How Many Manga Volumes of Fantasy Knockout Are There?
Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout — sometimes shortened to “Fabiniku” by fans, or known by its Japanese title Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to — has 8 English-language volumes published by Seven Seas Entertainment, an American company that translates and releases Japanese manga for English-speaking readers.
The premise is delightfully absurd: two childhood friends, Tachibana and Jinguuji — now adults working at the same company — get transported to a fantasy world by a goddess. The catch? Tachibana is transformed into a stunning, beautiful woman as part of the goddess’s curse, and the curse also makes everyone around Tachibana fall in love with “her.” Including, uncomfortably, his best friend Jinguuji.
If you’re new to this kind of story, it falls into a genre called isekai — a Japanese term for stories where characters are transported from the real world into a fantasy one. It also uses a gender-bender setup, meaning a character’s physical sex is changed as a central plot device. In this case, the gender swap is played entirely for comedy rather than drama.
What follows is a buddy-adventure comedy where two grown men try to navigate a fantasy world, break the curse, and absolutely refuse to acknowledge the romantic tension the goddess keeps forcing on them.
The series has an anime adaptation (an animated TV version of the story) that brought a wave of new fans to the manga. The manga is the original version of the story — the anime was made based on it — and the manga goes further than what the anime has covered so far. The anime adapts roughly the first 3 volumes, so if you finished the show and want to continue, you’ll find new story content starting around Volume 4. Starting from Volume 1 is still recommended even if you’ve seen the anime, because the manga’s comedic timing and visual gags don’t always translate perfectly to animation. There are jokes and character moments in the manga that the anime had to condense or skip.
In Japan, the manga is published through Cycomi, a digital manga platform run by game company Cygames, where new chapters appear on a regular schedule before being collected into book-format volumes. The English release from Seven Seas follows behind the Japanese edition, so additional volumes will continue to appear as Seven Seas translates and publishes them.
The Easiest Way to Collect the Full Series
Collecting this series is refreshingly straightforward. Here’s what you’re working with:
Physical Paperbacks
Seven Seas publishes the English edition in standard manga paperback format. These are the same size and quality you’d expect from any Seven Seas title — solid paper quality, clean translation, and the standard manga book size that fits nicely on a shelf next to other manga volumes.
There are no combined-volume editions, deluxe hardcovers, or box sets for this series. Each volume is sold individually, which keeps things simple. You buy Volume 1, then Volume 2, and so on through Volume 8. No complicated reading orders, no side stories you need to track down, no “which edition do I get?” confusion.
Physical volumes are stocked at major retailers. You’ll find them at chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble, independent bookshops with manga sections, and online shops without much trouble.
Digital Editions
If you prefer reading on a screen (or just want to save shelf space), digital editions are available on Kindle, Kobo, and BookWalker (a digital storefront that specializes in manga and light novels). Digital manga is typically listed below the physical cover price, making it the most budget-friendly way to read the series. And digital editions don’t go out of print, so there’s never a scramble to find a specific volume.
Searching for the Series
One thing worth knowing: this manga has a long title. Retailers sometimes list it under slightly different versions of the name. If you’re having trouble finding it, try searching for:
- “Fantasy Knockout” (the short English nickname)
- “Fabiniku” (a fan nickname/abbreviation taken from the first syllables of Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku — “Fa,” “Bi,” “Niku”)
- “Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to” (the Japanese title)
- Or just the full English title if your search bar can handle it
All of these should point you to the same Seven Seas release.
Volume-by-Volume Breakdown
Here’s what to expect as you work through the series. No major spoilers — just enough to know what each volume sets up.
Volume 1: The Reincarnation Event
This is where everything begins, and it’s essential reading. Tachibana and Jinguuji are childhood friends — now grown up and working at the same company — who get summoned to a fantasy world by a goddess. Tachibana gets transformed into a gorgeous woman, and the goddess’s love curse kicks in immediately. The comedy starts fast — Tachibana is horrified, Jinguuji is confused, and the goddess is having the time of her immortal life watching them squirm.
Volume 1 establishes the core dynamic that carries the entire series: two middle-aged guys trying to be normal adventure buddies while a magical curse keeps pushing romantic-comedy situations on them. The humor comes from their resistance, their friendship, and the absolute absurdity of their situation.
If you’re only going to try one volume, this is the one. You’ll know within the first few chapters whether this series is for you. The link below is for Volume 8, the latest English release:
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout, Vol. 8
Volume 2: The Adventure Begins in Earnest
With the premise locked in, Volume 2 lets Tachibana and Jinguuji actually start adventuring. They’re exploring the fantasy world, encountering monsters, and trying to figure out how to break the curse — all while the comedy between them deepens. The jokes land harder here because you already know these characters and their dynamic. Jinguuji’s internal struggle with finding his best friend attractive is played for maximum comedic effect, and Tachibana’s frustration at being objectified (by literally everyone, including monsters) never stops being funny.
