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 Sakae Esuno. It was serialized in

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

's '' Shōnen Ace'' between January 2006 and December 2010, and has been collected into 12 ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes. The plot depicts the Diary Game, a deadly

battle royale Battle Royale may refer to: * Battle royale, or battle royal, a fight among many combatants ** Battle royal (professional wrestling) Fiction and literature * Battle royale genre, a narrative genre of films, manga, anime and visual novels inspire ...

between 12 different individuals who are given "Future Diaries", special diaries that can predict the future, by

Deus Ex Machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( ; ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is general ...

, the God of Time and Space, with the last survivor becoming heir to the universe. The manga has been licensed by

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...

, and ten of the English volumes were released, with a release for the last two now uncertain due to Tokyopop ceasing publishing in North America. A "

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

anime" DVD was released with the 11th manga volume in December 2010. 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

Asread stylized as asread. is a Japanese animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators f ...

, aired in Japan from October 2011 to April 2012. An 11-episode live-action television drama aired from April to June 2012. Esuno has also authored three side-story manga, each one spanning five chapters: first ''Future Diary: Mosaic'' which focuses on another Diary Holder, Minene Uryu, and tells unrevealed plot points of the main story in 2009 and 2010. ''Future Diary: Paradox'' (published in ''

Young Ace is a monthly ''seinen'' manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 2009. A spin-off web manga magazine titled ''Young Ace UP'' began publication in December 2015. Series ''Young Ace'' *''Akuma no Ikenie'' ('' Devil's Sacr ...

''), which tells the story of Aru Akise and Muru Muru set in an alternate timeline, and in 2013, ''Future Diary: Redial'', which serves as an epilogue to the series.

Plot

Yukiteru Amano () is a 14-year-old, shy and daydreaming loner who observes life and jots down the events on his

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

. His only friends are Deus Ex Machina (), the God of Space and Time, and his assistant Muru Muru (). Deus transforms Yukiteru's phone into a Future Diary, capable of predicting the future up to ninety days. Yukiteru discovers he and eleven others are part of a battle royale survival game orchestrated by Deus. The aim of this game is to eliminate the other diary holders, and in doing so, succeed Deus as god and prevent the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

. Yukiteru finds himself protected by Yuno Gasai (), a charming but psychopathic classmate who obsessively stalks him after they had promised to go stargazing together a year before. Two key figures they encounter are

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

Minene Uryu, who, having lost her parents in a war driven by faith, seeks to eradicate all religion; and Keigo Kurusu, a police officer determined to bring the deadly game to an end. Later, Kurusu betrays Yukiteru and Yuno when he discovers his bedridden son is suffering from a

terminal illness Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...

. He assassinates fellow diary holder Karyuudo Tsukishima and frames Yukiteru and Yuno for the crime. Minene turns to detective Masumi Nishijima, exposing Kurusu's crime. In his shame, Kurusu eliminates himself from the game. John Bacchus, the city's mayor and designer of the Future Diaries, tries to manipulate Yukiteru's debt-ridden father Kurou into stealing his son's diary. Kurou fails, unintentionally killing his ex-wife Rea, and is then killed by Bacchus' men. Yukiteru vows to win the game and resurrect his parents. He and Yuno target the remaining diary holders, Minene, Bacchus, and Kamado Ueshita who runs an orphanage. Meanwhile, Yukiteru's astute friend Aru Akise, and Nishijima investigate the discovery of three corpses in Yuno's house, including the latter and her parents, bringing her identity into question. Kamado's diary, which can give others substitute diaries, is connected to a supercomputer, giving everyone in the city Future Diaries as part of Bacchus' plan to help humanity evolve. Yukiteru, Yuno, Minene, Nishijima, and Yukiteru's friends storm Bacchus' headquarters. He seals himself in a

bank vault A bank vault is a secure room used by banks to store and protect valuables, cash, and important documents. Modern bank vaults are typically made of reinforced concrete and steel, with complex locking mechanisms and security systems. This article ...

owned by Yuno's parents, her fingerprints the only way to access it. Minene sacrifices herself to destroy the vault but fails, only for Aru to witness Yuno access the vault and kill Bacchus. Wanting answers, Aru confronts Deus who reveals the boy is an artificial human designed to observe the game and keep it in balance, but confirms there is a conspiracy around Yuno. Yukiteru kills his friends and Kamado. Aru battles Yuno, destroying her diary but discovers she has a spare. Realizing the truth, Aru shows a text to Yukiteru before Yuno decapitates him. As the days to the Apocalypse approach, Yukiteru and Yuno consummate their relationship. However, Yukiteru reveals Aru's suggestion that Yuno originates from another timeline and she immediately turns on him. Muru Muru, the true mastermind behind the game's course, confirms Aru's theory. Yukiteru died and Yuno won the game in another timeline but discovered not even the power of a god could bring back the dead. In her sorrow, Yuno went back in time, creating an alternate

timeline A timeline is a list of events displayed in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representing t ...

