Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon (Japanese: 自動販売機に生まれ変わった俺は迷宮を彷徨う, Hepburn: Jidōhanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyū o Samayō; lit. "Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Wander Through the Labyrinth") is a Japanese light novel series written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Itsuwa Kato (original edition) and Yūki Hagure (revised edition). The series was originally published in 2016 as a web novel by the author on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Later on the same year, it was acquired and then published by Kadokawa Shoten. A manga adaptation by Kunieda began serialization ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in August 2021. Both the light novel and manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ aired from July to September 2023. A second season premiered in July 2025.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
The cover of the original edition of the first light novel, featuring Boxxo and Lammis
自動販売機に生まれ変わった俺は迷宮を彷徨う (Jidōhanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyū o Samayō)
Genre	Fantasy comedy[1] Isekai[2]
Novel series
Written by	Hirukuma
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	March 3, 2016 – December 18, 2016
Light novel
Written by	Hirukuma
Illustrated by	Itsuwa Kato (original edition) Yūki Hagure (revised edition)
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	NA: Yen Press
Imprint	Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run	August 1, 2016 – present
Volumes	4
Manga
Written by	Hirukuma
Illustrated by	Kunieda
Published by	ASCII Media Works
English publisher	NA: Yen Press
Magazine	Dengeki Daioh
Original run	August 27, 2021 – present
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Noriaki Akitaya (S1) Takashi Yamamoto (S2)
Written by	Tatsuya Takahashi
Music by	Yuta Uraki Keita Takahashi
Studio	Studio Gokumi AXsiZ
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a]
Original network	Tokyo MX, BS NTV, AT-X
Original run	July 5, 2023 – present
Episodes	17

The light novels follow its titular protagonist who, after being crushed to death by a vending machine, is reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy dungeon world. Shortly after, he meets and befriends Lammis, a young female hunter, who names him "Boxxo" and starts carrying him around on her back, and the two start their adventures in the dungeon together. Reborn as a Vending Machine has been well received by critics, with particular praise being directed at the novels' unique take on the isekai genre.

Synopsis

An unnamed Japanese vending machine otaku is crushed to death by a falling vending machine. He then finds himself reincarnated in a fantasy world dungeon as a sentient vending machine. He can see and hear but is immobile, with his speech being limited to stock Japanese vending machine phrases, such as "Hello there" or "Too bad".^[3] As a vending machine, he discovers he can dispense any item he has bought in his previous life, and can convert such sales to points, thus sustaining his existence.^[3] He is also able to use excess coins to add additional features to his vending machine body, and is able to choose which items he stocks or the prices of the items.^[3] Furthermore, he is able to use some magical abilities, including shapeshifting, invisibility, telekinesis, and a defensive vector force field.^[3]

Stuck in the middle of the wilderness, he encounters Lammis, a young female hunter. Lammis has a skill known as the Blessing of Might, which makes her ridiculously strong, but is still a novice at managing her own strength.^[3] The two quickly become friends after he dispenses some food items to the hungry Lammis. Calling him "Boxxo", she starts carrying him around on her back, which allows Boxxo to move, with his weight allowing her to more easily control her strength.^[3] The series chronicles their adventures as they start exploring the world's dungeon, and the characters they meet on the way.^[3]

Background

In the afterword of the first volume, Hirukuma describes his envisioning and road to publishing Reborn as a Vending Machine.^[3] He at first helped out with his father's independent business, though after the death of his father from a high fall, he closed down the business and began pursuing his ambition as a writer.^[4] He described his father's death as giving him acrophobia, and recalled thinking "I don't know when I'm going to die like my father did. One question went through my mind: Have I done everything I've wanted to in life?"^[4] On a site for submitting novels called Shōsetsuka ni Narō, he submitted several works of fiction, including another isekai piece and a battle-themed novel set in the near future, but was initially unsuccessful.^[5]

He described Reborn as a Vending Machine as his final effort after four years of unsuccessfully getting his novels published.^[5] Hirukuma wrote that "[it was] one that was fantastical and original, and one that I wanted to write [...] This wasn't a novel where I adjusted for the readers' needs, or had to think long and hard about constructing a plot. Instead, I pursued my own style for it, and it garnered the most popularity of all my work".^[6]

Characters

Boxxo (ハッコン, Hakkon)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama^[7] (Japanese); Garret Storms^[8] (season 1), Austin Tindle^[9] (season 2) (English)

The titular protagonist of the series. Prior to being reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy world, Boxxo was a vending machine otaku who was crushed by a falling vending machine in Japan. His current name was given to him by Lammis. As a vending machine, Boxxo can only communicate in stock vending machine phrases, although he can still speak to himself in his thoughts and he can see and hear just fine; however, he is soon able to use the letters in his limited speech to spell out what he's trying to say and move on his own using his telekinesis, barrier, cardboard vending machine form, and balloons. He is able to sell and dispense an unlimited number of products, which rewards him with points he can use to upgrade himself and can make food packagings and wrappings disappear. He is also built with a small digital slot machine, has the ability to shapeshift, can create a forcefield around him for defense, which people and objects can pass through if he allows it, use telekinesis, and can reward people with free products. He seems to have feelings for both Lammis and Hulemy.^[3]

