This was such a strange but fun action packed manga usually i don't gravitate towards these but i've been expanding recently and i actually really liked this book. I liked the main characters and the battle but also the history this just had so many layers so good would reccommend

This was a very interesting 1st volume of a manga series. I enjoyed the dark humour and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc and this is my honest opinion.

This would be absolutely brilliant as a Disgaea plot! A Demon King posing as god? Yup, totally a Disgaea plot! I enjoyed this entire thing loved that it was set in a academy setting, loved the idea that the demons have roots from various myths and folklore, the art was amazing (of course), and the characters were a lot of fun too. Looking forward to Vol. 2!


As always thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eArc!

Honestly was really unimpressed by this one. I wanted to like it based on how much I liked the mangaka's previous work, but it just didn't do it for me. I also have to say the cover design is really bad.

Here's an idea, Hiro Mashima – how about you not throw ten named characters at us right off the bat? Like all of his series, DEAD ROCK opens with the introduction of way too many named characters (in creative writing, naming a character is the equivalent of telling you to remember them), and this time we have the added bonus of each of them having a unique “root.” As in our own, in the story's world, “root” means “ancestry,” and each character's root is important to their power and personality, meaning that we really have to remember that Mikoto's root is a lich and Hani's is Thor. It's frankly a lot.

But, what Mashima series isn't? DEAD ROCK, unlike Fairy Tail and Edens Zero, takes place in a school setting, a cutthroat academy for demons who aspire to rule a section of the human world. Most of them seem to be there for power, but our group of protagonists may have other motives – of the two whose have been revealed so far, revenge factors heavily into them. But where Hien just wants to do…something involving the princess who he seems to think lives on in his sword, Yakuto wants to take down God himself. Yes, quite possibly that God – he's the principal of DEAD ROCK, but he's also the ruler of three worlds and is revealed to have killed all of the gods who were worshipped previously. It feels like Mashima might be skirting around some theology here, especially since, as Yakuto points out to his classmates, “God” isn't typically the ruler of the demon realm.

This first volume feels like a mashup of Mashima's typical fare with a battle school story. It also features more actual death than any of his other works, and frankly, than most shounen of this ilk. Yakuto starts his school life by straight up killing his homeroom teacher, and one of the school rules says that you can freely murder anyone who annoys you, and the art has a field day with dynamic images of death and destruction. One of the main cast, Mikoto, is a necromancer, so death doesn't have to be permanent, but it does come with the caveat that if she resurrects someone they become her puppet, which has its own problems.

Apart from the fact that we're introduced to Frey boobs-first and Mikoto legs-first, which I realize won't be an issue for everyone, the art is very polished. Mashima gets to trot out a lot of interesting character designs for the demons, even those in the background. Yes, Yakuto looks like the usual Mashima hero, but he's got more going on in the brains department than, for example, Natsu, and he's clearly very motivated, although by what remains an open question. This didn't instantly pull me in the way some of his other works have, but with a solid translation and an interesting, albeit brutal, world, this is pretty good. I'm curious to know where it's going.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.

Fairy Tail is Fairy Tail. Eden's Zero is Fairy Tail in space. Dead Rock is Fairy Tail in hell. Get it? Mashima has one story, one set of characters pasted into each new setting. He doesn't do a bad job of it, but we're not getting anything new here. Just another overpowered guy planning to take on whatever counts as god in their world -in this case it's literally God- and roping in a bunch of outcasts with his extreme sense of confidence. Add some boobily fan service here and there, and you have yourself a 'new' series.

I'll admit upfront, this one just wasn’t for me, but that’s more about my personal preferences than anything else. I’ve followed Hiro Mashima since the Rave Master days, and this one just...didn't hit those notes.

A lot of people say that if you’re into his earlier stuff, you’ll probably enjoy this too. But honestly, I don’t quite agree. It feels like a departure from what made his previous works click with me. Maybe it’s the school setting, it’s not really my thing anymore. That change in vibe made it hard for me to get into the story. And while the art is solid, it's not special in any way.

It also moves away from that big sense of adventure that I loved so much in his past series. I gave it a shot...Sorry Hiro. A 2 out of 5.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

If you like he'll demons, Dark fighting schools and egotistical villain characters this book is for u

This was enjoyable but not enough for me to continue, I think my reading tastes have started to change

This was such a great start to a manga!!! I LOVED Fairy Tail so I knew I'd love this manga too. The art style is so similar to it though that some of the characters resemble the ones from Fairy Tail but I don't mind that. So far, their personalities seem different from the characters I recognize them as. I'm very interested in the plot as well. A Demon academy is a really fun concept and I imagine great things for this manga!!

The cover looked pretty boring, but after taking a look inside on the publisher’s site, it did seem quite cool actually, so I checked it out.

