Hiro Mashima, the renowned creator of “Fairy Tail” and “Edens Zero,” is set to debut a new manga titled “DEAD ROCK.” The exciting announcement was made in the July issue of Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine, revealing that the manga will premiere in the magazine’s August issue on July 6. Mashima himself unveiled the news on Twitter, describing it as a short-term serialization.
“DEAD ROCK” is a gripping dark fantasy manga that takes place in Dead Rock, a towering institution within the depths of the demon world. The story revolves around Yakuto, a young demon who courageously takes on the challenging entrance examination to gain access to Dead Rock.
Prior to this project, Mashima concluded his crossover manga mini-series, “Heros,” in December 2019. The manga initially launched in Kodansha’s Weekly ShÅnen Magazine in October 2019, captivating readers with its thrilling storyline.
Mashima’s successful “Edens Zero” manga, which debuted in Weekly ShÅnen Magazine in June 2018, recently entered its final arc in December. The 26th compiled volume of the series was published by Kodansha on April 17. North American publisher Kodansha USA Publishing is also making the series available digitally, and the manga can be accessed through the K MANGA app. The 22nd English volume was released in print on April 25, with the 23rd volume scheduled to ship on July 4. Additionally, the first season of the “Edens Zero” anime premiered in Japan in April 2021 and consisted of 25 episodes. The highly anticipated second season began airing on April 1.
Mashima’s immensely popular “Fairy Tail” manga initially launched in 2006 and concluded in July 2017. The final season of the anime adaptation premiered in Japan in October 2018 and concluded in September 2019. Fans worldwide were able to enjoy the series through streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll and Funimation, which provided both subtitled and English dubbed versions.
The “Fairy Tail” franchise has expanded beyond the manga and anime, inspiring two television anime series, two anime films, several original video anime projects, and spinoff manga. In North America, Kodansha USA Publishing handles the publication of the original manga and various spinoffs.
Furthermore, Atsuo Ueda, known for works like “Dr. Prisoner” and “Hajime ShachÅ Monogatari,” launched the official sequel to Mashima’s original “Fairy Tail” manga on Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket manga app in July 2018. Collaborating with Ueda, Mashima provides the original storyboards for the sequel while Ueda handles the illustrations. The 14th compiled volume of the sequel was published by Kodansha on April 7, and the English version of the 12th volume was released by Kodansha USA Publishing on April 11. An anime adaptation for the sequel is also in the works, further exciting fans of the series.