Lammis (ラッミス, Rammisu)

Voiced by: Kaede Hondo^[7] (Japanese); Emily Neves^[8] (English)

Lammis is a young, energetic hunter with a special ability called the Blessing of Might, which makes her incredibly strong, though she is clumsy at controlling her own strength. This is resolved when she carries Boxxo on her back, allowing her better control of her strength. She lives on the Clearflow Lake stratum. Lammis is Boxxo's primary love interest and means of transportation, the latter because she is the only person who can carry Boxxo on her own. She hates losing her friends and loved ones due to her parents being killed by monsters and her village being destroyed in the attack. Due to her closeness with Boxxo, she gets emotionally upset if they are separated and will stop at nothing to find him.^[3]

Hulemy (ヒュールミ, Hyūrumi)

Voiced by: Shiki Aoki^[10] (Japanese); Elizabeth Maxwell^[11] (English)

A childhood friend of Lammis who behaves more like an older sister. Hulemy is a talented magical item engineer and has a tomboyish personality. She is the first to discover that Boxxo contains a human soul inside him. Like Lammis, she lost her parents and village in a monster attack. She also appears to have feelings for Boxxo.^[12]

Suori (スオリ)

Voiced by: Shizuku Hoshinoya^[13] (Japanese); Macy Anne Johnson^[8] (English)

The daughter of a rich tycoon who is selfish, arrogant, and strong-willed. Suori has taken an interest in Boxxo, so much so that she even once tried to buy him. She also has a rival named Kanashi, whom she hates above all else.^[12]

Director Bear (熊会長, Kuma Kaichō)

Voiced by: Atsushi Miyauchi^[10] (Japanese); Christopher Sabat^[11] (English)

A literal bear who is the director of the Hunter's Association on the Clearflow Lake stratum. His real name is Bommy (ボミー, Bomī).^[12]

Kerioyl (ケリオイル, Kerioiru)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai^[10] (Japanese); Bradley Gareth^[11] (English)

The leader of the Menagerie of Fools. He is quite arrogant, but is a very skilled fighter. Boxxo has personal issues towards him.

Filmina (フィルミナ, Firumina)

Voiced by: Ai Kayano^[10] (Japanese); Molly Searcy^[11] (English)

Kerioyl's second-in-command of the Menagerie of Fools. She usually gets annoyed with her leader's arrogance. It is later discovered that she is part vamp fiend (vampire).

Shui (シュイ)

Voiced by: Miyu Tomita^[10] (Japanese); Hannah Alyea^[11] (English)

A huntress whom Lammis befriends. She serves as a member of the Menagerie of Fools and has a monstrous appetite.

Shirley (シャーリィ, Shārī)

Voiced by: Nanako Mori^[13]

A cordial, beautiful woman who runs a "business of the night" on the Clearflow Lake stratum. Boxxo takes a liking to her. She is also a strong hunter and fights with a whip.^[12]

Aka (赤)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita^[10] (Japanese); Bryson Baugus^[11] (English)

A member of the Menagerie of Fools.

Shiro (白)

Voiced by: Junya Enoki^[10] (Japanese); Jan Aponte^[11] (English)

A member of the Menagerie of Fools.

Mishuel (ミシュエル, Mishueru)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi^[10] (Japanese); Aaron Campbell^[11] (English)

A handsome hunter who appears charming on the outside, but on the inside, he is shown to be somewhat of a coward and is not good with communication. He later joins the Menagerie of Fools.

Suco (スコ, Suko), Pell (ペル, Peru), Short (ショート, Shōto), and Mikenne (ミケネ, Mikene)

Suco: Voiced by: Shiori Izawa^[13] (Japanese); Kate Oxley^[11] (English)

Pell: Voiced by: Yū Serizawa^[13] (Japanese); Trina Nishimura^[11] (English)

Short: Voiced by: Sora Tokui^[13] (Japanese); Lexi Nieto^[11] (English)

Mikenne: Voiced by: Rena Maeda^[13] (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski^[11] (English)

A group of Bearcats who later join the Menagerie of Fools.

Missus (おかみさん, Okami-san) and Munami (ムナミ)

Missus: Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu^[13] (Japanese); Monica Rial^[11] (English)

Munami: Voiced by: Yuko Okui^[13] (Japanese); Marisa Duran^[11] (English)

Two women who work at an inn on the Clearflow Lake stratum. They are good friends with Lammis.

Acowi (アコウイ, Akoui)

Voiced by: Hisako Tōjō^[13] (Japanese); Jessica Peterson^[11] (English)

The owner of the Merchants Exchange.

Gocguy (ゴッガイ, Goggai)

Voiced by: Akinori Egoshi^[13]

Acowi's helper. He is skilled with using an axe.

Karios (カリオス, Kariosu) and Gorth (ゴルス, Gorusu)

Karios: Voiced by: Taketora^[13] (Japanese); Jarrod Greene^[11] (season 1), Bradley Gareth^[9] (season 2) (English)

Gorth: Voiced by: Toshiki Iwasawa^[13] (Japanese); Bryan Massey^[11] (English)

Two guards who protect the Clearflow Lake stratum.

