# Kemono Jihen

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 and has been collected in twenty-two tankōbon volumes as of November 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by Ajia-do Animation Works aired from January to March 2021.

## Characters
### Kabane Kusaka (日下 夏羽, Kusaka Kabane)

    Voiced by: Natsumi Fujiwara (Japanese); Madeleine Morris (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 (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (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 (Japanese); Cassie Ewulu (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 (Japanese); A. J. Beckles (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 (Japanese); Matt Shipman (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 (Japanese); Kristen McGuire (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 (Japanese); Brittany Lauda (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 (Japanese); Kevin K. Gomez (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 (Japanese); Ben Balmaceda (English)

### Kumi (組)

    Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Heather Gonzalez (English)

### Akio Tademaru (蓼丸 昭夫, Tademaru Akio)

    Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Cody Savoie (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. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 3, 2017. As of November 1, 2024, twenty-two volumes have been released. The manga is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | March 3, 2017 | 978-4-08-881096-6 | August 9, 2022 | 978-1-63858-539-8 |
| "The Dorotabo of the Deer Village" (鹿の子村の泥田坊, Kanoko-mura no Dorotabō)"Bugs" (蟲, Mushi)"The Kemono Office" (怪物屋, Kemono-ya) Extra. "A Day When Nothing Happens" (なんにもない日, Nan'nimo Nai Hi) |||||
| 2 | July 4, 2017 | 978-4-08-881128-4 | October 11, 2022 | 978-1-63858-540-4 |
| "Vixen" (女狐, Okitsune)"The Cat from Shinjuku Ni-Chome" (新宿二丁目の猫, Shinjuku Nichōme no Neko)"The Mystery of the Shibuya River Sewers" (渋谷川暗渠の怪, Shibuya-gawa Ankyo no Kai)"He Who Inhabits the Darkness" (闇に棲むもの, Yami ni Sumu Mono) |||||
| 3 | November 2, 2017 | 978-4-08-881169-7 | December 13, 2022 | 978-1-63858-541-1 |
| "Black Factory" (黒い工場, Kuroi Kōjō)"That Which Gushes Forth" (湧き出るもの, Wakideru Mono)"Existence" (生存, Seizon)"The Spider's Thread" (蜘蛛の糸, Kumo no Ito) |||||
| 4 | March 2, 2018 | 978-4-08-881368-4 | February 21, 2023 | 978-1-63858-542-8 |
| "Madness" (狂気, Kyōki)"Dearest Wish" (悲願, Higan)"The Golden Thread" (金の糸, Kin no Ito))"Takeshita Street, Harujuku's Obsession" (原宿竹下通りの執心, Harajuku Takeshita Dōri no Shūshin) |||||
| 5 | July 4, 2018 | 978-4-08-881425-4 | April 18, 2023 | 978-1-68579-595-5 |
| "Kabane's Long Day" (夏羽の長い一日, Kabane no Nagai Ichinichi)"Reunion" (再会, Saikai)"The Stone That Brings Death" (死をもたらす石, Shi o Motarasu Ishi)"Flaming Corpse" (炎の屍, Honō no Kabane) Extra. "Kemono Office Payday" (怪物屋の給料日, Kemono-ya no Kyūryōbi) |||||
| 6 | November 2, 2018 | 978-4-08-881628-9 | July 4, 2023 | 978-1-68579-704-1 |
| "Alone" (ひとり, Hitori)"Operation Everybody Gets Along" (みんななかよし大作戦, Min'na nNakayoshi dai Sakusen)"Now, Yashima" (いざ屋島, Iza Yashima)"Training" (鍛錬, Tanren) |||||
| 7 | March 4, 2019 | 978-4-08-881773-6 | September 19, 2023 | 978-1-68579-906-9 |
| "Bad Girl" (悪い子, Warui ko)"Virtual Reality" (仮想現実, Kasō Genjitsu)"Most Important" (一番, Ichiban)"Ambition" (野望, Yabō) |||||
| 8 | July 4, 2019 | 978-4-08-881892-4 | October 24, 2023 | 979-8-88843-039-2 |
| "Snakes of Ash" (灰塵の蛇, Kaijin no Hebi)"Special Investigation Unit" (捜査特課, Sōsa Toku-ka)"Counterattack" (逆襲, Gyakushū)"Left" (左, Hidari) |||||
| 9 | November 1, 2019 | 978-4-08-882115-3 | January 2, 2024 | 979-8-88843-095-8 |
| "On the Move" (東奔西走, Tōhonseisō)"Gambler" (博徒, Bakuto)"Meet Up" (合流, Gōryū)"Stupid" (馬鹿, Baka) |||||
| 10 | March 4, 2020 | 978-4-08-882236-5 | March 5, 2024 | 979-8-88843-361-4 |
| "Bad Habit" (悪癖, Akuheki)"Demon" (魔物, Mamono)"Scentless Flower" (不香の花, Fukyō no Hana)"Affection" (愛情, Aijō) |||||
| 11 | July 3, 2020 | 978-4-08-882356-0 | June 4, 2024 | 979-8-88843-637-0 |
| "Goddess" (女神, Megami)"Important Person" (大切な人, Taisetsu na Hito)"The Rose and the Sun" (薔薇と太陽, Bara to Taiyō)"Strength" (逆鱗, Gekirin) |||||
| 12 | November 4, 2020 | 978-4-08-882438-3 | August 6, 2024 | 979-8-88843-854-1 |
| "Boss' Wrath" (逆鱗, Gekirin)"The Time Transfer Gourd" (時渡しの瓢箪, Tokiwata shi no Hyōtan)"Assets" (武器, Buki)"Friends" (友達, Tomodachi) |||||
| 13 | February 4, 2021 | 978-4-08-882558-8 | October 8, 2024 | 979-8-89160-185-7 |
| "Autumn Leaves" (照紅葉, Terumomiji)"Awakening" (覚醒, Kakusei)"Mission" (使命, Shimei) |||||
| 14 | July 2, 2021 | 978-4-08-882675-2 | December 3, 2024 | 979-8-89160-186-4 |
| "Back at Yashima" (裏屋島, Ura Yashima)"Breaking Into" (突入, Totsunyū)"Totsuka" (十拳（とつか）, Totsuka)"Vessel" (器（うつむ）, Utsumu)"Wind Blowing on the Hellfire" (業（ごう）火（か）を熾（おこ）す風（かぜ）, Gōka o Okosu Kaze) |||||
| 15 | November 4, 2021 | 978-4-08-882809-1 | March 11, 2025 | 979-8-89160-893-1 |
| "Beast" (獸（けもの）, Kemono)"Falling Stars" (落星（おちばし）, Ochibashi)"Choice" (選択（せんたく）, Sentaku)"Raiden" (頼（らい）電(でん), Raiden) |||||
| 16 | April 4, 2022 | 978-4-08-883056-8 | May 6, 2025 | 979-8-89160-949-5 |
| Mei (鳴)ーTaiー (ー対ー)(Crazy for you)Tsuna onigiri (綱鬼切)Torihiki (取引) |||||
| 17 | September 2, 2022 | 978-4-08-883206-7 | July 15, 2025 | 979-8-89373-007-4 |
| Aibō (相棒)Tanuki (狸)Majo no Furusato (魔女の古里)Utage no Mae (宴の前)Na naki Hana (名無き花) |||||
| 18 | February 3, 2023 | 978-4-08-883314-9 | — | — |
| Shin'en (深淵)Akujo (悪女)Kyōen (狂宴)Jiyū (自由)Batsu (罰) |||||
| 19 | July 4, 2023 | 978-4-08-883497-9 | — | — |
| Rōchō Kumo wo Kou (籠鳥雲を恋う)Kakugo (覚悟)Inori (祈り)Usotsuki (嘘つき)Furareta Sai (振られた賽) |||||
| 20 | December 4, 2023 | 978-4-08-883695-9 | — | — |
| Aru Kaibutsu (ある怪物)Kōya no Bara (荒野の薔薇)Keikaku (計画)Mabutsu (真物)Tsunagari (繋がり) |||||
| 21 | May 2, 2024 | 978-4-08-883890-8 | — | — |
| Shinten (進展)Saikai (再会)Shikoku no Ji (四国の地)Iza Shutsujin (いざ出陣)Tsuini Arawareru (ついに現れる) |||||
| 22 | November 1, 2024 | 978-4-08-884215-8 | — | — |
| Nakama (仲間)Mae e (前へ)Mokuteki (目的)Taiketsu (対決)Hyouzou (氷像) |||||
| 23 | May 2, 2025 | 978-4-08-884420-6 | — | — |

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced at the Jump Festa '20 event on December 21, 2019. The series is animated by Ajia-do Animation Works and directed by Masaya Fujimori, with Noboru Kimura handling series composition, and Nozomi Tachibana designing the characters. The series aired from January 10 to March 28, 2021, on Tokyo MX, ytv, and BS11. 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. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. 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. The opening theme song is "Path of The Beast" (ケモノミチ, "Kemono Michi") performed by Daisuke Ono, and the ending theme song is "－Mark－" (－標－, "－Shirushi－") performed by Sayaka Sasaki.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Kabane" Transliteration: "Kabane" (Japanese: 夏羽) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | January 10, 2021 (2021-1-10) |
| Kohachi Inugami, an occult detective from Tokyo, arrives in a rural village to investigate their rotting livestock corpses. These incidents have occurred with regularity every time during the full moon, with animals having their organs chewed out. While staying at an inn there, he takes an interest in Kabane Kusaka, a young boy nicknamed "Dorotabo" for his perpetually dirty appearance and stench, and scorned by the rest of the inn, including the inn-keeper and her son Yataro. Inugami then recognises the pendant around Kabane's neck as a "lifestone" – a type of precious gem – and confirms that he was not an abandoned child like he thought he was. As they prepare to catch the culprit, Kabane is confronted by Yataro, who, jealous of the attention Inugami is devoting to him, steals his necklace. This trigger Kabane's transformation into a ghoul that scares him away. Inugami explains to a frightened Kabane that he is a hanyo, a child of a human and a ghoul, while reassuring him that he isn't human either but a bakedanuki. Kabane is the result of humans and Kemono mixing together, whilst the lifestone has been working this whole time to prevent Kabane's transformation. The culprit is revealed to be a deer ghoul, which Kabane kills with surprising dexterity. Inugami suddenly reveals that his true mission was to kill Kabane, whose identity the inn-keeper knows, and shoots him. Owing to being a ghoul however, Kabane wakes up later to find himself in Tokyo and Inugami welcoming him to his detective agency. |||||
| 2 | "The Kemonoist" Transliteration: "Kemono-ya" (Japanese: 怪物屋) | Hodaka Kuramoto | Noboru Kimura | January 17, 2021 (2021-1-17) |
| Inugami reintroduces himself as "the Kemonoist", someone who takes care of issues arising between Kemono and humankind in order to maintain coexistence. Kabane is introduced to two other members of the Inugami Strangeness Consulting Agency: a brusque hanyo boy named Shiki Tademaru, and a feminine boy named Akira. Like Kabane, they have Kemono blood flowing through them, with Shiki being the part-Arachne and Akira being a Snow Kemono or yukionna descendant, a yukionoko. Kabane is taken on a job with them, where a sanshichu infestation has almost claimed the lives of a mother, a child and a hazmat officer that attempted to enter the room. Typically, these bugs are harmless but when they swarm over their favourite foods they become difficult to handle. Shiki's spider thread fails and Kabane decides to enter the fray. As a part-immortal-ghoul, Kabane doesn't feel pain as well, and Inugami notes that while he may have felt fear and revulsion, they were probably all suppressed by the inn-keeper who abused him as hard labor. The cause of the infestation is revealed to be a pair of expensive shoes that had likely been stolen, as sanshichu enjoy feasting on "guilt". As Kabane watches the family reunite safely, he wonders how it would be like to have parents as well, Inugami's words having given him hope. He expresses that same hope that Shiki's parents could be alive as well. Meanwhile, Inugami makes a report to a mysterious woman about Kabane's arrival and his lifestone, wondering if he could be a threat or a hope. |||||
| 3 | "Foxes" Transliteration: "Kitsune" (Japanese: 狐) | Yoshiki Kawasaki | Noboru Kimura | January 24, 2021 (2021-1-24) |
