The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy^[b] (聖剣学院の魔剣使い, Seiken Gakuin no Makentsukai), shortened as Sematsuka (せまつか) is a Japanese light novel series written by Yū Shimizu and illustrated by Asagi Tōsaka. Media Factory has published sixteen volumes from May 2019 to October 2024 under their MF Bunko J imprint. The light novel is licensed in North America by Yen Press. A manga adaptation with art by Asuka Keigen was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Ace from November 2019 to February 2025. It was collected in ten tankōbon volumes.

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy
First light novel volume cover
聖剣学院の魔剣使い (Seiken Gakuin no Makentsukai)
Light novel
Written by	Yū Shimizu
Illustrated by	Asagi Tōsaka
Published by	Media Factory
English publisher	NA: Yen Press
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Original run	May 25, 2019 – October 25, 2024
Volumes	16
Manga
Written by	Yū Shimizu
Illustrated by	Asuka Keigen
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	NA: Yen Press
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Ace
Original run	November 26, 2019 – February 26, 2025
Volumes	8
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroyuki Morita
Produced by	Ryou Hino Chiaki Kondodu Masahiko Nagano Keigo Nakamichi Shinji Oomori Fumihiro Ozawa Yasuichirou Shinbo Hisaya Takahara Tsuyoshi Miyamoto Yoshiyuki Ishikawa
Written by	Kunihiko Okada
Music by	Yuji Nomi
Studio	Passione[a]
Licensed by	Sentai Filmworks SEA: Remow
Original network	TV Tokyo, BS Fuji, AT-X
Original run	October 3, 2023 – December 19, 2023
Episodes	12

An anime television series adaptation directed by Hiroyuki Morita and produced by Passione aired from October to December 2023. Critic Neil Lumbard of Blu-ray.com gave the series a positive review for its art style, "fun energy" and Yuji Nomi's score, stating that "Studio Ghibli fans will want to check out the series."

Plot

A thousand years ago, the world was at war. Led by the Six Dark Lords, humanity as a whole was nearly led to the brink of extinction. However, humanity had hope in the form of the Six Heroes. With their power, the Six Dark Lords fell one by one until finally, only one remained. In the year 447 of the Holy Calendar, the Undead King, Leonis Death Magnus, also fell but before his capital, Necrozoa, was conquered, he sealed his own body with a powerful barrier and cast a resurrection spell on himself. He declared that he will concede victory only this once but he shall rise again in one thousand years to conquer humanity for that is the mission given to him by the Goddess of Rebellion.

In the present time, a young girl named Riselia Ray Crystalia stumbled upon the ancient ruins of Leonis's mausoleum. Accidentally undoing the seal, Leonis awakens after his thousand-year slumber in the body of a ten-year-old human child. Mistaken to be a refugee of the Voids, Riselia takes Leonis into her care and Leonis begins his mission to uncover what has happened to the world while he slept.

Characters

Main characters

Leonis Death Magnus (レオニス・デス・マグナス, Reonisu Desu Magunasu)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura^[1] (vomic), Marina Inoue,^[2] Daisuke Hirakawa^[3] (Dark Lord Leonis) (anime) (Japanese); Shannon Emerick^[4] (English)

The Undead King and Strongest of the Dark Lords, Leonis awakens in the body of a ten-year-old child one thousand years in the future. With the help of Riselia (whom he and Regina affectionally call "Selia"), Leonis begins adjusting to his new life but Leonis also has plans of his own, including fulfilling the wish of his benefactor, the Goddess of Rebellion.

Riselia Ray Crystalia (リーセリア・レイ・クリスタリア, Rīseria Rei Kurisutaria)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama^[1] (vomic), Yui Ishikawa^[2] (anime) (Japanese); Luci Christian^[4] (English)

Riselia is the girl who unwittingly undid the seal on Leonis's mausoleum and died protecting him from a Void; left with no choice, Leonis "heals" Riselia with the only spell he is certain would work, the tenth-order spell "Create Elder Undead", a spell that worked so successfully on Riselia that she returned to life as the strongest undead being, a Vampire Queen. Her parents were killed by a void when she was young, leading her to develop a sense of justice to protect others from Voids. She later develops feelings for Leonis.

