# To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (Japanese: かつて神だった獣たちへ, Hepburn: Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, lit. 'To the Beasts That Were Once Gods') is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Maybe. It was serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from June 2014 to June 2023, with its chapters collected in fifteen tankōbon volumes. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Vertical. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by MAPPA was broadcast from July to September 2019.

## Plot

100 years after settlers on the continent of Patria established a democratic nation, The nation of Patria split between the industrial Northern Union and the mining towns of the Southern Confederation began fighting the war. While the South had greater numbers, the North had a secret weapon: The Incarnates, soldiers who could transform into giant mythical beasts and single-handedly destroy enemy emplacements. However, when the war ended and a peace treaty was negotiated, the Incarnates were supposed to be destroyed. With the war over, a forward Incarnate troop captain named Hank has made it his mission to hunt down the surviving Incarnates, assisted by a young woman named Nancy who blames him for killing her father.

## Characters
### Main
#### Hank Henriette (ハンク・ヘンリエット, Hanku Henrietto)

    Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Ray Chase (English)
    Former Captain of the Incarnates Force. He was once a friend of Elaine and Cain, and was once liked by Elaine. He once led the troops to victory for the Northern Army. Two months after the end of the war, he became a Beast Hunter, hunting down all the Incarnates whose lost their humanity throughout Patria to prevent them from causing more destruction. He is capable of transforming into a werewolf under moonlight, and fights with a giant spear.

#### Nancy Schaal Bancroft (ナンシー・シャール・バンクロフト, Nanshī Shāru Bankurofuto)

    Voiced by: Ai Kakuma (Japanese); Erika Harlacher (English)
    Daughter of John William Bancroft, The elephant gun in her hand is her father's legacy. At first, Nancy did not understand why Hank killed her father, but decided to follow him in order to find out the truth about the Incarnates and what caused them to lose their humanity.

#### Cain Madhouse (ケイン・マッドハウス, Kein Maddohausu)

    Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese); Mick Wingert (English)
    Formerly a nobleman named Cain Withers, he was Vice Captain of the Incarnates. He was once a friend of Hank and Elaine, and once liked Elaine. He released all the Incarnates near the end of the war, and has a different opinion from Hank and others on why the Incarnates lost their humanity. He is called the vampire Incarnate, the immortal king of blood and the night.

#### Elaine Bluelake (エレイン・ブルーレーク, Erein Burūrēku)

    Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Allegra Clark (English)
    A doctor who created the Incarnates. She was once a friend of Hank and Cain, and once liked Hank. At that time, she created the Incarnates in order to end the war as soon as possible, but she felt responsible for the fate that all the Incarnates faced after the war.

#### Claude Withers (クロード・ウィザース, Kurōdo Wizāsu)

    Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Billy Kametz (English)
    A human and the Captain of Coup de Grace, an Incarnate Extermination Squad authorized by the government. He takes his job seriously and swears he will not smile until he has killed all the Incarnates. Unknown to most people, he is Cain's half younger brother. In order to find out the reason for his elder brother Cain's rebellion, he decided to hunt down all the Incarnates who have lost their humanity.

#### Liza Runecastle (ライザ・ルネキャッスル, Raiza Runekyassuru)

    Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)
    A spy from the Northern Union who feeds information to Hank about the Incarnates. She feels a sense of responsibility to look after Schaal and Claude, and is also concerned about Hank's alone actions .

#### Miglieglia (ミリエリア, Mirieria)

    Voiced by: Kana Ichinose (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)
    A young white-haired girl with gold eyes and a black dress who stay with Cain. She is an Incarnate that appeared after the war. She has the ability to control the dead. Her true identity is Elaine's posthumous daughter.

### Incarnate Soldiers
#### John William Bancroft (Nidhogg) (ウィリアム(ニーズヘッグ))

    Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)
    Schaal's father, who ran a local orphanage with his daughter. Even after the war, he returned to his Incarnate form and continued to take care of the children, but he began screaming in the middle of the night, scaring the local villagers and even hunting the village's livestock, causing Schaal to have to send the orphans to a safe place, so he voluntarily let Hank kill him for the sake of his daughter and all the villagers.

#### Edgar Beckford (Basilisk) ((エドガー ・ベックフォード (バジリスク))

    Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese); Aaron LaPlante (English)
    A former Incarnate soldier who used his power to rob people's house after the war is over, as well as killing people who lives there, he was the first Incarnate to be killed by Hank after took an oath.

#### Daniel Price (Spriggan) (ダニエル(スプリガン))

    Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese); Mick Wingert (English)
    A relatively easygoing young man. He attempted to return to a normal life in his hometown of Barn Wood, but in fact, he was robbing nearby caravans to provide for his family.

