Konosuba

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! (この素晴らしい世界に祝福を, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!, literally "A blessing to this wonderful world!")is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki. The series follows Kazuma Satou, a boy who is sent to a fantasy world with MMORPG elements following his death, where he forms a dysfunctional adventuring party with a goddess, an archwizard, and a crusader. Originally serialized as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō between December 2012 and October 2013, KonoSuba was published as a printed light novel series by Kadokawa Shoten under the company's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from October 2013 to May 2020. The light novel series features a divergent plot and illustrations by Kurone Mishima.

A manga adaptation, illustrated by Masahito Watari and Joseph Yokobori, began serialization in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine in October 2014. A radio drama CD was released by HobiRecords in March 2015, and an anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired in Japan between January and March 2016. A second season of the anime aired between January and March 2017. A spin-off light novel series, KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, began publication in July 2014. Both the light novels and the manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime film adaptation produced by J.C.Staff, titled ''KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson'', premiered on August 30, 2019. An anime television series adaptation of KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, produced by Drive, premiered in April 2023. A third season, also by Drive, has been announced.

The first mobile game released internationally is a Mobile RPG game called KonoSuba: Fantastic Days for Android and iOS on August 19, 2021. The game was developed by CyberAgent subsidiaries Sumzap, with Nexon Korea handling the global publishing outside Japan, in which the later was announced that they transferred the global publishing rights over at Sesisoft, set to be effected from June 1, 2023.

Overview
Originally, it was an online novel serialized from December 2012 on the novel posting site "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" by Akatsuki under the name of "Jitaku keibi-hei". On December 10, 2013, it was announced in the site's activity report that this work would be deleted, and at the same time, all other posted works under the name of "Jitaku keibi-hei" were deleted. Many of the elements of the story are common, but the development and setting have changed significantly between the web version and other media.

From September 9, 2014, the serialization of the manga version began in "Monthly Dragon Age" (KADOKAWA Fujimi Shobo).

In 2016, it was made into a TV animation based on the contents of the original volume 1 and 2, and was broadcast from January to March of the same year. Immediately after the end of the final episode, the production decision for the second phase was announced, and it was broadcast from January to March 2017 based on the contents of the original volume 3 to 4.

In 2019, a theatrical animation based on the contents of the original volume 5 will be released.

As of November 2021, the cumulative circulation of the series has exceeded 10 million. "This light novel is amazing! In the paperback category, it ranked 9th in the 2017 edition.

Synopsis
Kazuma Satou lives a laughable and pathetic life, being a shut-in NEET with no distinguishable qualities other than an addiction to video games. On his way home, Kazuma dies trying to save a girl from an oncoming truck—or so he believes. In reality, the "truck" was a slow-moving tractor, and he merely died from shock.

Waking up in limbo between death and heaven, Kazuma finds himself facing the arrogant goddess Aqua. Here, he must choose between two options: go on to heaven or be sent to a fantasy world that needs his help to defeat the Demon King. Initially unimpressed by the challenging prospect of fighting a Demon King, Kazuma changes his mind after Aqua tells him he can bring any one item he wants. What better choice does Kazuma have than the goddess standing before him?

Unfortunately, after the two arrive in their new world, two things become clear: Aqua is useless beyond belief, and life in this fantasy realm will be anything but smooth sailing. From paying for food and accommodations to trying to learn new skills, the duo's problems are just starting to take shape—and the arrival of eccentric allies may only make things worse.

Web Novels
The original web novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki was published on Syosetu between December 2012 and October 2013. The author also wrote a side story featuring Wiz and Vanir. Akatsuki, who enjoyed playing fantasy video games like Wizardry and Final Fantasy, also derived much of KonoSuba 's fantasy elements from tabletop role-playing games.

Light Novels
A light novel version with illustrations by Kurone Mishima was released under Kadokawa Shoten's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from October 1, 2013, to May 1, 2020. The light novel diverges significantly from the web novel's plot from the sixth volume onwards and also features changes to the characters' ages. The final book in the series, Volume 17, contains information in its Afterword on possible future development that the teased "After Story" spin-offs might contain.

Yen Press announced on May 20, 2016, that it had licensed the light novels for release in North America. The first volume was released in conjunction with the second manga volume on February 21, 2017.

Manga
A manga adaptation of KonoSuba illustrated by Masahito Watari began serialization in the October 2014 issue of Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine on September 9, 2014. As of November 8, 2022, sixteen tankōbon volumes have been released.

A manga adaptation of the KonoSuba Fantastic Days smartphone game by Kasumi Morino began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine on March 26, 2022.

Yen Press announced its acquisition of the manga adaptation at the same time that it licensed the original light novels.

Trivia
'' to be added. ''

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