Skeleton Knight in Another World

Skeleton Knight in Another World
First light novel volume cover, featuring Ariane (front), Arc (back), and Ponta (top left)
骸骨騎士様、只今異世界へお出掛け中 (Gaikotsu Kishi-sama, Tadaima Isekai e Odekake-chū)
Genre	Fantasy Isekai
Novel series
Written by	Ennki Hakari
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	October 19, 2014 – July 16, 2018
Light novel
Written by	Ennki Hakari
Illustrated by	KeG
Published by	Overlap
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Overlap Novels
Demographic	Male
Original run	June 25, 2015 – present
Volumes	10
Manga
Written by	Ennki Hakari
Illustrated by	Akira Sawano
Published by	Overlap
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	Comic Gardo
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	February 10, 2017 – present
Volumes	13
Anime television series
Directed by	Katsumi Ono
Written by	Takeshi Kikuchi
Music by	eba Tsubasa Ito
Studio	Studio Kai Hornets
Licensed by	Crunchyroll (streaming) SA/SEA: Muse Communication
Original network	AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, BS11
Original run	April 7, 2022 – present
Episodes	12

Skeleton Knight in Another World (骸骨騎士様、只今異世界へお出掛け中, Gaikotsu Kishi-sama, Tadaima Isekai e Odekake-chū) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ennki Hakari and illustrated by KeG. It began serialization online in October 2014 on the novel self-publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Overlap, who have published ten volumes since June 2015 under their Overlap Novels imprint.

A manga adaptation with art by Akira Sawano has been serialized online via Overlap's Comic Gardo website since February 2017 and has been collected in 13 tankōbon volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Kai and Hornets aired from April to June 2022. A second season was announced in December 2024.

Plot

Upon awakening, an unnamed gamer finds himself in the avatar body and armor that he was using in his online game. Seeing his reflection in a river, he is shocked to discover that his appearance is that of a skeleton due to the special avatar skin『Skeleton』he used. In unfamiliar territory, the gamer decides that it would be best to hide his appearance by never removing his helmet and to search for inhabitants. Spying a band of bandits attacking a group at a distance and seeing they're about to rape two women, he springs into action and kills the brigands. The women introduce themselves as Lauren du Luvierte, a noblewoman, and Rita Farren, her maid. Using his game name, the knight introduces himself as Arc and agrees to escort the two ladies to the town of Luvierte. While he refuses a reward (to avoid meeting Lauren's father Viscount Buckle du Luvierte, as it would cause complications should the noble ask to see his face), he accepts a copper passport from Rita which will allow him easier passage through any city in the territory.

Near the town of Diento, he dispatches a group of bandits who had attacked him. While exploring their cave hideout, he discovers a wounded green-furred cottontailed fox ("ventu vulpis") imprisoned in a cage. Freeing the creature, he heals its wound with magic and befriends it. The fox indicates that it wants to travel with him, and he names it "Ponta".

Later, Arc encounters a male elf outside Diento and learns about the human trade in capturing and enslaving elves. The elf is surprised that Ponta (which he refers to as a "spirit creature") is so attached to Arc and that Arc doesn't seem to share the fear and prejudice against elves that most humans in this world seem to have.

Some time afterwards, Arc stumbles across two elf soldiers, one male and one female, battling a band of human slavers; when their leader uses the captured elf children as hostages, the female elf seems ready to surrender when Arc intervenes and helps the elves wipe out the slavers. After Ponta's presence convinces the elves that Arc is a friend and the captured elves are freed and healed of their wounds by Arc's magic, the female elf, Ariane Glenys Maple, hires Arc to help her free other enslaved elves being held in Diento itself. Meeting up with Danka, another elf soldier who has been scouting inside Diento for information (and the one whom Arc had encountered earlier), the three invade the slave warehouse. During their initial search, Arc encounters a catgirl ninja, who gives him information about humans involved in the slave trade and about other captured elves being held in the local lord's castle. After freeing the captured elves, Arc uses Teleportation magic to get them all away from Diento, then he and Ariane head for the castle while Danka escorts the freed elves home. After they free the two female elves (who then "punish" their captor/tormentor in a particularly gruesome fashion) and escape, Ariane asks Arc to accompany her back to their lands. Arc is reluctant and shows why by removing his helmet, revealing his skeletal form. While initially shocked, Ariane realizes that, despite his appearance, Arc is not evil but under a curse, and promises that the elves will keep his secret.

At the elvish settlement of Lalatoya, Arc meets and is welcomed by Elder Dillan and his wife Glenys, who are also Ariane's parents. At a meeting of Elders in the elvish capital city of Maple, at which the information about human Nobles being involved in the slave trade and the clear violation of the Elf-Human peace treaty is discussed, it is decided that while no direct retaliation against the humans will be made, the secret operations to free elf slaves will continue. Dillan offers to hire Arc to continue helping Ariane, and as payment provides him with information about a magic pool in Dragon Lord country that may lift his skeleton curse. Arc agrees, and he and Ariane, with Ponta, begin their quest to free the captured/enslaved elves and totally end the slave trade. They are joined in their mission by Chiyome, the ninja Arc had previously encountered and a member of the Jinshin Clan of beast people, who is engaged on a similar mission to free her fellow beast people who have likewise been captured and enslaved by humans.

Meanwhile in Olav, the capital city of the Rhoden Kingdom, King Karlon, who, thanks to the events in Diento, has learned of the possible involvement of nobility in the slave trade in elves, dispatches his daughter Yuriarna on a diplomatic mission to the Grand Duchy of Limbult (which trades with the elves and where his older daughter Seriarna is the ruler's wife) to arrange a meeting with the elves. However, her older brothers Sekt and Dakares both have ambitions to inherit the throne and are vying with other for power. Yuriarna suspects Dakares of being involved in the slave trade and Sekt of knowing about it but trying to use it for his own advantage...and that both will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it means eliminating anyone in their way (a fact proven when Sekt has Dakares assassinated and then frames him for the attempted murder of Yuriarna).

As Arc, Ariane and Chiyome's quest progresses and they gain friends and allies while traveling to different kingdoms across the world, they learn that the slave trade is merely the tip of the iceberg and that the Holy East Revlon Kingdom, ruled by the ruthless Emperor Domitianus, and this world's main religion, the Holy Hilk Kingdom, may be behind all the evil they're fighting to overcome.

Characters

Arc (アーク, Āku) / Arc Lalatoya (アーク・ララトイア, Āku Raratoia)

Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno (Japanese); Brandon Johnson (English)

A computer gamer who wakes up in the world of the fantasy game he has been playing to find himself transformed into the avatar he has been using in the game. In this world, he uses the name "Arc", which is the name of his game character; in the anime, Ariane's mother Glenys nicknames him "Arcky", and in Book 4 of the light novel series he takes the surname "Lalatoya" in honor of the elf village he has been granted permission to enter. His physical appearance in this world is extremely tall (two meters), and the armor he wears gives him the appearance of being powerfully built (his physical strength is actually quite superhuman; in the light novels a single punch can either knock off a foe's head or go right through the body; in Episode 11 of the anime even a mere head-flick is enough to send large men flying; and he is also able to wield his two-handed two-meter-long broadsword the Holy Sword of Caladbolg quite easily with one hand while ordinary people find it too heavy to even pick up). He also alters his speaking voice to sound deeper and more masculine, as befits his game character. The armor he wears is silver-colored with colored highlights; in the light novels the highlights are blue, while in the anime the highlights are gold-colored, and while the armor looks quite massive and heavy he does not feel any discomfort and seems able to move about quite easily and freely in it. Since the series begins with him waking up in this world, there is no current information as to his real name, what he really looks like, his past in his original world or how he arrived in/was transported to this world. It is obvious from the beginning that he has a strong moral sense and is always ready and willing to help or defend endangered or oppressed beings, whether humans, elves or beast people; he also is extremely polite (which, considering his size and supposed status as a "knight" due to his armor, surprises most ordinary people) and never hesitates to admit when a person, whether male or female, is his equal (such as the ninja Goemon) or superior in any way (such as Ariane, Glenys and Chiyome). He can get quite excited at certain things, but he is surprisingly quite unflappable in battle, even against giant monsters, and only gets angry once in the anime upon hearing the fate of captured elves at the hands of monster tamer Fumba. He proves to be a fairly talented cook when, in Volumes 5 and 6 of the light novel series, he whips up tasty meals for himself and his companions using local variants of ingredients from his home world, much to Ariane's surprise.

Ariane Glenys Maple (アリアン・グレニス・メープル, Arian Gurenisu Mēpuru) / Ariane Glenys Lalatoya (アリアン・グレニス・ララトイア, Arian Gurenisu Raratoia)

Voiced by: Fairouz Ai (Japanese); Caitlin Glass (English)

The second daughter of Elder Dillan Tahg Lalatoya and Glenys Alna Lalatoya (who, in the anime, calls her "Aria"), she is a female elf warrior of the elf capital city of Maple (elf names use the name of their gender parent as a middle name and the name of their registered village/city as a surname, hence her surname of "Maple"; however, in Volume 6 of the light novel series Glenys tells Arc that Ariane has changed her home registration [for her own reasons] from "Maple" to "Lalatoya"). In Volume 1 of the light novel series, her age is given as 50 years old (her physical appearance is much younger) and she is described as having amethyst-colored skin, golden-irised eyes and white hair (in the light novels, these are the unmistakable signs of a "dark elf"), while in the anime she has pale human-colored skin and pink hair (her eyes remain golden-irised). In Volume 1 of the light novel series, Arc first encounters her while she and another elf soldier are battling slavers in order to free captured elf children, while in the anime, he first encounters her in an alley in the town of Luvierte after her failed attempt to buy information and then again later when she attacks him mistaking him for one of the elf-enslaving bandits; in both the novels and anime, after the fight in which the elf children are freed she hires him to assist her. While an extremely skilled fighter, she feels inferior to her older sister Eevin (an extremely powerful and skilled warrior), and she has a deep distrust (close to hatred) of humans because of the crimes committed against her people; however, through her association with Arc she may be modifying her outlook (although she remains cautious and defensive). For travel, she wears a long hooded cloak that is also used to conceal her identity as an elf (in the light novels, it is colored charcoal gray; in the anime, it is purple). Her weapon of choice is a hand-and-a-half double-edged straight-bladed sword; in Volume 1 of the light novels she originally carries and wields a thin saber, but changes weapons in Volume 2 after Arc gives her the Sword of the King of Lions, "an incredibly rare blade which boosted the user's speed and attack power" (which he "liberated" from the Marquis of Diento's secret room). So far her major weaknesses are her physical intolerance for alcohol (two glasses of strong liquor are enough to make her drunk), (in the anime) an almost girlish fondness for Ponta (in the light novels, the feeling is there, but not so strong), (again in the anime) a tendency to sometimes forget that beneath his armor Arc is a skeleton (causing her to freak out and try to explode him when she sees him in an au naturel state), and a feeling of inferiority to her older sister Eevin. Her feelings about Arc seem complicated; she continually acts as though exasperated with Arc and occasionally needles him, but in Volume 2 of the light novel series when her sister Eevin teases her about having a man in her life, "For a moment, the face of a skeleton outfitted in majestic armor flashed through Ariane's mind", in Volume 4 she is extremely distressed when his exposure to the waters of the magic pool render him unconscious for five days, and his culinary skills astonish her (apparently she either isn't very good at cooking or just doesn't know how).

Ponta (ポンタ)

Voiced by: Nene Hieda (Japanese); Emi Lo (English)

A cotton-tailed fox ("ventu vulpis") with greenish fur and a white-furred underbelly, referred to by elves and beast people as a "spirit creature"; while in the light novels it is not currently stated whether Ponta is male or female, in the anime Ponta is referred to as being female. In the light novel series, Arc finds it imprisoned in a cage, while in the anime he comes across it in the forest; in both cases, the creature has been injured and he uses his magic to heal it and befriend it. In return, it becomes attached to him and joins him as his inseparable companion, and he names it "Ponta" (a variation of the Japanese word "Tanpopo") because its tail reminds him of dandelion fluff. Because "spirit creatures" like Ponta almost never form attachments to humans (and rarely to elves), Ponta's connection with Arc reassures elves and beast people as to Arc's good intentions and reliability. Its favorite perches are either on top of his helmet or on one of his shoulder pauldrons, although it has taken to riding on Ariane's shoulder at times. It is also particularly sensitive to danger and the presence of evil, and is able to glide through the air like a Flying squirrel by means of its patagium either using normal air currents or by using spirit magic to conjure up wind, and Arc trains it to use the magic move Wind Cutter.

Chiyome (チヨメ)

Voiced by: Miyu Tomita (Japanese); Sarah Wiedenheft (English)

A beast girl and one of the six ninjas of the Jinshin clan on an ongoing mission to locate and free enslaved beast people. Though physically the size of a young girl, she is extremely fast, skillful in combat and adept at using a type of Water ninjutsu. "Chiyome" is not her actual name, and Arc deduces that she was given the name in honor of famous kunoichi Mochizuki Chiyome. Chapter 2.5 of Volume 5 of the light novels reveals her real name: "Mia", and her backstory reveals that she is an orphan (her father had been enslaved by human and worked to death and her mother had been killed protecting Chiyome after their escape from captivity) and had been taken into the Jinshin Clan at her own request. Arc and Ariane assist her and fellow ninja Goemon in freeing the enslaved beast people in Olav and totally destroying the slave markets. As the light novel series progresses, she at first provides them with intel as to the location of human nobles involves in the elf slave trade and later joins them full time on their travels and adventures, becoming close and firm friends with Ariane along the way. Naturally, in both the light novels and anime she freaks out when she first sees Arc's unhelmeted face, but she overcomes this and accepts/respects him as an ally and friend. Arc also sees her as a good friend, but her sometimes stoic demeanor and attitude make him unsure of her feelings towards him.

Danka (ダンカ)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi (Japanese); David Matranga (English)

Danka Niel Maple, an elf warrior of Maple (the surname causes Arc to mistake him for either Ariane's sibling or husband). His mission was to investigate the town of Diento for the location of captured and enslaves elves. While initially suspicious of Arc, he comes to respect Arc's abilities and accept him (for the time being) as a comrade-in-arms (although, in Volume 6 of the light novel series, he makes it clear that, despite Arc's officially becoming a member of Lalatoya, he still views Arc with suspicion). In the anime, he and Ariane communicate long distance via a Whispering Fowl, another "spirit creature" that resembles a large parrot and can mimic human speech in delivering messages.

Dillan (ディラン, Diran)

Voiced by: Kohsuke Toriumi (Japanese); Matthew David Rudd (English)

Dillan Tahg Lalatoya, the Elder of the elf settlement of Lalatoya and the father of Ariane and Eevin. In the light novel series, he is described as "a twenty- to thirty-year-old elven man with long, green-tinted blond hair", while in the anime he is tall, green-blond-haired and slenderly built with a short Van Dyke beard. He officially hires Arc to assist Ariane with her mission of freeing enslaved elves and later acts as an envoy to various human kingdoms (much to his wife's annoyance, since this takes him away from home for long periods of time).

Glenys (グレニス, Gurenisu)

Voiced by: Yūko Minaguchi (Japanese); Katelyn Barr (English)

Glenys Alna Lalatoya, the wife of Elder Dillan who physically appears to be in her 30's but is (according to her) 100 years old (in the anime, she says that she "just turned 170 this year, and that number isn't changing", causing Ariane to tell Arc that her mother is really 245 years old). She is described in the light novel series as having "amethyst-colored skin and...white hair tied back in braids", while in the anime she has the same pale skin and pink hair as both her daughters (who apparently take after her physically). While an excellent homemaker and housekeeper, she is also a master of swordsmanship and tells Arc that she trained both of her daughters, and with her uncanny skill and speed has no trouble in easily vanquishing the larger, more physically powerful Arc in practice combat sessions. In the light novels, she appears to act as Elder of Lalatoya whenever her husband is away on Council business and has become both Arc and Chiyome's combat trainer.

Eevin (イビン, Ibin)

Voiced by: Rumi Okubo (Japanese); Lisette Monique (English)

Ariane's older sister and a famous elf warrior whom Ariane aspires to emulate, which makes it all the more shocking to Ariane when she learns that Eevin is getting married soon. Whatever her reputation and skill as a warrior, Eevin seems to absolutely adore her younger sister (whom she has nicknamed "Arin") and behaves ultra-girlishly in interacting with her, even physically glomping onto Ariane; in the anime, despite her being Ariane's older sister, she looks and acts younger than Ariane. In Book 7 of the light novel series, she confesses her annoyance to a friend that she hasn't been able to keep in contact with Ariane because "[Arc] and Arin have just been teleporting all over the place", and she can never look at Arc without glaring at him, suggesting a growing jealousy that Arc might be displacing Eevin in Ariane's affections.

Goemon (ゴエモン)

Voiced by: Ryōta Takeuchi (Japanese); Jarrod Greene (English)

A beast-man and one of the six ninjas of the Jinshin clan. Physically, he matches Arc in size and strength (with eyes that seem to have no pupils), and the two instantly become friends. "Goemon" is not his actual name, and Arc deduces that he was given the name in honor of Ishikawa Goemon. Goemon's Rock ninjutsu and Arc's Rock magic are able to resonate with each other to reach a state of almost uncontrollable power. In battle, he and Chiyome act as partners.

Sekt (セクト, Sekuto)

Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi (Japanese); Grant Paulsen (English)

Sekt Rondahl Karlon Rhoden Sahdiay, the eldest son of King Karlon of Rhoden, engaged against his younger siblings Dakares and Yuriarna in a power struggle to successfully succeed to the throne of Rhoden. He is secretly backed by the Great West Revlon Empire. Although more polished in his outward showing (although both Arc and Ariane sense something "fake" about him when they first meet him in Volume 7 of the light novel series), he seems to be as ruthless as Dakares, not hesitating to have Dakares assassinated and frame him for Yuriarna's supposed assassination, and now recognizes that Yuriarna, thanks to her successful negotiations with the elves and growing public popularity, is a serious rival. He has also become very wary of Arc since learning of Arc's abilities and incredible power and witnessing them at first-hand.

Dakares (ダカレス, Dakaresu)

Voiced by: Daiki Hamano (Japanese); Bradley Gareth (English)

Dakares Ciely Vetran, the second son of King Karlon of Rhoden. It is revealed that he is secretly but actively participating in the elf and beast people slave trade in violation of a 400-year-old peace treaty with the elves. He was secretly backed by the Holy East Revlon Empire in order to gain power for an eventually attempt at a coup d'etat.

Yuriarna (ユリアーナ, Yuriāna)

Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi (Japanese); Danielle Yoshiko Phillips (English)

Yuriarna Merol Melissa Rhoden Olav, the second daughter of King Karlon of Rhoden, highly intelligent and politically savvy, and possibly the most honorable and reliable of all the king's children, always putting the welfare of the people first. After the events in Diento, she is entrusted with and dispatched by her father on a diplomatic mission to open negotiations with the elves. En route to the Grand Duchy of Limbult, her carriage and escort are attacked and she herself is assassinated, but revived (unknown to her) by Arc's Rejuvenation magic. Reaching Limbult in safety, she keeps her survival secret and successfully completes her mission, in the process gaining the elves' support for her bid for succession to the Rhoden throne.

Domitianus (ドミティアヌス, Domitianusu)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)

Domitianus Revlon Valiafelbe, the totally ruthless and amoral ruler of the Holy Revlon Empire, in which the slave trade in elves and beast people is completely legal. It appears that he is intent on destabilizing the Rhoden Kingdom using controlled monsters to terrorize populations and using them as part of his armed forces as part of his eventual plans for invasion; in the anime however, Arc has (currently unknown to either Domitianus or even himself) been foiling Domitianus' plan by defeating the controlled monsters that cross his path, at which time the control rings attached to the monsters shatter and vanish.

Cetrion (セトリオン, Setorion)

Voiced by: Minoru Shiraishi (Japanese); Aaron Campbell (English)

Supposedly Dakares' right-hand man, he arranges for the attack on Yuriarna's carriage and her assassination. However, his assassination of Dakares and (in the light novel series) later killing his own father (falsely claiming that he was part of Dakares' plot to assassinate Yuriarna) prove his actual loyalty to Sekt.

Media

Light novel

The light novel series is written by Ennki Hakari with illustrations by KeG, and has been published by Overlap under Overlap Novels imprint since June 25, 2015. As of May 2021, the series is still ongoing with 10 volumes released. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series on September 20, 2018, and released the first volume on June 11, 2019.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date		English ISBN
			Digital	Physical
1	June 25, 2015	978-4-86-554054-3	March 28, 2019	June 11, 2019	978-1-64-275064-5
2	October 25, 2015	978-4-86-554075-8	June 20, 2019	September 24, 2019	978-1-64-275129-1
3	March 25, 2016	978-4-86-554109-0	August 8, 2019	October 15, 2019	978-1-64-275706-4
4	July 25, 2016	978-4-86-554146-5	November 14, 2019	February 25, 2020	978-1-64-505195-4
5	November 25, 2016	978-4-86-554169-4	February 27, 2020	August 18, 2020	978-1-64-505464-1
6	April 25, 2017	978-4-86-554209-7	June 4, 2020	September 8, 2020	978-1-64-505725-3
7	August 25, 2017	978-4-86-554249-3	August 20, 2020	December 1, 2020	978-1-64-505795-6
8	March 25, 2018	978-4-86-554318-6	November 5, 2020	February 23, 2021	978-1-64-505977-6
9	March 25, 2019	978-4-86-554432-9	May 27, 2021	August 3, 2021	978-1-64-827204-2
10	March 25, 2022	978-4-86-554549-4	February 9, 2023	April 11, 2023	978-1-64-827264-6

Manga

In February 2017, the first chapter of the manga adaptation by Akira Sawano was published in Overlap's Comic Gardo; though Akira is the author of the manga series, character designs are credited to KeG. Overlap collected the individual chapters into tankōbon volumes; the first volume was released in August 2017. In September 2018, Seven Seas Entertainment announced its licensing of the manga series for localization in North America under the title Skeleton Knight in Another World.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	August 25, 2017	978-4-86-554252-3	July 9, 2019	978-1-64-275065-2
2	February 2, 2018	978-4-86-554322-3	November 12, 2019	978-1-64-275729-3
3	September 25, 2018	978-4-86-554398-8	March 24, 2020	978-1-64-505224-1
4	March 25, 2019	978-4-86-554468-8	August 11, 2020	978-1-64-505643-0
5	September 25, 2019	978-4-86-554552-4	December 1, 2020	978-1-64-505814-4
6	February 25, 2020	978-4-86-554619-4	May 4, 2021	978-1-64-827214-1
7	August 25, 2020	978-4-86-554733-7	August 24, 2021	978-1-64-827315-5
8	April 25, 2021	978-4-86-554904-1	April 26, 2022	978-1-63858-226-7
9	September 25, 2021	978-4-82-400011-8	September 27, 2022	978-1-63858-666-1
10	March 25, 2022	978-4-8240-0141-2	May 30, 2023	978-1-68579-525-2
11	July 25, 2022	978-4-8240-0254-9	October 24, 2023	978-1-68579-938-0
12	March 25, 2023	978-4-8240-0453-6	March 26, 2024	979-8-88843-381-2
13	April 25, 2024	978-4-8240-0813-8	December 31, 2024	979-8-89160-657-9

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on April 17, 2021. The series will be animated by Studio Kai and Hornets and directed by Katsumi Ono, with Takeshi Kikuchi supervising the series' scripts, Tōru Imanishi designing the characters, and eba and Tsubasa Ito composing the series' music. It aired from April 7 to June 23, 2022, on AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS11. The opening theme song is "Aa, Waga Roman no Michi Yo" (嗚呼、我が浪漫の道よ, Ah, My Romantic Road) by PelleK, while the ending theme song is "Bokura ga Oroka da Nante Dare ga Itta" (僕らが愚かだなんて誰が言った, Who Called Us Fools?) by DIALOGUE+. Crunchyroll streamed the series worldwide outside of Asia. Muse Communication announced the license for South and Southeast Asia the day after the anime announcement.

On April 11, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on April 28.

A second season was announced at the Overlap Bunko 10th anniversary event on December 15, 2024.

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Storyboard by	Original air date
1	"The Wandering Knight Sets Out to Make the World a Better Place" Transliteration: "Rurō no Kishi, Yonaoshi Tabi nite Sōrō" (Japanese: 流浪の騎士、世直し旅にて候ふ)	Shigatsu Yoshikawa	Takeshi Kikuchi	Katsumi Ono	April 7, 2022 (2022-04-07)
Two young girls in the forest are about to be raped by bandits when they are saved by a giant knight in silver armor. Hours previously the knight, really a gamer from Japan, had awoken in the body of his character, an 8 foot tall skeleton with the best armour and weapons and all his physical and magical skills. Knowing a skeleton would scare people and make him a target, he decides to keep his helmet on at all times and renames himself Arc, using his game character's name. He spots a female elf in the first city he finds, but she disappears. As he has no money, he attempts to become an adventurer but must earn his license by slaying three enemies. In the forest he slays a bull-boar and an orc, and while searching for a third enemy witnesses bandits attacking a coach. He wonders if he should risk getting involved until he sees two young ladies about to be raped and violently kills the bandits. The ladies are the noble Lauren Luvierte and her maid Rita. While they recover, Arc covertly loots all the bandits’ valuables before escorting them to town. With the bandits and orc slain, he obtains his license and his first meal (with the bandits' cash). Reasoning that he might be stuck in this new world permanently, Arc decides to have fun beginning his new life.
2	"A First Job, a Girl's Wish, and an Approaching Shadow" Transliteration: "Hatsu Shigoto, Shōjo no Negai to Shinobiyoru Kage" (Japanese: 初仕事、少女の願いと忍び寄る影)	Shigatsu Yoshikawa	Takeshi Kikuchi	Shigatsu Yoshikawa	April 14, 2022 (2022-04-14)
Arc accepts a job protecting a young village girl named Marca as she collects medicinal herbs. Arc is curious about Marca's haste to begin, and Marca explains that she doesn’t want her mother Seona, who has become overprotective since Marca's father died, to find out. They come across an injured Kitsune which Arc heals; the creature decides it wants to stay with Arc, and he names it Ponta for its fluffy tail. Seona learns of Marca's leaving the village just as hunters arrive with news of an extra-dangerous monster in the forest. Marca leads Arc to a tree with valuable medicinal flowers, but finds the tree is now the territory of the monster, a Basilisk. Fortunately, Arc has fought them before in the game and kills it quickly; however, he asks Marca to keep this a secret for fear of drawing unwanted attention. He notices a magic ring on the basilisk, which shatters and disappears after the monster is killed. He returns Marca to Seona, along with a giant fanged boar for the villagers to feast on, and then departs. Later that night, soldiers kill another basilisk, then come across the much larger corpse of the basilisk Arc killed. They notice it was killed by a single strike with an extremely large sword and wonder who killed it, while back in town Arc and Ponta enjoy a feast.
3	"An Austere Elf Dances for Her Comrades" Transliteration: "Ririshiki Erufu wa Dōhō ga Tame ni Mau" (Japanese: 凛々しきエルフは同胞が為に舞う)	Kei Miura	Takeshi Kikuchi	Taisuke Tsukuda	April 21, 2022 (2022-04-21)
Accepting a job, Arc deals with bandits hiding in a forest cave, taking their treasure as loot. Elsewhere, it is revealed the attack on Lauren Luvierte was a failed assassination ordered by Lord Tryton Diento, who was himself ordered by Prince Dakares to destabilize the kingdom in readiness for a war. Tryton is also furious that his son, Udolan, is putting himself at risk leading their illegal slave operation. Back in the forest, a female elf watches Arc emerging from the bandits' cave and attacks him, accusing him of kidnapping elf children, until she sees Ponta, which she recognizes as a forest spirit creature; since spirit creatures rarely trust mortals, she realizes Arc couldn’t be a kidnapper. Arc offers his assistance, but she refuses. The next day while trying to locate her, Arc finds the kidnapped elves being tortured by Udolan and his men. The female elf kills most of the slavers, but is forced to surrender when Udolan threatens the children. Arc overpowers Udolan and protects the children, allowing the elf to kill the rest. Arc then frees the captives and magically heals their wounds, to the elf warrior's amazement. Refusing to believe that Arc is a simple adventurer but convinced of his trustworthiness, the elf introduces herself as Ariane Glenys Maple. Ariane receives a message that more enslaved elves have been located and asks to hire Arc's services to help her.
4	"Infiltrating the Slave Market! In Search of the World's Evil" Transliteration: "Sennyū, Doreishō! Yo ni Habikoru Aku o Sagure" (Japanese: 潜入、奴隷商！世に蔓延る悪を探れ)	Yukio Takahashi	Takeshi Kikuchi	Takumi Narita	April 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)
After Arc accepts Ariane's offer to hire him, he and Ariane travel to the town of Diento where they meet Ariane's elf comrade Danka, who immediately mistrusts Arc, although he is surprised Arc can use teleportation magic and managed to earn both Ponta's and Ariane's trust. As their attack on the slavers' warehouse won’t be for hours, Arc leaves on "personal errands" (i.e., a meal in private). Ariane shares her perceived failure with Danka, as she was almost captured and had to be saved by Arc, and compares herself unfavorably to her older sister Eevin. Arc buys food for himself and Ponta and hides in a deserted alley so he can remove his helmet to eat. As Arc, Ariane and Danka depart on their mission, a shadowy figure watches from a rooftop. Penetrating the warehouse, Arc and the two elves find that all the slavers have already been expertly assassinated, and Arc is overcome with otaku enthusiasm when the assassin turns out to be a female ninja with cat ears. The female ninja is surprised that Arc even knows what a ninja is; seeing Ponta, she realizes that Arc is trustworthy and gives him documents she stole naming nobles who have already purchased elf slaves, as well as sharing the location of slaves kept by Lord Tryton. Before departing, she also reveals that the elf slaves were not her goal, as her true target is not on the premises. After the trio free the elves, Danka becomes more amazed at Arc's magical skill but trusts him enough to let him and Ariane go alone to Tryton's palace. Watching from a distance with a towering companion, the female ninja hopes to meet Arc again.
5	"A Secret Revealed, and a Bond Forged" Transliteration: "Akasareru Himitsu to Tsumugareru Kizuna" (Japanese: 明かされる秘密と紡がれる絆)	Yoshinori Odaka	Takeshi Kikuchi	Katsumi Ono	May 5, 2022 (2022-05-05)
After their attempt to silently enter the castle goes somewhat awry, Arc and Ariane capture Tryton and Udolan, and the two female elf slaves (whom Tryton had been sexually molesting) take their revenge on Tryton while Arc discovers a hidden treasure which he loots for himself (telling Ariane that his taking the gold is simply to prevent the slavers from using it to rebuild their organization). Explosions abruptly rock the palace, which Arc suspects was caused by the ninja. Ariane invites Arc to visit the Elf Lands so they can continue rescuing slaves, although they would need an Elder Elf’s permission for Arc to enter their lands. Because he will have to expose himself while meeting the Elder, Arc removes his helmet, showing Ariane his skull face and telling her his appearance is the result of a curse. Although initially shocked by Arc's appearance, Ariane promises that all elves will keep his secret and hopes the Elder may know how to fix his appearance. In the capital city of Olav, the human King Karlon, his sons Sekt and Dakares and daughter Yuriarna decide to investigate the rumors of slavery, which violates the human/elf peace treaty. They decide to contact the elves, though it is clear both princes have their own hidden agendas. Yuriarna is certain Dakares is secretly involved in the slave trade and that Sekt has a plan to expose him, thereby strengthening his own claim to the throne. She decides to make sure that contacting the elves goes well and reaches out to her sister Seriarna, who married the ruler of the Limbult duchy, the only domain currently trading with the Elf Lands. After a journey of some days, Arc and Ariane reach Lalatoya, an enormous elf settlement deep in the forest.
6	"Learning About the Darkness of This World at the Elf Village" Transliteration: "Erufu no Sato de Fureru Isekai no Shin'en" (Japanese: エルフの里で触れる異世界の深淵)	Arata Nishizuki	Toshizō Nemoto	Toshinori Fukushima	May 12, 2022 (2022-05-12)
Arc meets the Elder, Dillan, and his wife Glenys, who are also Ariane’s parents. Dillan is grateful that the slaves were rescued, but worries that their attack on Tryton's palace has proved problematic, and he and Ariane travel to the elven capital of Maple to informs his fellow Elders. Back in Lalatoya, Glenys spars with Arc to see if he is strong enough to keep Ariane safe, and Arc is beaten by Glenys multiple times, making him realize that high combat stats do not necessarily equal skill. The Elders, unwilling to risk war, decide to continue rescuing slaves in secret. Ariane is surprised to learn that her older sister Eevin is getting married, as she had always sworn to never marry. Arc decides to have a bath, but when Ariane enters the bath naked, she sees Arc in full skeleton mode, panics and blasts him with explosions. Dillan officially hires Arc to help Ariane continue freeing slaves and as payment tells Arc of a magic pool that might cure his skeletal appearance, but which is only found near the Lord Crown, a spirit tree that grows in the territories of Dragon Lords, the most dangerous dragons in the world. Arc accepts the "payment", but when alone becomes curious to see if his appearance really is caused by a curse, and is shocked when, using a curse-breaking spell on himself, he gives himself a human right hand.
7	"A Miracle for the High-Minded Princess" Transliteration: "Risō ni Moyuru Ōjo ni Kiseki ga Maiorita" (Japanese: 理想に燃ゆる王女に奇跡が舞い降りた)	Yoshinori Odaka	Toshizō Nemoto	Yoshinori Odaka	May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
Arc’s hand instantly returns to bone, but it confirms that Arc’s appearance is indeed cursed. He and Ariane set out for Olav, hunting the slave-owning nobles. They are warned by an innkeeper that Haunted Wolves have been attacking travelers. Yuriarna leaves Olav to travel to Limbult. Ariane considers hunting the wolves, as a bridal veil made from their tail fur would be an excellent wedding gift for Eevin. The wolves do attack, and Arc realizes the pack leader is wearing a magic ring like the basilisk. He destroys the ring, waking the pack leader from a trance; the leader then takes his pack and leaves peacefully. Arc is certain the rings are the reason monsters are acting strangely. While Ariane prepares the slain wolves' fur, Ponta senses danger and leads Arc to where Yuriarna's coach has been attacked and Yuriarna, her maid Ferna and her loyal guards have been killed by treacherous guards and assassins. The killers attack him, but Arc's armor proves invulnerable to their weapons and magic, and he kills most of them with unexpected assistance from the wolves. Using a powerful Rejuvenation spell, Arc resurrects Yuriarna, Ferna and several loyal guards before sneaking away. Seeing Arc while half-conscious, Yuriarna believes him to be an angel sent by God. Arc is unsure about the morality of a spell that can resurrect the dead and keeps what he did secret from Ariane. Reaching Olav, they witness a young woman expertly defeating thugs, and Arc recognizes her as the cat-eared ninja.
8	"Allied! Dashing Through the Darkness With the Beastpeople!" Transliteration: "Kyōtō! Jūjin no Tomo to Yamiyo o Kakeru" (Japanese: 共闘！獣人の友と闇夜を駆ける)	Yukio Takahashi	Toshizō Nemoto	Minoru Ōhara	May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
The ninja, Chiyome of the Jinshin clan, is searching for members of her species enslaved by humans and asks Arc how he knows about ninja, since that word was created by their Great Founder, a human named Hanzo, whom Arc realizes must be another Japanese person who came to this world and founded a ninja clan centuries ago. Chiyome asks for their help and Ariane, as Arc's "employer", agrees. Dakares is furious the Haunted Wolves failed to kill Yuriana and, suspecting a revenge plot against him, is sent to a safe house by his subordinate Cetrion. Chiyome asks Arc and Ariane to attack Etzat Slave Market as obviously as possible, thereby distracting the city guards so that the ninja can infiltrate the other markets. Arc hides his unique armor under a cloak and tribal mask. Chiyome introduces Goemon, a fellow ninja, causing Arc to realize Hanzo named himself after Hattori Hanzō and used the names of other famous ninja as honorary titles (meaning Chiyome is named after Mochizuki Chiyome and Goemon after Ishikawa Goemon). As Goemon is a giant as tall and powerfully built as Arc, they instinctively challenge each other, then, realizing that they're evenly matched, become instant friends. Arc and Goemon attack the market guards via the main entrance and compete to outdo each other, but go overboard and accidentally bury themselves under falling rock as Chiyome and Ariane prepare their own attack from the rear.
9	"The Capital in Chaos and a Maiden's Oath" Transliteration: "Yureugoku Ōto to Otome no Chikai" (Japanese: 揺れ動く王都と乙女の誓い)	Satoru Fujimoto	Toshizō Nemoto	Satoru Fujimoto	June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02)
Learning of the attack, Dakares sends soldiers to protect the slave markets. Ariane and Chiyome begin freeing slaves while dispatching the guards. Goemon sends Arc to join up with Ariane and Chiyome while he holds off arriving reinforcements. The beast people are easily freed, but Arc, Ariane and Chiyome also find a cell full of dead slaves killed or left to die for being unsellable as too old, injured or sick. Arc teleports the survivors to safety, then rejoins Goemon to massacre the soldiers and utterly destroy the market. After the destruction is completed, Arc and Goemon retrieve the dead slaves for a proper funeral and Chiyome swears to hone her skills to save even more people. Cetrion murders Dakares, revealing he was working for Sekt all along; since Yuriarna has not been located, Sekt frames the dead Dakares for Yuriarna’s apparent murder, leaving him sole heir to the throne of Rhoden. Yuriarna arrives in Limbult and learns from Seriarna of Dakares' death, realizing Sekt probably plotted her murder as well, and decides to keep her survival a secret for the time being. Chiyome reveals to Ariane that Dakares was working for the Holy Revlon Empire and sent them many elf slaves. Ariane and Arc decide to travel there immediately. In the capital city of the Holy Revlon Empire, Emperor Domitianus is impressed that Sekt has eliminated both Dakares and Yuriarna, but is more surprised someone destroyed the rings he had sent Dakares to that control the wolves and basilisks. His subordinate confirms that Domitianus' agent, Fumba, is continuing to work to destabilize Rhoden. In the desert beyond Rhoden, a sneering Fumba watches as worm-like monsters erupting from the sands capture and devour flying wyverns.
10	"Hope for the Future Found in the Desert" Transliteration: "Sabaku de Mitsukeshi Asu e no Kibō" (Japanese: 砂漠で見つけし明日への希望)	Shigatsu Yoshikawa	Takeshi Kikuchi	Shigatsu Yoshikawa	June 9, 2022 (2022-06-09)
After a rather electrifying encounter with a flock of wyverns, Arc and Ariane reach a village on the edge of the desert. Arc notices that Ariane is unusually nervous and learns that the slave trade in elves is legal in Revlon, so she is worried about travelling there. At the village tavern, an elf, Carcy Held, introduces himself and explains that he is able to coexist with the villagers and makes a living studying monsters. He asks for Arc’s help in catching difficult monsters, offering a map of Revlon as payment. Ariane struggles with the idea of coexistence, and over a cask of wine that evening in their room Arc unfortunately discovers that Ariane is both a lightweight and a bad drunk. The next morning, Ariane is furious to discover that her antics while intoxicated have caused the villagers to think that she and Arc had had sex all night (with Arc's comments not helping the situation much). Carcy plans to capture a Sand Worm using goblin carcasses as bait, while Ariane is still trying recover from her hangover plus travel motion sickness. Suddenly they are attacked by a worm that has grown far larger than natural, and only Arc is strong enough to defeat it. Another ring is seen on the Sand Worm, but shatters and disappears after the worm's defeat. Carcy tells Ariane that he also once hated humans but grew to care about them, and reveals that Lamburt, a duchy in Rhoden, is governed by a human lord and his elven wife, with whom he fell in love after rescuing her from slavery, and Ariane begins to become more optimistic. The worms' unnatural growth is revealed to be caused by Fumba, who has been feeding them and other monsters slaves and kidnapped villagers, on behalf of Emperor Domitianus.
11	"The Monster-Taming Barbarian Laughs in the Darkness" Transliteration: "Banzoku no Majūtsukai wa Yami ni Warau" (Japanese: 蛮族の魔獣使いは闇に嗤う)	Toshinori Fukushima	Takeshi Kikuchi	Minoru Ōhara	June 16, 2022 (2022-06-16)
Arc, Ariane and Ponta arrive at the border town of Kaysehk. In order to find the captured elves, they separate and Arc learns that strange cries have been heard late at night from a fortress to the east and that people have been mysteriously disappearing. On his way to meet up with Ariane, Arc rescues a street girl from three kidnappers (the girl being pretty and clinging gratefully to Arc doesn't sit well with Ariane). The failed kidnappers, who were working for Fumba to collect "food" for his controlled monsters, are punished by being fed to his giant white tiger monster. Ariane has learned that captured elves had been brought to the fortress four months before and insists on investigating the fortress. Sneaking in and finding a secret passageway, they arrive at an underground chamber where they confront Fumba. Suddenly, Ariane attacks Arc, bewitched into believing she is training with her sister Eevin. Arc spots an imp hidden inside Ariane's cloak hood; Ponta rips it out and Arc destroys it, freeing Ariane from its control. Fumba reveals that he is a Rozombanya Monster Sorcerer who can make monsters obey him. Arc questions him about the elves, but Fumba tells him that most of the elves were used in the Empire's magic experiments while he used the remainder as "food" for his "pet". Enraged, Arc quickly kills the white tiger monster, and Fumba orders his other controlled monsters to attack. Arc is easily able to slay the monsters, but when an ogre attacks the unconscious Ariane, Chiyome appears and uses her Water ninjutsu to overcome it, telling Fumba that the other Jinshin ninja have already dealt with his other monsters. Suddenly the ground begins shaking and Fumba flees, saying his greatest monster has awoken. Arc teleports everyone outside, where they are confronted by a five-headed Hydra.
12	"I Shall Cut Through the World's Evils!" Transliteration: "Konoyo no Aku o Ware wa Kiru!" (Japanese: 異世界（このよ）の悪を我は斬る！)	Yukio Takahashi	Takeshi Kikuchi	Katsumi Ono	June 23, 2022 (2022-06-23)
The hydra attacks Arc, Ariane and Chiyome with its fiery breath, leading Fumba to believe they have been destroyed. Fumba sends the hydra to destroy Kaysehk, while a flashback reveals that Fumba's clan Elders believed him undisciplined and weak, causing him to leave his Clan and take service with Emperor Domitianus. Arc uses his Holy Shield to protect everyone, and Ariane (who, even while bewitched, was aware of everything Fumba had previously said about the elves' fates) vows to destroy him. They split up, with Ariane and Chiyome chasing after Fumba while Arc stays behind to deal with the hydra. Before the hydra can reach Kaysehk, Arc summons the Infernal Demon Ifrit to battle the hydra. Ariane and Chiyome catch up with Fumba, and Ariane taunts him with his personal weakness. When Fumba is goaded enough to attack Ariane, Chiyome attacks him and damages the magical body markings that allow him to control monsters. Ariane's fiery sword destroys Fumba's whip and the flames consume him. With the hydra damaged by Ifrit's attack, Arc flings it into the air and Ifrit destroys it with its flames. Meanwhile, Princess Yuriarna meets with Elven Elders Dillan and Lord Fangas, and they agree that the Rhoden Kingdom will take responsibility for the crimes against the elves, locate the missing/enslaved elves and defend elven territories in exchange for the elves backing Yuriarna in her bid for succession to the Rhoden throne. After learning this news (via Danka's Whispering Fowl), which means Ariane's mission is now officially over, Ariane is uneasy and uncertain about the future, but Arc and Chiyome reassure her. Sekt is disturbed by the news of Yuriarna surviving the assassination attempt and successfully negotiating with the elves; Yuriarna ponders her own destiny after her miraculous revival; Domitianus learns about the destruction of Fumba and his monsters; Chiyome sees Arc's unhelmeted face for the first time; and Arc decides to continue his travels with his friends.

Reception

Previews

The anime adaptation's first episode received generally negative reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Spring 2022 season previews. Caitlin Moore found its "mishmash of isekai clichés" dull and "pretty inoffensive" and was immediately put off by the graphic rape scene in the beginning and Arc's comical antics during and after said scene, calling it "a bad narrative choice all around, and deserves to be criticized for that in addition to being crass." James Beckett found the sexual assault opening "lascivious and needlessly cruel" and felt that Arc comes across as a "genuine sociopath" when going through violent scenarios. Nicholas Dupree also criticized the rape sequence as "a lazy, shameless bit of shock-jock writing" that felt out of place and ruins Arc's introduction by seeing his perspective of said sequence and feels like a bad joke afterwards. Rebecca Silverman found the "opening salvo" as a cheap ploy to grab viewers' attention and called the rest of the episode "shockingly bland", concluding that "a combination of insipid and offensive doesn't leave this with a whole lot to recommend it." Conversely, Richard Eisenbeis was positive towards Arc's personality and felt the bandit scene gave him some "character development", concluding that: "All in all, despite the rough start, I really enjoyed this episode and can't wait to see where things go from here as he inevitably forms a party and answers the call to adventure."

Series reception

Stig Høgset, writing for THEM Anime Reviews, criticized the moral alignment and violent aspects of the fantasy world and some "pretty cheap-looking segments" throughout the episodes, but gave praise to Arc's enthusiastic character and both Ariane and Chiyome's backstories making them "more fleshed-out characters" outside of their interactions with Arc, concluding that: "It's not a terribly complicated show, so it works more like a mid-level popcorn entertainment version of deeper or grimmer shows like Re:Zero or Overlord, but like I once said about other shows; sometimes, you just want to relax and have some fun. Skeleton Knight in Another World's got your back there."

See also

• The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, Another light novel series with the same illustrator

External links

• Web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
• Light novel official website (in Japanese)
• Manga official website (in Japanese)
• Anime official website (in Japanese)
• Skeleton Knight in Another World (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia