Japanese Magic: The Gathering manga about rivals-to-friendship gets an official English release

Fans who have been clamoring for an English release of the Japanese-exclusive manga "Destroy All Humans. They Can't Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga", rejoice. Viz Media just announced that an official translation will reach Western shores in Fall 2024 and will come with an exclusive card in the first volume.

First released in Kadokawa’s Monthly Shonen Ace magazine as a single issue in mid-2018, the manga picked up a serialized run in November of the same year and found a fervent audience that has carried it into its recently published 14th volume. Written by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yakota, the manga focuses on the rivalry and friendship between two students at a Japanese middle school around the year 2000.

Every volume apparently included a promotional Japanese-language MTG card, many of them classic staples such as Shock, Worn Powerstone and Counterspell (MTG Arena Zone has published a full list, by volume). Western fans have made do with community translations, but now it seems that MTG’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, will bridge the language gap while also preserving the original’s promo cards. We don’t yet know if it’ll match up or include some of the Japanese-only releases and anime-style artworks that have become increasingly prevalent over the last few years.

Instead of taking the route of Yu-Gi-Oh!, in which the world of the card game diegetically crashes into reality with dramatic results, "Destroy All Humans. They Can't Be Regenerated” celebrates the community aspect of MTG players. Protagonists Hajime Kano and Emi Sawatari come from vastly different cliques but find commonality across the table with the help of a deck of cards. That social dynamic, plus the nostalgia of MTG’s early days, seems to be the manga’s real juice.

Viz Media has not provided a specific launch date for the first volume, nor a timeline for adapting the other 14 existing books in the series. The company promoted the news with the original’s cover art, so fans can likely expect a faithful adaptation that preserves as much as possible.

Japan contain’s MTG’s second-largest player base outside of the US and has enjoyed plenty of region-specific promotions that have left Western audiences green with envy. Most recently, Cowboy Bebop-themed accessories and cards were awarded through a hobby store event to accompany the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set. Others, such as the Hatsune Miku Secret Lair drops, let both sides of the Pacific Ocean join in the fun.