is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Akihito Tsukushi. It has been serialized online in

Takeshobo is a major publisher in Japan. Takeshobo was founded in 1972 by Kyōichirō Noguchi, starting Japan's first Mahjong magazine . Other magazines, such as a magazine dedicated to mahjong-themed manga, as well as a magazine dedicated to yonkoma ma ...

's digital publication ''Web Comic Gamma'' since October 2012, and has been collected in 13 volumes. The story follows an orphaned girl named Riko, who finds and befriends a part-robot boy named Reg, and descends with him into the titular "Abyss" that leads deep into the Earth, in hopes of exploring it and finding her mother. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series adaptation produced by

Kinema Citrus is a Japanese animation studio, founded on March 3, 2008, by former Production I.G and Bones members and based in Suginami, Tokyo. Its business directors are Muneki Ogasawara, Yuichiro Matsuka and Masaki Tachibana. Notable works include ''Tok ...

, aired from July to September 2017. A sequel film, subtitled ''Dawn of the Deep Soul'', premiered in Japan in January 2020. A second season, subtitled ''The Golden City of the Scorching Sun'', aired from July to September 2022. A sequel to the second season has been announced. A Western

live-action film Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a Live-action animation, live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define ...

adaptation began development in 2021, with Kevin McMullin hired to write and direct. An

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...

developed by Chime Corporation and published by

Spike Chunsoft is a Japanese video game development and video game localization, localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike (compa ...

was released in September 2022. By February 2020, the manga had over three million copies in circulation. In 2023, it won the 52nd Japan Cartoonists Association Award.

Plot

An orphaned girl named Riko lives in the Belchero Orphanage in the town of Orth. The town surrounds a strange, giant hole descending deep into the earth, which is known as the Abyss. The Abyss harbors artifacts and remnants of civilizations long gone, and is, therefore, a popular hunting spot for so-called Cave Raiders, who undertake arduous and dangerous descents into the mist-filled pit to recover whatever relics they can find. Returning from the Abyss can be dangerous as "the Curse of the Abyss," a mysterious and potentially fatal malady, manifests upon ascension. The deeper one goes, the more acute the effects of the curse; few who have descended into the lower regions have returned to tell of their experiences. Some legendary Cave Raiders earn the title of White Whistles, one of them being Riko's mother, Lyza, who is presumed dead after taking a "last descent" into the Abyss. Riko's longing in life is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a White Whistle. One day, she discovers a half-human/half-robot boy in the first layer of the Abyss and names him Reg (after a dog that Riko owned). Riko and her friends sneak Reg into Belchero and quickly welcome him into their close-knit group. Sometime later, a number of findings are made from the depths of the Abyss, including Lyza's White Whistle and pages of discoveries and observations she had made, as well as a message presumably for Riko, stating she is waiting at the bottom of the Abyss. Riko, determined to find her mother, bids farewell to her friends and secretly departs into the Abyss with Reg as her companion.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Akihito Tsukushi, ''Made in Abyss'' started on

's ''Manga Life Win+'' (later ''Web Comic Gamma'') website on October 20, 2012. Takeshobo has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on July 31, 2013. As of August 30, 2024, 13 volumes have been released. In North America,

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...

announced during their panel at Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the manga. The translator of the anime for Sentai Filmworks, Jake Jung, also adapted the manga for Seven Seas Entertainment. Regarding his involvement in the English version of both media, he stated, "''Made in Abyss'' is chock-full of terminology, so I hope fans of both media are able to enjoy a seamless experience." In addition, he has confirmed his intention to avoid gendered pronouns for both Nanachi and Marulk. A manga

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

, titled ', was released on July 29, 2017. On December 13, 2019, Seven Seas announced they had licensed the book, and they released it on October 6, 2020. As of July 2024, a total of five anthologies have been published.

Anime

television series adaptation was announced in December 2016. The 13-episode series aired from July 7 to September 29, 2017, on AT-X,

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

TV Aichi Aichi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (TVA; ), also referred to as , with the callsigns JOCI-DTV (channel 10) is a Japanese television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity ...

, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TVQ, Saga TV, and BS11, and covers content from volumes 1 through 3. The final episode was a 1-hour long special. The series was directed by

Masayuki Kojima is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director, best known for directing the acclaimed anime series ''Monster (manga), Monster'' and ''Made in Abyss''. He was born on March 11, 1961, in Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan. Career Kojima first g ...

and written by

Hideyuki Kurata is a Japanese anime screenwriter, light novelist, and manga artist, noted for authoring the series composition of such works as '' Read or Die'', '' Now and Then, Here and There'', '' Kamichu!'', and '' Gun Sword''. He has been a member of Yōsuke ...

, with animation by

and character designs by Kazuchika Kise. Australian artist Kevin Penkin composed the soundtrack for the anime.

Miyu Tomita is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is signed to Amuse. After aspiring to become a voice actress while studying in elementary school, she participated in two voice acting auditions in 2014, winning one of them. Some of her roles inclu ...

and Mariya Ise, the voice actresses for Riko and Reg, respectively, performed both the opening theme "Deep in Abyss" and the ending theme "Tabi no Hidarite, Saihate no Migite", the latter in collaboration with

Shiori Izawa is a Japanese voice actress from Saitama Prefecture. Biography Filmography Anime television *'' Hell Girl: Three Vessels'' (2008–2009), Tsubaki *'' Durarara!!'' (2010), Shiri *'' Princess Jellyfish'' (2010), Gocchan *'' Maji de Watashi ni K ...