Seventh Assault Garden

Regina Mercedes (レジーナ・メルセデス, Rejīna Merusedesu)

Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi^[1] (vomic), Aya Suzaki^[2] (anime) (Japanese); Christina Kelly^[4] (English)

Riselia's childhood friend and personal maid, Regina is a buxom girl who spends most of her free time trying to elicit a reaction from Leonis who deeply dislikes it (especially considering that this is the first time since forever that Leonis had a human body). She is in actuality the (former) Fourth Princess of the Integrated Empire, Regina Ray O'ltriese, however, due to being born under a superstitious star, she was removed from the family and replaced by her younger sister, Altiria Ray O'ltriese.

Sakuya Sieglinde (咲耶・ジークリンデ, Sakuya Jīkurinde)

Voiced by: Honoka Kuroki^[2] (anime) (Japanese); Emi Lo^[4] (English)

Sword Warrior. Even though she was the youngest in the platoon after Leonis, she had a track record of conquering the void alone.

Elfiné Phillet (エルフィーネ・フィレット, Erufīne Firetto)

Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi^[2] (anime) (Japanese); Olivia Swasey^[4] (English)

A caring senior who serves as telegraphist for the platoon to which Riselia belongs. She has a history of losing her companions due to Void. She uses a support-specialized holy sword (Heavenly Eye Jewel), but was originally an attacker in charge of firepower.

Fenris Edelritz (フェンリス・エーデルリッツ, Fenrisu Ēderurittsu)

Voiced by: Mami Uchida (Japanese); Natalie Rial (English)

A childhood friend of Riselia, an Executive Committee member of Excalibur Academy and Captain of the 11th Platoon. She has a strong, ladylike tone, and she and Riselia argue constantly whenever they meet, but she is very protective of Riselia and congratulates her on her awakening the power of the Holy Sword.

Six Heroes

Arakael Degradios (アラカエル・デグラディオス, Arakaeru Deguradiosu)

Voiced by: Takayuki Sugō (Japanese)

The Archsage of the Six Heroes and considered to be the wisest of them all, he had survived through the one thousand years since Leonis's "death" and fights him once again as a Void Lord. He is defeated and erased from existence by the Demon Sword Dáinsleif but not before giving Leonis an eerie warning.

Other characters

Roselia Ishtaris (ロゼリア・イシュタリス, Rozeria Ishutarisu)

Voiced by: Ai Kakuma (anime)^[3]

The Goddess of Rebellion, Roselia saved Leonis when he almost died from the human nobles' betrayal and turned him into a Dark Lord.

Shary Shadow Assassin (シャーリ・シャドウアサシン, Shāri Shadouasashin)

Voiced by: Arisa Nakada^[2] (anime) (Japanese); Karli Hoch^[4] (English)

Leonis' dark minion and personal maid. She is once an assassin of the Realm of Shadows who originally sent to assassinate Leonis until she switched sides.

Blackus (ブラッカス, Burakkasu)

Voiced by: Tomofumi Ikezoe^[3] (anime), Kenichi Ono (vomic) (Japanese); John Swasey^[4] (English)

Blackus is the prince of the Realm of Shadows and longtime comrade and friend of Leonis. He is known by his full name, Blackas Shadow Prince (ブラッカス・シャドウプリンス, Burakkasu Shadoupurinsu).

Media

Light novels

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy is written by Yū Shimizu and illustrated by Asagi Tōsaka. It was published in sixteen volumes by Media Factory from May 25, 2019 to October 15, 2024 under their MF Bunko J imprint.^[5] The light novel is licensed in North America by Yen Press.^[6]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 25, 2019[7]	978-4-04-065672-4	August 18, 2020[8]	978-1-97-530866-7
2	September 25, 2019[9]	978-4-04-064003-7	December 15, 2020[10]	978-1-97-531915-1
3	January 24, 2020[11]	978-4-04-064331-1	May 25, 2021[12]	978-1-97-532070-6
4	May 25, 2020[13]	978-4-04-064657-2	October 12, 2021[14]	978-1-97-532072-0
5	September 25, 2020[15]	978-4-04-064944-3	February 22, 2022[16]	978-1-97-533542-7
6	January 25, 2021[17]	978-4-04-680164-7	June 28, 2022[18]	978-1-97-534346-0
7	May 25, 2021[19]	978-4-04-680443-3	December 13, 2022[20]	978-1-97-534348-4
8	October 25, 2021[21]	978-4-04-680844-8	April 18, 2023[22]	978-1-97-534862-5
9	February 25, 2022[23]	978-4-04-681186-8	September 19, 2023[24]	978-1-97-536309-3
10	June 24, 2022[25]	978-4-04-681472-2	May 21, 2024[26]	978-1-97-536965-1
11	November 25, 2022[27]	978-4-04-681935-2	April 8, 2025[28]	978-1-97-537644-4
12	March 25, 2023[29]	978-4-04-682325-0	September 16, 2025[30]	978-1-97-538791-4
13	July 25, 2023[31]	978-4-04-682661-9	—	—
14	November 25, 2023[32]	978-4-04-683079-1	—	—
15	April 25, 2024[33]	978-4-04-683472-0	—	—
16	October 25, 2024[34]	978-4-04-684172-8	—	—