#### Theodore Sherman (Minotaur) (セオドア (ミノタウロス))

    Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (Japanese); Kyle McCarley (English)
    A cowardly young man who joined the Northern Army before he was inspired by Hank. After returning home to Rogue Hill, he grew increasingly paranoid and turned the town into his personal labyrinthine fortress to defend himself from all perceived threats.

#### Arthur Allston (Behemoth) (アーサー (ベヒモス))

    Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
    A soft-spoken soldier who rarely talked about himself and followed orders without question. As the Behemoth, he wanders East for reasons unknown, while trying to avoid heavily-populated areas.

#### Christopher Keynes (Gargoyle) (クリストファー・ケインズ (ガーゴイル))

    Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Xander Mobus (English)
    A young man who often found solace in the teachings of the Church before joining the Army. in Gargoyle form, he metes out his own version of justice to the "sinners" of White Church.

#### Elizabeth Weezer (Arachne) (エリザベス)

    Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)
    A female Incarnate who stands with Cain after the war. She is very concerned about the hatred and conflict between Cain and Hank. She possesses spider-like abilities, being able to produce large amounts of silk to block and restrain the enemy's movements.

#### Beatrice Serrault (Siren) (ベアトリス・セロー (セイレーン))

    Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)
    A former lounge singer. She decided to become an Incarnate to end the war as soon as possible so people could enjoy her songs again. Her ability puts people to sleep making them incapable of resisting. She is one of the few Incarnates who tried to avoid hurting humans after the war.

#### Rex Brock (Garmr) (ロイ (ガルム))

    Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese); Ben Diskin (English)
    Commonly known as "Roy", he was formerly a field soldier for Northern Union of Patria on the front lines of the War where his platoon was wiped out with him as the only survivor. Sometime later, he met up with Cain and Hank where he became close friends with Hank as a fellow wolf Incarnate.

#### Miles Byron (Centaur) (マイルズ ・バイロン (ケンタウロス))

    Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)
    A former military doctor who treated soldiers on the battlefield; however, he realized that many of the soldiers he treated died again. This experience led him to transform into an Incarnate to prevent that more soldiers continue to die.

