Kemono Jihen
Japanese manga and anime series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kemono Jihen (怪物事変; lit. 'Monster Incidents') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sho Aimoto. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Jump Square since December 2016, with its chapters collected in 24 tankōbon volumes as of December 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by Ajiado aired from January to March 2021.
| Kemono Jihen | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Kabane Kusaka | |
| 怪物事変 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Sho Aimoto |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics SQ. |
| Magazine | Jump Square |
| Original run | December 2, 2016 – present |
| Volumes | 24 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masaya Fujimori |
| Written by | Noboru Kimura |
| Music by | Yuya Mori |
| Studio | Ajiado |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, ytv, BS11 |
| Original run | January 10, 2021 – March 28, 2021 |
| Episodes | 12 |
Plot
In a remote mountain village, a series of mysterious incidents involving livestock corpses draws the attention of Kohachi Inugami, a detective from Tokyo who specializes in supernatural cases. While investigating, he meets a boy named Kabane, who is forced to work in the fields and is ostracized by the villagers, who treat him as if he is not human.
During the investigation, Inugami discovers that Kabane is actually a half-ghoul, abandoned by his parents and left to live in misery with relatives who treat him as a burden. After solving the case and exposing the supernatural cause behind the animal killings, Inugami takes Kabane back to Tokyo, where he runs a detective agency that handles cases involving creatures that exist alongside humans in secret.
In Tokyo, Kabane begins working at the agency alongside other boys who are like him, including Shiki, who has spider-like abilities, and Akira, who has powers related to snow and ice. As Kabane adjusts to his new life and forms bonds with his new companions, he also searches for clues about his missing parents.
Characters
- Kabane Kusaka (日下 夏羽, Kusaka Kabane)
- Voiced by: Natsumi Fujiwara[4] (Japanese); Madeleine Morris[5] (English)
- A 13-year-old ghoul-human hanyo or hybrid. After being supposedly abandoned by his parents, he was abused by his aunt as hard labor for her inn, earning him the nickname "Dorotabo" as he was always covered in dirt and smelling badly from toiling in the fields. Kabane later learns from Inugami that he was likely not abandoned due to being in possession of the Life Calculus, which quenches his ghoulish thirst for flesh, and begins searching for his parents while learning more about his emotions along the way. Kabane possesses an innocent and straightforward personality, as well as an extremely self-sacrificial spirit. Owing to his immortality as a bloodless ghoul and ability to regenerate provided his head remains intact, he often puts himself in the line of fire for his friends. Apart from regeneration, his ghoul blood also gifts him incredible strength. Believing his parents' bodies to have been the vessels for the Calculi, he begins collecting all the other Calculi and combining them.
- Kohachi Inugami (隠神 鼓八千, Inugami Kohachi)
- Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe[4] (Japanese); Patrick Seitz[5] (English)
- A tanuki known as "the Kemonoist" that runs the Inugami Strangeness Consultancy Office. While he appears carefree and frivolous at times, he is frighteningly perceptive and is a powerful Kemono, being able to use strong illusion spells, summon guns and harden his body to steel. Inugami strongly believes in coexistence between Kemono and humans. He currently takes care of Kabane, Shiki and Akira, and houses Mihai.
- Akira (晶)
- Voiced by: Ayumu Murase[4] (Japanese); Cassie Ewulu[5] (English)
- A 15-year-old yukionoko from Aomori. As a descendant of yukionna, he has the ability to freeze objects provided there is water around, manipulate snow and ice, and withstand very cold temperatures. He came to Tokyo hoping Inugami could help him find his older twin brother, Yui, whom he escaped their village with. Despite being a boy, Akira is extremely feminine and enjoys girlish, cute things and posting on social media. Because of his hate for disgusting things and tendency to faint from fear, he mainly takes care of domestic affairs in the office. Even so, Akira is often able to pull his weight for the others in a pinch, later unlocking a hidden power of the yukionokos.