Manga

A manga adaptation with art by Asuka Keigen was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine from November 26, 2019 to February 26, 2025.^[35][36] Ten tankōbon volumes were released from May 2020 to March 2025. At Sakura-Con 2022, Yen Press announced that they would also publish the manga in English.^[37]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 26, 2020[38]	978-4-04-109444-0	November 22, 2022[39]	978-1-97-535081-9
2	October 26, 2020[40]	978-4-04-109445-7	April 18, 2023[41]	978-1-97-535083-3
3	May 26, 2021[42]	978-4-04-111370-7	August 22, 2023[43]	978-1-97-535085-7
4	October 26, 2021[44]	978-4-04-111930-3	November 21, 2023[45]	978-1-97-535087-1
5	June 24, 2022[46]	978-4-04-112631-8	April 16, 2024[47]	978-1-97-536636-0
6	March 25, 2023[48]	978-4-04-113361-3	July 23, 2024[49]	978-1-97-539026-6
7	September 26, 2023[50]	978-4-04-114115-1	October 15, 2024[51]	979-8-85-540668-9
8	December 26, 2023[52]	978-4-04-114435-0	January 21, 2025[53]	979-8-85-540670-2
9	September 25, 2024[54]	978-4-04-115291-1	December 16, 2025[55]	979-8-85-542033-3
10	March 24, 2025[56]	978-4-04-116054-1	—	—

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on October 21, 2021.^[57] It is produced by Passione and directed by animator and lecturer^[58] Hiroyuki Morita, with series composition and episode screenplays by Kunihiko Okada and character designs handled by Takayuki Noguchi and Satsuki Hayasaka.^[59] The series aired from October 3 to December 19, 2023, on TV Tokyo and BS Fuji.^[60] The opening theme song is "1000-nen Ai" (1000年愛; "Thousand Year Love") by Chiai Fujikawa, while the ending theme song is "Yururi" (ゆるり; "Leisurely") by Kaho,^[3][61] with their creditless versions being released through YouTube on October 24, 2023.^[62]

The series was simulcast through Bilibili in Southeast Asia,^[63] while Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series outside of Asia.^[64]

Episodes

No.	Title [65]	Directed by [c]	Storyboarded by[c]	Original release date [d]
1	"The Demon Lord Returns / The Undead King Ariseth" Transliteration: "Maō Fukkatsu" (Japanese: 魔王復活)	Takahide Ejiri, Midori Yui	Hiroyuki Morita	October 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)
2	"A Fate Borne / A Heavy Burden" Transliteration: "Seowasareshi Unmei" (Japanese: 背負わされし運命)	Daiki Takemoto	Hideki Futamura	October 10, 2023 (2023-10-10)
3	"An Awakening Soul / A Heavy Burden" Transliteration: "Kakusei Suru Tamashī" (Japanese: 覚醒する魂)	Hito Tadano, Daiki Takemoto	Hiroaki Yoshikawa	October 17, 2023 (2023-10-17)
4	"The Stirrings of a Bitter Grudge / An Old Grudge Stirs" Transliteration: "Fukaki Ikon no Taidō" (Japanese: 深き遺恨の胎動)	Midori Yui	Midori Yui	October 24, 2023 (2023-10-24)
5	"A Great Uproar / The Stampede" Transliteration: "Dai Kyōsō" (Japanese: 大狂騒)	Hiroki Moritomo	Hiroki Moritomo, Kazuhiko Yokota, Daiki Takemoto, Takahide Ejiri, Hito Tadano	October 31, 2023 (2023-10-31)
6	"The Demon Lord's Resolve / The Undead King's Resolve" Transliteration: "Maō no Kakugo" (Japanese: 魔王の覚悟)	Yuta Kida	Hiroyuki Shimazu	November 7, 2023 (2023-11-07)
7	"The Princess' Secret Feelings / Only the Princess Knows" Transliteration: "Ōjo no Himeta Omoi" (Japanese: 王女の秘めた想い)	Hito Tadano	Hitoyuki Matsui	November 14, 2023 (2023-11-14)
8	"A Bond Everlasting / The Ties that Bind" Transliteration: "Sono Kizuna wa Kiezu" (Japanese: その絆は消えず)	Takahide Ejiri	Kunihisa Sugishima	November 21, 2023 (2023-11-21)
9	"The City Ruins Appear / The Ruins Resurface" Transliteration: "Haito Shutsugen" (Japanese: 廃都出現)	Hiroki Moritomo	Naotaka Hayashi	November 28, 2023 (2023-11-28)
10	"The Elf Hero / The Brave Elf" Transliteration: "Erufu no Yūsha" (Japanese: エルフの勇者)	Yuta Kida	Hitoyuki Matsui	December 5, 2023 (2023-12-05)
11	"The Goddess' Voice / The Goddess Speaks" Transliteration: "Megami no Koe" (Japanese: 女神の声)	Daiki Takemoto	Hiroyuki Shimazu	December 12, 2023 (2023-12-12)[e]
12	"The Truth behind the Demon Sword / The Demon Sword Gets Real" Transliteration: "Maken no Shinjitsu" (Japanese: 魔剣の真実)	Takahide Ejiri, Hito Tadano	Kunihisa Sugishima	December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)

