So I'm a Spider, So What? (蜘蛛ですが、なにか?, Kumo Desu ga, Nanika?) is a Japanese light novel isekai series written by Okina Baba and illustrated by Tsukasa Kiryu. The story follows a class that is killed in a mysterious explosion and reincarnated into another world with one girl reincarnated as a dungeon spider. The spider evolves and ends up having a significant influence on the world, becoming one of its most powerful creatures, while the students and their teacher deal with the fallout from her actions and those of other armies. The series has received a manga adaptation, and an anime television series adaptation produced by Millepensee aired from January to July 2021.
Contents
- 1 Synopsis
- 2 List of Published Books
- 2.1 Novel
- 2.2 Manga
- 3 Style
- 4 Character
- 4.1 Abilities
- 5 TV Anime
- 6 Game
- 7 Reception
- 8 External Links
- 9 See Also
- 10 Trivia
Synopsis[]
The last thing that a high school girl remembers is a strange explosion ripping through her classroom. In the aftermath of the tragedy, she finds herself reborn as a lowly spider hatchling, one amongst thousands in a vast cave. Furthermore, the world she is reincarnated into is a point-based skill system, prompting her to level up as quickly as possible if she is to survive the treacherous environment and persevere in the face of insurmountable odds.
Thus begins a little spider's journey of clawing, biting, and plotting her way to the top. Forced to confront the powerful beings that reign over the Great Elroe Labyrinth and beyond, she will gradually uncover the truth behind the mysterious fantasy world and the explosion that sent her there.
List of Published Books[]
Novel[]
Okina Baba originally serialized the series as a web novel on the user-generated content site Shōsetsuka ni Narō starting on May 27, 2015. Fujimi Shobo acquired the series for print publication, and published the first light novel, with illustrations by Tsukasa Kiryu, in December 2015. Yen Press announced during their panel at Sakura-Con on April 15, 2017, that they had licensed the series. The series' main story ended with its 16th volume released on January 8, 2022.
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | December 10, 2015 | 978-4-04-070829-4 | November 21, 2017 | 978-0-316-41289-6 |
Limited | Released on the Same day | 978-4-04-073930-4 | — | — |
2 | March 10, 2016 | 978-4-04-070849-2 | March 27, 2018 | 978-0-316-44288-6 |
Limited | December 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-073931-1 | — | — |
3 | July 9, 2016 | 978-4-04-070942-0 | July 31, 2018 | 978-0-316-44290-9 |
4 | October 8, 2016 | 978-4-04-072062-3 | November 27, 2018 | 978-0-316-44291-6 |
5 | February 10, 2017 | 978-4-04-072186-6 | March 19, 2019 | 978-1-9753-0194-1 |
6 | June 9, 2017 | 978-4-04-072325-9 | August 20, 2019 | 978-1-9753-0196-5 |
7 | October 10, 2017 | 978-4-04-072482-9 | December 3, 2019 | 978-1-9753-0199-6 |
8 | March 10, 2018 | 978-4-04-072483-6 | March 31, 2020 | 978-1-9753-0955-8 |
9 | July 10, 2018 | 978-4-04-072792-9 | September 1, 2020 | 978-1-9753-1035-6 |
10 | January 10, 2019 | 978-4-04-072794-3 | November 17, 2020 | 978-1-9753-1037-0 |
11 | July 10, 2019 | 978-4-04-072795-0 | March 23, 2021 | 978-1-9753-1038-7 |
12 | January 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-072795-0 | July 20, 2021 | 978-1-97-532182-6 |
13 | July 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-073699-0 | January 18, 2022 | 978-1-97-533985-2 |
EX 1 | December 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-073564-1 | — | — |
14 | January 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-073926-7 | June 21, 2022 | 978-1-97-534175-6 |
DRAMA CD | Released on the Same day | 978-4-04-073932-8 | — | — |
15 | December 10, 2021 | 978-4-04-074354-7 | November 22, 2022 | 978-1-97-535216-5 |
Illustration Booklet | Released on the Same day | 978-4-04-074371-4 | — | — |
16 | January 8, 2022 | 978-4-04-074356-1 | June 20, 2023 | 978-1-97-535218-9 |
Short Story | Released on the Same day | 978-4-04-074372-1 | — | — |
EX 2 | February 10, 2023 | 978-4-04-074852-8 | — | — |
LN Vol. 1
「Limited 1」
LN Vol. 2
「Limited 2」
LN Vol. 3
LN Vol. 4
LN Vol. 5
LN Vol. 6
LN Vol. 7
LN Vol. 8
LN Vol. 9
LN Vol. 10
LN Vol. 11
LN Vol. 12
LN Vol. 13
「EX 1」
LN Vol. 14
「DRAMA CD」
LN Vol. 15
「LN Illustration Book」
「LN Vol. 16
「Short Story」
「EX 2」
Includes setting materials collection, store bonus SS collection, and author interview.
Manga[]
Asahiro Kakashi launched a manga adaptation of the web novels on the Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up manga website on December 22, 2015. The manga is also licensed by Yen Press.