- Shiki Tademaru (蓼丸 織, Tademaru Shiki)
- Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae[4] (Japanese); A. J. Beckles[5] (English)
- A 14-year-old Arachne-human hanyo who had been passed into Inugami's custody by his uncle. He is a tsundere, often brash and rude with his friends but making sure to take good care of them at the same time. Out of all the three children, he is the most rational and level-headed. Shiki fights by producing thread from his sweat and spit, and manipulating their qualities to become stickier or harder, though this dehydrates him after some time. With Inugami and Kabane's help, Shiki manages to reunite with his mother and younger sister Aya.
- Mihai (ミハイ)
- Voiced by: Daisuke Ono[6] (Japanese); Matt Shipman[7] (English)
- An immortal vampire that lives as a shut-in in Inugami's house, living out his countless days by playing video games. Owing to his many years of life, he is in a constant state of boredom and has mastered almost every skill there is, including cooking and sewing. He mainly specialises in communication technology and hacking, and so manages the agency's online affairs. While narcissistic and arrogant, he helps the agency out with his best efforts.
- Yoko Inari (飯生 妖子, Inari Yōko)
- Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa[6] (Japanese); Kristen McGuire[5] (English)
- A female kitsune. Under the public eye, she is the superintendent of the Shinjuku police force, but that position is mainly used as her foothold in human society. Although she used to work with Inugami on managing human and Kemono-related issues, she admits that while Inugami seeks for coexistence, she seeks to control humans and preside as the queen over the country someday. She breaks off her relations with Inugami upon realising the existence of the Calculi, and begin plotting ways to steal them from Kemono tribes all over Japan. Inari is manipulative, selfish, vain and extremely hot-tempered to the point of being ruthless. She later assembles a private force of fellow kitsune to steal the Calculi, intending to combine them into one for herself.
- Kon (紺)
- Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori[6] (Japanese); Brittany Lauda[7] (English)
- A young kitsune girl who is also Inari's loyal follower, viewing the latter as a mother-figure. Unlike most kitsune, she is unable to hide her ears through illusion spells, and does so under her hood instead. Stemming from a need to be the most important and a "good girl", she serves Inari with complete admiration, unaware that she is simply being used. Kon fights by discharging fire from her tail and striking with her claws. She later comes to like Kabane and leaves Inari's side. She later regains memories blocked and muddied by Inari, about how Inari killed and devoured her entire clan, keeping only her alive with her memories altered to wait until she would grown stronger.
- Nobimaru (野火丸)
- Voiced by: Hiro Shimono[6] (Japanese); Kevin K. Gomez[7] (English)
- A kitsune boy who replaces Kon after she fails her mission. He appears to be extremely loyal under Inari, but secretly despises her, often secretly taking actions without her orders. He hides his ears under a pair of headphones. Despite taking on the appearance of a 13-year-old, he is actually 19 years old. Nobimaru has a crafty and intelligent personality able to rival Inugami's, and is extremely capable with both fire and illusion spells. He becomes the head of Inari's private kitsune force later on.
