In a fantasy world of dungeon exploration, guilds go out on expeditions to raid dungeons. Many hope to find the mysterious Golden Kingdom, which is said to be the treasure of a certain island dungeon.
The story begins as a group of six adventurers attempt to slay a dragon; however, they are forced to escape, losing the leader's sister, Falin (a tallman spellcaster), to the dragon's stomach. After this failure, two members of the group leave to join another band of adventurers, leaving only the leader Laios (a tallman swordsman), Chilchuck (a halfling locksmith), and Marcille (an elven spellcaster) to grieve over Laios’ sister, Falin.
Feeling indebted to their close teammate Falin, who used magic to teleport the team outside to safety, the remainder of the team brainstorms how to get back to the dungeon level with the dragon in time to save Falin from digestion. Much like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the team members must consider the cost of weapons, defense, recruitment fees for more team members, and food.
With the majority of their supplies left behind in the dungeon, their mission seems impossible - until Laios suggests they sustain themselves by finding food inside the dungeon. Laios has secretly wanted to eat dungeon monsters for a long time, and presents Chilchuck and Marcille with a cookbook about making meals from monsters in an attempt to convince them of his plan. They agree reluctantly, and return to the dungeon.
The first floor of the dungeon is filled with adventurers and resembles a marketplace; this is where the team meets and joins Senshi, a dwarf who has 10 years of experience sustaining himself in the dungeon by cooking monsters and harvesting food.
The story then details their travels through the dungeon, the environments, traps, and monsters they encounter, and the meals they create. The pros and cons of these meals, and the characters' reactions to them, provide a running gag.
Characters
Laios (ライオス, Raiosu)
A tallman, or human, who must venture deep into a dungeon to rescue his sister Falin before she is digested by the red dragon that defeated his party. Laios is a strong fighter and the leader of the party. He is a very calm and gentle person who is excited to try different monster meals. He often uses the knowledge gained from cooking monsters to develop techniques to defeat them. He tends to speak very quickly when excited.
Marcille (マルシル, Marushiru)
A half-elfmagician who fights with magic cast from a tall wooden staff. She is a cautious and timid person who is usually hesitant and even sometimes unwilling to eat monsters. She is an original member of Laios’ party.
Chilchuck (チルチャック, Chiruchakku)
A halfling locksmith with good dexterity and keen senses. Chilchuck disables traps, finds hidden pathways, pickpockets for the group. He is a fairly calm and laid back person, but doesn’t like it when other people take over his job or take needless risks. He avoids combat as a rule, but can use a bow and arrow. He is an original member of Laios’ party.
Senshi (センシ, Senshi)
A dwarf warrior who joins the party so he can fulfill his dream of cooking the red dragon Laios and his party have set out to kill. Senshi has an immense knowledge of the dungeon and the monsters within it, and is an expert chef. He typically fights with a large axe but always carries a pot and cooking utensils. He makes sure the party are well fed and have a balanced diet to keep them going through the dungeon.
Falin (ファリン, Farin)
A human spell-caster and Laios' sister, who was eaten by a red dragon at the bottom of the dungeon after using her magic to teleport the rest of the party to safety. Laios and his party are on a journey to rescue and revive her before the month-long digestion cycle of the dragon ends and she can no longer be resurrected.
Kensuke (ケン助, Kensuke)
A mollusk monster from the 'living armor' monsters that now lives in the hilt of Laios' sword.
Media
Ryōko Kui began publishing the series in Enterbrain's Harta magazine on February 15, 2014.[2][3] North American publisher Yen Press announced their license to the series on October 28, 2016.[4]
Volume 1 reached the 11th place on the weekly Oricon manga charts[26] and it was the 87th best-selling manga volume in Japan from November 17, 2014 to May 17, 2015, with 315,298 copies sold.[27] As of August 16, 2015, it had sold 381,614 copies.[28] Volume 2 reached the 3rd place on the charts[28] and, as of September 17, 2015, had sold 362,906 copies.[29] As of August 2017, the first 4 volumes had over 2 million copies in print.[30]
The manga was chosen as the 13th best manga of 2015 in the Book of the Year manga ranking of Da Vinci magazine.[31] The 2016 edition of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook ranked the series at number one on its list of top 20 manga for male readers.[32]
Promotion
The series received a 30 second animated commercial by Studio Trigger to promote the release of the 8th volume in 2019. The video can be found reuploaded on YouTube.[33]
A book trailer was also made by Yen Press in 2018, titled "SENSHI's easy cooking". This video featured Senshi preparing a meal with a walking mushroom and can be found on the official Yen Press YouTube channel.