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | July 9, 2016 | 978-4-04-104551-0 | December 19, 2017 | 978-0-316-41419-7 |
2 | December 3, 2016 | 978-4-04-104885-6 | April 10, 2018 | 978-0-316-52109-3 |
3 | June 9, 2017 | 978-4-04-105646-2 | July 24, 2018 | 978-1-9753-5336-0 |
4 | December 29, 2017 | 978-4-04-106395-8 | October 30, 2018 | 978-1-9753-0209-2 |
5 | July 10, 2018 | 978-4-04-107058-1 | March 19, 2019 | 978-1-9753-0350-1 |
6 | January 10, 2019 | 978-4-04-107061-1 | August 6, 2019 | 978-1-9753-5826-6 |
7 | July 10, 2019 | 978-4-04-107059-8 | March 24, 2020 | 978-1-9753-1118-6 |
8 | March 3, 2020 | 978-4-04-108936-1 | August 18, 2020 | 978-1-9753-1556-6 |
9 | October 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-109922-3 | April 20, 2021 | 978-1-9753-2423-0 |
10 | April 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-109923-0 | December 21, 2021 | 978-1-9753-3983-8 |
11 | November 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-112021-7 | August 23, 2022 | 978-1-9753-4976-9 |
12 | October 7, 2022 | 978-4-04-112966-1 | June 20, 2023 | 978-1-9753-6934-7 |
13 | July 10, 2023 | 978-4-04-113909-7 | June 18, 2024 | 978-1-9753-9470-7 |
14 | April 9, 2024 | 978-4-04-114829-7 | February 18, 2025 | 979-8-8554-1255-0 |
Manga Vol. 1
Manga Vol. 2
Manga Vol. 3
Manga Vol. 4
Manga Vol. 5
Manga Vol. 6
Manga Vol. 7
Manga Vol. 8
Manga Vol. 9
Manga Vol. 10
Manga Vol. 11
Manga Vol. 12
Manga Vol. 13
Manga Vol. 14
In addition, a spin-off manga by Gratin Tori, "Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?: Kumoko Sisters no Nichijou (蜘蛛ですが、なにか? 蜘蛛子四姉妹〈シスターズ〉の日常, So I'm a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters)” will start serialization in the same magazine from July 18, 2019 . It's a what-if story in which parallel intentions including the main character split into four bodies, but unlike the main story, it's a complete gag story that also involves the enemy characters.
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | March 3, 2020 | 978-4-04-109230-9 | — | — |
2 | October 10, 2020 | 978-4-04-109469-3 | — | — |
3 | January 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-110921-2 | — | — |
4 | April 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-110924-3 | — | — |
5 | November 9, 2021 | 978-4-04-112016-3 | — | — |
6 | January 10, 2023 | 978-4-04-113053-7 | — | — |
Manga Vol. 1
Manga Vol. 2
Manga Vol. 3
Manga Vol. 4
Manga Vol. 5
Manga Vol. 6
Style[]
The perspective of the main story side centered on "I" reincarnated as the main character, Sophia (blood), Lars (demon) and others, and the human side centered on "Shun (S)" starting from the future time axis. An ensemble drama in which the two seemingly unrelated viewpoints, which alternate alternately, turn out to be in fact closely related. The basic settings of the web version and the book version are the same, but there are minor differences and differences in development.
The comicalized version conforms to the book version, but with some exceptions, it is developed only from the main character's point of view. By the way, in the comicalized version, the character design of Kiryuji cannot be reproduced and it is not suitable for manga expression.
The author started reading "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" one year before he started writing, and was particularly influenced by "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime". Started serialization of this work that falls under the genre called. In constructing the work, he deliberately removed the conventions that were popular on the site at the time. Also, in an interview with Asahiro Kakashi, the person in charge of comicalization, he said that he was a fan of the game "Monster Hunter" and was influenced by the main character's fighting style. It is said that the main character was set to be a spider because that day he happened to have a dream of being chased by a huge spider.
As the volume progressed, as a result of correcting the trajectory of the development from the web version, one-third of the whole in volume 1, more than half in volumes 2 and 3 were revised, and from volume 6 onwards, all the text was newly written.
Character[]
She high school girl was reincarnated as a spider monster in another world and desperately tries to survive. His favorite phrase is "no". His official nickname is Kumoko, which is also used in related goods such as figures. Initially implied to be the reincarnation of the classmate Hiiro Wakaba, she is later revealed to have actually been the class' pet spider and was implanted with the real Wakaba's memories. Following the revelation that the planet is dying, she forms a plan to save it by destroying the RPG system and using the freed-up energy to heal the world, indifferent that half of humanity would die from the backlash.
Although he was born into the lowest race in the great labyrinth where he was reincarnated in, he was blessed with human knowledge and intellect, as well as the status-enhancing skill "Idaten" as a reincarnation privilege, so he made full use of traps and strategies. Survive the survival competition where life and death are a fine line. When four intentions lived together with the skill "parallel intentions", he played the role of "in charge of information". At first, it was nothing more than a spider, although there were differences, but after repeated evolution, it became one of the best races in the other world, "Arachne", and although it was only the upper body, it acquired the appearance of the previous life.
His personality is extremely optimistic, and even if he reflects on himself, he doesn't back down and is inspired by a sense of humiliation. On the other hand, according to her memories of her previous life, she had no place in her family and was in a lonely position where she was left behind in class, and her self-esteem was quite low. For that reason, he cherishes his own place, "My Home," which he was able to obtain for the first time after her reincarnation, and is proud of it. By the way, maybe because she started out in an environment where she only had poisons and bad things to eat, she has a strong attachment to food and delicious things. It serves as both respect for the person he killed and preparation in case of an emergency, and basically sticks to the principle of eating everything even after his eating habits have improved to some extent.
In addition, although he himself is not aware of it, he is surprisingly good-natured and carefree, and even when he encounters a few humans inside and outside the labyrinth, he defeats monsters and thieves that attack him and saves those in danger, free of charge to an unspecified number of people. He did good deeds such as giving treatment. On the other hand, there was a time when humans could only be seen as experience points due to the disadvantages of the ruler skill "Arrogance". The person in question really hates having his ego violated, and the main reason he became hostile to Mother was to notice her control and get out of it. Naturally, she expresses disgust when she receives mental interference from other third parties. On the flip side, he is kind to others who act with their own pride and determination, and responds to them with her own respect.
Possibly due to memories from his previous life, he has a self- proclaimed communication disorder and lacks interpersonal experience. Even though he is talkative and talkative in his inner voice, he tends to have trouble when dealing with people, and his inherent expressionlessness and taciturnity make it difficult for others to understand what he is thinking. On the other hand, he has a bad drinking habit. While occasionally performing eccentric behavior that is unique to drunkenness, he also naturally gives accurate advice based on his observations, but perhaps because he is drunk, he has no memory of what happened during this time.