- Yui (結)
- Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa[8] (Japanese); Ben Balmaceda[7] (English)
- Kumi (組)
- Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa[8] (Japanese); Heather Gonzalez[7] (English)
- Akio Tademaru (蓼丸 昭夫, Tademaru Akio)
- Voiced by: Akira Ishida[8] (Japanese); Cody Savoie[7] (English)
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Sho Aimoto, Kemono Jihen has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Jump Square since December 2, 2016.[9] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 3, 2017.[10] As of December 4, 2025, twenty-four volumes have been released.[11] The manga is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.[12]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 3, 2017[10] | 978-4-08-881096-6 | August 9, 2022[13] | 978-1-63858-539-8 | |
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| 2 | July 4, 2017[14] | 978-4-08-881128-4 | October 11, 2022[15] | 978-1-63858-540-4 | |
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| 3 | November 2, 2017[16] | 978-4-08-881169-7 | December 13, 2022[17] | 978-1-63858-541-1 | |
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| 4 | March 2, 2018[18] | 978-4-08-881368-4 | February 21, 2023[19] | 978-1-63858-542-8 | |
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| 5 | July 4, 2018[20] | 978-4-08-881425-4 | April 18, 2023[21] | 978-1-68579-595-5 | |
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| 6 | November 2, 2018[22] | 978-4-08-881628-9 | July 4, 2023[23] | 978-1-68579-704-1 | |
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| 7 | March 4, 2019[24] | 978-4-08-881773-6 | September 19, 2023[25] | 978-1-68579-906-9 | |
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| 8 | July 4, 2019[26] | 978-4-08-881892-4 | October 24, 2023[27] | 979-8-88843-039-2 | |
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| 9 | November 1, 2019[28] | 978-4-08-882115-3 | January 2, 2024[29] | 979-8-88843-095-8 | |
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| 10 | March 4, 2020[30] | 978-4-08-882236-5 | March 5, 2024[31] | 979-8-88843-361-4 | |
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| 11 | July 3, 2020[32] | 978-4-08-882356-0 | June 4, 2024[33] | 979-8-88843-637-0 | |
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| 12 | November 4, 2020[34] | 978-4-08-882438-3 | August 6, 2024[35] | 979-8-88843-854-1 | |
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| 13 | February 4, 2021[36] | 978-4-08-882558-8 | October 8, 2024[37] | 979-8-89160-185-7 | |
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| 14 | July 2, 2021[38] | 978-4-08-882675-2 | December 3, 2024[39] | 979-8-89160-186-4 | |
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| 15 | November 4, 2021[40] | 978-4-08-882809-1 | March 11, 2025[41] | 979-8-89160-893-1 | |
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| 16 | April 4, 2022[42] | 978-4-08-883056-8 | May 6, 2025[43] | 979-8-89160-949-5 | |
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| 17 | September 2, 2022[44] | 978-4-08-883206-7 | July 15, 2025[45] | 979-8-89373-007-4 | |
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| 18 | February 3, 2023[46] | 978-4-08-883314-9 | October 21, 2025[47] | 979-8-89373-647-2 | |
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| 19 | July 4, 2023[48] | 978-4-08-883497-9 | December 16, 2025[49] | 979-8-89373-648-9 | |
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| 20 | December 4, 2023[50] | 978-4-08-883695-9 | March 17, 2026[51] | 979-8-89373-649-6 | |
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| 21 | May 2, 2024[52] | 978-4-08-883890-8 | June 23, 2026[53] | 979-8-89373-650-2 | |
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| 22 | November 1, 2024[54] | 978-4-08-884215-8 | September 22, 2026[55] | 979-8-89561-368-9 | |
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| 23 | May 2, 2025[56] | 978-4-08-884420-6 | — | — | |
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| 24 | December 4, 2025[11] | 978-4-08-884705-4 | — | — | |
