Edens Zero
Edens Zero | |
エデンズ ゼロ (Edenzu Zero) | |
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Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by | Hiro Mashima |
Published by | Kodansha |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | June 27, 2018 – present |
Volumes | 10 |
Anime television series |
Edens Zero[a] (Japanese: エデンズ ゼロ, Hepburn: Edenzu Zero) is a Japanese science fiction manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since June 27, 2018, with its chapters collected into ten tankōbon volumes as of June 17, 2020. The manga is published digitally in six other languages as they are released in Japan, with Kodansha USA licensing the series for English publication in North America on Crunchyroll, Comixology, and Amazon Kindle. An anime television series adaptation has been announced.
Synopsis
Setting
Edens Zero takes place in a fictional spacefaring universe inhabited by humans, aliens, and sentient robots. The universe is divided into smaller "cosmoses", with the Sakura Cosmos[Jp. 1] serving as the primary setting. Most planets and locations have futuristic elements, some of which are combined with classic fantasy.Ch. 1 All technology in the series runs on a magical power source called Ether, which forms the basis of the story's "fantasy" aspect;Vol. 1 afterword one recurring device is the B-Cube,[Jp. 2] a video recorder that allows content creators, called "B-Cubers", to access a same-named video sharing website based on YouTube.Ch. 2[4] Ether also causes a variety of planetary phenomena such as airborne rivers of water,Ch. 2 clouds that produce crystal pillars,Ch. 4 and the growth of gargantuan trees visible from space.Ch. 20 Several characters directly harness the Ether in their bodies with Ether Gear,[Jp. 3] a power from the universe's dark ages that grants its users superhuman abilities,Ch. 1 which are further enhanced by a transformative "Overdrive"[Jp. 4] state achieved by pushing their Ether past its critical point.Ch. 81 The universe is also home to various cosmic entities, such as cybernetic dragons that swarm in a sector bordering the Sakura Cosmos called Dragonfall,Ch. 15 and a chronophage[Jp. 5] that devours planets and permanently rewinds their time, creating alternate histories without causing time paradoxes.Ch. 11
Plot
Shiki Granbell is a human Ether Gear user who lives among robots on the planet Granbell, a deserted theme park world in the Sakura Cosmos. One day, the park is visited by two space traveling B-Cubers – Rebecca Bluegarden and her cybernetic cat companion Happy – whom Shiki befriends while they are there recording videos for their online account, Aoneko Channel. After the park's robots force them off the planet to save Shiki from being stranded before their batteries die, Shiki, Rebecca, and Happy set out to explore the universe by searching for Mother, the fabled goddess of the cosmos. In the process, Shiki obtains the interstellar warship Edens Zero – Edens being an acronym for "Ether Drive Eternal Navigation System" – which was captained by his grandfather figure, the mechanical Demon King Ziggy, during a previous search for Mother.
Production
Following the conclusion of his series Fairy Tail on July 26, 2017, Hiro Mashima posted a Tweet on December 31, 2017 promising to start a new series sometime in 2018.[5] After his visit to the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, Mashima revealed that the new series would be "a new form of fantasy", and that the character Plue from his earlier series Rave Master would appear in the manga.[2] On May 14, 2018, Mashima commented on Twitter that he was becoming "a little confused" due to working simultaneously on this series, a Fairy Tail continuation, and another "secret" project. He also stated that he was coming up with new ideas for the series "one after another".[6] On May 30, 2018, Weekly Shōnen Magazine revealed that the series was tentatively titled Eden's Zero.[7]
Media
Manga
The series launched in 2018's 30th issue of Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine on June 27, 2018.[8] The series is published simultaneously in six different languages: English, French, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Brazilian Portuguese.[7][9] North American publisher Kodansha USA has released chapters of the series on digital platforms such as Crunchyroll Manga, ComiXology, and Amazon Kindle.[7] The first tankōbon volume was released on September 14, 2018.[10]
