Yu Kamiya’s beloved No Game No Life light novel series is making an epic comeback with Volume 13 set to drop in April 2026—the first fresh installment after a three-year-plus wait since Volume 12 landed in February 2023.
Fans have been counting down through the long hiatus, and now the gamer siblings Sora and Shiro are poised to return to Disboard’s high-stakes world. This long-awaited continuation promises to pick up the strategic thrills and sibling synergy that made the series a standout hit.
No Game No Life, crafted by author Yuu Kamiya, stands as a captivating Japanese light novel series released under the MF Bunko J label. It launched with its first volume in April 2012 and continued through twelve main installments up to February 2023, with Volume 13 now confirmed for April 2026 after a lengthy hiatus.
In 2013, Yuu Kamiya teamed up with his wife, Mashiro Hiiragi, to bring the story to life as a manga adaptation serialized in Monthly Comic Alive. That same year brought exciting news of an anime version produced by Madhouse, which aired on AT-X from April to July 2014 and reached international fans via Crunchyroll simulcast. The franchise expanded further with No Game No Life: Zero, a 2017 theatrical film adapting the sixth light novel volume, hitting screens on July 15.
A fun spinoff manga titled No Game No Life, Please! centered on the character Izuna and ran from May 2015 to November 2017.
For English-speaking audiences, the series found homes with multiple publishers: Seven Seas Entertainment handled the manga, Sentai Filmworks took on the anime, and Yen Press secured rights to the light novels.
At its core, the tale centers on the unbeatable gaming duo known as Blank—comprising the reclusive genius siblings Sora and his stepsister Shiro. Transported to the fantastical world of Disboard after defeating a god of games in chess, they discover a realm where violence, theft, and murder are outlawed, with every dispute, border, and even life itself resolved through high-stakes games.
Determined to preserve their flawless record, Sora and Shiro set their sights on challenging and defeating the sixteen ruling races to ultimately dethrone the god who rules over everything.
The series quickly gained traction, earning spots in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! rankings starting in 2014 and seeing its volumes rank among Japan’s top-selling light novels. Circulation figures climbed impressively, surpassing 6 million copies (including light novels and manga combined) as reported in 2021. The English releases of the manga and anime earned strong praise too: the manga landed on The New York Times Manga Best Sellers list, while critics who watched the full anime series often lauded the sharp character interplay, clever game tactics, and fluid animation—though many noted discomfort with the fan service involving the young Shiro. Initial reactions to the premiere episode were mixed, but the overall reception highlighted the series’ strategic depth and sibling dynamic as standout strengths.
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