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Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced at the Jump Festa '20 event on December 21, 2019.[57] The series is animated by Ajiado and directed by Masaya Fujimori, with Noboru Kimura handling series composition, and Nozomi Tachibana designing the characters.[58] The series aired from January 10 to March 28, 2021, on Tokyo MX, ytv, and BS11.[59][60] Funimation licensed the series and is streaming it on its website in North America and the British Isles, in Europe through Wakanim, and in Australia and New Zealand through AnimeLab.[61] Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.[62] Muse Communication has acquired the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and is streaming it on their Muse Asia YouTube channel, and Bilibili in Southeast Asia.[63] The opening theme song is "Kemono Michi" (ケモノミチ; 'Path of The Beast'), performed by Daisuke Ono, and the ending theme song is "Shirushi" (－標－; 'Mark'), performed by Sayaka Sasaki.[64]
Episodes
| No. | Title [65][66] | Directed by [65] | Written by [65] | Original release date [67] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kabane" Transliteration: "Kabane" (Japanese: 夏羽) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | January 10, 2021 | |
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Kohachi Inugami, an occult detective from Tokyo, arrives in a rural village to investigate livestock found dead with their organs removed, a recurring event during each full moon. At a village inn, he notes the treatment of Kabane Kusaka, a perpetually dirty boy nicknamed "Dorotabo". Inugami recognizes Kabane's pendant as a "lifestone", a gem that confirms he was not simply abandoned and which suppresses his true nature. When the innkeeper's son steals the necklace, it triggers Kabane's transformation into a ghoul. Inugami explains the boy is a hanyo, a hybrid of human and ghoul, and reveals his own non-human nature as a bakedanuki. After they dispatch the real culprit, a deer ghoul, Inugami reveals his original mission was to kill Kabane and shoots him. Kabane survives due to his ghoul heritage and later awakens in Tokyo, where Inugami welcomes him to his detective agency. | |||||
| 2 | "The Kemonoist" Transliteration: "Kemono-ya" (Japanese: 怪物屋) | Hodaka Kuramoto | Noboru Kimura | January 17, 2021 | |
|
Inugami reintroduces himself as a "Kemonoist", an individual who resolves conflicts between Kemono and humankind to maintain coexistence. At the Inugami Strangeness Consulting Agency, Kabane meets two other members: the brusque hanyo Shiki Tademaru, who is part-Arachne, and the feminine Akira, a Snow Kemono or yukionoko descended from a yukionna. Kabane joins them on a case involving a violent sanshichu infestation that nearly killed a family and a responding officer. While normally harmless, the insects become dangerous when swarming over their preferred sustenance. After Shiki's spider thread fails, Kabane enters the infested room; his part-ghoul physiology makes him immune to pain. Inugami observes that Kabane's capacity for fear and revulsion was likely suppressed by his past abusive labor. The infestation is traced to a pair of stolen expensive shoes, as sanshichu feed on "guilt". Watching the reunited family, Kabane contemplates the possibility of having parents, a hope instilled by Inugami, which he also extends to Shiki. Meanwhile, Inugami reports to a mysterious woman regarding Kabane's arrival and his lifestone, questioning whether the boy represents a future threat or a source of hope. | |||||
| 3 | "Foxes" Transliteration: "Kitsune" (Japanese: 狐) | Yoshiki Kawasaki | Noboru Kimura | January 24, 2021 | |
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Inugami directs Kabane, Shiki, and Akira to Superintendent Yokō Inari, a kitsune who leads Shinjuku's police force. Guided by the kitsune girl Kon, Kabane meets Inari, who tricks him into surrendering his lifestone—a gem that suppresses a Kemono's thirst for human energy—and decapitates him. Kon then attempts to kill Shiki and Akira, but her disguise as Kabane fails, and she sets the building ablaze. Using his thread, Shiki retrieves the briefcase holding Kabane's head and throws it at Kon, enabling Kabane to attack her and render her unconscious. Exposed to open air, Kabane's head regenerates his body, leading Shiki to formally accept him as a partner. They exit the station with an unconscious Akira and meet Inugami, who had anticipated these events. Inari, planning to mass-produce the lifestone and disrupt human-Kemono relations, discovers the stone is a tanuki charm under an illusion cast by Inugami. Enraged, she kills her driver. Later, a wounded and hungry Kon invades the agency to claim Kabane's head, but Inugami subdues her. Their confrontation is interrupted by a human entering the premises, who carries the scent of Kemono. | |||||
| 4 | "Mission" Transliteration: "Ninmu" (Japanese: 任務) | Hidekazu Oka | Noboru Kimura | January 31, 2021 | |