, killing and replacing her other self. Yuno and Muru Muru go back in time again, creating a third world, pursued by Yukiteru and Minene, kept alive by Deus as a wild card and imbued with a portion of his power. Both parties battle to protect or kill the third world's Yuno and her parents. Unable to kill Yukiteru, Yuno traps him in a dream world where she does not exist, and attacks her alternate self. Yukiteru remembers Yuno, escaping his prison aided by the second world's Muru Muru, and stops Yuno. Though Yukiteru asks Yuno to kill him so she can live, she instead kills herself. Yukiteru becomes a god and is dragged to the second world by Muru Muru. Ten-thousand years later, a grief-stricken Yukiteru has done nothing with his godly powers. He managed to cut off all influences that the first and second worlds had with the third, and prevents the third world's deus from dying. Yukiteru gazes at his diary, mourning that he will never see the first world Yuno, the only one he will ever love, ever again. However, the interdimensional walls are broken down by the third world Yuno, who possesses the first world's memories courtesy of an atoning Muru Muru. Yukiteru and Yuno reunite as gods of the second and third world, and prepare to fulfill their promise to go stargazing with each other.

Characters

''Future Diary'' follows Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano, a socially awkward boy and one of the game's competitors who only wants to survive; Yuno Gasai, another player of the game and a friend who would do anything to be with Yuki; Minene Uryū, an infamous terrorist with a grudge against God; and Aru Akise, a genius teen detective and a friend of Yuki who investigates the true purpose of the game and Yuno's dark secrets. Keigo Kurusu police officer trying to end the game; later betrays Yuki. Reisuke Houjou a dangerous child who tries to kill Yuki and Yuno. Tsubaki Kasugano cult leader with a traumatic past. Marco Ikusaba & Ai Mikami lovers who fight as a team. Kamado Ueshita Kind daycare worker trying to help others. Karyuudo Tsukishima dog trainer who misuses his diary. John Bacchus the mayor and game organizer's successor candidate. Yomotsu Hirasaka a vigilante with a warped sense of justice.

Media

Manga

The manga was serialized in

's '' Shōnen Ace'' magazine from January 26, 2006 to December 25, 2010 and was compiled into 12 volumes published by

, plus two side-story manga, ''Future Diary: Mosaic'' and ''Future Diary: Paradox'', compiled in one volume each. The manga was originally licensed in English by

for North America, but only ten volumes were released before Tokyopop ceased publishing operations on May 31, 2011. The series is currently licensed by

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

, who released the first nine volumes digitally. An additional manga titled was previewed in the May 2013 issue of ''Shōnen Ace'' sold on March 26, 2013, and a single volume of ''Redial'' was released in July 2013.

Anime

An anime television adaptation by

and directed by Naoto Hosoda began airing from October 10, 2011. Character designs are done by Eiji Hirayama and Ruriko Watanabe. An eight-minute "pilot" edition DVD was bundled with limited editions of the manga's eleventh volume, released on December 9, 2010. The series uses four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two ending themes. For the first 14 episodes, the opening theme is by

Yōsei Teikoku is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Their music mixes elements of gothic metal, heavy metal, electronic and classical music. Their works include the opening tracks of several anime series, including ''Future Diary'', '' Magical Pokan'', ' ...

, and the ending theme is "Blood Teller" by

Faylan Masami Seki, professionally known as is a female Japanese singer. Many of her songs are featured in video games and anime. She is affiliated with management agency S, run by singer Hiromi Satō. Her stage name was given by composer Noriyasu Ag ...

. From episode 15 onwards, the opening theme is "Dead End" by Faylan, and the ending theme is "Filament" by Yōsei Teikoku. For the pilot, the main theme is "The Creator" by Yōsei Teikoku.

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

licensed the series for North American distribution, simulcasting the series on

Niconico , known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese sound symbolism, Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, accordi ...

. They later announced they had acquired the rights for release on home video. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. An

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

episode titled ''Future Diary: Redial'' acts as an epilogue to the television series. It aired on

on June 19, 2013. It was also bundled with the manga volume sequel of the same name. The opening theme for the OVA is by Yōsei Teikoku, and the ending theme is "Happy End" by Faylan.

Other media

produced a

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

based on the manga titled for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

, was released on January 28, 2010 in Japan. A re-release with new graphics, artwork and featuring the voice actors from the anime was released on April 26, 2012. An 11-episode live action drama titled ''Future Diary: Another:World'' aired between April 21 and June 30, 2012 on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

. The TV series has an original plot line that differs from the manga and anime. The opening theme is "Another World" by

Ko Shibasaki is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion. Biography Acting career Ko (also transcribed Kou and Koh) Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mit ...

Reception

During mid-November 2008, the seventh volume of the ''Future Diary'' manga ranked as the twenty-first best selling manga in Japan. The volume remained in the top 30 during the following week, though it dropped to twenty-fifth place. As of April 2012, it has sold 4 million copies in Japan. The Japanese name of this series is the inspiration for the naming of the Mirai botnet program.

References

External links

*
''Future Diary: Another:World''
at

* * {{Asread 2006 manga 2011 anime television series debuts 2012 Japanese television series debuts 2012 Japanese television series endings Anime and manga about death games Anime and manga about parallel universes Asread Battle royale anime and manga Comics about time travel Science fiction anime and manga Fuji Television dramas Crunchyroll anime Japanese television dramas based on manga Kadokawa Shoten manga Kadokawa Corporation franchises Madman Entertainment anime Manga adapted into television series Classical mythology in anime and manga Fiction about mental health Mystery anime and manga Psychological thriller anime and manga Romance anime and manga Shōnen manga Television series based on classical mythology Time loop anime and manga Anime and manga about time travel Works about mobile phones Tokyopop titles Viz Media manga