Gugoyle (グゴイル, Gugoiru)

Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi^[13]

A thief who tried to rob Boxxo once.

May (メイ, Mei)

Voiced by: Akane Yabushima^[13] (Japanese); Rachel Michelle Thompson^[11] (English)

A young girl who once won a free item from Boxxo. She is Shimelai and Yumite's granddaughter.

Kanashi (カナシ)

Voiced by: Misaki Watada^[13]

Suori's rival who has a similar personality as her.

Hoxie

The owner of the orphanage located on the Origin Stratum, who is also a skilled hunter using bows and arrows.

Shimelai and Yumite

Shimelai: Voiced by: Yuki Tamai^[13] (Japanese); R. Bruce Elliott^[9] (English)

Yumite: Voiced by: Toko Aoyama^[13] (Japanese); Kara Edwards^[9] (English)

An elderly couple, who are skilled hunters and can use magic. They are May's grandparents.

Director Origin

The unnamed director of the Origin Stratum.

Hevee

A former member of the Menagerie of Fools, who has an addiction for shoes. He also knows of Boxxo's origins.

King of Souls (死霊王, Shiryō Ō)

Voiced by: Yasuhiro Mamiya^[13]

A powerful undead who is a part of the Netherlord.

Netherlord (冥府の王, Meifu no Ō)

Voiced by: Show Hayami^[13] (Japanese); Jeremy Schwartz^[9] (English)

The dungeon's strongest monster and a servant of the Demon Lord. It is implied that he knows Boxxo's origins. It is later discovered that he lured hunters into the dungeon, which gains power from killing, in the first place to kill them and use their corpses to reproduce his army.

Demon Lord

The Netherlord's master, who rules an area located north of the dungeon.

Media

Light novels

Hirukuma originally published the series online as a web novel on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō from March 3 to December 18, 2016.

Kadokawa Shoten acquired the series to publish it as a light novel. The first volume was published on August 1, 2016.^[14] Yen Press announced during the Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the series for an English release.^[15]

With the release of the anime adaptation, Kadokawa released a revised edition of the light novel with new illustrations provided by Yūki Hagure.^[16]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	August 1, 2016 (original)[14] June 30, 2023 (revised)[17]	978-4-04-104728-6 (original) 978-4-04-111959-4 (revised)	April 24, 2018[18]	978-0-31-647911-0
2	October 1, 2016 (original)[19] September 1, 2023 (revised)[20]	978-4-04-104729-3 (original) 978-4-04-111960-0 (revised)	August 28, 2018[21]	978-0-31-647913-4
3	February 1, 2017 (original)[22] December 28, 2023 (revised)[23]	978-4-04-105174-0 (original) 978-4-04-111961-7 (revised)	December 18, 2018[24]	978-0-31-647915-8
4	July 1, 2025[25]	—	—	—

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Kunieda began serialization in ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on August 27, 2021.^[26] The manga is also licensed by Yen Press as a digital simulpublication.^[27]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 25, 2022[28]	978-4-04-914323-2	April 18, 2023[29]	978-1-97-536578-3
2	March 25, 2023[30]	978-4-04-914964-7	March 19, 2024[31]	978-1-97-539024-2

Anime

In August 2022, it was announced that the series would be receiving an anime adaptation.^[32][33] It was later confirmed to be a television series produced by Slow Curve, animated by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ and directed by Noriaki Akitaya, with Masayuki Takahashi serving as assistant director, Tatsuya Takahashi overseeing series scripts, Takahiro Sakai adapting Yūki Hagure's designs for animation, and Yuta Uraki and Keita Takahashi composing the music.^[7][34] The series aired from July 5 to September 20, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks.^[10] The opening theme song is "Fanfare" (ファンファーレ) by BRADIO, while the ending theme song is "Itsumo no Soup" (いつものスープ; "The Usual Soup") by Peel the Apple.^[35][36] Crunchyroll streamed the series outside of Asia.^[37]

After the airing of the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced.^[38] The staff and cast are reprising their roles, with Takashi Yamamoto replacing Akitaya as director. The season premiered on July 2, 2025.^[39] The opening theme song is "Mirai Cider" (未来サイダー; Future Cider) performed by BRADIO, while the ending theme song is "Boku Dake no Chiheisen" (僕だけの地平線; A Horizon Only for Me), performed by Aina Aiba.^[40]