(Nanachi). The first season premiered on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

Toonami Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...

programming block on January 16, 2022. Two

compilation film A compilation film, or compilation movie is a film composed of scenes and shots taken from two or more prior films or television programs and edited together so as to make a new film, whether on the same or a different subject. The most common e ...

s, titled (encompassing episodes 1–8 with new scenes for introduction) and (encompassing episodes 9–13), were released on January 4 and 18, 2019, respectively. Following the release of the first compilation film, the sequel was revealed to be a film titled . The film premiered in Japan on January 17, 2020. The film had been set to premiere in the United States at Anime Boston on April 11, 2020, before that convention's cancellation due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. It was screened in US theaters on April 13 (English dub) and 15 (English subtitles). Its theme song is "Forever Lost" performed by Myth & Roid. Following the release of ''Dawn of the Deep Soul'', a new sequel was announced. On May 5, 2021, it was announced that the sequel was a second season, officially titled , which aired from July 6 to September 28, 2022. The main cast and staff reprised their roles. Riko Azuna performed the opening theme "Katachi", while Myth & Roid performed the ending theme "Endless Embrace". A sequel to ''The Golden City of the Scorching Sun'' was announced on January 15, 2023.

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios. The ...

has licensed the series, and streamed it on

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

Anime Strike Anime Strike was a subscription-based video on demand service for Amazon Channels, focused on anime series and movies from various anime distributors. The service launched on January 12, 2017, and was closed on January 5, 2018, after which its ...

service in the US, and on Hidive in other territories. Sentai has since released it on home video with an English dub.

MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban V ...

has acquired the series for distribution in the UK and Ireland, and

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...

has acquired the series for distribution in Australia and New Zealand. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the two compilation films, and screened the first film at

Regal Cinemas Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain that operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with 5,720 screens in 420 theaters as of December 31, 2024. Founded on August 10, 1989, it ...

in Los Angeles on March 15, 2019, with a subtitled theatrical release on March 20, 2019, and an English dubbed theatrical release on March 25, 2019, in collaboration with Fathom Events. During its panel at

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

on July 5, 2019, Sentai Filmworks announced that they had acquired the license for ''Dawn of the Deep Soul''. Sentai Filmworks planned to screen the film in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland with English subtitles on April 13, 2020, subtitled, and with the English dub on April 15, 2020. However, the screenings were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sentai Filmworks also acquired the second season for distribution worldwide except Asia, France, Germany, Italy and Middle East and North Africa, and streamed it on select digital outlets.

Video games

, titled , was developed by Chime Corporation and published by

, with Numskull Games publishing the physical versions in Europe. It is fully voiced in English and Japanese and features an original story supervised by Tsukushi. The game was released on

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

, and

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

on September 1, 2022, in Japan, and the following day in North America and Europe. A

mobile game A mobile game is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any Mobile device, portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet computer, table ...

, titled , was announced on May 5, 2025. The game is developed by Nobollel and published by Avex Pictures.

Live-action film

In June 2021,

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

announced that a

live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

film adaptation was in development. The film will be produced by Roy Lee and Masi Oka, and adapted by Kevin McMullin.

Reception

Manga

By February 2020, the manga had over three million copies in circulation. In 2018, ''Made in Abyss'' was nominated for the 11th

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese List of comics awards, comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer Tankōbon, collected volumes in length. The Manga Taish� ...

award and received a total of 40 points, coming in at eighth place. The series ranked 13th on ''

Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying professionals in the manga and publishing industry. The first two years saw two s ...

s top 20 manga for male readers in 2018. It was nominated for the French 12th ACBD's Prix Asie de la Critique 2018. ''Made in Abyss'' was awarded the Excellence Award at the 52nd Japan Cartoonists Association Awards in 2023.

Anime

''Made in Abyss'' has been met with positive reviews and is widely considered to be one of the best anime series of the 2010s.

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

listed the series in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s". ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' also listed it among the best anime series of the 2010s. Lauren Orsini of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' included ''Made in Abyss'' on her list of the best anime of the decade. It was one of the Jury Recommended Works in the Animation Division at the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival in 2018. Nick Creamer of ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

'' praised the anime for being adventure-focused, as well as its efficiency in establishing its premise. Creamer also praises it for its artwork and music that highlights the beauty and terror of the Abyss. Julian Malerman of '' THEM Anime Reviews'' praises the show for being a well-executed emotional drama saying "The manner in which the show approaches this conclusion is often brutal and alienating, but the final answer is simple and pure. It sings." ''Made in Abyss'' was awarded Anime of the Year and Best Score at the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2018. The series won the 4th Anime Trending Awards in the Best in Adaptation, Best in Soundtrack and Action or Adventure Anime of the Year, and was nominated for several other categories. It also won the 25th Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the Best Anime category in 2019. In 2023, the second season of the anime series was nominated for the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in several categories, but did not win. It was also awarded the Best Fantasy Anime at the 9th Anime Trending Awards.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Crunchyroll Anime of the Year 2022 video games Adventure anime and manga Anime films based on manga Anime series based on manga Anime Strike Fiction about cannibalism Anime of the Year Crunchyroll Anime Award winners Crunchyroll Anime Award winners Dark fantasy anime and manga Hideyuki Kurata Infanticide Japanese webcomics Kinema Citrus Muse Communication Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Sentai Filmworks Seven Seas Entertainment titles Spike Chunsoft video games Subterranean fiction Takeshobo manga Webcomics in print Windows games