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by the duo Maybe, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from 9 June 2014 to 9 June 2023. Kodansha collected its chapters in fifteen tankōbon volumes, released from 9 December 2014 to 8 August 2023.
North American manga publisher Vertical announced their license to the series in August 2015. The first volume was published on 17 May 2016.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | 9 December 2014 | 978-4-06-395262-9 | 17 May 2016 | 978-1-942993-41-4 |
| "Beast Hunter" (獣狩り, Kemono Gari)"The Minotaur's Fortress (Pt. 1)" (ミノタウロスの要塞 ①, Minotaurosu no Yōsai Ichi)"The Minotaur's Fortress (Pt. 2)" (ミノタウロスの要塞 ②, Minotaurosu no Yōsai Ni)"March of the Behemoth (Pt. 1)" (巨獣（ベヒモス）の猛進 ①, Behimosu no Mōshin Ichi)"March of the Behemoth (Pt. 2)" (巨獣（ベヒモス）の猛進 ②, Behimosu no Mōshin Ni) |||||
| 2 | 9 June 2015 | 978-4-06-395410-4 | 16 August 2016 | 978-1-942993-42-1 |
| "Beasts Unbound" (解き放たれた獣, Tokihanata Reta Kemono)"Gargoyle's Judgement (Pt. 1)" (ガーゴイルの断罪 ①, Gāgoiru no Danzai Ichi)"Gargoyle's Judgement (Pt. 2)" (ガーゴイルの断罪 ②, Gāgoiru no Danzai Ni)"Gargoyle's Judgement (Pt. 3)" (ガーゴイルの断罪 ③, Gāgoiru no Danzai San)"Lord of the Beasts" (獣の王, Kemono no Ō) |||||
| 3 | 9 December 2015 | 978-4-06-395552-1 | 22 November 2016 | 978-1-942993-64-3 |
| "The Dragon's Daughter" (竜の娘, Ryū no Musume)"Coup de Grace" (クーデグラース, Kū de Gurāsu)"Returning to the Road" (旅の再開, Tabi no Saikai)"Songstress of Sleep (Pt. 1)" (眠りの歌姫 ①, Nemuri no Utahime Ichi)"Songstress of Sleep (Pt. 2)" (眠りの歌姫 ②, Nemuri no Utahime Ni)Target (標的, Hyōteki) |||||
| 4 | 9 August 2016 | 978-4-06-395682-5 | 14 February 2017 | 978-1-945054-03-7 |
| "The Night of the Hunt" (狩りの夜, Kari no Yoru)"The Hound of Hell's Gate (Pt. 1)" (冥府の番犬 ①, Meifu no Banken Ichi)"The Hound of Hell's Gate (Pt. 2)" (冥府の番犬 ②, Meifu no Banken Ni)"Reunion (Pt. 1)" (再会 ①, Saikai Ichi)"Reunion (Pt. 2)" (再会 ②, Saikai Ni)"Reunion (Pt. 3)" (再会 ③, Saikai San) |||||
| 5 | 9 February 2017 | 978-4-06-395836-2 | 28 November 2017 | 978-1-945054-20-4 |
| "The Beacon of Rebellion" (反乱の狼煙, Hanran no Noroshi)"Immortal Beast (Pt. 1)" (不死身の獣 ①, Fujimi no Kemono Ichi)"Immortal Beast (Pt. 2)" (不死身の獣 ②, Fujimi no Kemono Ni)"Immortal Beast (Pt. 3)" (不死身の獣 ③, Fujimi no Kemono San)"Immortal Beast (Pt. 4)" (不死身の獣 ④, Fujimi no Kemono Yon)"Immortal Beast (Pt. 5)" (不死身の獣 ⑤, Fujimi no Kemono Go) |||||
| 6 | 8 September 2017 | 978-4-06-510201-5 | 19 June 2018 | 978-1-947194-05-2 |
| "Fortress of the Dead (Pt. 1)" (死者の要塞 ①, Shisha no Yōsai Ichi)"Fortress of the Dead (Pt. 2)" (死者の要塞 ②, Shisha no Yōsai Ni)"A Moment's Peace" (空隙の寂静, Kūgeki no Jakujō)"Replicator of Oblivion (Pt. 1)" (亡失の複製者 ①, Bōshitsu no Fukuseisha Ichi)"Replicator of Oblivion (Pt. 2)" (亡失の複製者 ②, Bōshitsu no Fukuseisha Ni) |||||
| 7 | 9 March 2018 | 978-4-06-511070-6 | 24 December 2018 | 978-1-947194-53-3 |
| "École (Pt. 1)" (エコール ①, Ekōru Ichi)"École (Pt. 2)" (エコール ②, Ekōru Ni)"École (Pt. 3)" (エコール ③, Ekōru San)"The Voice of God" (神の声, Kami no Koe) Side Story: "The Winds of Hrcesvelgr" (フレスヴェルグの風, Furēsuvu erugu no Kaze) |||||
| 8 | 9 August 2018 | 978-4-06-512324-9 | 25 June 2019 | 978-1-947194-62-5 |
| "Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 1)" (はじまりの記憶 ①, Hajimari no Kioku Ichi)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 2)" (はじまりの記憶 ②, Hajimari no Kioku Ni)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 3)" (はじまりの記憶 ③, Hajimari no Kioku San)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 4)" (はじまりの記憶 ④, Hajimari no Kioku Yon)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 5)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑤, Hajimari no Kioku Go) |||||
| 9 | 8 February 2019 | 978-4-06-514422-0 | 27 August 2019 | 978-1-947194-94-6 |
| "Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 6)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑥, Hajimari no Kioku Roku)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 7)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑦, Hajimari no Kioku Nana)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 8)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑧, Hajimari no Kioku Hachi)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 9)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑨, Hajimari no Kioku Kyū)"Memories of the Beginning (Pt. 10)" (はじまりの記憶 ⑩, Hajimari no Kioku Jū) |||||
| 10 | 9 July 2019 | 978-4-06-516284-2 | 28 April 2020 | 978-1-949980-18-9 |
| "The Griffin's Gold (Pt. 1)" (グリフォンの黄金 ①, Gurifon no Kogane Ichi)"The Griffin's Gold (Pt. 2)" (グリフォンの黄金 ②, Gurifon no Kogane Ni)"The Griffin's Gold (Pt. 3)" (グリフォンの黄金 ③, Gurifon no Kogane San)"The Griffin's Gold (Pt. 4)" (グリフォンの黄金 ④, Gurifon no Kogane Yon)"The Griffin's Gold (Pt. 5)" (グリフォンの黄金 ⑤, Gurifon no Kogane Go) |||||
| 11 | 9 July 2020 | 978-4-06-518780-7 | 26 January 2021 | 978-1-949980-47-9 |
| "Secret Arrangements (Pt. 1)" (密約 ①, Mitsuyaku Ichi)"Secret Arrangements (Pt. 2)" (密約 ②, Mitsuyaku Ni)"Secret Arrangements (Pt. 3)" (密約 ③, Mitsuyaku San)"The One-Eyed Blacksmith (Pt. 1)" (独眼の鍛冶屋 ①, Dokugan no Kajiya Ichi)"The One-Eyed Blacksmith (Pt. 2)" (独眼の鍛冶屋 ②, Dokugan no Kajiya Ni)"The Usurper of Blood (Pt. 1)" (血の簒奪者 ①, Chi no Sandatsusha Ichi)"The Usurper of Blood (Pt. 2)" (血の簒奪者 ②, Chi no Sandatsusha Ni) |||||
| 12 | 9 March 2021 | 978-4-06-522645-2 | 26 October 2021 | 978-1-64729-004-7 |
| "The Usurper of Blood (Pt. 3)" (血の簒奪者 ③, Chi no Sandatsusha San)"The Holy Virgin in Captivity (Pt. 1)" (幽囚の聖女 ①, Yūshū no Seijo Ichi)"The Holy Virgin in Captivity (Pt. 2)" (幽囚の聖女 ②, Yūshū no Seijo Ni)"The Holy Virgin in Captivity (Pt. 3)" (幽囚の聖女 ③, Yūshū no Seijo San)"The Ogre's Resentment (Pt. 1)' (オーガの怨讐 ①, Ōga no Onshū Ichi)"The Ogre's Resentment (Pt. 2)" (オーガの怨讐 ②, Ōga no Onshū Ni)"The Ogre's Resentment (Pt. 3)" (オーガの怨讐 ③, Ōga no Onshū San) |||||
| 13 | 9 November 2021 | 978-4-06-525987-0 | 12 July 2022 | 978-1-64729-103-7 |
| "Parting" (惜別, Sekibetsu)"The Arachne's Threads (Pt. 1)" (アラクネの糸操り ①, Arakune no itoayatsuri Ichi)"The Arachne's Threads (Pt. 2)" (アラクネの糸操り ②, Arakune no itoayatsuri Ni)"Encounter (Pt. 1)" (邂逅 ①, Kaigō Ichi)"Encounter (Pt. 2)" (邂逅 ②, Kaigō Ni)"Encounter (Pt. 3)" (邂逅 ③, Kaigō San) Side Story: "The Incarnate is coming!" (擬神兵が来る！, Kishinpei ga kuru!) |||||
| 14 | 7 October 2022 | 978-4-06-529408-6 | 4 July 2023 | 978-1-64729-197-6 |
| "Capital Showdown (Pt. 1)" (首都決戦 ①, Shuto kessen Ichi)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 2)" (首都決戦 ②, Shuto kessen Ni)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 3)" (首都決戦 ③, Shuto kessen San)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 4)' (首都決戦 ④, Shuto kessen Yon)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 5)" (首都決戦 ⑤, Shuto kessen Go)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 6)" (首都決戦 ⑥, Shuto kessen Roku)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 7)" (首都決戦 ⑦, Shuto kessen Nana) |||||
| 15 | 8 August 2023 | 978-4-06-532603-9 | 14 May 2024 | 978-1-64729-227-0 |
| "Capital Showdown (Pt. 8)" (首都決戦 ⑧, Shuto kessen Hachi)"Capital Showdown (Pt. 9)" (首都決戦 ⑨, Shuto kessen Kyū)"Sacrifice (Pt. 1)" (犧牲 ①, Gisei Ichi)"Sacrifice (Pt. 2)" (犧牲 ②, Gisei Ni)"Sacrifice (Pt. 3)" (犧牲 ③, Gisei San)"Howl (Pt. 1)" (咆哮 ①, Hōkō Ichi)"Howl (Pt. 2)" (咆哮 ②, Hōkō Ni)"Final Chapter: To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts" (かつて神だった獣たちへ, Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e) |||||

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on 5 February 2019. The series is animated by MAPPA and directed by Jun Shishido, with Shigeru Murakoshi handled the series composition, Daisuke Niinuma designed the characters, and Yoshihiro Ike composed the music. The series aired from 1 July to 16 September 2019 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and MBS. The opening theme song is "Sacrifice" (サクリファイス) by Mafumafu, while the ending theme song is "HHOOWWLL" by Gero×ARAKI. Crunchyroll streamed the series. It ran for 12 episodes. On 1 October 2019, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub.

## Reception

The first volume of the series reached 39th place on the weekly Oricon comics rankings, with 22,468 copies sold; the second volume reached 31st place, with 18,638 copies sold; the third volume reached 39th place, with 28,018 copies sold; and the fourth volume reached 24th place, with 32,728 copies sold.