- Shiraori is an introvert because she has little to no experience dealing with people due to the seclusion she experienced while trying to survive as a spider in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. She can read people's thoughts and intentions well enough and responds to their speech in her head, but often fails to communicate these thoughts with words. She has slight mannerisms that people close to her can understand, but she does her utmost to avoid interacting with people she is not familiar with whenever possible.
- The only time her speech is clear is when she is in shock, or drunk. Most other times, she speaks in broken phrases that are just enough to get her message across. It is also important to note that she cannot hold her liquor and blacks out almost instantly. During this time, she behaves in outrageous ways, and her extraordinary power makes it impossible to contain any situation she may find herself in.
- It takes a while, but Shiraori eventually warms up enough to Ariel to be able to speak to her like a normal person. This occurs after she has a “change of heart” and decides to fully commit herself to help the Demon Lord with her goals. This is not the case with others, though; she still ends up relying on her mannerisms or others that are close to her such as Ariel, Sophia, Merazophis, or Wrath to relay her thoughts and goals.
- Although she rarely speaks, she likes to write. Since realizing that verbal communication is too difficult, she prefers to communicate with others through writing instead. She ends up writing several books worth of information about the System, her plans, and the state of the world.
- As the teacher of Sophia and Wrath, she drills into them the idea that stats aren't everything, and that strong individuals should never underestimate those below them.
- As stated by her, Shiraori herself has shown to be fiercely independent and somewhat selfish. As admitted by her, she cannot fathom nor understand the way of thinking of people like Sariel, who continuously and recklessly strives to save humanity despite their incredibly foolish actions that ended up endangering their planet, even if ends up sacrificing herself in the process. Shiraori believes that one should always strive to do what one wishes and live freely, with her truthfully and honestly not caring what other people have to say about it or do. In her opinion, the only important thing is what one wishes to do. Shiroari herself admitted that she was perfectly fine with trampling over complete strangers in order to accomplish her goals and do what she wants.
- This self-centered personality traits has been noted by Güliedistodiez to make Shiraori very similar to D who similarly does not care about other people while doing whatever she pleases.
《Gallery》 |
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Abilities[]
"But the title "Heroes that save the world"... ehehe!! doesn't sound cool."
― Shiraori
Kumoko was initially the weakest reincarnated, being reborn as a Small Lesser Taratect; the "lowest-difficulty monster". Due to her low stats, she was initially forced to rely on her human ingenuity and creative use of her limited move set just to survive. However, Taratects jump in power with each evolution, causing her continuous struggles for survival gradually turn her into not just the strongest reincarnation but one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Furthermore, while most of her kind rely solely on size and brute strength, she adopted a fighting style focused on magic, webs, and agility.
WEAPON PARAMETER: | White's Scythe
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ATTACK: | 14,099 | ||
RESISTANCE: | 99,999 | ||
TRAITS:
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Kumoko's stat's varied greatly throughout her time in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. Initially, she was so weak that any directly attack against her opponents were utterly ineffective, forcing her to rely on ambushes and setting traps. The only thing of note was her speed, which was boosted by Skanda. As she evolved, though, her stats naturally increased. Particularly, she began to focus on developing her magic after acquiring Height of Occultism.
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『Skill & Titles Details 』 |
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Titles & Skills
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However, her biggest increase came when she absorbed "Mother's" stats, giving her strength on par with a legendary-class monster. After evolving into an Arachne, Kumoko possesses the second-highest stats within the System, surpassed only by Ariel.
Transcended <Administrator> | ||
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Gods are beings that carry an enormous amount of energy and are able to manipulate a unique type of magic, called conjuring. Their powers are not bound by the System.
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TV Anime[]
It was reported on July 6, 2018, that the series would receive an anime adaptation, according to an early look at the wraparound jacket band on the fifth volume of the manga adaptation. The report was confirmed at Kadokawa's booth at Anime Expo later that day, and it was announced that the adaptation would be a television series. Originally set to premiere in 2020, it was rescheduled to premiere in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-cour (24 episode) series was animated by Millepensee and directed by Shin Itagaki, with Okina Baba and Yūichirō Momose overseeing the series' scripts, and Kii Tanaka designing the characters, Shūji Katayama composing the series' music, and Jōtarō Ishigami producing the series. The series aired from January 8 to July 3, 2021, on AT-X and other channels. The first opening theme song is "keep weaving your spider way" performed by Riko Azuna, while the first ending theme song is "Do Your Best! Kumoko-san's Theme" (がんばれ!蜘蛛子さんのテーマ, Ganbare! Kumoko-san no Tēma) performed by I (Aoi Yūki). The second opening theme is "Bursty Greedy Spider" performed by Konomi Suzuki, while the second ending theme is "Reality Convex Hierarchy" (現実凸撃ヒエラルキー, Genjitsu Totsugeki Hierarchy) by Yūki. It is licensed by Crunchyroll outside Asia.