Episodes

Season 1 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [41][42]	Directed by [b]	Written by [b]	Storyboarded by [b]	Original release date [43]
1	1	"The Vending Machine Travels" Transliteration: "Jidōhanbaiki, Idō Suru" (Japanese: 自動販売機、移動する)	Mihiro Yamaguchi	Tatsuya Takahashi	Noriaki Akitaya	July 5, 2023 (2023-07-05)
An unnamed man is killed in an accident involving a vending machine and reincarnates into another world as one himself. He discovers that he contains options to upgrade himself. Unfortunately, it also costs points to charge his power supply and without a customer, he will lose power in one month. He is attacked by frog-like monsters, but discovers a blessing from God that generates a protective barrier. The monsters soon get bored and leave. A starving human hunter named Lammis later appears. The vending machine develops a way of communicating in which his stock phrases mean other things. He helps provide her with food and water. As her blessing is strength, Lammis decides to carry him, revealing they are in a dungeon on a secure level where adventurers have built a village. Along the way, Lammis saves a girl from some thugs. Lammis wants to show him to her friend Hulemy on the surface, but without money for the teleportation circle, she takes him to an inn where her friend Munami works. The new vending machine becomes popular with adventurers and he gains many points, allowing him to upgrade his items. Lammis acquires a frame to carry him on her back and names him "Boxxo".
2	2	"The King Frog Fiend Appears" Transliteration: "Ōkawazujinma ga Arawareta" (Japanese: 王蛙人魔が現れた)	Tatsuya Fujinaka	Yutaka Yasunaga	Royden B & Hiroyuki Ōshima	July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12)
Director Bear, an actual bear who is the director of the Hunter's Association, asks Lammis to bring Boxxo as food support for a large hunt to exterminate frog fiends, the same monsters that attacked Boxxo earlier. Kerioyl, leader of the Menagerie of Fools party, takes an interest in Boxxo, who decides he cannot be trusted. Filmina, Kerioyl's second-in-command, examines Boxxo, but senses no magic inside him. Meanwhile, Lammis becomes friends with a huntress named Shui. Boxxo decides to join the fight to protect Lammis. Lammis discovers that with Boxxo on her back as a counterweight, her usually poor control of her strength is negated. After the battle, Boxxo provides free sports drinks to the injured. Director Bear believes a king frog fiend is nearby and takes the remaining hunters to find it. That night, a hunter tries to break open Boxxo to steal his items, but Boxxo burns him with scalding soup and he is punished by Lammis for trying to rob Boxxo. When the king frog fiend appears, Boxxo provides cola and some mints. The combined items are eventually used to blind the king enough for the hunters to return and slay it. With the hunt over, everyone returns to the village victorious.
3	3	"Rebuilding" Transliteration: "Fukkō" (Japanese: 復興)	Masateru Nomi	Tatsuya Takahashi	Hiroyuki Ōshima	July 19, 2023 (2023-07-19)
The party returns to the village, only to find it has been destroyed by a two-headed snake. Used to such things, the citizens kill the monster and begin rebuilding. Kerioyl asks Lammis and Boxxo to join his party, but Lammis refuses. Acowi, from the Merchants Exchange, reveals the village is running out of silver coins which are inside Boxxo. To get them back into circulation, she proposes buying them back with gold. Unfortunately, Boxxo cannot perform exchanges, though Lammis realizes by buying items with gold, Boxxo can return silver as change, which satisfies Acowi. Boxxo later adds a gambling function. Director Bear asks Boxxo to help Shirley, a brothel owner, so Boxxo sells her condoms to deal with diseases. A rich girl named Suori, who Lammis previously rescued, tries to vandalize Boxxo, but he stops her and also forgives her as she misses her absent father. Boxxo also begins selling soap at the public baths. Director Bear asks Boxxo to use his camouflage skill to catch criminals in the act. While disguised, Boxxo overhears Suori trying to buy him from Lammis, who refuses. Boxxo is overwhelmed with emotion by this before revealing himself to Lammis.
4	4	"Boxxo Is Abducted" Transliteration: "Hakkon, Yūkai Sareru" (Japanese: ハッコン、誘拐される)	Mihiro Yamaguchi	Yutaka Yasunaga	Hirokazu Yamada	July 26, 2023 (2023-07-26)
Boxxo is kidnapped by thieves, including Gugoyle, the hunter who tried to break him open previously. They take him to their hideout with a kidnapped magic item engineer, who turns out to be Lammis' friend Hulemy. She and Boxxo quickly become friends and with her expertise, she realizes Boxxo contains a human soul. That night, the thieves sneak in to attack Hulemy, but Boxxo persuades them to leave by dispensing pornographic magazines. The thieves' leader gives her two days to break Boxxo open or she will die. Shortly before the deadline, the hideout is attacked by Lammis and the Hunter's Association in search for Boxxo. The attack sets off explosives that buries Boxxo and Hulemy under rubble. They survive inside Boxxo's shield while he also provides Hulemy some oxygen. In turn, Hulemy provides Boxxo the thieves' gold to help maintain his shield. Lammis eventually finds and reunites with Boxxo and Hulemy. Kerioyl is revealed to have uncharacteristically aided in Boxxo's rescue for free by capturing the thieves, though he insists it is a ploy to eventually have Boxxo join the Menagerie of Fools and help Kerioyl achieve his dream.