Volume list
No. | Title | Original release date | English release date | ||
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1 | Into the Sky Where Cherry Blossoms Flutter Sakura Mau Sora ni (桜舞うソラに) | September 14, 2018[10][11] 978-4-06-513234-0 ISBN 978-4-06-513235-7 (SE) | November 6, 2018[12] 978-1-63-236756-3 | ||
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Shiki Granbell is raised from childhood by a community of robots at the Granbell Kingdom, an abandoned theme park. The park is visited by two travelers – Rebecca Bluegarden and her robotic cat, Happy – whom Shiki tries to befriend to little avail. The next day, the park's robots turn hostile towards Shiki and Rebecca, declaring revenge against humans for discarding them. Shiki fights back and saves Rebecca with his gravity Ether Gear ability, earning her friendship. After Rebecca and Happy take Shiki off the planet on their spaceship, the Aqua Wing, the robots express satisfaction over Shiki's escape before breaking down, having staged their rebellion to save him from being marooned. The three arrive at the planet Blue Garden and register Shiki into the adventurers guild Shooting Starlight, where Shiki recognizes a hologram of a cosmic goddess called Mother. When the guild disbelieves his supposed encounter with Mother, the three decide to find her and prove her existence, traveling to the planet Norma to acquire a more spaceworthy ship from Rebecca and Happy's benefactor, Professor Weisz Steiner. Upon visiting Weisz's laboratory, they are confronted by a stranger who introduces himself with the professor's name. | |||||
2 | Iron Tears Tetsu no Namida (鉄の涙) | November 16, 2018[13] 978-4-06-513249-4 | February 5, 2019[14] 978-1-63-236757-0 | ||
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Shiki and his friends discover that they have traveled fifty years to Norma's past, identifying the stranger as a younger version of Professor Weisz, who has stolen a briefcase from the criminal Sibir. Shiki accidentally opens the briefcase to find E.M. Pino, an android from their own time period, and defeats Sibir to stop him from exploiting Pino's EMP technology. Shiki's group flees Norma together with Pino and a stowaway Weisz, the latter of whom uses his own Ether Gear, Machina Maker, to upgrade the Aqua Wing and escape a cloudlike barrier surrounding the planet. The group is contacted by Weisz's present self, who explains that Norma itself was reverted to an earlier state by a chronophage, a monster that devours planets' time. The Aqua Wing is then captured by the space pirate Elsie Crimson, who brings the group aboard her ship, the Skull Fairy. Deciding to take the Skull Fairy for themselves, the group eliminates the alien parasites mimicking Elsie and her crew. Elsie congratulates Shiki from her nearby fleet of warships and willingly gives him the Skull Fairy, which she reveals to be his inheritance from his adoptive grandfather, Demon King Ziggy. | |||||
3 | Warship of the Demon King Maō Senkan (魔王戦艦) | February 15, 2019[15] 978-4-06-513875-5 | June 4, 2019[16] 978-1-63-236758-7 | ||
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While cleaning the Skull Fairy with his friends, Shiki unwittingly activates an android named Witch Regret, who reconfigures the ship into its original form, the battleship Edens Zero. Witch tells the crew that before they can navigate the hazardous outer regions of space where Mother is located, they must restore the ship's functions by assembling Witch's group of fellow androids, the Four Shining Stars. When the crew returns to Blue Garden to search for the Shining Star Sister Ivry, Shiki rescues Rebecca's rival B-Cuber Labilia Christy from Jinn, an Ether Gear user from Sister's mercenary group Rogue Out, who capture Rebecca and deliver her with other kidnapped B-Cubers to an alien collector on the lawless planet Guilst. Shiki and his friends travel to Guilst to rescue Rebecca, with Weisz recruiting an Ether Gear user named Homura Kôgetsu, who is familiar with the Edens Zero. Rebecca rallies the B-Cubers to escape and reunites with Shiki, who prepares to battle Sister and her mercenaries. Meanwhile, Witch detects a chronophage approaching the planet. | |||||