| Inugami sends Kabane, Shiki and Akira to see Superintendent Yokō Inari, a kitsune lady who masquerades as the head of Shinjuku's police force. Guided by a kitsune girl named Kon, Kabane is brought to Inari, who tricks him into handing over his lifestone – that can prevent Kemono's thirst for human energies – and decapitates him. Kon is then sent to kill Shiki and Akira, but as her disguise as Kabane fails, she sets fire to the building with her tail. With his thread, Shiki steals the briefcase containing Kabane's severed head from Kon and throws it at her, allowing Kabane to almost bite her shoulder off, knocking her unconscious. Kabane, with his head now out in open space, regrows his body and Shiki formally recognises him as his buddy. Together, along with a fainted Akira, they meet Inugami outside the station who had predicted everything. Later, as Inari plans to mass-produce the lifestone and break down amicable relations with humans, it reveals itself to be a tanuki charm instead with an illusion spell cast on it by Inugami. In a rage, Inari kills her driver. After dinner, Kon barges into the agency's headquarters intending on taking Kabane's head despite her hunger and her injuries, but Inugami subdues her. A human suddenly enters, bringing the smell of Kemono with him. |||||
| 4 | "Mission" Transliteration: "Ninmu" (Japanese: 任務) | Hidekazu Oka | Noboru Kimura | January 31, 2021 (2021-1-31) |
| Inugami ropes in Kon with their new mission, promising her Kabane's head as a reward. The man, Yoruno, has been possessed by a nekomata after being seduced by her, and has resorted to collecting rats out of supposed love. Overhearing Akira's words that children are born out of love, Kabane decides to take on this mission as a first step to learning more about his parents. The nekomata in question, Mao, who also works as a hostess in Kabukichō, has been turning customers like him into human-faced cats. Despite being shocked greatly, Yoruno has no attachment to his human life and agrees to become a cat and live with her. Inugami enchants an orange with an illusion spell to look like Kabane's head before handing it to Kon. Kabane shares with everyone how his view of love is a lot like "light", and decides to get gifts for everyone, starting with some handy tissues for Inugami. Akira decides to pull his weight after watching Kabane's progress with work. However, his preference for cute, lovely things and aversion to scary or disgusting things often gets in the way. He resolves to follow Inugami on a mission to the dirty Shibuya River, where workers building a dam there have been meeting unnatural deaths due to frog Kemono. Down the tunnel where the river runs through, Akira tells Kabane how he came to Inugami searching for his twin brother after they left their nearly all-female village in Aomori. As the frog Kemono attack, Akira unleashes a powerful burst of ice that freezes everything in the tunnel. |||||
| 5 | "Intrusion" Transliteration: "Sen'nyū" (Japanese: 潜入) | Mihiro Yamaguchi | Noboru Kimura | February 7, 2021 (2021-2-7) |
| 6 | "Awakening" Transliteration: "Kakusei" (Japanese: 覚醒) | Yoshiki Kawasaki | Noboru Kimura | February 14, 2021 (2021-2-14) |
| Shiki has a flashback to when he was younger and notes that he's never liked scary things. He knows that he doesn't remember separating from his mother, and if he can't remember, then it must mean that something absolutely terrifying happened. Mihai tells Akira and Kabane that his hand slipped and alerted the enemies that Shiki was there so Akira and Kabane run to find Shiki. On the way, they run into one of the Kanonba sisters. Shiki, back in the building knows that he only has to run but can't seem to make his body move. Mihai tells him that mosquitoes use a poison to make the person numb while they suck out their blood, and that he couldn't wait to see Shiki get his blood and organs sucked out painlessly until he fades out of consciousness. Kabane defeats Momoka and he and Akira go inside the building to look for Shiki. Meanwhile, Mihai is provoking Shiki to get a reaction out of him and it works. Shiki hits Mihai's car and injures his hand but realizes that he is once again able to move. He remembers that mosquitoes can sense presences using clues such as carbon dioxide, body temperature, and foot odor so he sets a trap with his webs made from his sweat to confuse the Kanonba and catches Erika. Akira and Kabane meet up with Shiki, but Mihai doesn't want them to leave yet because "that is boring" so they discuss what to do next when the oldest Kanonba sister, Reika shows up. Reika kills her sisters and easily defeats Shiki and Akira and even overpowers Kabane with her strength. Kabane knows that she is much more powerful than he is but he won't give up because he knows that if she defeats him, he will not die but she will kill Shiki and Akira so he struggles until he breaks his wrists. Mihai steps in and tells him that the reason he hasn't been able to defeat him or Reika is because Kabane is using only his human strength and not kemono strength and that he needs to using his heart, or his most powerful desire to fuel his kemono powers. Kabane uses his need to protect Akira and Shiki to bring out his kemono powers and rips the arms off Reika. He realizes that this strength is the same as when he attacked Yataro, but this time he has control over it. A kitsune from Inari's agency named Nobimaru shows up and says that he will take care of the rest of it and sets the 3 Kanonbas on fire to "erase" them. Nobimaru tells Kabane privately that Inari is still after Kabane's life stone but doesn't want to make Inugami angry so she hopes to settle by having Kabane willingly give it up. He also whispers that he actually hates Inari. Kabane, Akira and Shiki go home and a few days later, the company is on the news. Kabane follows Shiki around the entire day because he was worried about him which annoys Shiki but is heartwarming to everyone else. Kabane suddenly remembers he made a promise with Kon several days prior and runs off and finds her exactly where she said she would wait. It turned out that she had been waiting for him the entire time and even caught some fish so they could eat it together and makes excuses for him being late until he finally admitted that he forgot about her. |||||
| 7 | "Home" Transliteration: "Kokyō" (Japanese: 故郷) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | February 21, 2021 (2021-2-21) |
| Inugami, Kabane, Akira, and Shiki went to the village where Shiki used to live as a kid with his uncle before he started working for Inugami.There, in the village, they met Shiki’s uncle, Akio who told everyone about how Shiki’s mother and father met and how his father died when his mother was pregnant and how his mother died shortly after his birth. At the waterfront, Shiki saw a tree and remembered that when he was a kid, he used to mark that tree in the forest area and other things while roaming in the forest. He also remembered that every morning his mother went to the forest for a certain kind of work and told Shiki not to search for her but one day he couldn’t wait and went to see his mother and after reaching a rundown house in the forest he saw a horrific scene which traumatized him and while he was frozen after being traumatized, someone hit him in the head. After Shiki wake up, he was in his uncle’s apartment and his uncle told Shiki that his mother has to be separated from him due to certain circumstances.Shiki remembered that it was his uncle who hit him in the head and his uncle was telling lies about his parents. Nobimaru told that there were some incidents regarding spider silk and horrible experiments and how someone was doing this research on this spider silk which could weave cells and even organs in the human body and if this research was made public, it’d jeopardize the existence of Kemono. So Inari suppressed this matter before it could become public. Nobimaru also told Shiki that it was someone named Akio Tademaru, Shiki’s uncle After hearing all this it was confirmed that Akio is the main culprit and he hadn’t told everything about Shiki’s parents. Meanwhile, Inugami went to Akio’s house and told him to reveal everything about Shiki’s parents. Akio told Inugami that one day Shiki’s father, while searching the truth behind the folklore of the golden spider web, met an unfortunate death by falling from a cliff in the woods. For Shiki to have a normal life, his mother voluntarily agreed to his uncle's experiment of making the golden silk to produce money to live happily with Shiki. By the folktale he got to know that the original spider that created the miracle silk was a mutant and thus tried to make an artificial one. He used Shiki's mother as a maternal base while having her mate with other kemono which resulted in continuous failures. The continuous experiment of artificial insemination and mating broke down Shiki's mother. Shiki also forgot about his mother as he constantly asked every day about his mother and after asking for years he knew that something wasn’t right and to escape the horrific reality, he left his uncle’s house and started living with Inugami. Later it was revealed that Inugami had done so to help Shiki, who has now captured his uncle, hear the truth. |||||
| 8 | "Truth" Transliteration: "Shinjitsu" (Japanese: 真実) | Hidekazu Oka | Noboru Kimura | February 28, 2021 (2021-2-28) |
| 9 | "Family" Transliteration: "Kazoku" (Japanese: 家族) | Naoki Murata | Noboru Kimura | March 7, 2021 (2021-3-7) |
| 10 | "Twins" Transliteration: "Futago" (Japanese: 双子) | Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | March 14, 2021 (2021-3-14) |
| 11 | "Memories" Transliteration: "Kioku" (Japanese: 記憶) | Yūta Murano | Noboru Kimura | March 21, 2021 (2021-3-21) |
| 12 | "Kemono Incidents" Transliteration: "Kemono Jihen" (Japanese: 怪物事変) | Masaya Fujimori Shinpei Matsuo | Noboru Kimura | March 28, 2021 (2021-3-28) |

## Reception

In 2018, the manga was ranked 13th in the print category of the Next Manga Awards. By March 2021, the first thirteen volumes had over 4.2 million copies in circulation.