5	5	"Vanity, Pride, and Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Mie to Puraido to Jidōhanbaiki" (Japanese: 見栄とプライドと自動販売機)	Sumito Sasaki	Yutaka Yasunaga	Waruo Suzuki	August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02)
While Lammis is embracing Boxxo, Hulemy reveals that Lammis hates losing people since her and Hulemy's parents were killed in a monster attack. Suori tells Hulemy there will be a gathering of merchant families and their magic item engineers. A girl from a rival family named Kanashi will be there, so she asks Hulemy to pretend to be her engineer and Boxxo as her latest magic item. Kanashi's engineer presents an automaton that obeys orders. Hulemy is outraged as it was made with a mind controlled human soul, which is against the law. When the automaton goes berserk, Hulemy helps free the trapped soul. As such, Kanashi is disqualified. Later, the village's restaurant owners panic when a popular restaurant called Chains opens a branch, so they ask Boxxo for help. After Lammis and Hulemy discover Chains' food is low quality. Boxxo provides several novel items, which the chefs reverse engineer so they can make them themselves. Chains goes out of business in only one month. Kerioyl asks Boxxo and Lammis to join a campaign. Despite Boxxo's mistrust, he decides to accompany Lammis as she wishes to keep improving her abilities.
6	6	"The Fighting Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Tatakau Jidōhanbaiki" (Japanese: 戦う自動販売機)	Tōru Hamasaki	Tatsuya Takahashi	Hikaru Takeuchi & Kōji Yoshikawa	August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
By providing free ingredients to make home cooked Oden, Boxxo facilitates love between a shy shopkeeper and a village guard named Gorth. Spring arrives and Kerioyl's party is organized to check the population of crocodile-fiends. Boxxo provides a portable toilet with a privacy tent, which the ladies are grateful for. Kerioyl decides to cull the crocodile-fiends to prevent them from hunting humans. Hulemy reveals to Boxxo Director Bear asked her to look out for a Stratum Lord, a rare monster similar to a dungeon boss. Almost immediately the Crocodile-Lord appears, forcing everyone to flee and leave Boxxo behind. Boxxo dispenses fried chicken to distract it, but is himself swallowed. Safe inside his barrier, Boxxo floods the Lord's stomach with cleaning chemicals and gas and then creates a spark by heating a tin can inside his microwave function, causing an explosion that kills the Lord. Boxxo receives a valuable coin as a reward, but magic leaking from the Lord's bones collapses the ground under him. As he plummets into an even lower stratum, all Boxxo can think about is a distraught Lammis.
7	7	"The Voracious Devils" Transliteration: "Bōshoku no Akumadan" (Japanese: 暴食の悪魔団)	Tatsuya Fujinaka	Yutaka Yasunaga	Yō Nakano & Noriaki Akitaya	August 16, 2023 (2023-08-16)
Boxxo lands in the next stratum, a giant maze. Defeating the Lord has given him one million points, which he spends leveling up to a Rank 2 vending machine. He is disappointed that the coin he received is just a medal proving he killed a Lord. As a Rank 2, he unlocks a solar panel to recharge his power without spending points. Eventually, he encounters four young creatures called Bearcats; Suco, Pell, Short and Mikenne. From their conversation, Boxxo deduces they are seeking treasure in the maze since they must eat a lot to survive. Unfortunately, they do not realize Boxxo is conscious, so they plan to sell him to Chains. They are attacked by a colossal Flame Skeletitan, the maze Stratum Lord, but the Bearcats escape with Boxxo. Despite Boxxo dispensing useful items to help them, they still do not realize he is conscious. As they reach the maze exit, they encounter Lammis and the Menagerie of Fools, who are thrilled they finally found Boxxo as Lammis was furious with Kerioyl for abandoning him. The Bearcats ally with the hunters and are dumbfounded when Director Bear explains about Boxxo's consciousness and unique method of speaking.
8	8	"The Flame Skeletitan of the Labyrinth Stratum" Transliteration: "Meiro Kaisō no Enkyokotsuma" (Japanese: 迷路階層の炎巨骨魔)	Sumito Sasaki	Tatsuya Takahashi	Kazuma Takeya & Masayuki Takahashi	August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
Kerioyl asks Boxxo to help defeat the Skeletitan, revealing the Menagerie of Fools believe a legend that anyone who receives a coin from defeating a stratum Lord then makes it all the way to the lowest stratum will be granted a wish by God. They need six coins in total, but only have three so far. Boxxo is intrigued as it could mean he can use his own coin to become human, though he also fears losing his usefulness as a vending machine. As the maze possesses its own traps, they plan to drop the Skeletitan into a large pit which they spend days filling with Boxxo's water and ice to extinguish the Skeletitan's protective flames. Boxxo also adds dry ice so the carbon dioxide smothers the flames even faster. Once the Skeletitan falls down the pit, Boxxo tricks Lammis into knocking him down there as well so he can use his weight to kill it. After dispensing helium balloons to lift himself out, Boxxo receives the Skeletitan's coin, but happily sells it to a grateful Kerioyl for 100 gold.
9	9	"A Less-than-Ideal Hero" Transliteration: "Risō no Eiyū Miman" (Japanese: 理想の英雄未満)	Masateru Nomi	Yutaka Yasunaga	Waruo Suzuki	August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