I was gonna say the style reminds me a lot of Fairy Tail and One Piece, but Hiro Mashima is literally the mangaka of Fairy Tail, so yeah...
If you like FT or OP, you’ll love this too, probably. I, on the other hand, have never been intrigued by those 2 franchises, and this manga shows why. The art is great and I love how diverse everyone’s appearance is, but that’s about it.
Personalities of everyone are incredibly flat, there’s no real plot except constant fighting, and the main goal is something as basic as killing the ruler/god of the world. Protagonist has the most plain MC-energy, someone who would’ve died in the first page if he were a side character. But he’s not. So while the side characters are all more interesting (my favs are Chako, Frey and Mikoto (these two're unhinged, I love them)), he steals the focus with his lameness. Or may get a harem because he’s from a rare species. Nothing intriguing.

I was so bored most of the time. Wanted to give it a chance tho, trying to figure out where exactly the hype comes from, but again shows that I don’t understand mainstream hype.
But of course – it ends on a cliffhanger. I’m not really interested in following this story, though I do wanna know what happens... ugh. Although it’s quite self-explainable how it’ll continue and end.

Maybe I’ll check out volume 2 someday, maybe not. It’s definitely not in my priority list, though. If you’re gonna do the most basic dungeon academy plot for the perverted male gaze, at least give it some originality. Like a queer twist or a disability rep or something. Not chewing the same old heteronormative & neurotypical gum over and over again. (Well, I guess perverted men don't need more than that.)

~

Thanks to Kodansha for offering an eARC on Netgalley.

-06.04.25

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read the whole volume1!

Well what can I say? It’s pretty much the same as any other shounen highschooler manga out there with various characters, over sexualised teenage girls and the same tropes that you pretty much don’t need me to tell you, even if you’re on your very first shounen series. But I will say the art is pretty good and it is actually not a bad read to waste time on if you’re in the reading slump!

As a huge Fairy Tail fan, I’m really excited to see an English translation of the latest series by Hiro Mashima. This series has an interesting ‘dark premise handled lightly’ and is off to a promising start.

Dead Rock is a brilliant manga that I have already started collecting/pre-ordering the physical of. My first introduction to Mashima was with Rave Master the late 90s early 00s and I have been a fan ever since. Needless to say I was excited to see what this new adventure would bring.

Featuring Mashima’s iconic artwork and the start to an interesting story with a wonderful cast of characters this manga instantly hooked me. I have to confess Hani and Zelecia are my favourites rather than Yakuto but all the characters are interesting and fun. You get the touches of humour you can expect with action and dark fantasy so its an absolute hit for me.

As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an Honest Review.*

I love Fairy Tail and was excited to sit down and read the first volume of Dead Rock. I loved the premise and the style. The pacing was accelerated. I wish there were a more gradual buildup. Time to get to know the characters a bit more. Instead, it hits the ground running, and you need to keep up. That said, I will be reading the rest of the series. I need to know who comes out on top.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. As someone who truly loves Fairy Tail and Edens Zero and Demon stories, I thought this manga would be a home run for me. However, this one was a bit underwhelming for me (reminds me of blue exorcist and my hero academia in the setting but also what I have heard about the plot of assassination classroom but do not know for sure), but other than that there was not much I am invested in plus there was too much repetitive dialogue. Because of these points, I have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

this was an interesting first volume and had all of the character/plot cliches, art style, and unfortunately the fanservice that hiro mashima is known for.

i know that this is the first volume, but waaay too many things occurred and the overarching plot appears murky. i am interested to see where this series will go, so i'll definitely read the next volume

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics and Hiro Mashima for providing me with an ARC of Dead Rock in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Rock 1 is an action-packed fantasy manga set in the demon world, where young demons compete for a coveted spot at Dead Rock, the demon realm’s most prestigious educational institution. The competition is a brutal battle royale, and the grand prize? The chance to claim dominion over the human world.

This manga delivers exactly what I love in anime and manga—intense battles, magical powers, and high-stakes action. The world-building is intriguing, and the characters are quickly established in this high-energy environment. It’s a thrilling start to what promises to be an exciting series.

I’m beyond excited for the next installment and can definitely see this series making an incredible anime adaptation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was such a fun read and exciting way to start a manga. I have been a fan of Mashima’s work for a majority of my life so to be excited for another one of his works is fun. I also love the concept of killing god. I also love the characters, I feel like Hein is going to be my favorite character besides Hani! I can’t wait to read more from Dead Rock and find out what happens!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

Very 2000s shounen vibes here. Every female character has a revealing outfit that accentuates her ample bust…you know the drill. The plot itself was fine but there’s nothing unique here to pull me in. Read like any other demon/oni battle shounen manga.

Dead Rock is a manga focusing on characters in a demonic school run by a demon called God who are competing for the chance to govern the human world. It's slightly absurd, very fast-moving, and fun. It's not an exceptional book, and this volume has to lay a lot of the groundwork for the ongoing story, but it was a fun, quick read.