Fans who have been clamoring for an English release of the Japan-exclusive manga “Destroy All Humans. They Can't Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga” are in luck. Viz Media just announced that an official translation will hit Western shores in Fall 2024 and will come with an exclusive card in the first volume.
The manga, which first ran in Kadokawa’s Monthly Shonen Ace magazine as a single issue in mid-2018, began serialization in November of the same year and found a fervent audience that has carried it through to its recently released 14th volume. Written by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yakota, the manga centers on the rivalry and friendship between two students at a Japanese high school circa 2000.
Each volume apparently included a Japanese-language MTG promo card, many of which were classics like Shock, Worn Powerstone, and Counterspell (MTG Arena Zone has posted a full list, by volume). Western fans have made do with community translations, but now it looks like MTG publisher Wizards of the Coast will be bridging the language gap while still retaining the promo cards from the original. Whether or not this will match or include some of the Japanese-exclusive releases and anime-style artwork that has become increasingly common in recent years remains to be seen.
Rather than going the route of Yu-Gi-Oh!, where the world of the card game diegetically collides with reality with dramatic results, “Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated” celebrates the communal aspect of MTG players. Protagonists Hajime Kano and Emi Sawatari come from very different cliques, but find common ground at the table with the help of a deck of cards. That social dynamic, plus the nostalgia for MTG’s early days, seems to be the real meat of the manga.
Viz Media hasn't provided a specific release date for the first volume, nor a timeline for adapting the other 14 existing books in the series. The company teased the news with the cover of the original, so fans can likely expect a faithful adaptation that retains as much of the original as possible.
Japan boasts the second-largest MTG 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 given out via a Hobby Store event to accompany the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set. Others, like the Hatsune Miku Secret Lair drops, allowed both sides of the Pacific Ocean to join in on the fun.