The group stop at the maze stratum's Hunter's Association headquarters. While the Menagerie of Fools return to Clearflow Lake village, Director Bear asks Lammis and Hulemy to begin mapping the maze. Mishuel, a young handsome hunter, begins working in the maze as well. However, once alone, Boxxo witnesses Mishuel's real personality where he is nervous and lacks confidence. Mishuel joins their group, even though it means working together for three weeks with his terrible communication skills. Lammis becomes unwell from getting her period, so Boxxo dispenses menstrual pads and transforms into a clothes washing machine to clean her clothes. The experience actually brings Mishuel out of his shell. After another week, they encounter assassins sent to kill Mishuel for a mysterious reason linked to his past. With Boxxo's help, they are easily defeated. Mishuel decides to leave, but Lammis suggests he join the Menagerie of Fools since they will not care about his past and will welcome his strength in battle. The group finally return home and find in Boxxo's absence, Chains has been using fake vending machines to sell their low quality food, though with Boxxo's return, they are quickly exposed and shut down.
10	10	"Gastric Measures" Transliteration: "Ibukuro no Hate ni" (Japanese: 胃袋の果てに)	Sumito Sasaki	Tatsuya Takahashi	Shin'ichi Tanabe	September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
The Restaurant Owners Union decide to hold an eating contest to attract people back to the village, which has finally been rebuilt. This backfires when Shui and the Bearcats, who are gluttonous, enter the contest. Afraid for their profits, the Union begs Boxxo's help, so he dispenses cola, which, if drunk by the contestants, will fill them faster. After an intense multi-round contest, Shui defeats the Bearcats and receives free access to Boxxo for 24 hours as her prize. With Lammis carrying Boxxo, Shui takes them to the Origin stratum that is closest to the surface, which houses an orphanage and uses her free 24 hours to feed, wash, clothe, and entertain the children. Shui explains the Origin stratum acts as a sort of test to allow access to lower stratums, meaning that it tends to collect people not strong enough to survive yet, like children whose parents died during the test. At night, bandits try to steal Boxxo's items, but he takes their photos, then scares them away with mist, ice, and creepy music. The orphanage director, a retired hunter stronger than Kerioyl, later "takes care of" the bandits to protect the children.
11	11	"The Dead's Lament Stratum" Transliteration: "Mōja no Nageki Kaisō" (Japanese: 亡者の嘆き階層)	Sumito Sasaki & Masateru Nomi	Yutaka Yasunaga	Waruo Suzuki	September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
The Menagerie of Fools ask Boxxo to accompany them to Dead's Lament, a stratum of undead which scares Lammis. When the dead wander about overnight, the creepy guild secretary explains they envy the living and often peer in windows as though trying to enter, but are harmless as long as the living stay indoors at night. To get over her fear, Hulemy tells Lammis to go shopping alone but she clings to Boxxo terrified. Kerioyl plans to hunt the stratum lord, the King of Souls. As night arrives again, Boxxo encounters an undead child seemingly asking for a drink. Curious by the sign of potential intelligence, Boxxo dispenses a bottle and is amazed when the boy attempts to drink it, and the same thing happens several nights in a row. One night, the Menagerie of Fools camp outside the village and the same boy follows them to see Boxxo, who fails to save him. Boxxo realizes the boy had been carrying a copper coin in an attempt to buy something, and is deeply saddened. Kerioyl reveals the King of Souls is a magic user, so their plan to defeat it will rely heavily on Boxxo's impenetrable barrier.
12	12	"What Can Be Done as a Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Jidōhanbaiki Toshite Dekiru Koto" (Japanese: 自動販売機として出来ること)	Sumito Sasaki & Tatsuya Fujinaka	Tatsuya Takahashi	Sumito Sasaki & Noriaki Akitaya	September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
The party locates the King of Souls, a skeleton possessing intelligence. Relying on her strength, Lammis avoids his spells before using Boxxo to crush the King. The King is revealed to only have been a fragment of an even more powerful undead, the Netherlord. Hulemy and Shui are mortally wounded protecting Lammis, which sends her into a rage until Boxxo calms her. Deciding to trust herself, Lammis puts Boxxo down to use all her strength and destroys Netherlord's staff. An impressed Netherlord retreats. Boxxo becomes an emergency defibrillator and spends all his available points acquiring the telekinesis skill to operate it himself, reviving Hulemy and Shui. They return home to inform Director Bear of the Netherlord, revealed as one of the Demon Lord's generals. He contacts the directors of each stratum to begin assembling an army of the most skilled adventurers to combat this powerful foe. Kerioyl considers abandoning his goal to ensure the party's safety, but they convince him to keep going. Lammis takes Boxxo to the spot where she first found him and thanks him for everything. Hulemy and Shui secretly follow and thank Boxxo for saving their lives by kissing his screen. They make a jealous Lammis kiss him too, to her embarrassment. Boxxo decides life as a vending machine is not so bad.

