The Dungeon of Black Company Manga Volumes Guide

The Dungeon of Black Company Manga Volumes — 14 in Japan and 13 in English (Still Ongoing)

As of March 2026, The Dungeon of Black Company has 14 manga volumes in Japanese and 13 volumes in English.

The series is ongoing — it hasn’t ended yet, so expect more volumes down the road.

The manga is written and illustrated by Youhei Yasumura (安村洋平). It has been serialized — meaning new chapters are published on a regular schedule in a magazine, then collected into book-form volumes — on Mag Garden’s MAGCOMI (月刊コミックガーデン) platform since December 2016, with the first collected volume published in May 2017. The English edition is published by Seven Seas, which has been keeping pace fairly closely with the Japanese releases. The gap right now is just one volume.

If you’re coming in fresh, that’s a very manageable series to catch up on. Thirteen English volumes is a satisfying amount of content without being overwhelming.

Complete Volume List

Here’s a breakdown of all 14 volumes, with Japanese release timing and English availability noted:

Volume	Japan Release	English Status
Vol. 1	2017	Available in English
Vol. 2	2017	Available in English
Vol. 3	2018	Available in English
Vol. 4	2019	Available in English
Vol. 5	2019	Available in English
Vol. 6	2020	Available in English
Vol. 7	2021	Available in English
Vol. 8	2021	Available in English
Vol. 9	2022	Available in English
Vol. 10	2023	Available in English
Vol. 11	2023	Available in English
Vol. 12	2024	Available in English
Vol. 13	May 2025	Available in English
Vol. 14	March 30, 2026	Not yet available in English

A note on dates: Specific release months are listed where confirmed. For some mid-series volumes, only the approximate year range is available.

Here are a few volumes worth highlighting:

Vol. 1 — Where It All Begins (2017)

This is your entry point. Volume 1 sets up the entire premise — our protagonist Kinji gets transported from his cushy early-retirement life into a brutal dungeon-mining operation in a fantasy world. The tone is established immediately: this is a comedy about corporate exploitation wearing a fantasy skin. If the first volume hooks you, the rest absolutely will too.

If you’re not sure whether to commit to all thirteen English volumes right away, start with just Vol. 1. You’ll know by the end whether this series is for you.

Vol. 4 — The Schemes Escalate (2019)

By volume 4, the series has moved well past its initial setup. Kinji’s scheming nature is in full swing, and the satirical elements of the story really hit their stride. This is around the point where readers who were on the fence tend to get fully invested.

Vol. 7 — The Anime Era (2021)

Volume 7 released in Japan in July 2021, right alongside the anime adaptation’s broadcast. The anime covered early material, so manga readers were already well ahead by this point. (More on the anime further down.)

Vol. 10 — Midpoint Milestone (2023)

Ten volumes in, and The Dungeon of Black Company shows no signs of running out of steam. The world has expanded considerably from those early dungeon-mining days, and the stakes have grown to match. A solid milestone that rewards long-term readers.

Vol. 13 — Latest English Release (2025)

This is the most recent volume available in English. If you’re reading in English and want to be fully caught up, this is your current finish line. The Japanese edition came out in May 2025.

Vol. 14 — Latest Japanese Release (March 2026)

The newest Japanese volume hit shelves on March 30, 2026. Seven Seas has confirmed an English release date of October 13, 2026, priced at $13.99.

A note on the release gap: English volumes from Seven Seas generally trail the Japanese releases by roughly one volume. That’s actually a pretty tight gap compared to many manga series, so English readers aren’t left waiting too long for new content.

What Is The Dungeon of Black Company About?

Here’s the setup: Kinji Ninomiya is a young man who isn’t working, studying, or doing much of anything — he managed to achieve financial independence through savvy real-estate investments. He’s living the dream: lounging on his balcony, doing absolutely nothing, retired in his twenties. Life is perfect.

Then he gets transported to a fantasy world.

But this isn’t a story where the main character arrives in a new world with godlike abilities and an easy life. Kinji lands at the absolute bottom of society. He’s immediately put to work in a dungeon-mining operation — grueling manual labor under terrible conditions, run by a company that treats its workers like disposable resources. Think fantasy world meets the worst job you’ve ever had, cranked up to absurd extremes. And yes, despite that description, the series is a comedy — the misery is played for laughs, and Kinji’s refusal to accept his situation drives the humor.

The Satire Is the Whole Point

What makes The Dungeon of Black Company stand out is its sharp satire of corporate exploitation and workplace culture. The “Black Company” in the title is a direct reference to the Japanese term “ブラック企業” (black company) — slang for exploitative corporations that overwork and underpay their employees. The manga takes that real-world concept and drops it into a dungeon fantasy setting, and the result is genuinely funny.

The series belongs to the “isekai” genre — a Japanese term meaning “another world,” used for stories where a character is transported from the real world into a fantasy setting. There are hundreds of isekai manga out there, and most follow a familiar formula: the main character arrives in the new world with incredible powers and breezes through every challenge. The Dungeon of Black Company throws that formula out the window.

The dungeon isn’t just a place full of monsters. It’s a workplace. There are quotas, middle managers, corporate hierarchies, and mind-numbing monotony. The humor comes from how recognizable all of it feels despite the fantasy trappings.