4 | New Friends Aratana Nakama-tachi (新たな仲間たち) | April 17, 2019[17] 978-4-06-514881-5 | September 10, 2019[18] 978-1-63-236824-9 | ||
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Weisz and Homura find another android named Sister imprisoned beneath Rogue Out's headquarters, discovering that she has been impersonated by Rogue Out's leader for the past ten years. The real Sister joins Shiki's crew after confronting her imposter, who is killed by Jinn for her deception. The crew and the B-Cubers escape Guilst before it is consumed by the chronophage, which rewinds the planet's time by 1,200 years to a primitive state. The crew then locates Hermit Milon, another of the Four Shining Stars, near Blue Garden; unresponsive to the crew, Hermit has suffered severe psychological trauma and secluded her mind within Digitalis, a virtual planet and server for the simulated reality game Rogue Fantasia. Shiki's team enters the game to search for Hermit, encountering a player named Jamilov who regularly kills the game's other players and sentient non-player characters. | |||||
5 | Fireworks Hanabi (花火) | June 17, 2019[19] 978-4-06-515677-3 | December 10, 2019[20] 978-1-63-236788-4 | ||
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Shiki's team finds Hermit and attempts to bring her out of Rogue Fantasia, but she resists them out of hatred for humans, only to later be taken by Shiki when she is attacked by an army of monsters controlled by Jamilov. Homura appears to betray the team by allying with Jamilov in search of his superior, Drakken Joe of the criminal group Oración Seis Galáctica, but is revealed to be Amira, a government spy impersonating Homura, who chases her away. After using her programming skills to help Shiki defeat the invincible Jamilov by cheating, Hermit agrees to temporarily exit the game for maintenance, but still refuses to rejoin the crew. The Edens Zero is then hacked by Jamilov's real-life persona, Spider, who begins destroying the ship from the inside. Hermit remains reluctant to help, revealing her distrust to be caused by human scientists who used her as a test subject after manipulating her into destroying a planet of robots. After being assured by the crew, Hermit chooses to be their friend and restores the Edens Zero's security systems, humiliating Spider and saving the ship. | |||||
6 | Words Will Give You Strength Kotoba wa Tsuyosa o Ataeru (言葉は強さを与える) | September 17, 2019[21] 978-4-06-516233-0 | February 18, 2020[22] 978-1-63-236833-1 | ||
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Drakken Joe has Spider killed for his loss against the Edens Zero crew, and contacts Noah Glenfield, Shooting Starlight's master, for information on the ship. Meanwhile, the crew travels to the planet Mildian to consult the oracle Xiaomei over the whereabouts of Valkyrie Yuna, the last remaining Shining Star and Homura's mentor. After Shiki's team overcomes a series of battles for Xiaomei, she reveals that Valkyrie is on the planet Sun Jewel. En route to Sun Jewel, the crew rescues a shipwrecked space captain named Connor, who expertly navigates the Edens Zero through a debris field as a shortcut to Sun Jewel, having experience with a similarly named ship called Edens One. Shortly upon arrival, Shiki and Homura thwart a robbery attempt at a casino, which results in the robbers being immediately executed by the planet's ruler, Madame Kurenai, with the superlaser Satellite Blaze. | |||||
7 | I Know You Can Keep Pressing On Kitto Mae e Susumeru (きっと前へ進める) | November 15, 2019[23] 978-4-06-516893-6 | April 7, 2020[24] 978-1-63-236981-9 | ||
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Shiki and Homura are sent to Sun Jewel's labor district to mine metal from alien monsters called Stones as punishment for their violence against the robbers. After being publicly humiliated by Labilia in their search for the pair, Rebecca's group gains the sympathy of Nino, one of Madame Kurenai's elite men, who guides them to the labor district. There, Rebecca's group meets Valkyrie's disciple Paul, who reunites them with Shiki and Homura, allowing them to defeat a giant Stone together. Through a B-Cube recording Paul gives Homura, Shiki's team learns that Valkyrie left in search of Kurenai – revealed to be Homura's long-lost mother – who abandoned Homura and betrayed Valkyrie to rise to power. The team finds Valkyrie's inert body and realizes she has been dead for three years, having sacrificed herself to defend the other prisoners against a horde of Stones unleashed by Kurenai. While Homura mourns, Shiki confronts Kurenai as she prepares to destroy the labor district with Satellite Blaze. | |||||
