Devilman Manga Volumes: All 5 Volumes Explained in Full
Devilman has 5 volumes and 53 chapters total. The series is complete and has been since 1973. No new volumes are coming — this is a finished work.
Created by Go Nagai and Dynamic Productions (his creative studio), Devilman was originally published chapter-by-chapter — a process called serialization — in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine, a Japanese magazine aimed at young male readers. Serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine began in June 1972 and ran through June 1973 — roughly twelve months from first chapter to last. The tankobon volumes were then collected and published from December 1972 (Vol. 1) through September 1973 (Vol. 5). For a manga that helped define an entire genre, it’s remarkably tight.
In Japan, the publisher Kodansha collected the series into 5 tankobon volumes — tankobon being the standard collected book format for manga in Japan, similar to a trade paperback. In English, publisher Seven Seas released the series as Devilman: The Classic Collection — a set of 2 oversized omnibus volumes. An omnibus is a single larger book that collects multiple standard volumes into one. Between the two Classic Collection omnibuses, all 5 original Japanese volumes are included.
So the short version: 5 original volumes, 2 English omnibus books, one complete story. That’s the whole thing.
All 5 Devilman Manga Volumes at a Glance
Here’s every volume with its original Japanese release date and what each one covers:
| Volume | JP Release Date | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | December 1972 | Akira Fudo’s transformation into Devilman and his first battles against demons emerging into the human world |
| Vol. 2 | December 1972 | Continued demon encounters and escalating supernatural threats as Akira struggles to protect those around him |
| Vol. 3 | March 1973 | The conflict intensifies as the demonic presence becomes harder to conceal from human society |
| Vol. 4 | July 1973 | Society begins to fracture under the weight of fear and paranoia, leading to mass hysteria and mob violence |
| Vol. 5 | September 1973 | The apocalyptic finale — one of the bleakest and most devastating endings in manga history |
A few things worth noting about this release schedule. Volumes 1 and 2 came out in the same month — December 1972, when the first tankobon volumes were published. After that, volumes dropped every few months until the series wrapped in September 1973 with Volume 5.
All five tankobon volumes were published within about nine months — from December 1972 to September 1973. That makes Devilman one of the most compact landmark manga you’ll ever come across. For comparison, many dark fantasy manga series that Devilman directly influenced — the manga series Berserk, for instance — ran for decades. If you’re coming from longer-running dark fantasy series, 53 chapters might sound brief. Don’t let that fool you. Go Nagai packed an extraordinary amount of narrative and emotional weight into this run. Every chapter counts, and the pacing is relentless — there is no filler here.
Original Japanese Volumes vs. English Classic Collection
This is where things get practical for English-speaking readers. There are two different edition formats to know about, and understanding which original volumes are in which English book matters for your purchase.
The Original Japanese Tankobon (5 Volumes)
The original Kodansha publication split the series into 5 standard-sized tankobon volumes. These are the Japanese editions that were released between December 1972 and September 1973. Unless you’re reading in Japanese or collecting vintage manga, these aren’t the editions you’ll be looking for.
The Seven Seas Classic Collection (2 Omnibus Volumes)
For English readers, Seven Seas’ Classic Collection is the edition to get. It’s a hardcover set that collects the complete 5-volume run into just 2 oversized omnibus books:
- Classic Collection Vol. 1 contains the material from original Japanese Volumes 1–3
- Classic Collection Vol. 2 contains the material from original Japanese Volumes 4–5
That means you can own the entire Devilman manga in two purchases — no hunting down individual volumes, no worrying about a single book going out of print while you wait on the rest.
The Classic Collection’s hardcover format is larger than standard manga volumes, which gives Go Nagai’s artwork more room on the page. For a series where the visual storytelling is this important — the demonic transformations, the apocalyptic imagery, the intense action sequences that leap off the page — the bigger size genuinely matters. You can see details in the artwork that would be cramped in a standard-sized edition.
What Is Dark Fantasy, and Why Does Devilman Belong to It?
You’ll see Devilman described as “dark fantasy” everywhere. Dark fantasy is a genre that blends supernatural or fantastical elements with horror, dread, and morally bleak storytelling. Where standard fantasy might feature heroes triumphing over evil, dark fantasy leans into suffering, moral ambiguity, and worlds where the darkness often wins. Devilman is one of the earliest manga to establish this template — demons, transformation, existential despair, and a story that refuses to offer easy comfort.
A Quick Note on Spinoffs
If you’re browsing for Devilman manga and seeing titles like Devilman Grimoire or Devilman VS Hades, those are separate spinoff works. They are not part of the original 5-volume Devilman series. The core story that everyone talks about — the one that influenced generations of dark fantasy manga — is contained entirely within those 5 original volumes (or 2 Classic Collection omnibuses).
How Dark Does Devilman Get?
Very. This needs to be said plainly because the series originally ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine (a magazine for younger male readers), which might suggest it’s aimed at a younger audience. It is not — at least, not by modern standards. Across its 5 volumes, Devilman is intense, mature, and unflinching.
What to Expect Across All 5 Volumes
Devilman is one of the manga that defined dark fantasy’s approach to demonic transformation, body horror (a subgenre focused on disturbing physical mutation, fusion, and grotesque changes to the human body), and apocalyptic despair. The series contains:
- Extreme violence and graphic body horror throughout — demonic fusions, grotesque transformations, and visceral battle sequences
- Escalating darkness — the story starts intense and gets progressively bleaker as it moves through the volumes
- Mass hysteria and mob violence in the later volumes, depicting humanity’s worst impulses under existential threat
- One of the bleakest endings in manga history — this is not a story that pulls its punches at the finish line
The shift in tone as the series progresses through its 5 volumes is part of what makes it so powerful. Early chapters establish the supernatural horror premise, but by the final volumes, Devilman becomes something much more disturbing — a story about what happens to human society when fear takes over. The real horror isn’t the demons.
Its Legacy
Devilman’s influence on dark fantasy manga is enormous. Manga series like Berserk, Parasyte, and countless other works in the genre owe a direct debt to what Go Nagai established here. If you’ve enjoyed any dark fantasy manga from the past several decades, you’re reading something that was shaped — directly or indirectly — by this 5-volume series from 1972–1973.
For readers who already enjoy dark fantasy and want to understand where the genre comes from, Devilman is the source. The graphic violence and bleak storytelling are integral to the story’s impact, not gratuitous additions. If you’re drawn to this genre, this series is where it started.
Where to Buy Devilman Manga Volumes in English
The Seven Seas Classic Collection is the current English edition of Devilman. It’s available through major retailers including Amazon and other online bookstores, and since the entire series is collected in just 2 hardcover omnibus volumes, this is one of the most affordable classic dark fantasy manga to own in full.
Think about what that means practically: two books, and you have the complete Devilman manga volumes. No tracking down 20+ volumes, no waiting for reprints of a middle volume that went out of stock. Two purchases and you’re done.
Classic Collection Vol. 1 covers original Volumes 1–3, taking you from Akira’s transformation through the escalating demon conflict. This is where you start.
Classic Collection Vol. 2 covers original Volumes 4–5, where the series reaches its devastating climax and that legendary ending. If you’re going to read Devilman — and if you have any interest in dark fantasy manga’s history, you really should — this is the way to do it in English.
Devilman
Picking up both Classic Collection volumes is genuinely all you need to own every Devilman manga volume in English. For a manga that helped shape an entire genre, the barrier to entry is remarkably low. Two hardcover books, 53 chapters across 5 original volumes, one unforgettable story. Start with Vol. 1 and see for yourself why this series from 1972 still resonates with readers over fifty years later.