- Staff
- Original story/scenario supervision - Okina Baba
- Original illustration - Kiryuji
- Director - Shin Itagaki
- Assistant director - Shinichiro Ueda
- Series composition - Okina Baba, Yuichiro Momose
- Character Design - Nori Tanaka
- Monster Design - Masahiko Suzuki, Ryo Hirata, Hiromi Kimura
- Main animator - Tomohiro Yoshida
- Art director/art setting-Shinji Nagaoka, Koichi Ejima (from the middle)
- Color design - Chieko Hibi
- Cinematographer - Hideki Imaizumi
- Editing - Takashi Sakurai
- CG Director - Kazuo Yamaguchi
- CG production - Exsa
- Acoustic Director -Yuichi Imaizumi, Shin Itagaki
- Music - Shuji Katayama
- Music Producer - Go Wakabayashi
- Music production - KADOKAWA
- Producers - Chiaki Kurakane, Takuya Yoshioka, Yureia Wakayama, Nobuhiko Kurosu, Kenichi Tokumura, Yoshinori Hasegawa, Toyokazu Middle East, Mitsuhiro Ogata, Toritomo Isotani
- Animation Producers - Naoko Shiraishi, Takashi Sakurai
- Animation Production - Milpansee
- Crafting - So I'm a Spider, So What? Production Committee
Medialink has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and is streaming it on their Ani-One YouTube channel and Bilibili. The final episode was delayed due to production issues and aired one week later on July 3, 2021.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Part 1 | ||||
1 | "Reincarnation, in Another World?" Transcription: "Tensei, Isekai?" (Japanese: 転生、異世界?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yūichirō Momose | January 8, 2021 |
During what seemed to be an ordinary day, a mysterious explosion occurs and kills an entire high school class. One of the classmates wakes up to find she has been reincarnated in another world as a weak "Nameless" spider-type monster. Quickly escaping from her cannibalistic mother and siblings, she realizes this world functions under RPG logic, only to end up wasting all her skill points on a useless <Appraisal> skill. Wandering the labyrinth for a while, she finds herself increasingly hungry until she finally resorts to cannibalizing the corpse of one of her siblings, which causes her to unlock a mysterious <Taboo> skill, and later manages to kill a poisonous frog by traping it in a web she made. Despite both meals tasting awful, Nameless resolves to survive in this new world. Elsewhere, it is revealed that her classmates reincarnated as well – the fourth prince of the Analeit Kingdom Shun, noblewoman Katia, Shun's pet earth dragon Fei, crown prince of the Renxandt Empire Hugo, saintess Yuri, and the class' teacher turned elf Ms. Oka – and they are all attending magic school with Shun's younger sister Sue. | ||||
2 | "My House, On Fire?" Transcription: "Mai Hōmu, Enjō?" (Japanese: マイホーム、炎上?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | January 15, 2021 |
Fei shares with Shun her belief that her reincarnating as a dragon was karmic punishment for bullying their classmate, Hiiro Wakaba, in her previous life. She asks Ms. Oka about her, who has been searching the world for reincarnations, but she reveals Hiiro has not been found yet, causing Fei to hope she is okay. Meanwhile, Nameless continues hunting monsters and discovers that she has a unique skill that heals her as she levels up. She proceeds to build a nest and later finds a human caught in her web, who drops a dragon egg while escaping. Nameless plans to eat it, but before she can do so more humans appear and burn down her nest to get the egg back, forcing her to flee. Depressed at how weak she is, Nameless builds a new nest and begins aggressively hunting monsters to get stronger. Before long, however, her new nest is also attacked, this time by a giant snake. After a hard-fought battle, Nameless beats the snake, causing her to reach her level cap and evolve. Back at the academy, Fei decides she might as well try to get stronger herself. | ||||
3 | "Earth Wyrm (Dragon), Bad News?" Transcription: "Chiryū (Ryū), Yabai?" (Japanese: 地竜(龍)、ヤバい?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | January 22, 2021 |
After evolving, Nameless is suddenly attacked by a group of humans and while fleeing from them accidentally falls down a hole. At the Academy, Shun's class is having magic practice. However, Hugo causes a scene in an attempt to stand out. The class is then suddenly attacked by an earth dragon, which kills the teacher. Hugo arrogantly tries to defeat it alone, only to get instantly knocked out. Emulating his older brother, the <Hero> Julius, Shun attacks it with the other reincarnates and manages to kill it. However, afterward, Shun is horrified to learn Fei gained the title <Kin Eater>, meaning the dragon was probably her parent, while Hugo is infuriated as Shun is celebrated as a hero. Back with Nameless, she now finds herself in the dungeon's lower stratum, filled with monsters that utterly outmatch her. However, she then crosses paths with a high-level earth dragon named Araba, who easily kills them. Nameless tries to hide, but Araba notices her, leaving her at the dragon's mercy. | ||||
4 | "Monkey, Wha—?" Transcription: "Saru, Hoā?" (Japanese: 猿、ホアー?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | January 29, 2021 |
Fortunately for Nameless, Araba does not consider her worth its attention and leaves. Finding herself stuck in the lower stratum, she begins exploring whilst constantly having to hide as every creature down here is much stronger than her. She eventually finds herself starving and resorts to eating the only species weaker than her: grubs so poisonous eating them almost kills her. Eventually, she starts to level up again and manages to defeat several weak monsters. However, she makes a huge mistake when she kills a monkey monster, which prompts its entire family to attack her in retribution. Finding herself trapped, she is forced to fight the horde. Following a prolonged battle, which she only survived thanks to the skill that heals her upon leveling up, Nameless stands victorious. Having defeated the monkeys, Nameless finds what seems to be the path back to the upper stratum, but instead finds herself in the middle stratum; a lava level. | ||||
5 | "Does Catfish, Taste Good?" Transcription: "Namazutte, Oishii?" (Japanese: なまずって、おいしい?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | February 5, 2021 |
Nameless is at a disadvantage against the new monsters as they are all able to burn her webs. Finding a safe area she evolves into a Small Poison Taratect for the more potent venom. Using skill points she also purchases the ability Pride, as it allows her to level up faster but also unlocks unholy and dark magic abilities she is unsure about. At the academy, Shun is impressed with Fei's progress as she has evolved several times and they are both more popular after the defeat of the Earth-Dragon. Fei shows concern over Yuri who is becoming increasingly fanatical in her religious beliefs and demands Shun tell her if he ever comes across someone with the Taboo skill as they are the unholiest of sinners and should be eliminated. Shun is surprised that, as a Hero, his brother Julius is under the patronage of the Word of God Church. Nameless is frustrated she can't use the magical abilities she keeps unlocking. Returning to the lava lake she comes across giant catfish monsters and realizes she can kill them by tricking them into swallowing balls of her poison. She also takes an interest in an ability she has not yet unlocked, Ruler of Pride. Nearby, Julius and his team approach the lava lake. | ||||
6 | "The Hero, and the Demon Lord?" Transcription: "Yūsha to, Maō?" (Japanese: 勇者と、魔王?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | February 12, 2021 |
Julius reveals they are hunting a spider monster. Nameless realizes one of her magic skills allows her to see a few seconds into the future and successfully defeats a giant eel, later using the eel's corpse as a makeshift shelter so she can evolve into a <Zoa Ele> spider with higher combat and stealth, glossing over that humans consider Zoa Ele's to be harbingers of misfortune. After evolving she is happy to find her front legs are now as sharp as knives and her body has generated armor plates. She also purchases the <Perseverance> skill that makes her more likely to survive with low health, though it also increases her Taboo skill. She also becomes able to use <Detection> to better sense her surroundings. Dual Perception also gives her two distinct minds so she can multitask more efficiently and literally talk to herself. Julius and his team are attacked by three Greater Taratects and an even higher level Taratect, the Nightmare's Vestige. Julius kills the Taratects then manages to kill the Vestige with his team, but as they leave Julius cannot escape the feeling the Vestige was actually afraid of something else they failed to see. Elsewhere, a <Demon Lord> is revealed to have been watching the Vestige which had betrayed her and needed punishing. Shun's popularity grows due to Julius' victory, making Hugo even more jealous. | ||||
7 | "Springtime, for Princes?" Transcription: "Ōji-tachi, Seishun Suru?" (Japanese: 王子たち、青春する?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | February 19, 2021 |
Shun, Fei, and Katia talk about their classmates with Ms. Oka, who reveals that, excluding the six at the academy, eleven have been taken into custody by the elves, two more have just been found, four have been confirmed dead, and three are still missing. During an excursion to the mountains, Shun is attacked by Hugo, who reveals he intends to kill all the students and blame it on a monster attack. However, in the end, Ms. Oka intervenes and defeats Hugo before using an unknown skill to strip him of his abilities. Meanwhile, Nameless is satisfied with her progress but comments her disappointment at there being no evolution for her maxed-out Appraisal skill. Just then, she receives a message that a person called Administrator D received her complaint and crafted a <Wisdom> skill for her. However, this leaves Nameless terrified, as it implies there is a god-like being watching her every move. Back at the academy, Hugo vows vengeance against Shun and Ms. Oka when he is approached by a girl claiming to be one of the missing reincarnations, who offers her assistance. | ||||
8 | "Am I, Dead?" Transcription: "Watashi, Shisu?" (Japanese: 私、死す?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | February 26, 2021 |
As they are both princes Hugo's attempt to kill Shun is covered up so it doesn't start a war between their two kingdoms. Shun reminisces about his life in Japan when they were all good friends when Hugo was egotistical but harmless. He also remembers the class loner, Hiiro, being bullied by Fei. They confront Oka about her refusing to discuss the dead or missing reincarnations and ask about Hiiro. Nameless learns her second mind has been spending time learning magical theory, allowing her to begin using actual magic. While arguing with her second self her <Dual Perception> levels up again, granting her three minds instead of two, and decides her third mind will focus exclusively on learning magic while she and her second mind focus on staying alive and leveling up. She is attacked by an injured Fire Dragon who is still stronger and faster than her. Attempting to poison it she crafts a magic poison bomb, but before she can shoot it into the dragon's mouth, it is blown away by a fireball, though the rapid communication she carries out with her three minds unlocks the fourth mind. Trapped and unable to dodge the dragon unleashes a giant fireball at her. Ms. Oka informs Shun that Hiiro is dead. | ||||
9 | "I Can't Speak, Isekai?" Transcription: "Ai Kyanto Supīku, Isekaigo?" (Japanese: アイキャントスピーク、イセカイゴ?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | March 5, 2021 |
Julius visits the Academy to tell Shun and Sue the Demons are mobilizing for war and he is being sent to the front lines. Meanwhile, it is revealed that the Nameless that dragon killed was an illusion. With help from all four of her minds, she then successfully cast <Abyss Magic> to kill the dragon. However, she is then confronted by a mysterious man with administrative privileges who sensed the dragon's death. As they fail to communicate due to a language barrier, a smartphone suddenly appears out of nowhere. The caller then converses with the mysterious man, who leaves, before addressing Nameless and introducing herself as D. Realizing she has been watching her, Nameless asks what D wants to which she answers it is just entertainment and ends the call before Nameless could ask further. In the Demon Realm, the Demon Lord holds council with her generals and declares war on humanity. Back at the academy, Shun suddenly unlocks the <Hero> title, which can only mean one thing: Julius has been killed! Note: It is revealed in this episode that Nameless's storyline takes place fifteen years before that of the other classmates. | ||||
10 | "Who Is This, Geezer?" Transcription: "Kono Jijī, Dare?" (Japanese: このじじい、誰?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Mitsutaka Hirota | March 12, 2021 |
While wandering around wondering about D, Nameless finds a route back to the upper-stratum. In the present, Shun meets with the royal family to discuss his new role and it is decided he must quit the academy to take over as the Hero immediately. Elsewhere, at the remains of the battlefield between the humans and demons, the magician Ronandt, Julius' former magic tutor, is angered over the loss of life and ends up recounting how, 15 years ago, he and a team of soldiers entered a labyrinth to investigate a monster outbreak. They discovered that the cause was a Taratect scaring away all the other monsters and a battle ensued which left Ronandt and fellow mage Buirimus as the sole survivors. Having received news that a Queen Teratect appeared on a battlefield, Ronandt suspects it might be connected to that Zoe Ela. Back in the past, it is revealed that the Taratect was, in fact, Nameless, who uses the gathered EXP to evolve yet again. However, this also causes her Taboo skill to reach max level, and she passes out. | ||||
11 | "Next Time, Is the Big Battle?" Transcription: "Jikai, Kessen?" (Japanese: 次回、決戦?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yūichirō Momose | March 19, 2021 |
As Shun feels uneasy about replacing Julius as the Hero, Fei convinces him to form a pact with her, enabling him to summon her if he is in danger. However, this causes Fei to evolve and revert into an egg while the process is underway. Shun later meets with Hyrince, the only survivor of Julius' party, and he explains they were all killed by a mysterious girl in white, with him only surviving because Julius gave him his own revival item. Shun does not blame Hyrince and takes him as a new teammate. Back in the past, due to Taboo reaching level 10, Nameless starts getting visions that the world is heading toward an apocalypse but struggles to make sense of it all. Concluding she needs to get stronger and save the world, Nameless decides to challenge Araba and begins relentlessly leveling up by clearing out monsters that might get in the way. In the end, she finishes her preparations just as Araba arrives to confront her. | ||||
12 | "My Battle Has, Only Just Begun?" Transcription: "Watashi no Tatakai wa, Kore Kara da?" (Japanese: 私の戦いは、これからだ?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | March 26, 2021 |
Nameless and Araba find themselves evenly matched, but she is able to turn the tide in her favor by trapping the earth dragon in a web she prepared beforehand. However, Araba then uses all its saved-up skill points to acquire abilities Nameless is weak against. Finding herself increasingly cornered, Nameless briefly considers giving up but ultimately revolves to fight to the end. Just as Araba is about to finish her off, however, the earth dragon suddenly collapses. It is then revealed Nameless knew she could not win head-on, so she instead used a skill she acquired beforehand to drain Araba's stamina until it succumbed to exhaustion. Victorious, Nameless is about to deliver the killing blow when Araba stops resisting, satisfied with their battle. This angers her and she kills the dragon but is left feeling hollow. In the present, the Demon Lord reminisces about the time she fought an earth dragon while Shun vows to avenge Julius, unaware that Hugo is plotting against him. Back in the past, Nameless finally finds a way out of the labyrinth by following a tracking spell she placed on the humans from earlier. | ||||
Part 2 | ||||
13 | "Yay, The Outside, I'm Free?" Transcription: "Yattā, Soto dā Watashi wa Jiyū ...... da?" (Japanese: やったー、外だー 私は自由......だ?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yūichirō Momose | April 9, 2021 |
After defeating some humans guarding the labyrinth's exit, Nameless finally enters the outside world. Wanting some way to communicate with humans, she makes her new goal to evolve into an <Arachne>, a half-human/half-spider monster, when she suddenly receives a telepathic message from her mother ordering her to return to the labyrinth, which she ignores. In the present, Shun and his family meet the elven chief, Potimas, who reveals negotiations with the demons have stopped ever since the current Demon Lord's ascension and warns Shun not to trust the church. Meanwhile, at the academy, Katia and Sue worry about Shun when they are kidnapped by Hugo. Back in the past, Nameless's mother is angered by her disobedience and sends an army of spider monsters to bring her back. However, she defeats most of them with ease before teleporting the remaining ones to the middle-stratum, killing them with heat. Her mother then once again tries to control her, prompting her to send her parallel minds through their psychic link and attack her mind. Returning to the present, it's revealed Hugo is working with Shun's older half-brother Cylis. | ||||
14 | "You're Rebelling? I'm, Self-Deprecating" Transcription: "Omae Hangyaku? Watashi, Jigyaku" (Japanese: おまえ反逆? 私、自虐) | Shin'ichirō Ueda & Michita Shiraishi | Mitsutaka Hirota | April 16, 2021 |
Nameless comes across a carriage being attacked by bandits and comes to their aid. However, after defeating the attackers, she notices one of the occupants, a vampire baby named Sophia, is a fellow reincarnation. Jealous of how easy she has it, Nameless departs but then notices a group of elves planning to kidnap the baby. So she disposes of them as well. In the present, Sue suddenly kills her father, the king, and frames Shun. Cylis and Hugo then arrest him and explain that the king was going to make Shun his successor to keep him off the battlefield, so they cooperated to launch this coup d'etat. However, Shun manages to escape with help from Ms. Oka and Hyrince, his maid Anna, and brother Leston. While recuperating, however, they are attacked by a group led by Hugo's reincarnation ally, who's revealed to be Sophia, and Katia, who has been brainwashed. While they are able to free Katia, Sophia and her assailants overwhelm them until Fei, who has evolved into a huge light dragon, arrives and they all escape on her back. Afterward, Sophia telepathically informs the Demon Lord that she completed her mission. | ||||
15 | "Did Mother, Send These Annoying Puppet Spiders?" Transcription: "Mazā, Kara no Yakkai Kumo Ningyō?" (Japanese: マザー、からの厄介蜘蛛人形?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yūichirō Momose | April 23, 2021 |
As Nameless's parallel minds eat way at her mother's mind, they find that they have been locked in as she suddenly makes her way out of the labyrinth to pursue Nameless herself. Finding herself completely outmatched, Nameless teleports back to her nest in the labyrinth but is ambushed by more Taratects. She tries to flee but is stopped by a Puppet Taratect - a small spider monster that operates a human-sized mannequin. Driven into a corner, she finally turns the tide by killing one and leveling up, which fully heals her, before teleporting herself and the remaining ones to the lava floor, where they die from the heat. Afterward, having reached her level-cap, Nameless evolves yet again. In the present, Ms. Oka informs Shun and the others that Hugo is planning to attack the Elf Village, so they decide to head there to stop him, except for Leston who opts to stay behind to deal with the kingdom's current situation. However, this journey will take them through the very same labyrinth that once housed Nameless. | ||||
16 | "Am I Getting Ahead Of Myself?" Transcription: "Furaingu, Getto?" (Japanese: フライング、ゲット?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Mitsutaka Hirota | April 30, 2021 |
Following her latest evolution, Nameless discovers she now has a <Immortality> skill. She is then contacted by D, who congratulates her for being the first to reach this species and reveals why she and the other classmates were reincarnated before departing: D did it as an apology as the explosion that killed everyone was actually an attempt on her life by a previous Hero and Demon King, revealing she is one of the classmates. In the present, Shun's party has reached the labyrinth, where they recruit a guide named Basgath to lead them through it and Fei reveals she can now assume a human form. Because Hugo's imperial army is guarding the entrance, the guide sneaks them in through an undersea entrance, despite some trouble with a water dragon. Back in the past, Nameless has reached the sea where, after having her own water dragon encounter, she gets an idea. Rechallenging the Puppet Teratect, she kills it by flooding the cave with water before retreating back outside. However, just then, she is suddenly ambushed by the Demon Lord, the Origin Teratect Ariel, who immediately blasts her body to pieces. | ||||
17 | "What Am I Doing?" Transcription: "Watashi, Nani Shiteru?" (Japanese: 私、なにしてる?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yasuhiro Nakanishi | May 7, 2021 |
In the Demon Realm, Ariel prepares to attack the Elf Village. Meanwhile, Shun's party camps out whilst traversing the labyrinth. Unable to sleep, Shun is told by Basgath about how he once encountered Nameless, who is now known as the "Nightmare of the Labyrinth". Finding themselves at a crossroads, with time being of the essence, the group opts to follow a short but dangerous route through the Nightmare's former home. This leads to them being attacked by an earth dragon but they are able to beat it. However, they are then confronted by a swarm of "Nightmare's vestiges", spider-type monsters said to be the Nighmare's offspring. Strangely, though, upon realizing Shun and co. are reincarnations, the creatures let them pass. The group then finally exists the labyrinth by flying through an opening on the back of Fei's dragon form. In the past, Nameless is revealed to have survived through her <Immortality> but ponders that she must tread carefully as there exists magic that can kill even immortals. Elsewhere, Ariel furiously realizes that Nameless is alive when one of her parallel minds uses her link with "mother" to attack her mind. | ||||
18 | "You Guys Are Kind of Awful, Huh?" Transcription: "Minna, Haraguroku ne?" (Japanese: みんな、腹黒くね?) | Michita Shiraishi | Yūichirō Momose | May 14, 2021 |
Nameless finds herself near Sophia's hometown, which is once again being targeted by elves. In the present, Shun's party travels through that same town. While there, they learn of the animosity between the world's two dominant religions, the Word of God church and Goddess Religion, and Ms. Oka reveals Hugo has likely brainwashed the heads of the church, causing Shun to resolve they must defeat him. Back in the past, Nameless kills the elves trying to abduct Sophia along with anyone suspicious. This draws the attention of Potimas, who fears Ariel and the church might have realized his intentions to gather the reincarnations. The church's pontiff, Dustin, also takes notice but chooses to ignore it as he prepares for war against the Goddess Religion. The townspeople eventually become aware of Nameless as well and believe she is a Divine Beast sent by the Goddess. A mother later brings her sick child to Nameless and begs her to heal him, which she reluctantly does. However, the next day, Nameless finds that word has spread and the entire town has now lined up to be healed by her. | ||||
19 | "I Guess, This Is a Class Reunion?" Transcription: "Hirake, Dōsōkai?" (Japanese: ひらけ、同窓会?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | May 21, 2021 |
Shun's party finally arrives at the Elf Village where they are shockingly met by Potimas, who they thought had been killed in Hugo's coup. After a night's rest, Ms. Oka leads Shun, Fei, and Katia to the other reincarnations held at the Elf Village. However, whilst sharing a happy reunion, the others reveal that they were, in fact, kidnapped by the elves, causing Shun and co. to grow suspicious. In the past, Sophia's parents receive a demand from the neighboring country to hand over Nameless, which they cannot possibly do. Potimas then arrives, but he ultimately opts to not make a move on Sophia while Nameless is nearby. Sensing her mother is weakened enough, Nameless teleports to her to finally kill her, only to end up falling into a trap and nearly be killed. However, her Parallel Minds then return to her, transferring all the stats they stole from her mother onto her and allowing her to easily kill her before retreating. Afterward, Ariel finds mother's corpse and swears vengeance before being confronted by an earth dragon who claims it is natural for the elderly to make way for their children, only for her to attack it out of spite. | ||||
20 | "This Isn't My Fault, Is It?" Transcription: "Watashi no Sei ja nai, yo ne?" (Japanese: 私のせいじゃない、よね?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda | Yūichirō Momose | May 28, 2021 |
An envoy from a neighboring kingdom appears before Nameless and declares her their property, but she just finds them annoying and walks away. She is then confronted by the same administrator she met in the labyrinth, who introduces himself as Guliedistodiez and requests her to stop attacking Ariel and interacting with humans. However, she refuses, arguing that she must interfere to prevent the apocalypse. Unfortunately, after Gulie leaves, Nameless is attacked by the envoy's guards, prompting her to kill them in self-defense. However, using the envoy's death as a casus belli, the neighboring country declares war and Nameless decides to face their army herself upon realizing what she has done. In the present, Ms. Oka wonders if she has made the right choices. It is revealed that she has a unique skill called <Student Roster> that tells her the reincarnations' place of birth, health, and how they would die, which prompted her to make a deal with Potimas to effectively imprison them in the Elf Village for their own safety. Meanwhile, Ariel's forces have secretly mixed themselves in with Hugo's army and are using them as cover as they match toward the Elf Village. | ||||
21 | "So, I'm Not in This One, Am I?" Transcription: "Watashi, Deban naitte ka?" (Japanese: 私、出番ないってか?) | Shingo Tanabe | Yasuhiro Nakanishi | June 4, 2021 |
While preparing for the upcoming battle, Shun's party is joined by two more of their former classmates, Kunihiko and Asaka, and Ms. Oka tells them the Elves' theory as to why they were reincarnated: The RPG system that governs this world is controlled by beings known as administrators, who feed off the energy of people's skills, and they summoned them to develop powerful skills. She also reveals that Hugo is likely being manipulated by them whilst Sophia serves them willingly. As the group wonders what became of the two reincarnations who are still missing, the entrance to the Elf Village is attacked by one of the said classmates: Sajin, who became a church assassin. After Sajin destroys the entrance and flees, locking everyone inside, the barrier surrounding the village is suddenly destroyed, allowing Hugo's forces to attack. Ms. Oka leads the Elves' counterattack and, having learned from her skill that Hugo is destined to die here, faces him to personally end him. However, while she is able to take out a brainwashed Yuri, Hugo overpowers her with aid from Sophia. Before he can finish her off, however, she is saved by the arrival of Shun and his party. | ||||
22 | "Be Forever, Me?" Transcription: "Watashi yo, Towa ni?" (Japanese: 私よ、に?) | Michita Shiraishi | Mitsutaka Hirota | June 11, 2021 |
In the past, Nameless joins the battle against the neighboring country, resulting in massive casualties for the enemy, when Ariel suddenly appears. It is revealed that, after killing the dragon, Ariel's soul merged with Nameless' parallel mind that had previously jumped over to her, causing her to adopt some of the latter's personality traits. However, she still wants revenge and has Guliedistodiez, who came to check on her, teleport her to Nameless' location. As they fight, Ariel uses several skills that prevent Nameless from using magic or teleporting, forcing her to rely on healing herself by leveling up using the EXP gathered from collateral damage just to stay alive. Eventually, their battle is interrupted by a young Julius, causing Ariel to stop out of fear of the secret effect of the <Hero>, which causes them to always win against the <Demon Lord>. However, Ariel is able to distract him before using Abyss magic, which can kill even immortals, to vaporize Nameless. In the present, despite his allies wanting to help, Shun insists on facing Hugo alone. | ||||
23 | "My Old Friend, Why ...?" Transcription: "Tomo yo, Naze Omae wa ......?" (Japanese: 友よ、なぜおまえは......?) | Shingo Tanabe | Mitsutaka Hirota | June 18, 2021 |
As the elf village battle continues, Potimas orders the <Gloria> units to be sent into battle. Meanwhile, Shun easily defeats Hugo and Sophia refuses to help him, revealing her affiliation with the demons and that they were only using him as a smokescreen. Hugo is furious at being manipulated, but she effortlessly knocks him aside. Shun and his party fight her, but they are similarly overpowered with ease. Fei attempts to surrender on everybody's behalf but Shun refuses to give up, believing Julius would not either. Unfortunately, they are then ambushed by reinforcements led by the last missing classmate: 8th demon army commander Wrath, who was Shun's friend in their previous lives. However, the elves then launch their counterattack using the <Gloria> units, which are revealed to be mechanical tank drones, killing all the demons except Sophia and Wrath. Elsewhere, Ariel approaches the village with the woman in white who killed Julius, when the latter suddenly decides to check on Sophia and Wrath. | ||||
24 | "So I'm Still a Spider, So What?" Transcription: "Mada Kumo Desu ga, Nanika?" (Japanese: まだ蜘蛛ですが、なにか?) | Shin'ichirō Ueda & Shin Itagaki | Yūichirō Momose | July 3, 2021 |
Shun tries to stop Sophia and Wrath but is overpowered and Anna takes a lethal blow for him. Desperate, Shun revives her with a forbidden <Mercy> skill. However, this raises his <Taboo> to level 10, causing him to learn the truth of the world. Seeing an opening, Hugo strikes at Sophia but is knocked unconscious by the woman in white whom Shun and his party recognize as their classmate Hiiro Wakaba, the nameless spider. In the past, Hiiro survived Ariel's attack by transferring her consciousness into an egg she laid beforehand and hatches as a newborn. She then uses EXP she obtained from the battlefield to evolve into an <Arachne>. Meanwhile, Potimas attacks Sophia's home, kills her parents, and fatally injures the family butler, Merazophis, forcing her to turn him into a vampire. Fortunately, Hiiro arrives and engages Potimas but gets pushed into a corner until Ariel appears and beats him, revealing he was only a mechanical copy. Ariel then calls for a truce to which Hiiro agrees and she, Sophia, and Merazophis all agree to follow her back to Demon Territory. Back in the present, Hiiro's party moves on to defeat Potimas. |
TRAILERS | |
Game[]
A free-to-play MMORPG browser game, titled I'm a spider, so what? The Ruler of the Labyrinth (蜘蛛ですが、なにか? 迷宮の支配者), was announced on June 24, 2024. It will be launched on the G123 platform in multiple languages.
Reception[]
The light novels and manga had a combined 1.2 million copies in print as of July 2018. The light novels ranked third in the tankōbon category in the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2017 rankings, and second in the 2018 rankings.
External Links[]
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? ─ Web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? ─ Official light novel website (in Japanese)
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? - Series information | Kadokawa BOOKS
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? ─ Official Manga website (in Japanese)
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?: Kumoko Sisters no Nichijou ─ Official Manga website (in Japanese)
- TV Anime "Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?" Official Website (in Japanese)
- GAME "Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?" Official G123 (@@kumoko_laby_ja) - Twitter X
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? Official (@kumoko_anime) - Twitter
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? ─ Wikipedia EN
- Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? ─ Wikipedia JP
See Also[]
- Chou Sekai Tensei Exo-Drive, is another light novel series with the same illustrator.
Trivia[]
to be added.