Dead Mount Death Play

Corpse God

Company type	Manga series
Industry	Manga, Anime
Founded	October 20, 2017 (2017-10-20)
Founder	Ryōgo Narita (writer), Shinta Fujimoto (artist)
Headquarters	Shinjuku (setting) , Japan
Products	Manga, Anime television series

Corpse God, a Japanese manga series, is crafted by writer Ryōgo Narita and artist Shinta Fujimoto. Its serialization commenced in October 2017 within Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine. The anime adaptation, produced by Geek Toys, was broadcast in two separate cours during April–June and October–December 2023.

Plot

In an alternate realm, the hero Sir Shagrua Edith Lugrid nears victory over the formidable necromancer called the Corpse God. Yet, employing a rare form of magic, the Corpse God reincarnates into present-day Shinjuku by taking over the body of Polka Shinoyama, a young boy recently assassinated. Desiring tranquility, the Corpse God adopts Polka’s identity and, with assistance from Clarissa and her network, navigates the complexities of Shinjuku’s criminal underworld.

Characters

Polka Shinoyama

A sixteen-year-old whose body is possessed by the otherworldly necromancer known as the Corpse God. Despite limited magical resources in this world, he utilizes Polka’s form to summon skeletons, interact with spirits, and reanimate the dead. Meanwhile, Polka’s original consciousness inhabits drones and a plush toy.

Clarissa

A seventeen-year-old unconventional assassin who turned to contract killing after losing her family. Having murdered Polka, she intended to end her own life but was resurrected as a zombie by the Corpse God. Assigned by Clarissa to monitor him, her zombified condition grants regenerative powers and enables her saliva and bite to induce temporary paralysis.

Kuroe

A technology specialist working under Clarissa's command to keep watch over Polka. He oversees an extensive surveillance system throughout Shinjuku using servers, visors, and drones.

Clarissa

The proprietor of Youtoukorou, a legitimate bar that also functions as an illicit freelance agency within Shinjuku.

Additional figures include Tsubaki Iwanome, Gōzaburō Arase, Koyū Azuma, Rozan Shinoyama, Saya Shinoyama, Izuna Ajishiro, Furuto Ichinose, Saki Aikawa, Kuon Higuro, Arius Sabaramond, Taigai, and Yomogi—each contributing to the storyline and business dynamics of Shinjuku's shadow economy.

Manga

Created by Ryōgo Narita (writer) and Shinta Fujimoto (illustrator), this series started its run in Square Enix's Young Gangan on October 20, 2017. By April 2025, it has been compiled into 15 tankōbon volumes.

The English-language release is handled by Yen Press, which publishes chapters simultaneously with their Japanese counterparts.

A manga adaptation of the spin-off novel , authored by Ume Matsutake with illustrations by Yata Sugami, began serialization on Manga Up! as of November 25, 2023. As of November 2024, this spin-off has been collected into three tankōbon volumes and is available in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global platform.

Anime

The anime television series adaptation was revealed on November 15, 2022. Produced by Geek Toys, it is directed initially by Manabu Ono (with Yoshihiro Satsuma taking over for the second cour), supported by Takaharu Ōkuma and Yoshiki Kitai. Scriptwriting credits go to Ono alongside Yukie Sugawara and Yoriko Tomita; character designs were created by Hisashi Abe; music composition was handled by F.M.F (Yūki Nara, Eba, Kana Utatane).

The show aired across two cours: first from April 11 to June 27, 2023; then from October 10 to December 26, 2023 on Tokyo MX and other stations. The opening theme for the initial cour is , performed by Hiiragi Kirai (vocals by Sou), while its ending theme is , sung by Inori Minase. For the second cour, the opening theme is performed by Inori Minase; its ending theme "Hope" is sung by Yuma Uchida.

At Anime NYC in 2022, Crunchyroll announced it had acquired streaming rights. Meanwhile, Medialink secured licensing for Asia-Pacific territories (excluding Australia and New Zealand), streaming the series via Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.

Episodes

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{{Episode list   EpisodeNumber="11"   Title="The Beginning"   TranslitTitle="The Beginning −Shidō−"   NativeTitle="The Beginning −始動−"   NativeTitleLangCode="ja"   OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list    EpisodeNumber="12"    Title="The Sacred Place"    TranslitTitle="The Sacred Place −Shinden−"    NativeTitle="The Sacred Place −神殿−"    NativeTitleLangCode="ja"    OriginalAirDate="" }}

{{Episode list    EpisodeNumber="13"    Title="The Invaders"    TranslitTitle="The Invaders −Shin'nyūsha−"    NativeTitle="The Invaders −侵入者−"    NativeTitleLangCode="ja"    OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list     EpisodeNumber="14"     Title="The Corpse"     TranslitTitle="The Corpse −Shitai−"     NativeTitle="The Corpse −死体−"     NativeTitleLangCode="ja"     OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list     EpisodeNumber="15"     Title="The Vampire"     TranslitTitle="The Vampire −Kyūketsuki−"     NativeTitle="The Vampire −吸血鬼−"     NativeTitleLangCode="ja"     OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list     EpisodeNumber="16"     Title="The Fake"     TranslitTitle="The Fake −Kyogi−"     NativeTitle="The Fake −虚偽−"     NativeTitleLangCode="ja"     OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="17"      Title="The Matriarch"      TranslitTitle="The Matriarch −Ienaga−"      NativeTitle="The Matriarch −家長−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="18"      Title="The Revenge"      TranslitTitle="The Revenge −Fukushū−"      NativeTitle="The Revenge −復讐−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="19"      Title="The Friends"      TranslitTitle="The Friends −Shin'yū−"      NativeTitle="The Friends −親友−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list       EpisodeNumber="20"       Title="The Visitors"       TranslitTitle="The Visitors −Raihōsha−"       NativeTitle="The Visitors −来訪者−"       NativeTitleLangCode="ja"       OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="21"      Title="The Spirit"      TranslitTitle="The Spirit −Seirei−"      NativeTitle="The Spirit −精霊−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="22"      Title="The Karma"      TranslitTitle="The Karma −Shukuen−"      NativeTitle="The Karma −宿縁−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="23"      Title="The Declaration"      TranslitTitle="The Declaration −Sensen Fukoku−"      NativeTitle="The Declaration −宣戦布告−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }} {{Episode list      EpisodeNumber="24"      Title="The Shinjuku War"      TranslitTitle="The Shinjuku War−Shinjuku Taisen−"      NativeTitle="The Shinjuku War−新宿大戦−"      NativeTitleLangCode="ja"      OriginalAirDate="" }}

Novel

A spin-off novel authored by Narita, titled Dead Mount Death Play Gaiden: Kaijin Solitaire no Shinsen Nisejutsu, which explores the backstory of Solitaire, started its serialization on Manga Up! in May 2023.

Reception

Reviewers from Anime News Network commended the series for its artistic quality, storyline, and character development, though they pointed out concerns regarding fan service. Richard Gutierrez of The Fandom Post praised both the concept and the artwork but described the narrative as somewhat convoluted.

In the 2020 Next Manga Award, the series secured the 20th position within the print manga category.

See also

• Red Raven, a manga created by Shinta Fujimoto