Season 2 (2025)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [44][42]	Directed by [b]	Written by [b]	Storyboarded by [b]	Original release date [45]
13	1	"Hunters and Motives" Transliteration: "Hantā to Omowaku" (Japanese: ハンターと思惑)	Yukio Kuroda	Tatsuya Takahashi	Takashi Yamamoto	July 2, 2025 (2025-07-02)
Lammis returns to the village to meet up with Boxxo, who is being watched over by Karios and Gorth. Mishuel visits Boxxo and requests to be his mentor and he reluctantly accepts, though this makes Lammis and Hulemy somewhat uncomfortable. Director Bear invites the four to the Dead Lament's Stratum to meet up with a group of new hunters. They begin forming a plan to defeat the Netherlord and Director Bear explains the history of the Demon Lord. The newcomers agree to help as they prepare for a rematch against the Netherlord. They are also joined by Karios, Gorth; Hoxie, the orphanage director; Shimelai and Yumite, the elderly couple (who are also hunters) from before; and a large group of hunters. The group split up to search for the Netherlord. That night, Lammis practices her combat skills and strength control while Hulemy suspects that the Netherlord may be manipulating them. Lammis's group eventually find the Netherlord, who is fighting another group of hunters, and join the battle against his army. The Netherlord unleashes a powerful attack, but everyone survives. Lammis faces the Netherlord while carrying a decoy Boxxo as the real Boxxo hides above them. He then turns into a gigantic ice vending machine and drops himself down onto the Netherlord while unleashing ice and a defibrillator to defeat him, but they discover that whom they defeated was actually the Netherlord's severed left arm in disguise and the real Netherlord reveals that his true plan was to lure hunters into the dungeon, which obtains energy whenever anything is killed inside it, so he can slay them and create more monsters out of their corpses while leaving the other stratums defenseless, proving Hulemy's suspicious right. He then disappears and lets everyone go while ensuring that they can't leave the dungeon so he can complete his plan as he proceeds to attack the other stratums.
14	2	"Mutual Understanding" Transliteration: "Ishi no Sotsū" (Japanese: 意思の疎通)	Hodaka Kuramoto	Shōta Gotō	Takashi Yamamoto	July 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
The group quickly rush back to the village. Returning to the Hunters Association building, they find people taking refuge inside, though others that are still outside did not make it. As the hunters help the wounded and protect the building, Lammis and Boxxo provide food for everyone. The also meet May, her mother, and Munami, who have also survived. Outside, Hulemy and Boxxo discovers that frog fiends and crocodile fiends have caused severe damage to the village and the hunters, including Shirley and Gocguy, are trying to fight them off. Lammis reveals that in the past, her home village was destroyed, leaving her and Hulemy the only survivors. Boxxo also notices that the wall around the village has a hole. When Lammis still attempts to fight despite being tired, Boxxo is able to utter some actual words to tell her not to. Shocked that Boxxo can now speak, she passes out and Hulemy deducts that Boxxo can use the letters in his limited speech to spell what he wants to say, though it is not very clear. Returning to the terrace, Boxxo takes down the monsters using candy and cola, forcing them to retreat. That night, the Bearcats arrive and Boxxo gives them something to eat. Hulemy also senses that a king frog fiend will show up soon. Boxxo requests for Lammis to put her down in the battlefield, but she refuses until Hulemy convinces her to as she believes that Boxxo has a plan. Taking his giant ice vending machine form, Boxxo surrounds the building with ice to stall the monsters and uses the ice as bullets to damage them; however, he discovers that his points are draining rapidly, forcing him to retreat. Lammis scolds Boxxo for his recklessness. The next day, Boxxo provides ice cream for everyone. Director Bear forms a plan to repair the wall and requests for Boxxo to help using his giant ice machine form. However, Boxxo needs lots of money to maintain that form longer, and Suori arrives to help.
15	3	"Strong Feelings" Transliteration: "Tsuyoi Kanjō" (Japanese: 強い感情)	TBA	TBA	Takashi Yamamoto	July 16, 2025 (2025-07-16)
Suori, Lammis, Mishuel, Shirley, and the Bearcats all head to Suori's mansion to find a vault containing enough money that Boxxo can use to maintain his giant ice vending machine form. Reaching the mansion, they find it severely damaged. They access the vault, though Suori reveals that she has never entered it before. After giving Boxxo enough gold coins, they return to the Hunters Association building where Boxxo ends up having to give the people there ice cream due to the heat. Boxxo reveals that he can only keep his giant ice vending machine form for an hour, but Hulemy forms a plan to repair the wall at night when there are fewer monsters, though it is risky. Director Bear leads a group, with Lammis and Boxxo being among them, out into the woods. The plan is then put in motion as Boxxo lifts himself into the air using balloons, his shield, and his cardboard vending machine form. At the right timing, he changes into his giant ice vending machine form over the hole in the wall to block it and creates many metal slabs to cover it, enabling the hunters to feud off the monsters while Lammis helps a group of mages cover up the hole with earth magic. However, Boxxo discovers that a man working for the Netherlord is controlling the monsters and drops himself into front of the man to surprise him, but finds that he's just a human. After torturing him, the man gives up and removes the Netherlord's control over the monsters using his ring, making them stop attacking, before Boxxo gets the others' attention. Lammis recognizes the man to be the same one responsible for destroying her village and begins throwing a fit, but the others get her to calm down. Taking the man's ring, Director Bear proceeds to interrogate the man using intimidating methods while Boxxo goes to help Lammis repair the wall. Lammis apologizes to Boxxo for her outburst, but also expresses feelings for him, which turns out to be a joke.
16	4	"The Clergyman and the Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Bokushi to Jidō Hanbaiki" (Japanese: 牧師と自動販売機)	TBA	TBA	Takashi Yamamoto	July 23, 2025 (2025-07-23)
As the monsters' corpses are burnt, the wall is repaired as Boxxo removes the metal slabs and the townsfolks start rebuilding the town. Shirley joins Lammis and Hulemy with eating ice cream. As the heat begins to build up, people begin begging Boxxo for more ice cream, but he leads them to a swimming pool that he made earlier using his giant ice vending machine form and the hole that was made by the metal slabs, where they can cool off and have fun. During a summer festival, Boxxo provides everyone with shaved ice and fruit. That night, Lammis begins wondering what to do now that she had avenged her village and that the man responsible was severely punished. Boxxo convinces her to have fun. The transfer circle is soon repaired, but it can only send a few people as Director Bear intends to have a small group go to the Origin Stratum. As Lammis, Boxxo, and Hulemy volunteer to use it, Mishuel tags along. Arriving, they find Kerioyl leading a group of soldiers against an army of monsters and after helping to defeat them, Boxxo provides everyone with enough food and water to ensure their survival. Kerioyl explains that the dungeon's exit is sealed as Shui arrives requesting for food. After the Menagerie of Fools enjoy a feast, the group prepare to evacuate to the Clearflow Lake Stratum. Director Origin, one of the stratum directors from earlier, thanks Boxxo and Hulemy for their efforts as they continue with the evacuation. Shui, Mishuel, Lammis, and Boxxo accompany her group to a prison where people are taking refuge, but all the cells are empty. The only one here is a clergyman named Hevee, who has a collection of shoes and claims to have freed everyone. Through his connections with Shui, they learn that he used to be a part of the Menagerie of Fools. He removes the illusion that he placed earlier, revealing that the refugees are still there and that he had saved them all from the monsters. They return to the orphanage, though the Menagerie of Fools is still bothered by Hevee's love of shoes. That night, Hevee deducts that Boxxo contains a human soul inside of him and thinks that they are very much like, though Boxxo doesn’t agree.
17	5	"Respective Wishes"	TBA	TBA	Takashi Yamamoto	July 30, 2025 (2025-07-30)
Boxxo reviews his abilities and forms that he can take, though he discovers that Rank 3 costs a lot of points as the Bearcats begin playing around on him. After the transfer circle is fully repaired, Boxxo learns that there are eight stratums in all as everyone on the Origin Stratum is evacuated to the Clearflow Lake Stratum. Hulemy also suspects that the Netherlord has more servants controlling the monsters. The Menagerie of Fools fight off monsters in the Origin Stratum. Hevee uses his illusions to confuse some nearby monsters, allowing him to take them down. Half of the group reach a nearby lake, but they also decide to go swimming as Boxxo stops Hevee from taking Lammis and Shui's shoes. Returning to the others, Boxxo takes on a new form to provide everyone with lunch. The group reach the deepest part of the Origin Stratum. Taking another new form, Boxxo floods a canyon with pachinko balls to give the group an advantage over the monsters. Both Lammis and Boxxo work together to take down the monsters and discover the commander, revealed to be a woman, controlling them, with Lammis destroying her Netherlord ring. As the commander is taken into custody, Lammis learns that Filmina is half-vamp fiend, though she isn't bothered by it. Everyone then shares their wishes. Back at the orphanage, Director Origin, with Boxxo's assistance, provides a meal for everyone. Boxxo turns into a rice vending machine and then a gas vending machine to cook rice for everyone.

