If you’re looking up how many So I’m a Spider, So What? manga volumes exist, you’re probably trying to figure out how much you’d need to collect — or whether the series is even finished yet. Here’s the direct answer: the manga currently has 16 volumes published in Japan and 15 volumes released in English. The series is still ongoing.
Below you’ll find the full volume list, what the series is about, and where to buy it.
So I’m a Spider, So What? Has 16 Manga Volumes in Japan and 15 in English
The So I’m a Spider, So What? manga — known in Japanese as 蜘蛛ですが、なにか? — currently has 16 volumes published in Japan and 15 volumes released in English.
The manga is published by KADOKAWA in Japan under their Kadokawa Comics Ace imprint (an imprint is just a label a publisher uses for a specific line of books). The English edition is published by Yen Press, which has been steadily releasing translated volumes and is almost caught up to the Japanese release.
This is a manga adaptation of the light novel series — meaning the story originally existed as a series of short illustrated novels (called “light novels” in Japan), and was then redrawn and retold in manga format. The light novels are written by Okina Baba. The manga features art by Asahiro Kakashi, with character designs by Tsukasa Kiryu. If you’ve read the light novels, the manga offers a different — and much more visual — way to experience the story. And if you haven’t read the novels, the manga stands perfectly well on its own as a way into this world.
The series has been running since December 2015, which means there’s a solid backlog of volumes to enjoy if you’re just discovering it now.
Complete Volume List
Here’s the full list of Japanese volumes and their release dates:
| Volume | JP Release |
|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | July 2016 |
| Vol. 2 | December 2016 |
| Vol. 3 | June 2017 |
| Vol. 4 | December 2017 |
| Vol. 5 | July 2018 |
| Vol. 6 | January 2019 |
| Vol. 7 | July 2019 |
| Vol. 8 | March 2020 |
| Vol. 9 | October 2020 |
| Vol. 10 | April 2021 |
| Vol. 11 | November 2021 |
| Vol. 12 | October 2022 |
| Vol. 13 | July 2023 |
| Vol. 14 | April 2024 |
| Vol. 15 | March 2025 |
| Vol. 16 | February 2026 |
For English readers, Yen Press began releasing translated volumes in 2017, and the most recent English volume — Volume 15 — came out in April 2026. The English edition has maintained a consistent translation schedule and is now just one volume behind the Japanese release.
Volume 1 is where everything kicks off — the main character is reborn as a tiny spider in the lowest depths of a massive, monster-filled dungeon. It’s a great opening volume that sets the tone for the whole series: desperate survival, dark humor, and a surprisingly strategic approach to the story.
New volumes have been releasing at a pace of roughly one to two per year on the Japanese side, though exact schedules can vary. If you’re starting fresh, you’ve got 15 English volumes available right now — that’s a lot of spider action waiting for you.
What Is So I’m a Spider, So What? About?
The premise is one of the more creative spins on the isekai formula. “Isekai” is a Japanese genre term meaning “another world” — it refers to stories where a character from modern-day Earth is transported or reincarnated into a fantasy world. In this case, an entire high school class dies in a mysterious explosion and every student is reincarnated into that fantasy world. Some come back as heroes, nobles, or princes. Our main character? She gets reborn as one of the weakest monsters in the setting — a small spider at the very bottom of an enormous, deadly dungeon called the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
No overpowered abilities handed to her on a silver platter. No kingdom waiting for her. Just fangs, silk, and a whole lot of things that want to eat her.
What makes the series so fun is how it handles survival. The world runs on game-like mechanics — stats, skills, experience points, level-ups, and evolution paths (think skill trees from video games, where you choose how your character develops as they grow stronger). The main character has to fight, strategize, and evolve her way up from the absolute bottom. Every battle matters. Every skill point matters. And the manga makes those incremental gains feel exciting and earned.
There’s also a parallel storyline — a second narrative thread running alongside the main one — following the main character’s former classmates, who were reincarnated as humans and are dealing with the political and military conflicts of the fantasy world. These two storylines weave together as the series progresses, adding layers of mystery about how the world works and why the class was reincarnated in the first place.
The manga leans into the visual and action-oriented side of the story. Spider fights are dynamic and creative on the page, and the art does a great job conveying both the horror of the dungeon and the comedic inner monologue of a girl who’s trying very hard not to get eaten. If you enjoy stories that reward patience and strategy — where the main character actually struggles and earns their power — this one is well worth your time.
How Does the Manga Compare to the Light Novel?
Since the manga is adapted from the light novel series (those short illustrated novels mentioned earlier), you might wonder how the two versions differ.
The light novel goes deeper into the main character’s internal thoughts, skill descriptions, and world-building details. The manga, on the other hand, excels at pacing the action sequences and giving the dungeon a real sense of scale and danger through its artwork.
Neither version is “better” — they’re complementary. Many fans read both. But if you prefer a visual medium or want a faster-paced read, the manga is a great choice. And you don’t need to have read the light novels to enjoy or understand the manga — it tells a complete story on its own.
Is the Manga Finished or Still Ongoing?
The manga is ongoing. There is no confirmed end date as of now.
With 16 volumes out in Japan and 15 in English, the series is still actively publishing new material. Manga series release their stories in individual chapters (shorter installments published in magazines), which are then collected into the bound volumes you buy. Both new chapters and new collected volumes are still being produced. The English edition from Yen Press is close to catching up with the Japanese release, which is good news for English readers — you won’t be waiting years behind the source material.
For anyone wondering whether it’s worth starting an ongoing series: there’s already a substantial amount of story to read. Fifteen English volumes is a hefty run, and the series has maintained strong quality throughout. You’re not jumping into something with barely any content — there’s a real, meaty story here with a lot of satisfying progression already on the page.
If you prefer to wait for completed series, that’s totally valid too. But given the pace of releases, jumping in now means you can catch up and then follow along as new volumes drop, which is its own kind of fun.
Where to Buy the English Manga
The English edition of So I’m a Spider, So What? is published by Yen Press in standard single-volume format. Each volume is a standard manga-sized paperback.
Fifteen volumes is a meaningful investment if you’re buying the whole set at once, so some readers prefer to start with a few volumes and go from there.
As of now, there are no omnibus editions (collected books that bundle multiple volumes into one thicker book), no deluxe editions, and no box sets available for this series in English. It’s single volumes only, which keeps things simple — you just buy them in order starting from Volume 1.
You can find the manga at most major book retailers. Physical copies are widely available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores. If you prefer reading digitally, the series is available on Kindle, Kobo, and other digital manga platforms.
The series also has an anime adaptation — a TV series that covers the early portion of the story. If you came to the manga after watching the anime, the manga goes well beyond where the anime leaves off and offers a different visual style worth experiencing. If you haven’t seen the anime, the manga is a perfectly fine starting point — no prior viewing required.
Grabbing Volume 1 is the easiest way to find out if the series clicks for you. It sets up the premise quickly and the first major dungeon encounters happen fast, so you’ll know pretty early whether this is your kind of manga.
So Im a Spider, So What? (manga), Vol. 15
A Note on Digital vs. Physical
Both formats contain the same content and translation. Digital editions tend to be available on release day and don’t take up shelf space, which is nice when you’re collecting a series with 15+ volumes. Physical editions, of course, look great on a shelf and are easier to lend to friends. Pick whichever format fits your reading habits — there’s no wrong answer here.
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That’s the full rundown on So I’m a Spider, So What? manga volumes. Sixteen volumes in Japan, fifteen in English, ongoing series, no special editions to worry about, and available just about everywhere manga is sold. Happy reading!