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Inugami recruits Kon for a new mission, promising Kabane's head as a reward, and they attend to Yoruno, a man possessed by a nekomata hostess named Mao from Kabukichō who transforms clients into human-faced cats; though horrified, Yoruno chooses to live as a cat with her. Kabane, inspired by Akira's remark that children are born from love, joins the case to learn about his own parents, and Inugami gives Kon an illusion-disguised orange in place of Kabane's head, after which Kabane describes love as resembling “light” and decides to buy gifts for the agency. Subsequently, Akira, motivated by Kabane's progress, overcomes his aversion to unpleasantness to assist Inugami at the polluted Shibuya River, where frog Kemono are killing dam workers; in the tunnel, Akira reveals to Kabane his search for his missing twin brother and, when attacked, unleashes a powerful burst of ice that freezes the entire tunnel. | |||||
| 5 | "Intrusion" Transliteration: "Sen'nyū" (Japanese: 潜入) | Mihiro Yamaguchi | Noboru Kimura | February 7, 2021 | |
| 6 | "Awakening" Transliteration: "Kakusei" (Japanese: 覚醒) | Yoshiki Kawasaki | Noboru Kimura | February 14, 2021 | |
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Shiki recalls a childhood fear of terrifying things, reasoning that his missing memory of separating from his mother must conceal a traumatic event. Mihai deliberately alerts their enemies to Shiki's location, prompting Akira and Kabane to search for him; they encounter one of the Kanonba sisters en route. Paralyzed inside a building by mosquito-derived venom, Shiki is taunted by Mihai until he provokes a reaction, breaking his own hand to regain movement. He then uses webs spun from his sweat to trap the scent-sensitive Erika. After Akira and Kabane regroup with Shiki, the eldest sister Reika appears, kills her siblings, and overpowers all three. To protect his friends, Kabane heeds Mihai's advice and channels his deepest desire—his need to protect—to awaken his Kemono strength, allowing him to defeat Reika. The kitsune Nobimaru arrives to dispose of the Kanonba and privately informs Kabane that Inari still seeks his lifestone but wishes to avoid Inugami's wrath, while confiding his own hatred for her. Days later, Kabane's concerned shadowing of Shiki annoys but touches their colleagues. Kabane then remembers a forgotten promise to Kon, finding her waiting faithfully with caught fish, though he admits he had forgotten their arrangement. | |||||
| 7 | "Home" Transliteration: "Kokyō" (Japanese: 故郷) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | February 21, 2021 | |
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Inugami, Kabane, Akira, and Shiki visit Shiki's childhood village, where his uncle Akio recounts the deaths of Shiki's parents. At a waterfront tree, Shiki recalls a childhood memory of secretly following his mother to a rundown forest house, where he witnessed a horrific scene before being struck unconscious. Upon waking, Akio falsely claimed his mother had to leave. The kitsune Nobimaru reveals that experiments on spider silk capable of weaving human cells were suppressed by Inari to protect Kemono secrecy, and identifies Akio as the researcher. Confronted by Inugami, Akio admits Shiki's father died investigating a folklore golden spider web. To secure a future for Shiki, his mother consented to be Akio's test subject in artificially recreating the mutant spider's silk, enduring forced mating with other Kemono until her breakdown. Shiki, having repressed the trauma, eventually fled his uncle's home. Inugami orchestrated the return so Shiki could hear the truth, after which Shiki captures his uncle. | |||||
| 8 | "Truth" Transliteration: "Shinjitsu" (Japanese: 真実) | Hidekazu Oka | Noboru Kimura | February 28, 2021 | |
| 9 | "Family" Transliteration: "Kazoku" (Japanese: 家族) | Naoki Murata | Noboru Kimura | March 7, 2021 | |
| 10 | "Twins" Transliteration: "Futago" (Japanese: 双子) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | March 14, 2021 | |
| 11 | "Memories" Transliteration: "Kioku" (Japanese: 記憶) | Yūta Murano | Noboru Kimura | March 21, 2021 | |
| 12 | "Kemono Incidents" Transliteration: "Kemono Jihen" (Japanese: 怪物事変) | Masaya Fujimori Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | March 28, 2021 | |
Reception
In 2018, the manga was ranked 13th in the print category of the Next Manga Awards.[68] By March 2021, the manga had over 4.2 million copies in circulation.[69] By January 2026, it had over 8 million copies in circulation.[70]