8 | Someone to Love Aisuru Mono (愛する者) | February 17, 2020[25] 978-4-06-517355-8 | June 9, 2020[26] August 4, 2020 (print)[26][27] 978-1-63-236982-6 | (digital)||
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Satellite Blaze is hijacked by Drakken Joe's ship, the Belial Gore, forcing Madame Kurenai to send the elite Zaiten Three to quash the labor district's resistance movement while she battles Shiki in her Knight Gear mech, the Kurenai Dragoon. Weisz joins his friends after finishing his armored Arsenal Suit, which allows him to defeat Baku, one of the trio. Rebecca is forced to fight Nino during a supply run and defeats him after awakening her own Ether Gear ability, which she names Leaper, while Homura defeats Garrot, the last of the trio, after overcoming her grief. Upon destroying the Kurenai Dragoon, Shiki brings Kurenai to be judged by Homura, who declares Valkyrie to be her true mother and renounces Kurenai; attempting to flee, Kurenai is captured by a gang led by a man whose face she disfigured. The team returns to the Edens Zero to report Valkyrie's death to the other Shining Stars, who accept that they cannot repair or recreate her, and agree to Homura's offer of becoming the new Valkyrie. | |||||
9 | Don't Shed a Tear Nami o Nagasu na (涙を流すな) | April 17, 2020[28] 978-4-06-518522-3 | September 15, 2020[29] 978-1-63-236983-3 | ||
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Rebecca awakens from a cryptic dream about an older Shiki to learn that his team has infiltrated the Belial Gore to investigate Drakken's pursuit of the Edens Zero. The team is quickly discovered by Drakken, who sends a trio of infiltrators aboard the Edens Zero; after Witch defeats the infiltrators, Drakken orders his element-wielding special forces, the Element 4, to capture Shiki's team. Weisz defeats the water user, Laguna, but is shot by the fire user, Fie. The team is sheltered by Sibir's present-day counterpart, who works as a bartender aboard the Belial Gore. Rebecca and Happy set out to deliver medicine that can heal Weisz, but are captured upon arrival by Sylph, the wind user and younger sister of Jinn, who now serves as her assistant under Drakken. While Shiki and Homura attempt to deliver the medicine, Rebecca finds herself and Happy alone in a room with Drakken. | |||||
10 | Our Future Ore-tachi no Mirai (オレたちの未来) | June 17, 2020[30] 978-4-06-519436-2 | December 29, 2020[31] 978-1-64-651037-5 | ||
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Drakken invites Rebecca to join his group so that he can extract her Ether Gear, Cat Leaper; he also shows her a brutally beaten Labilia as a token of goodwill, which horrifies Rebecca. Leaving them under the surveillance of Daichi, the earth-using Element 4 member, Drakken captures Shiki during the latter's battle with Jinn, while Fie and Sylph capture Weisz and Homura, and Sibir is killed for sheltering Weisz. Drakken intimidates Shiki's group into submission by destroying Weisz's medicine and having his arm amputated, and informing the others that his infiltrators aboard the Edens Zero have deactivated the Shining Stars and seized control of the ship, before executing Shiki for his defiance. After one week in captivity, Rebecca unwittingly activates Cat Leaper's power and travels back in time, returning moments before her friends' infiltration of the Belial Gore. Using Rebecca's knowledge of the future, the crew thwarts Drakken's infiltrators and launches a direct assault on the Belial Gore to rescue Labilia. | |||||
11 | Shiki vs. Drakken Shiki vs. Dorakken (シキvs.ドラッケン) | August 17, 2020[32] 978-4-06-520331-6 | March 2, 2021[33] 978-1-64-651038-2 |
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume. They were originally serialized in Japanese in issues of Weekly Shōnen Magazine and in English in issues of Crunchyroll Manga from March to July 2020.
- "4 on 4" (4vs.4)
- "Eye of God" (ゴッドアイ, Goddo Ai)
- "Hermit vs. Fie" (ハーミットvs.ファイ, Hāmitto vs. Fai)
- "Sister vs. Daichi" (シスターvs.ダイチ, Shisutā vs. Daichi)
- "Homura vs. Sylph" (ホムラvs.シルフ, Homura vs. Shirufu)
- "The Sword of Edens" (エデンズの剣, Edenzu no Tsurugi)
- "The Execution Site" (処刑場, Shokeijō)
- "Shiki vs. Drakken" (シキvs.ドラッケン, Shiki vs. Dorakken)
- "Kris Rutherford" (クリス・ラザフォード, Kurisu Razafōdo)
- "A Young Man's Memories" (少年の記憶, Shōnen no Kioku)
- "The Time Is Now" (今がその時, Ima ga Sono Toki)
- "Advent of the Demon King" (魔王降臨, Maō Kōrin)
- "The Pendant" (ペンダント, Pendanto)
- "Edens One"
- "Singularity" (シンギュラリティ, Shingyurariti)
- "Time to Say Goodbye" (別れの時, Wakare no Toki)
- "Clash of the Cosmos" (激闘の宇宙, Gekitō no Sora)
- "The Woman They Called Pirate" (海賊と呼ばれ女, Kaizoku to Yobare Onna)
- "Dragonfall" (ドラゴンフォール, Doragonfōru)
Anime
On June 12, 2020, Mashima announced on Twitter that the manga would be adapted into an anime television series.[34]
Reception
In Japan, the first volume of Edens Zero reached 13th place on the weekly Oricon chart with 30,178 copies sold.[35] The second volume ranked 16th with 41,506 copies sold,[36] and the third volume at 18th place with 31,316 copies.[37]
The first volume received a mixed response from critics on Anime News Network, where it was rated on a 1 to 5 scale. Amy McNulty gave the volume a 3.5 rating, calling it a "solid start" and praising the story's pacing, characters, and art, while adding that it "may not blow anyone away". McNulty also commented on Mashima's similar visual and design choices to Fairy Tail—which she noted could be taken negatively—but opined that the manga could benefit from readers' familiarity with Fairy Tail, and found it accessible to new readers of Mashima's work. Rebecca Silverman, who also rated it 3.5, considered the manga to be Mashima's darkest work, and praised him for using themes that "helped make his previous series Fairy Tail work so well", citing Shiki and Rebecca's complementary backgrounds as orphans as an example. However, she expressed slight concerns over the story potentially becoming confusing for readers with the volume's implications of time travel and flash-forward cliffhanger. Faye Hopper, who gave the volume a 3 rating, found that the shift from "high fantasy pastiche to Star Wars reminiscent sci-fi" helped enrich the story, but criticized Mashima's humor and adherence to shōnen manga conventions. Teresa Navarro gave it a 2 rating, finding the characters and art style to be nearly identical to those in Fairy Tail, but considering its potential to gain a cult following from fans of the shōnen genre.[3]
Works cited
- ^ "Ch." and "Vol." are a shortened forms for chapter and volume of the Edens Zero manga
Notes
- ^ Written in all caps in English publications by Kodansha USA.Vol. 3, 4, 6 afterwords
- Japanese
References
- ^ "Edens Zero". Kodansha USA. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
It's here! The creator of Fairy Tail, manga superstar Hiro Mashima, is back with a high-flying space adventure!
- ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 28, 2018). "Hiro Mashima Teases More Details About Planned New Work". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Bertschy, Zac (November 29, 2018). "Edens Zero - The Fall 2018 Manga Guide". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (July 17, 2019). "German YouTuber Nino Kerl Makes Cameo in Mashima's Edens Zero Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (December 31, 2017). "Fairy Tail Creator Hiro Mashima: 'I'll Work Hard to Launch a New Manga Next Year'". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (May 14, 2018). "Fairy Tail Manga's Hiro Mashima Teases 'Secret' Project". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (May 29, 2018). "Hiro Mashima's New Manga Gets Tentative Title, Simultaneous Release in 5 Languages". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 5, 2018). "Hiro Mashima Launches New Manga on June 27, Also Plans Fairy Tail Sequel & Spinoff Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "#NovidadeJBC: Edens Zero!!! - Henshin". Henshin (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- ^ a b EDENS ZERO (1). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (1)特装版. Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ "Edens Zero 1". Penguin Random House. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (2). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ "Edens Zero 2". Penguin Random House. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (3). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ "Edens Zero 3". Penguin Random House. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (4). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Edens Zero 4". Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (5). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ "Edens Zero 5". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO (6). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Edens Zero 6". Penguin Random House. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO(7). Kodansha. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "Edens Zero 7". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO(8). Kodansha. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Sherman, Jennifer; Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 4, 2020). "Kodansha USA Delays Spring, Summer Print Manga Releases". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ "Edens Zero 8". Penguin Random House. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO(9). Kodansha. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Edens Zero 9". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ EDENS ZERO(10). Kodansha. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Edens Zero 10". Penguin Random House. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ EDENS ZERO(11). Kodansha. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Edens Zero 11". Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 12, 2020). "Hiro Mashima's Edens Zero Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (September 19, 2018). "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 10-16". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (November 21, 2018). "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 12-18". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (February 27, 2019). "Japanese Comic Ranking, February 11-17". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
External links
- Official page at Weekly Shōnen Magazine (in Japanese)
- Edens Zero (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia