Hell Mode

Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing (ヘルモード ～やり込み好きのゲーマーは廃設定の異世界で無双する～, Heru Mōdo: Yarikomizuki no Gēmā wa Hai Settei no Isekai de Musō Suru) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hamuo and illustrated by Mo. It began serialization online in November 2019 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Earth Star Entertainment, who have published eleven volumes since July 2020 under their Earth Star Novel imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Enji Tetta has been serialized online via Earth Star Entertainment's Comic Earth Star website since October 2020 and has been collected in twelve tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory is set to premiere in January 2026.

Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing
First light novel volume cover
ヘルモード ～やり込み好きのゲーマーは廃設定の異世界で無双する～ (Heru Mōdo: Yarikomizuki no Gēmā wa Hai Settei no Isekai de Musō Suru)
Genre	Isekai
Novel series
Written by	Hamuo
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	November 17, 2019 – present
Light novel
Written by	Hamuo
Illustrated by	Mo
Published by	Earth Star Entertainment
English publisher	NA: J-Novel Club Yen Press (print)
Imprint	Earth Star Novel
Original run	July 15, 2020 – present
Volumes	11
Manga
Written by	Hamuo
Illustrated by	Enji Tetta
Published by	Earth Star Entertainment
English publisher	NA: J-Novel Club
Imprint	Earth Star Comics
Magazine	Comic Earth Star
Original run	October 15, 2020 – present
Volumes	12
Anime television series
Directed by	Masato Tamagawa
Written by	Daishiro Tanimura
Music by	Misaki Tsuchida Moyu Kanazaki Junko Nakajima Kanada Sakuma Reiko Abe Kaho Sawada BeauDamian Tsugumi Tanaka
Studio	Yokohama Animation Laboratory
Original network	Tokyo MX, MBS, BS NTV
Original run	January 2026 – scheduled

Characters

Allen (アレン, Aren)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura (audio drama, anime)^[1][2]

Krena (クレナ, Kurena)

Voiced by: Mayu Iizuka (anime)^[2]

Dogora (ドゴラ)

Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka (anime)^[2]

Cecil Granvelle (セシル・グランヴェル, Seshiru Guranberu)

Voiced by: Kana Ueda (audio drama),^[1] Sayaka Senbongi (anime)^[2]

Rodan (ロダン)

Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (anime)^[3]

Theresia (テレシア, Tereshia)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (anime)^[3]

Matthew (マッシュ, Masshu)

Voiced by: Makoto Koichi (anime)^[3]

Media

Light novels

Written by Hamuo, Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on November 17, 2019.^[4] It was later acquired by Earth Star Entertainment who began releasing it with illustrations by Mo under their Earth Star Novel light novel imprint on July 15, 2020. Eleven volumes have been released as of March 14, 2025.^[5]

During their panel at Anime Expo Lite 2021, J-Novel Club announced that they had licensed the series for English publication.^[6] During their panel at Anime NYC 2022, J-Novel Club announced that print releases of the series would be handled by Yen Press.^[7]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	North American release date	North American ISBN
1	July 15, 2020[8]	978-4-8030-1433-4	October 13, 2021 (digital)[9] June 6, 2023 (print)[10]	978-1-7183-8198-8 (digital) 978-1-9753-6849-4 (print)
2	November 16, 2020[11]	978-4-8030-1468-6	January 4, 2022 (digital)[12] September 19, 2023 (print)[13]	978-1-7183-8200-8 (digital) 978-1-9753-6850-0 (print)
3	March 17, 2021[14]	978-4-8030-1501-0	April 13, 2022 (digital)[15] January 30, 2024 (print)[16]	978-1-7183-8202-2 (digital) 978-1-9753-6851-7 (print)
4	September 15, 2021[17]	978-4-8030-1564-5	July 27, 2022 (digital)[18] May 21, 2024 (print)[19]	978-1-7183-8204-6 (digital) 978-1-9753-6852-4 (print)
5	March 16, 2022[20]	978-4-8030-1624-6	January 11, 2023 (digital)[21] August 20, 2024 (print)[22]	978-1-7183-8206-0 (digital) 978-1-9753-6853-1 (print)
6	September 15, 2022[23]	978-4-8030-1693-2	July 31, 2023 (digital)[24] November 19, 2024 (print)[25]	978-1-7183-8208-4 (digital) 978-1-9753-6854-8 (print)
7	March 15, 2023[26]	978-4-8030-1763-2	January 15, 2024 (digital)[27] February 18, 2025 (print)[28]	978-1-7183-8210-7 (digital) 979-8-8554-0556-9 (print)
8	October 18, 2023[29]	978-4-8030-1848-6	December 18, 2024 (digital)[30] June 10, 2025 (print)[31]	978-1-7183-8212-1 (digital) 979-8-8554-2143-9 (print)
9	April 17, 2024[32]	978-4-8030-1938-4	March 26, 2025 (digital)[33]	978-1-7183-8212-1
10	September 13, 2024[34]	978-4-8030-2007-6	September 2, 2025 (digital)[35]	978-1-7183-8216-9
11	March 14, 2025[5]	978-4-8030-2099-1	—	—

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Enji Tetta began serialization on Earth Star Entertainment's Comic Earth Star manga service on October 15, 2020.^[36] The manga's chapters have been compiled into twelve tankōbon volumes as of September 2025.^[37]

During their panel at Anime Expo 2023, J-Novel Club announced that they had also licensed the manga adaptation for English publication.^[38]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	North American release date	North American ISBN
1	May 12, 2021[39]	978-4-8030-1516-4	September 20, 2023[40]	978-1-7183-8720-1
2	October 12, 2021[41]	978-4-8030-1566-9	December 27, 2023[42]	978-1-7183-8721-8
3	March 12, 2022[43]	978-4-8030-1622-2	April 27, 2024[44]	978-1-7183-8722-5
4	August 10, 2022[45]	978-4-8030-1676-5	August 7, 2024[46]	978-1-7183-8723-2
5	January 12, 2023[47]	978-4-8030-1733-5	December 25, 2024[48]	978-1-7183-8724-9
6	June 12, 2023[49]	978-4-8030-1791-5	April 16, 2025[50]	978-1-7183-8725-6
7	October 12, 2023[51]	978-4-8030-1844-8	August 6, 2025[52]	978-1-7183-8726-3
8	March 13, 2024[53]	978-4-8030-1919-3	October 15, 2025[54]	978-1-7183-8727-0
9	July 12, 2024[55]	978-4-8030-1978-0	—	—
10	December 12, 2024[56]	978-4-8030-2047-2	—	—
11	April 11, 2025[57]	978-4-8030-2110-3	—	—
12	September 12, 2025[37]	978-4-8030-2180-6	—	—

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on December 5, 2024.^[58][59] The series is produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory and directed by Masato Tamagawa, with Daishiro Tanimura handling series composition, Kei Tsushima designing the characters, and Misaki Tsuchida, Moyu Kanazaki, Junko Nakajima, Kanada Sakuma, Reiko Abe, Kaho Sawada, BeauDamian, and Tsugumi Tanaka composing the music.^[3] It is set to premiere in January 2026 on Tokyo MX and other networks.^[2] The opening theme song is "Haku" performed by Atarayo, while the ending theme song is "Sanctuary" performed by Kaya.^[3]

Reception

The series won the grand prize at the 2nd Earth Star Novel Award in 2020.^[60]

By December 2024, the series had over 1.6 million copies in circulation.^[61]

See also

• Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World, another light novel series with the same illustrator