If you’ve been eyeing Future Diary (未来日記) and wondering whether it’s a completed story or still running — good news. The series is done, and has been for over a decade. So yes, the Future Diary manga is finished. But there’s a catch that English-speaking readers really need to know about before jumping in.
Let’s break it all down.
Yes — Future Diary Manga Is Finished (It Ended in April 2011)
Future Diary is a completed manga. No cliffhanger limbo, no indefinite hiatus, no “will-they-won’t-they-continue” uncertainty. The story is fully told and wrapped up.
Created by Sakae Esuno, Future Diary was originally published chapter-by-chapter — a process called serialization — in Monthly Shonen Ace, a manga magazine aimed at teenage boys, starting from the March 2006 issue. Serialization concluded with the February 2011 issue of the magazine (released in December 2010), and the final collected volume was released in April 2011. Over that span, the series was collected across 12 volumes in Japan, published by KADOKAWA.
That’s the straightforward version. The story has a beginning, middle, and definitive end. If you’re the kind of reader who hates starting a series that might never finish — Future Diary doesn’t have that problem.
The survival game plays out in full. Every major plot thread gets resolved. You won’t be left hanging.
Now, with all that said, there is one very real complication for English readers — and it’s a big one. We’ll get to that in the volume breakdown below. But as far as the source material goes? Done. Complete. Finished in 2011.
How Future Diary Ends — A Spoiler-Light Overview
I won’t ruin the ending for you, but here’s enough context to know what you’re getting into.
Future Diary is a survival game story — a type of narrative where characters are forced into a deadly competition with strict rules and elimination. Twelve people receive supernatural diaries that predict the future in different ways, and they must fight until only one remains. The last one standing inherits the throne of Deus Ex Machina — the name of the god figure in this story who created the game — essentially becoming God. The entire manga builds toward a single question: who wins, and what does that victory actually mean?
The finale directly grapples with themes of godhood, sacrifice, and obsessive love. If you’ve heard anything about Yuno Gasai — the series’ most iconic character — you know that her relationship with the main character Yukiteru is the emotional engine of the whole story. The ending puts that relationship through its ultimate test.
Without spoiling specifics: expect a bittersweet resolution. The ending has divided fans over the years — some find it deeply satisfying, and others feel it leans too hard into bleakness. But many readers who initially felt unsatisfied changed their minds after experiencing the epilogue (more on that below). The core tension between fate and free will gets a definitive answer, and how it lands will depend on what you want from the story.
What About Future Diary: Redial?
Many fans will tell you: the manga ending isn’t the full picture.
Future Diary: Redial is a single-volume sequel/epilogue manga that provides additional closure beyond the main series’ final pages. Many fans consider Redial to be the “true” ending of the story — it softens and recontextualizes the main series’ conclusion in a way that feels more complete.
Redial was also adapted as an OVA — short for “original video animation,” which is a standalone anime episode released separately from the main TV series, usually on home video or streaming. The Redial OVA is available with English subtitles, making it accessible even if you can’t find the manga chapter in English. If you finish Future Diary and feel uncertain about how things wrap up, seek out the Redial OVA before making your final judgment. It changes the emotional landing significantly.
The Redial manga volume was never officially released in English, so the OVA is the practical way for English-speaking readers to experience this epilogue.
How Many Volumes Does Future Diary Have?
This is where things get complicated — and where English readers especially need to pay attention.
Japanese Edition: 12 Volumes (Complete)
In Japan, Future Diary is collected in 12 volumes (called tankoubon — the standard collected book format for manga, similar to a trade paperback for comics), all published by KADOKAWA. The final volume came out in April 2011, several months after serialization concluded in the magazine. If you read Japanese, you can experience the full story in manga form without any gaps.
English Edition: 10 Volumes (Incomplete — Publisher Went Bankrupt)
Here’s the catch. The English edition was published by TOKYOPOP, and they released only 10 of the 12 volumes before the company shut down its North American publishing operations.
Volumes 11 and 12 were never officially translated into English.
This isn’t a minor omission. Those final two volumes contain the climax and conclusion of the entire story. The English release gets you roughly through the first 80% of the narrative, but cuts off right before everything pays off. Everything the first ten volumes build toward — the final battles, the resolution of Yukiteru and Yuno’s relationship, the answer to who becomes God — all of it lives in those two untranslated volumes.