Reception

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon has received positive reviews. Theron Martin of Anime News Network reviewed the first volume positively, praising its unique take on the isekai genre, Hirukuma's writing style, and the relationship between Boxxo and Lammis, which he found to be impressive and not having to "resort to hackneyed gimmicks". Summarizing that "this novel's bizarre concept is what will catch people's attention, but the writing is good enough to keep it", some criticism was directed at the light novel's fanservice, which Martin found to be forced, and the RPG elements typical of isekai series.^[3] Similarly, Robert Frazer of UK Anime Network found Reborn as a Vending Machine to be "a blast of fresh air to flush out the stale isekai genre", as "it's fun and different to defeat the villain with Diet Coke and Mentos instead of just firing a Saiyan blast at a higher powerlevel".^[46]

Rebecca Silverman and Lynzee Loveridge, in Anime News Network's Spring 2018 Light Novel Guide, also praised the setting but found the writing to "read like fan-fiction-level quality". They ultimately found the volume to "still [be] an engaging read", with its format adapted the same way as So I'm a Spider, So What? and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.^[47] Loveridge further included the protagonist's "Death By Vending Machine" on her list of the "7 Strangest Isekai Deaths".^[48]

See also

• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, the manga adaptation of which is also illustrated by Kunieda

Notes

1. In North America through Crunchyroll, LLC (formerly known as Funimation).
2. Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.