Kinji Is NOT Your Typical Hero

This is a big part of the appeal. Kinji doesn’t arrive with overpowered abilities. He can’t defeat monsters effortlessly. He doesn’t have a divine blessing or a legendary sword handed to him by fate. What he has is cunning, shamelessness, and an absolute refusal to stay at the bottom of the ladder.

Kinji schemes. He manipulates. He exploits every loophole and opportunity he can find. He’s not a hero — he’s a hustler dropped into a fantasy world, and watching him claw his way upward through sheer audacity is incredibly entertaining.

If you’re tired of main characters who breeze through every challenge, Kinji is a breath of fresh air. He earns (or steals) every inch of progress, and the comedy comes from how outrageous his methods tend to be.

Who Will Enjoy This?

• Readers who like fantasy manga but want something that pokes fun at genre conventions
• Anyone who appreciates workplace humor and corporate satire
• Fans of morally flexible protagonists who scheme their way to the top
• Readers looking for a comedy-focused series rather than a straight action story

It’s not heavy on action or drama — the tone is overwhelmingly comedic. If you want a lighthearted, clever series that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one delivers.

Is the Series Finished or Still Running?

The Dungeon of Black Company is still ongoing as of 2026.

The manga continues to be serialized in Monthly Comic Garden (published online via MAGCOMI) by Mag Garden. Youhei Yasumura has been writing and drawing the series since December 2016. In August 2024, it was announced that the manga would enter its final arc starting September 13, 2024 — meaning an end is in progress, though no final volume or confirmed end date has been published yet.

How Often Do New Volumes Come Out?

Looking at the Japanese release dates, new volumes have been coming out roughly every 6 to 12 months, with recent releases trending toward the longer end of that range. The pace has varied:

• Vol. 13 released May 2025
• Vol. 14 released March 2026

That’s about a 10-month gap for the most recent pair, and the overall pattern across the series has varied between roughly 6 and 12 months.

English Catch-Up Status

Seven Seas has done a solid job keeping the English edition close to the Japanese releases. With 13 English volumes out and 14 Japanese volumes published, the gap is just one volume. That means English readers aren’t dealing with a massive backlog of untranslated content — you’re almost caught up to the Japanese edition at any given time.

When Vol. 14 eventually gets its English release, you can expect the gap to briefly close before the next Japanese volume opens it back up again. It’s a manageable cycle.

What This Means for New Readers

Since the series is ongoing, you won’t get a complete, wrapped-up story if you start now. But 13 English volumes is a lot of content, and the series isn’t the type that relies on a single overarching mystery — each storyline is entertaining on its own while building on what came before. You can comfortably start reading now and enjoy the ride as new manga volumes come out.

Where to Buy The Dungeon of Black Company Manga Volumes

The English edition of The Dungeon of Black Company is published by Seven Seas, one of the major English-language manga publishers. Here’s what you need to know about finding copies.

Format and Pricing

The series is available in print format, with most volumes also available digitally (note: digital availability may vary by volume). Print volumes are standard manga-sized paperbacks — they read right-to-left, which is the traditional Japanese format. If you’ve never read manga before, don’t worry: you’ll get used to it within a few pages, and most volumes include a quick guide on the inside cover.

Digital editions are convenient if you prefer reading on a tablet or phone and don’t want to deal with shelf space — especially useful when a series hits 13+ volumes.

Seven Seas manga volumes typically carry a list price in the range of other standard manga paperbacks. Check current retail pricing at the store of your choice, as prices can vary by retailer and format.

As of this writing, there is no official box set or bundle edition for this series. You’ll need to buy the volumes individually, but they’re widely available and easy to find.

Where to Shop

You can find The Dungeon of Black Company at most major manga retailers:

• Amazon — Both print and Kindle editions are available for all released English volumes. If you’re new to buying manga, Amazon is a straightforward place to start since you likely already have an account.
• BookWalker — A digital manga store where you can build a library of all your manga in one app. Popular with readers who buy a lot of digital manga.
• Barnes & Noble — Carries print editions in-store and online.
• Crunchyroll Store — Carries print manga editions and ships within the US.
• Other booksellers — Most major book retailers carry Seven Seas titles.

For the latest volume (Vol. 13 in English as of this writing), availability is generally good across all major platforms.

The Anime Adaptation

The Dungeon of Black Company also received a TV anime adaptation that aired in 2021. The anime covered the early portion of the manga’s story, so if you watched the anime and enjoyed it, the manga is the source material and goes well beyond what the anime covered. The manga has a lot more story waiting for you.

The anime can also work in reverse: if you start with the manga and want a different way to experience the early chapters, the anime adaptation is out there as a companion piece.

Starting Your Collection

If you’re ready to jump in, Volume 1 is the place to start. There’s no complicated reading order — just grab Vol. 1 and go from there. The series is straightforward to collect since it’s a single ongoing manga with no additional series you need to read alongside it.

Thirteen volumes is a comfortable collection to build. Whether you buy them one at a time or grab several at once, you’ll have plenty of scheming, satire, and dungeon-mining comedy to keep you entertained.