Why can’t another publisher simply release those final volumes? In manga publishing, a company must acquire a license — essentially, legal permission from the Japanese rights holder — to translate and sell a series in a specific market. When TOKYOPOP ceased its North American publishing operations, that license lapsed, and no other English-language publisher has publicly announced picking it up. It’s been over a decade, so while never say never, expectations should be tempered.
Why This Matters
| Detail | Japan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Total Volumes | 12 | 10 |
| Publisher | KADOKAWA | TOKYOPOP |
| Status | Complete | Incomplete (stopped due to publisher bankruptcy) |
| Story Coverage | Full story | Missing final 2 volumes (climax and ending) |
For a series that’s entirely built around “who wins the survival game,” not having the ending available in English is a real problem. But there is a solution — and it’s actually a pretty good one.
Where to Start Reading Future Diary
The good news: Future Diary has no complicated reading order. It’s a single, linear series. Start with Volume 1, read through in order, and you’re set.
Here’s the practical breakdown for English readers:
Volumes 1–9 (Digital) and Volume 10 (Out of Print)
The original TOKYOPOP print editions are out of print — meaning the publisher is no longer manufacturing new copies, so physical copies are scarce and prices can vary widely. Viz Media now holds the English license and has released the series digitally, with Volumes 1 through 9 available through major e-book retailers.
Future Diary, Vol. 9 (VIZ Kindle)
Volume 10 — the last English-language volume, originally published by TOKYOPOP — is not part of the current Viz digital catalog. Physical copies of the TOKYOPOP print edition can sometimes be found on the secondhand market, but they are out of print and availability is unpredictable. For most readers shopping through current storefronts, Volume 9 is effectively the last volume you can buy.
That gets you roughly 75% of the way through the story — deep into the narrative’s final stretch but before the climax resolves.
After the English Volumes: The Anime Completes the Story
Since volumes 11 and 12 were never translated into English, the anime adaptation — the animated TV series based on the manga — becomes the most practical way to experience the complete story in English.
The Future Diary anime (also called Mirai Nikki) covers the full manga storyline, including all the material from those untranslated final volumes. It’s a faithful adaptation that hits all the major plot points. While the manga and anime have some differences in pacing and presentation, the story beats and ending are the same. The anime is available for streaming on Crunchyroll with both English subtitles and an English dub.
So the recommended path for English readers looks like this:
- Read Volumes 1–9 in English via Viz digital (Volume 10 is out of print)
- Watch the anime for the complete story, especially the final stretch
- Watch the Redial OVA for the epilogue that many fans consider essential
Alternatively, if you just want the most streamlined experience: watch the anime from the beginning. It covers everything. But the manga has its own strengths — Esuno’s artwork carries a raw, unsettling energy that the anime doesn’t always capture, and the chapter-by-chapter pacing of the original publication gives certain story beats more room to breathe.
For the Complete Manga-Only Experience
If you absolutely want to read the entire story in manga form, the Japanese edition (all 12 volumes) is the only option. This obviously requires Japanese reading ability, but it’s worth mentioning for bilingual readers or those studying the language.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Future Diary getting a sequel?
No. There is no ongoing sequel to Future Diary, and none has been announced. The only continuation beyond the main 12-volume series is Future Diary: Redial, the single-volume epilogue manga. Sakae Esuno has moved on to other works since Future Diary concluded.
Will Volumes 11–12 ever get an English release?
Viz Media currently holds the English license for Future Diary and has released volumes digitally, but volumes 11 and 12 have not been included. There has been no public announcement about completing the English manga release. While it’s not impossible — the license is active — there’s no current indication that the final two volumes are forthcoming.
Is the anime a complete adaptation of the manga?
Yes. The Future Diary anime adapts the full manga storyline across its run, including the content from volumes 11 and 12 that never received an English manga release. The Redial epilogue was also adapted as a separate OVA. Between the TV series and the OVA, the anime covers the entire Future Diary story.
Is Future Diary dark fantasy?
Yes. The premise revolves around a survival game orchestrated by a god, with contestants wielding supernatural diaries that predict the future. The series features psychological horror elements, graphic violence, and deeply disturbing character dynamics. The supernatural elements aren’t window dressing — they’re the structural foundation of the entire plot, driving every character’s actions and the story’s escalating tension.
Is Future Diary worth reading if I’ve already seen the anime?
The manga offers a different experience. The art style has a grittier, more visceral quality, and some character moments land differently on the page versus on screen. If you enjoyed the anime, reading the manga gives you a chance to sit with the story at your own pace. The first ten volumes in English cover most of the story, and the reading experience complements the anime well even if you already know how things end.