Music

Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai Original Soundtrack CD
Film score by Yuji Nomi
Released	February 28, 2024
Studio	Sound City Azabudai Sound City Setagaya
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	63:39
Label	Nippon Columbia

The series' score was composed by Yuji Nomi,^[59] who had previously collaborated with Morita for the 2002 film The Cat Returns and the 2007 series Bokurano. The soundtrack to the series was released on February 28 as part of the packaging for the series' 2nd volume Blu-ray release.^[68]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"終戦"	2:47
2.	"不可思議"	1:50
3.	"1000年後の出会い"	1:58
4.	"ヴォイド"	1:30
5.	"第〇七戦術都市"	0:40
6.	"穏やかなひととき"	1:27
7.	"聖剣学院"	1:23
8.	"学院生活"	1:18
9.	"咲耶"	1:48
10.	"レオニスの審問"	0:44
11.	"思考"	1:27
12.	"荒野の勇者"	1:50
13.	"打開策"	0:44
14.	"賢者アラキール"	1:45
15.	"ヴォイド・ロード"	2:16
16.	"リーセリアの覚醒"	1:57
17.	"ダーイン・スレイヴ"	1:59
18.	"安らげる場所"	1:23
19.	"何気ない日々"	1:14
20.	"すれ違い"	0:58
21.	"レオ君"	1:25
22.	"王狼派の侵入"	0:47
23.	"予感"	1:29
24.	"悲しい過去"	1:12
25.	"反擊開始"	1:01
26.	"レギーナの秘密"	1:04
27.	"美しき記憶"	1:24
28.	"魔王の圧政"	1:03
29.	"素っ頓狂"	1:09
30.	"陽だまりの家"	1:03
31.	"懐かしい思い出"	1:39
32.	"アルーレ"	1:23
33.	"拮抗"	1:18
34.	"ネファケス"	1:51
35.	"一瞬即発"	1:34
36.	"交戦中"	1:37
37.	"悲劇"	1:36
38.	"クリスタリア騎士団"	1:38
39.	"聖女ティアレス"	2:10
40.	"一件落着"	1:35
41.	"レオニスとリーセリア"	2:49
42.	"シャーリ"	1:54
Total length:		63:39

All music is composed by Yuji Nomi.

Home media

The series was released by Nippon Columbia on Blu-ray in two volumes, the first on December 27, 2023 and the second on February 28, 2024.^[68][69] For the second volume, the soundtrack composed for the series by Yuji Nomi was included in the packaging.^[68]

In the United States, the entire series was released on Blu-ray on August 13, 2024, with the sole extras being the credit-less intro and outro.^[70]

Reception

The first episode of the series received mixed reviews from Western critics.^[71]

Neil Lumbard of Blu-ray.com gave the series a positive review, praising its "fun energy", art style and Yuji Nomi's score. He stated that due to the involvement of Nomi and director Hiroyuki Morita, "Studio Ghibli fans will want to check out the series."^[70]

Notes

1. Animation production assistance (アニメーション制作協力) for all episodes provided by Hayabusa Film.
2. English subname of the original Japanese light novel version is Demon's Sword Master of Excalibur School.
3. Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
4. Episodes are released on ABEMA Premium (Pay-per-view) a week before their air dates on television.^[66]
5. This episode aired at 1:40 a.m. JST, 10 minutes after the original air time on TV Tokyo.^[67]