ 3 [The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants 3] (in Japanese).
Square Enix. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~ 4 [The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants 4] (in Japanese).
Square Enix. Retrieved March 26, 2021.