Dead Rock Explained

Genre:

Type:	manga
Author:	Hiro Mashima
Publisher:	Kodansha
Imprint:	Monthly Shōnen Magazine Comics
Magazine:	Monthly Shōnen Magazine
First:	July 6, 2023
Volumes:	3

Portal:

yes

Dead Rock (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine since July 2023, with its chapters collected in three volumes as of August 2024.

Plot

Dead Rock is an academy where denizens of the demon world are trained to conquer the human world as demon rulers. Yakuto, a young demon with the roots of a black dragon, is one of seven applicants who pass the school's deadly special entrance exam into Class F. On his first day of class, Yakuto murders his homeroom teacher and reveals his true objective is to kill God, a supreme evil being who serves as Dead Rock's principal. To this end, he coerces his classmates into becoming his accomplices as they fight to survive Dead Rock's brutal curriculum, murderous teachers, and ambitious rival students.

Characters

Yakuto is a Dragon Root demon who is cursed with the ability to transform into a black dragon, which reduces his lifespan. Appearing timid and mild-mannered, he is actually a ruthless youth who plots to kill God for exterminating the rest of the Dragon Roots, including Yakuto's family. Frey is an Ifrit Root who manipulates fire. She enrolls in Dead Rock to satisfy her love for battle, as well as to surpass and avenge her older sister, who failed to graduate from the school. Raizen is an Orochi Root who can create seven duplicates of his greatsword, "Princess". His weapon is afflicted with a curse that he seeks to lift by becoming a Demon King. Hien is a Fenrir Root who freezes anything he cuts with his . As son of the Fenrir Fort's lord, he aims to save his homeland from an eternal winter his people are wrongly accused of causing. Mikoto is a Lich Root and necromancer who reanimates and controls the dead as zombies. She is also a member of Ghost, the demon world's secret service agency, which has no loyalty to God. Hani is a Thor Root and living giant who can alter his size and wields a hammer imbued with lightning. He is intelligent and analytical, and prefers to study humans rather than conquer them. Zelecia is a Black Wizard Root who wields black magic, which she suppresses by transforming into a talking Yatagarasu Root crow named Chako. Like Yakuto, she wishes to kill God. God is the most powerful being in the three worlds of existence, presiding over the demon world as principal of Dead Rock.

Publication

Written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima, Dead Rock started in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine on July 6, 2023.^[1] ^[2] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes, with the first released on November 16, 2023.^[3] As of August 7, 2024, three volumes have been released.

In July 2024, Kodansha USA announced that it had licensed the manga for English release in North America, with the first volume set to be released in Q2 2025.^[4]

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

Notes and References

Web site: Cayanan. Joanna. Fairy Tail's Hiro Mashima Launches Dead Rock Manga. Anime News Network. July 4, 2024. June 5, 2023. December 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231204002345/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-06-05/fairy-tail-hiro-mashima-launches-dead-rock-manga/.198815. live.
Web site: ja:真島ヒロが3作同時連載、魔界学園ダークファンタジー「DEAD ROCK」が月マガで. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/531786. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 4, 2024. ja. July 6, 2023. January 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240106043908/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/531786. live.
Web site: ja:真島ヒロ最新作「DEAD ROCK」1巻、魔王養成機関で“神”に挑むダークファンタジー. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/549369. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 4, 2024. ja. November 16, 2023. January 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240106043904/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/549369. live.
Web site: Pineda. Rafael. Kodansha USA Reveals 12 New Print Manga, 2 Digital Manga. Anime News Network. July 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240704224622/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-04/kodansha-usa-reveals-12-new-print-manga-2-digital-manga/.212812. July 4, 2024. July 4, 2024. live.