This volume also starts to show that the manga isn’t just a one-joke premise. The fantasy-world setting gets more fleshed out, and there’s genuine adventure plotting underneath all the comedy.
Volume 3: New Faces and Bigger Challenges
Volume 3 expands the cast with new party members — allies who join Tachibana and Jinguuji on their quest. The world-building deepens as the group ventures further into the fantasy setting, and the overarching plot about breaking the goddess’s curse gets more complex. The comedy stays sharp because the new characters react to Tachibana’s cursed beauty in their own ways, creating fresh comedic situations.
Volume 4: Beyond the Anime
If you watched the anime and are continuing in the manga, this is roughly where you’ll start hitting new material. The fantasy stakes rise, the curse’s mechanics get explored in more detail, and the relationship between Tachibana and Jinguuji continues to be tested in increasingly ridiculous ways. The series finds new angles on its premise here rather than repeating the same jokes.
Volumes 5–8: Raising the Stakes
The later volumes continue building momentum. The quest to break the curse becomes genuinely engaging as a fantasy plot in its own right, not just a setup for comedy. New threats, deeper character development, and increasingly elaborate situations keep each volume feeling fresh. You’ll find yourself caring about the adventure even as you’re laughing at every awkward moment along the way.
The comedic formula stays strong throughout all 8 volumes because the manga keeps finding new ways to mine humor from its premise without getting stale. Each volume introduces new situations that test Tachibana and Jinguuji’s friendship in ways that are both funny and surprisingly heartfelt.
Availability and Format Notes
Good news: this series is not hard to find.
Physical availability is solid. Seven Seas titles are generally kept in print and widely distributed. You shouldn’t have trouble finding any of the 8 volumes at major retailers, both online and in brick-and-mortar bookstores. That said, availability can fluctuate when a new anime season airs — demand for the manga spikes during broadcast periods, and some volumes may temporarily sell out at specific retailers. If that happens, just check a different store or wait a week or two for restocking.
Digital availability is essentially permanent. Once a digital volume is published, it stays available indefinitely on platforms like Kindle, Kobo, and BookWalker. If you’re worried about a volume going out of stock, digital is your stress-free option.
There are no known out-of-print volumes at the time of writing. The series is popular enough to warrant consistent restocking, and Seven Seas has been reliable about keeping their catalog available.
One more note on format: all 8 English volumes are available as physical paperbacks. Most are also available digitally on platforms like Kindle, Kobo, and BookWalker, though availability may vary by platform due to licensing restrictions — check Seven Seas’ site for current digital availability.
Is the Series Finished?
This matters if you’re the kind of reader who likes to wait for a complete series before starting. The manga is still ongoing in Japan, where new chapters are published regularly on the Cycomi platform before being collected into volumes. The English release from Seven Seas follows behind with translated volumes — meaning when new Japanese volumes come out, English editions arrive some months later.
Your current 8-volume collection will continue to grow as new volumes release. If you prefer to buy everything at once, keep in mind that more volumes are on the way and budget accordingly.
For readers coming from the anime: as mentioned above, the anime covers roughly the first 3 volumes of the manga. Everything from Volume 4 onward is story you haven’t seen yet if the anime is your only experience with the series.
Who Should Collect Fantasy Knockout?
This series isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. Here’s who will get the most out of it:
Comedy-isekai fans — If you love manga where characters get transported to fantasy worlds and the focus is on laughs rather than power fantasies, this is a fantastic pick. The humor is consistent, the premise stays fresh longer than you’d expect, and the character dynamic between Tachibana and Jinguuji is genuinely one of the funniest buddy-comedy setups in recent manga.
Gender-bender fans — The gender-bender element isn’t just a gimmick here. It’s central to the comedy and the character development. Tachibana’s experience navigating the world in a new body is handled with humor and surprising thoughtfulness.
Manga newcomers — If you’re new to manga entirely and looking for a lighter, fun entry point, Fantasy Knockout is a great starting place. Its comedic tone makes it more accessible than darker, more complex series, and the single-volume-at-a-time format means you can try it without a big commitment.
Anime viewers who want more — If you loved the anime and want to continue the story, the manga is waiting for you with 5+ volumes of content beyond what the show covered. You’ll get more jokes, more story, and more of the Tachibana-Jinguuji dynamic that made the show work.
Who might want something different? If you’re looking for serious dark-fantasy stories with high stakes, gritty world-building, and dramatic tension, this isn’t your series. Fantasy Knockout is comedy at its core. The fantasy elements are real and the adventure plotting is solid, but the tone is always tilted toward making you laugh.
For everyone else — grab Volume 1, give it a shot, and see if the premise clicks for you. If you’re laughing by chapter three, you’ve got 7 more volumes of the same energy waiting on the shelf.