Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Akira Tendo (left) and Shizuka Mikazuki (right)
ゾン100 ～ゾンビになるまでにしたい100のこと～ (Zon 100 ~ Zonbi ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto ~)
Genre	Comedy horror Dystopian Zombie apocalypse
Manga
Written by	Haro Aso
Illustrated by	Kotaro Takata
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Sunday GX Comics
Magazine	Monthly Sunday Gene-X
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	October 19, 2018 – present
Volumes	16
Anime television series
Directed by	Kazuki Kawagoe
Produced by	Yuuki Hasegawa Hiroshi Kamei Junya Okamoto Emi Satou Emi Momiyama
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Makoto Miyazaki
Studio	Bug Films
Licensed by	Viz Media SA / SEA: Muse Communication
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
English network	US: Adult Swim (Toonami)
Original run	July 9, 2023 – December 26, 2023
Episodes	12
Live-action film
Directed by	Yusuke Ishida
Produced by	Akira Morii
Written by	Tatsuro Mishima
Music by	Kohei Chida
Studio	Robot Communications Plus One Entertainment
Licensed by	Netflix
Released	August 3, 2023
Runtime	128 minutes

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Japanese: ゾン100 ～ゾンビになるまでにしたい100のこと～, Hepburn: Zon 100 ~ Zonbi ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto ~, "Zom 100: 100 Things I Want to do Before I Become a Zombie") is a Japanese manga series written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X since October 2018, with its chapters collected in 16 tankōbon volumes as of February 2024. The series is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Bug Films aired from July to December 2023. It is licensed by Viz Media outside of Asia and by Muse Communication for Asia-Pacific. A live-action film adaptation premiered on Netflix in August 2023.

Plot

Akira Tendo, a 24-year-old office worker of an extremely exploitative marketing firm, discovers himself trapped in a routine and meaningless life. He lacks drive and motivation after three years of abusive treatment; however, when a zombie apocalypse unexpectedly strikes Tokyo, everything is turned upside down. Instead of succumbing to dread, Akira sees this as an opportunity to experience life to the fullest rather than settle for his humdrum, depressing existence. He decides to create a bucket list of everything he wants to do before becoming a zombie in order to not only experience it firsthand but also to show that he is still alive and well. This decision gives him a newfound sense of purpose.

Others soon join him in his journey: Kencho, Akira's old college buddy who seeks to be a stand-up comedian; Shizuka, a sullen and blunt woman who is also seeking to escape an abusive life; and Beatrix, a German college graduate who seeks to experience Japan in infatuation of its culture. With them at his side, Akira embarks on a number of exciting and frequently bizarre excursions throughout zombie-infested Japan, checking off bucket list items that range from simple pleasures like eating at expensive restaurants for free to more extravagant pursuits like going on roller coasters and visiting haunted houses. The group also comes across other survivors who have their own motivations for surviving as they make their way across the country and its swarms of flesh-eating zombies. Along the journey, they forge odd alliances, face their own anxieties, and learn the importance of friendship and the human spirit's ability to persevere in the face of difficulty.

Characters

Main characters

Akira Tendo (天道 輝, Tendō Akira)

Voiced by: Shūichirō Umeda (Japanese); Zeno Robinson (English)

Portrayed by: Eiji Akaso

Akira is a former salaryman who worked in an extremely-exploitative marketing firm. Once a cheerful, happy-go-lucky person full of ambitions and dreams, the grind of his abusive job took a major toll on his physical and mental well-being and he fell into a deep depression. When the zombie apocalypse happens, however, Akira immediately reverts back to his old personality, able to finally break out of his routine and enjoy life as it comes. Knowing he will likely be turned into a zombie at some point, Akira decides to spend the next three years completing a bucket list of things he always wanted to do. While he initially seems ignorant of the gravity of the situation, Akira is actually keenly aware, but still views the zombie apocalypse as better than his former work life. Due to his time as a college rugby player, Akira possesses heightened strength and agility, which is often uses to escape zombies and get out of predicaments. He later uses his strength to become the "superhero" Akirager, dressing up in a shark bite-proof swimsuit to physically attack zombies without the risk of getting bit.

Shizuka Mikazuki (三日月 閑, Mikazuki Shizuka)

Voiced by: Tomori Kusunoki (Japanese); Abby Trott (English)

Portrayed by: Mai Shiraishi

Shizuka is a young woman who used to work as a high-profile accountant (flight attendant in the live-action film, due to being composited with Yukari). She used to be in a very similar situation to Akira's work life, except it came at the hands of her father who controlled every aspect of her life. As a result, Shizuka grew into a reserved, overly-logical person with little to no care about her personal enjoyment of things. During the zombie apocalypse, this was only exacerbated as Shizuka became laser-focused on surviving, using her incredible resourcefulness to her advantage, but also not taking the time to mingle with other survivors. After several chance encounters with Akira and Kencho, she reluctantly joins them when they offer to take her in their RV, as she does not know how to drive. However, she slowly starts to open up to them and becomes inspired by their desire to live life to the fullest, eventually leading her and Akira to fall in love and start dating. She also develops a desire to become a doctor, which becomes her primary bucket list item, at #42.

Kenichiro Ryuzaki (竜崎 憲一朗, Ryūzaki Ken'ichirō) / Kencho (ケンチョ)

Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); Xander Mobus (English)

Portrayed by: Shuntarō Yanagi

Kenichiro is Akira's best friend from his college days and former rugby teammate, nicknamed "Kencho". He loves telling jokes to other people, with Akira being his main audience. He became a high-profile real estate agent after college, but secretly hated the scammy nature of the housing industry, only keeping up with it because of the benefits he received; in reality, his long-time dream was to become a stand-up comedian, which eventually becomes bucket list item #34. After Akira saves him from a zombie horde, the two rekindle their bond and decide to survive the zombie apocalypse together. Kencho possesses the same physical ability as Akira, but is more bulky and innately stronger, as well as more charismatic, which has led to a promiscuous lifestyle that continues into the apocalypse. During the apocalypse, Kencho frequently performs comedy for others, with his main joke being to strip naked in front of others, much to the dismay of everyone except Akira, who finds it hilarious.

Beatrix Amerhauser (ベアトリクス・アメルハウザー, Beatorikusu Ameruhauzā) / Bea (ベア)

Voiced by: Minami Takahashi (Japanese); Laura Post (English)

Beatrix is a German woman who became obsessed with Japanese culture in her youth. She obsessively began studying Japanese culture and learned Japanese, intending to tour Japan after graduating from college. While on the tour, however, the zombie apocalypse occurred, leaving Beatrix trapped in her fantasy. She was able to fight back by finding a suit of samurai armor, a bow and arrow, a naginata, and katanas, using her self-taught training to dispatch zombies. Beatrix's bucket list goal is to eat sushi made by the world's last-surviving chef, leading her to join Akira's group as pigging out on sushi was #7 on the bucket list. While a sweet girl at heart, Beatrix's weapons skills make her by far the most skilled fighter in the group.

Takeru Minakata (南（みな）方（かた）健（たける）, Minakata Takeru) / Takemina (タケミナ)

Takeru, nicknamed Takemina is an old college friend of Akira and Kencho. A self-stylized hippie, he joins Akira's group in order to experience the greatest possible freedom imaginable. Takeru has poor aim, but if he intentionally seeks to miss, then he will always hit his target. This makes him the team's sharpshooter.

Izuna Tokage (戸（と）加（か）下（げ） 泉（いず）奈（な）, Tokage Izuna)

Izuna is a former high school student who became jaded with society after the death of her father at a young age and her mother's subsequent need to overwork. When the outbreak starts, Izuna is found to be naturally immune to the virus. Upon meeting Akira's group, she joins up with them, and the primary goal of the series shifts to escorting her to a lab where a vaccine can be produced based on her immunity.

Supporting characters

Mikio Kousaka (高坂 幹夫, Kōsaka Mikio) and Sumire Kousaka (香坂 すみれ, Kōsaka Sumire)

Mikio: Voiced by: Shuhei Sakaguchi (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

Portrayed by: You Takahashi

Sumire: Voiced by: Sara Matsumoto (Japanese); Jennifer Sun Bell (English)

Portrayed by: Akari Hayami

The Kousakas are a young couple who are Akira's neighbors. They had never met him before, but shortly after the outbreak, Akira ran into them hiding in their apartment while he was going to find Ohtori (to get beer in the anime), his cheerful attitude amidst the chaos befuddling them. Akira offers to get supplies for them, but discovers their apartment trashed afterwards. Though he believes them to have been killed, in reality the two became so emboldened by Akira's optimism that they escaped their apartment, fled to the airport, and commandeered a plane so they could travel the world together before they become zombies. In the live-action film, the couple are also expecting.

Teruo Tendo (天道 照夫, Tendō Teruo)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Kinoshita (Japanese); Rick Zieff (English)

Teruo is Akira's father and a farmer. A no-nonsense, hardworking man, he routinely, if unintentionally, acts coldly to Akira, leading them to not get along that well. Despite this, Teruo occasionally shows some warmth and idealism (eventually revealing his childhood dream was to become an astronaut and experience the overview effect), and is fiercely loyal to their village. He suffers from various health problems, including back pain, lung problems, and hemorrhoids. This initially causes himself and others to think he is infected, though this later proves to not be the case. Getting Teruo to take hemorrhoid surgery becomes #40 on the bucket list.

Akiko Tendo (天道 明子, Tendō Akiko)

Voiced by: Yuuko Sasaki (Japanese); Jill Remez (English)

Akiko is Akira's mother and Teruo's wife. She is generally more kind-hearted and conciliatory than her husband.

Antagonists

Gonzou Kosugi (小杉 権蔵, Kosugi Gonzō)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Jamieson Price (English)

Portrayed by: Kazuki Kitamura

Gonzou is Akira's former team leader at his old company. A sadistic and gleefully abusive bully, Gonzou takes every single opportunity he can to yell at his coworkers, even contradicting himself when they do exactly what he asked of them, and give himself a cult of personality where they feel they can only survive by relying on him, all while he does absolutely no work in return. When the apocalypse breaks out, he becomes the leader of a group of survivors taking refuge in a truck stop, but the mental toll of the situation causes him to become even worse and puts the same level of work and pressure on the other survivors. He also begins trapping people driving out of Tokyo and manipulating them into working for him, which eventually includes Akira, Shizuka and Kencho. Though he nearly succeeds in brainwashing Akira, Shizuka convinces him to walk out on Gonzou by writing it in as #37 on the bucket list, and the rest of his group eventually does the same when he only thinks about himself during a zombie attack, leaving him alone and crying as zombies encroach on him.

Kanta Higurashi (日暮 莞太, Higurashi Kanta)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook (English)

Higurashi is a former college acquaintance of Akira and Kencho. He serves as a foil and inverse to Akira; while Akira was an extroverted person who was cut off from the world by his work, Higurashi was a former NEET who actively avoided people and work, but still became bitter because of his seclusion and chose to blame society rather than himself. When the apocalypse broke out, Higurashi saw this as an opportunity to do whatever he wanted without any consequences, and met others who felt similarly disenfranchised by society, but in reality put themselves in that situation. They made their own bucket list consisting entirely of causing as much harm and destruction as possible, infiltrating Akira's village and releasing zombies into it in order to zombify Akira, whose extrovertedness Higurashi had always envied. Although he destroys much of the village, minimal casualties are sustained and he is defeated by Akira in combat before being beaten by a zombie. Akira shows compassion to Higurashi in his final moments, and in return, Higurashi uses the last of his sentience to lure some of the zombies away from Akira and his parents, before jumping into a river and drowning.

Shigenobu Kurasagi (蔵杉 重信, Kurasugi Shigenobu)

Voiced by: Seiro Ogino (Japanese); Bill Millsap (English)

A member of Higurashi's group, Kurasagi is a former cellphone shop employer who had become disenfranchised with his work and marriage, leading to the latter dissolving, but in reality, he expected her to do everything for him while he provided money, rather than actually work on their relationship. After joining Higurashi's group during the outbreak, Kurasagi's bucket list item becomes wanting to abuse his wife. During the assault on Akira's village, he fights with Kencho on a roof, who angrily points out his faults. Kencho manages to throw Kurasagi off the roof, where he is devoured by zombies.

Naoki Atenbou (阿天坊直己, Atenbo Naoki)

Voiced by: Kouji Takeda (Japanese); Bill Rogers (English)

A member of Higurashi's group who worked as a chef apprentice. He refused to apply himself to any of his jobs and would routinely get fired, but chose to blame bad luck over his selfishness. After joining Higurashi's group, Atenbou's bucket list item becomes wanting to forcibly French kiss a girl. During the outbreak, he attempts to do this to Shizuka, but she points out his inability to fear for others and lures Atenbou to where the village elders beat him up, though he survives.

Touko Kanbayashi (寒林 陶子, Kanbayashi Tōko)

Voiced by: Manaka Iwami (Japanese); Kate Clarke (English)

A member of Higurashi's group. She was an office manager who constantly nitpicked and belittled every little thing about where she worked, leading her coworkers to deem her pushy and avoid her, and later lead to her getting fired. After joining Higurashi's group, Kanbayashi's main bucket list item becomes blowing up her old office building. During the outbreak, she comes into contact with Beatrix, who points out that she needed to be more open to the opinions of others and learn to respect different approaches to the same goal before she is killed.

Other characters

Saori Ohtori (鳳 沙織, Ōtori Saori)

Voiced by: Sora Amamiya (Japanese); Lauren Landa (English)

Portrayed by: Yui Ichikawa

Ohtori is one of Akira's coworkers during his time in the company. An attractive woman who always showed compassion to him, Akira developed a huge crush on her, but eventually discovered that she was being coerced into being the CEO's "other woman", constantly having sex with him both in and out of the office whether or not she wanted to, and thus Akira sheepishly avoided confessing to her. On the first day of the apocalypse, both Ohtori and the CEO became zombified, and upon discovering them, Akira summoned the courage to confess to her before running away, which retroactively became the first item checked off his bucket list. Akira routinely thinks about her, but largely forgoes any lingering feelings for her after realizing he is in love with Shizuka.

Yukari (ユカリ)

Voiced by: Shion Wakayama (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh (English)

Yukari is one of three flight attendants that Akira and Kencho meet, along with her coworkers Reika and Maki, while hiding in a subway store from zombies. After Kencho has sex with Maki (and taunts Akira over it), Akira attempts to do the same thing with Yukari, but she turns him down when she reveals she has a boyfriend and is holding out hope for his survival. Instead, the two become quick friends, and have a heart-to-heart about their ambitions. An infected man eventually infects Reika, who in turn infects Maki before being killed by Kencho, while the man bites Yukari. Before she turns, Yukari encourages Akira to find his ambition in life, like she got to live out as a flight attendant. Yukari's death traumatizes Akira, and he carries his memory of her throughout the rest of his journey.

Masaru Kumano (熊野 勝, Kumano Masaru)

Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi (Japanese); Richard Epcar (English)

A carpenter from the city. After the outbreak killed his wife and son, Kumano fled into the forest, where zombies do not roam, and began building a treehouse in the forest to reside there away from danger. Upon finding him, Akira and his group help him complete the treehouse due to building a treehouse being on Akira's bucket list. Later, following Higurashi's defeat, Kumano helped the villagers escape from the zombies, and moved into the village to help them rebuild.

Nagisa Kaneshiro (金城 なぎさ, Kaneshiro Nagisa)

Voiced by: Yū Sasahara (Japanese); Jenny Yokobori (English)

A makeup artist who worked in the film industry. She was ironically on the set of a zombie film when the outbreak occurred, but escaped from the city and took refuge in Akira's village, where she and two other women from the city befriended Akira and his parents. She proved crucial in Higurashi's defeat, giving Akira makeup to make him look like a zombie and approach and subdue Higurashi when his guard was down; this also checks off one of Akira's bucket list items, which was to try cosplay.

Kongouji Hikoemon (金剛寺 彦右衛門, Hikoemon Kongoji)

Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba (Japanese); Steve Kramer (English)

Known as "Old Man Hikoe", he is one of the elders in Akira's village. Once the greatest hunter in the village, Hikoe has since become a senile old man who, following the death of his wife, experiences bouts of delirium. This includes believing Shizuka to be his granddaughter, Akemi, who long ago left for the city, and routinely tries to hug Shizuka as a result. This particular delusion proves crucial during Higurashi's attack, however, as Hikoe inspires some of the other villagers to save Shizuka from Atenbou after Shizuka herself saves them from zombies.

Anju (杏樹, Anju)

Voiced by: Kino Sakai (Japanese); Lisa Reimold (English)

A young girl from the city. After losing both of her parents in the outbreak, she and her dog Charl escaped into Akira's village. In her mourning, she became distant and lonely from the other villagers, until Kencho manages to cheer her up with his comedy. Kencho also protects her during Higurashi's attack, and in gratitude she dubs him a comedian, allowing him to knock it off the bucket list.

Production

Haro Aso, the author of the series, commented that the handling of the zombie genre as entertainment has been overused in several types of media. Aso was planning a new work when he came up with the idea of "let's do a zombie one". So, Aso came up with the idea of a protagonist who can see zombies as something fun, thinking that real people might be more disgusting than zombies, and "It would be interesting to mix zombies and company beasts." He has come up with the idea of having company animals as the main characters. However, he was impressed after watching the 2018 Japanese film One Cut of the Dead. Aso was amazed by the take a "heartwarming zombie comedy" by Shin'ichirō Ueda. Though the manga predated the film, Aso enjoyed One Cut of the Dead while adding that he wrote the manga without being conscious of the international market. Aso originally preferred Western movies over domestic ones, leading to his manga being more influenced by the former. In order to stand out as a manga author, he wanted to make a commentary about Japanese society in order to tell the audience to laugh, something different from previous zombie works. The style is described as "a little offbeat, a little silly". While telling a ridiculous story, his message was telling the readers to do whatever they want like his characters do.

Aso, who had no experience working in a company, interviewed his friend, an office worker. While drinking on the weekend and taking notes on his friend's complaints, Aso thought to himself, "Wouldn't zombies be better if this were the case?" From that story, he envisioned the main character, Akira, who puts off everything he wants to do and devotes himself to his work at the company. Then, he put Akira into a zombie world, thus initiating the production of the story.

Artist Kotaro Takata said that the theme of zombies was something he always wanted to work on, with some of his favorite works in the horror genre being Zombieland and Z Nation. Aso and Takada, who is in charge of the animation, were "originally private friends who often went camping together." According to Aso, Takada said things like "When this series is over, I'm going to go back to my parents' house and start farming and hunting," as if he "always wanted to escape from reality." When Aso was thinking about the story, Takada came to mind, and he called him and asked, "What are you doing now? Do you want to go hunting?" and asked him, "Would you like to create a work together?". Therefore, Takada "accepted the project with two replies," and Takada was in charge of the illustrations.

Media

Manga

Written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead began serialization in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X on October 19, 2018. Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 19, 2019. As of February 19, 2024, 16 volumes have been released.

In North America, Viz Media announced the English release of the series in July 2020. On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.

The series is licensed in France by Kana, and in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo.

Volumes

• Note: The chapters are numbered after a superscript # symbol (^#).

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 19, 2019	978-4-09-157561-6	February 16, 2021	978-1-9747-2056-9
#1: "Akira of the Dead" (アキラオブザデッド, Akira obu za Deddo) #2: "Bucket List of the Dead" (バケットリストオブザデッド, Baketto Risuto obu za Deddo) #3: "Best Friend of the Dead" (ベストフレンドオブザデッド, Besuto Furendo obu za Deddo) #3.5: "Sakura Mochi of the Dead" (サクラモチオブザデッド, Sakura Mochi obu za Deddo)
2	July 19, 2019	978-4-09-157568-5	May 18, 2021	978-1-9747-2066-8
#4: "Flight Attendant of the Dead (1)" (CAオブザデッド①, CA obu za Deddo 1) #5: "Flight Attendant of the Dead (2)" (CAオブザデッド②, CA obu za Deddo 2) #6: "Hero of the Dead (1)" (ヒーローオブザデッド①, Hīrō obu za Deddo 1) #7: "Hero of the Dead (2)" (ヒーローオブザデッド②, Hīrō obu za Deddo 2)
3	October 18, 2019	978-4-09-157575-3	August 17, 2021	978-1-9747-2067-5
#8: "RV of the Dead" (キャンピングカーオブザデッド, Kyanpingu Kā obu za Deddo) #9: "Truck Stop of the Dead (1)" (SAオブザデッド①, SA obu za Deddo 1) #10: "Truck Stop of the Dead (2)" (SAオブザデッド②, SA obu za Deddo 2) #11: "Truck Stop of the Dead (3)" (SAオブザデッド③, SA obu za Deddo 3)
4	February 19, 2020	978-4-09-157587-6	November 16, 2021	978-1-9747-2297-6
#12: "Sushi of the Dead" (スシオブザデッド, Sushi obu za Deddo) #13: "Hot Springs of the Dead" (ホットスプリングオブザデッド, Hotto Supuringu obu za Deddo) #14: "Treehouse of the Dead" (ツリーハウスオブザデッド, Tsurīhausu obu za Deddo) #15: "Hometown of the Dead (1)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド①, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 1) Bonus: "Show Club of the Dead" (ショークラブオブザデッド, Shō Kurabu obu za Deddo)
5	June 19, 2020	978-4-09-157598-2	February 15, 2022	978-1-9747-2298-3
#16: "Hometown of the Dead (2)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド②, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 2) #17: "Hometown of the Dead (3)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド③, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 3) #18: "Hometown of the Dead (4)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド④, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 4) #19: "Hometown of the Dead (5)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド⑤, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 5) Bonus: "Dating App of the Dead" (マッチングアプリオブザデッド, Macchingu Apuri obu za Deddo)
6	October 16, 2020	978-4-09-157609-5	May 17, 2022	978-1-9747-2451-2
#20: "Hometown of the Dead (6)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド⑥, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 6) #21: "Hometown of the Dead (7)" (ホームタウンオブザデッド⑦, Hōmutaun obu za Deddo 7) #22: "Cross-Country Trip of the Dead" (クロスカントリーオブザデッド, Kurosu-Kantorī obu za Deddo) Bonus: "Manga Meat of the Dead" (マンガニク オブ ザ デッド, Manganiku obu za Deddo) Bonus: "Kosakas of the Dead" (コーサカオブザデッド, Kōsaka obu za Deddo)
7	January 19, 2021	978-4-09-157621-7	August 16, 2022	978-1-9747-2908-1
#23: "Spartathalon of the Dead" (スパルタスロンオブザデッド, Suparutasuron obu za Deddo) #24: "Suite of the Dead (1)" (スイートルームオブザデッド①, Suītorūmu obu za Deddo 1) #25: "Suite of the Dead (2)" (スイートルームオブザデッド②, Suītorūmu obu za Deddo 2) #26: "Suite of the Dead (3)" (スイートルームオブザデッド③, Suītorūmu obu za Deddo 3) Bonus: "Akira in Borderland (今際の国のアキラ, Imawa no kuni no Akira)
8	May 19, 2021	978-4-09-157609-5	November 15, 2022	978-1-9747-3405-4
#27: "Sake of the Dead" (サケオブザデッド, Sake obu za Deddo) #28: "Dinosaurs of the Dead (1)" (ダイナソーオブザデッド①, Dainasō obu za Deddo 1) #29: "Dinosaurs of the Dead (2)" (ダイナソーオブザデッド②, Dainasō obu za Deddo 2) #30: "Boredom of the Dead" (ヒツマブシオブザデッド, Hitsumabushi obu za Deddo)
9	October 19, 2021	978-4-09-157653-8	February 21, 2023	978-1-9747-3406-1
#31: "Millionaire of the Dead (1)" (ミリオネアオブザデッド①, Mirionea obu za Deddo 1) #32: "Millionaire of the Dead (2)" (ミリオネアオブザデッド②, Mirionea obu za Deddo 2) #33: "Millionaire of the Dead (3)" (ミリオネアオブザデッド③, Mirionea obu za Deddo 3) #34: "Millionaire of the Dead (4)" (ミリオネアオブザデッド④, Mirionea obu za Deddo 4) Bonus: "Teeth Whitening of the Dead" (ホワイトニングオブザデッド, Howaitoningu obu za Deddo)
10	February 18, 2022	978-4-09-157669-9	May 16, 2023	978-1-9747-3647-8
#35: "Millionaire of the Dead (5)" (ミリオネアオブザデッド⑤, Mirionea obu za Deddo 5) #36: "Geisha of the Dead (1)" (ゲイシャオブザデッド①, Geisha obu za Deddo 1) #37: "Geisha of the Dead (2)" (ゲイシャオブザデッド②, Geisha obu za Deddo 2) #38: "Pilgrimage of the Dead (1)" (ピルグリメイジオブザデッド①, Pirugurimeiji obu za Deddo)
11	June 17, 2022	978-4-09-157681-1	August 15, 2023	978-1-9747-3877-9
#39: "Pilgrimage of the Dead (2)" (ピルグリメイジオブザデッド②, Pirugurimeiji obu za Deddo 2) #40: "Pilgrimage of the Dead (3)" (ピルグリメイジオブザデッド③, Pirugurimeiji obu za Deddo 3) #41: "Cruiser of the Dead (1)" (クルーザーオブザデッド①, Kurūzā obu za Deddo 1) #42: "Cruiser of the Dead (2)" (クルーザーオブザデッド②, Kurūzā obu za Deddo 2)
12	November 17, 2022	978-4-09-157700-9	November 21, 2023	978-1-9747-4134-2
#43: "Deserted Island of the Dead (1)" (デザートアイランドオブザデッド①, Dezāto Airando obu za Deddo 1) #44: "Deserted Island of the Dead (2)" (デザートアイランドオブザデッド②, Dezāto Airando obu za Deddo 2) #45: "Steam Locomotive of the Dead" (SLオブザデッド, SL obu za Deddo) #46: "Beloved of the Dead" (プレシャスオブザデッド, Pureshasu obu za Deddo)
13	February 17, 2023	978-4-09-157728-3	February 20, 2024	978-1-9747-4362-9
#47: "Survival Game of the Dead (1)" (サバゲーオブザデッド①, Sabagē obu za Deddo 1) #48: "Survival Game of the Dead (2)" (サバゲーオブザデッド②, Sabagē obu za Deddo 2) #49: "Survival Game of the Dead (3)" (サバゲーオブザデッド③, Sabagē obu za Deddo 3) #50: "Survival Game of the Dead (4)" (サバゲーオブザデッド④, Sabagē obu za Deddo 4)
14	June 30, 2023	978-4-09-157756-6	May 21, 2024	978-1-9747-4574-6
#51: "Survival Game of the Dead (5)" (サバゲーオブザデッド⑤, Sabagē obu za Deddo 5) #52: "Grandpa of the Dead (1)" (グランパオブザデッド①, Guranpa obu za Deddo 1) #53: "Grandpa of the Dead (2)" (グランパオブザデッド②, Guranpa obu za Deddo 2) #54: "Blue Marlin of the Dead" (ブルーマーリン・オブ・ザ・デッド, Burū Mārin obu za Deddo)
15	September 19, 2023	978-4-09-157781-8	August 20, 2024	978-1-9747-4573-9
#55: "Dolphins of the Dead (1)" (ドルフィンオブザデッド①, Dorufin obu za Deddo 1) #56: "Dolphins of the Dead (2)" (ドルフィンオブザデッド②, Dorufin obu za Deddo 2) #57: "Dolphins of the Dead (3)" (ドルフィンオブザデッド③, Dorufin obu za Deddo 3) Bonus: "Kencho in Borderland" (今際の国のケンチョ, Imawa no Kuni no Kencho) Bonus: "Making of the Dead (Anime ver)" (メイキングオブザデッド(アニメ編), Meikingu obu za Deddo (Anime-hen)) Bonus: "Making of the Dead (Live-action)" (メイキングオブザデッド(実写映画), Meikingu obu za Deddo (Jissha Eiga))
16	February 19, 2024	978-4-09-157795-5	—	—
#58: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (1)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド①, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 1) #59: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (2)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド②, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 2) #60: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (3)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド③, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 3) #61: "Happiness of the Dead" (ハピネス オブ ザ デッド, Hapinesu obu za Deddo)

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

• ^#62: "Outer Space of the Dead (1)" (アウタースペースオブザデッド①, Autā Supēsu obu za Deddo 1)
• ^#63: "Outer Space of the Dead (2)" (アウタースペースオブザデッド②, Autā Supēsu obu za Deddo 2)
• ^#64: "Outer Space of the Dead (3)" (アウタースペースオブザデッド③, Autā Supēsu obu za Deddo 3)
• ^#65: "Outer Space of the Dead (4)" (アウタースペースオブザデッド④, Autā Supēsu obu za Deddo 4)

Anime

On January 6, 2023, an anime television series adaptation was announced, as part of a deal between Viz Media, Shogakukan, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. It was produced by Bug Films and directed by Kazuki Kawagoe, with assistant direction by Hanako Ueda, scripts supervised by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Kii Tanaka, zombie designs by Junpei Fukuchi, and music composed by Makoto Miyazaki. The series aired from July 9 to December 26, 2023, on the Nichi-5 programming block on all JNN stations in Japan, including MBS and TBS. The opening theme song is "Song of the Dead" (ソングオブザデッド) performed by Kana-Boon, while the ending theme song is "Happiness of the Dead" (ハピネス オブ ザ デッド) performed by Shiyui.

Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll streamed the series in the United States simultaneously with its Japanese release. Muse Communication licensed the series in Asia-Pacific. The English dub of the series begin airing in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on March 31, 2024.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Chief animation directed by	Original air date	English air date
1	"Akira of the Dead" Transliteration: "Akira obu za Deddo" (Japanese: アキラ オブ ザ デッド)	Kazuki Kawagoe	Hiroaki Karasu	July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09)	March 31, 2024
Akira Tendo is a young office worker who hates his job. Three years ago, an excited Akira came to Tokyo to work after graduation but increasingly becomes disillusioned after learning his company ruthlessly exploits their employees. Despite being depressed, he continues to stay due to his coworker, Saori Ohtori, the only one who treats him with kindness but is unable to confess his feelings since Ohtori is also the CEO's mistress. When a zombie outbreak hits Tokyo, rather than despair, Akira greets it with happiness since he is finally free. He heads to Ohtori's apartment to rescue her only to discover he was too late as she and the CEO have turned into zombies. Akira tells the CEO he quits before pushing him to his death and confesses his feelings to a zombified Ohtori before escaping. Realizing he might get killed during the outbreak, Akira makes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie.
2	"Bucket List of the Dead" Transliteration: "Baketto Risuto obu za Deddo" (Japanese: バケットリスト オブ ザ デッド)	Directed by : Toshihiro Maeya Storyboarded by : Hanako Ueda	Kii Tanaka, Haruhito Takada & Hiroaki Karasu	July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16)	April 7, 2024
Akira starts to revel in his newfound freedom by drinking beer in the morning. However, he soon realizes that he has run out. Sneaking down a pipe to avoid zombies, he meets the Kousakas, his despairing neighbors who become more hopeful seeing his cheerful demeanor. When he arrives at the convenience store, Akira meets another survivor scavenging the place, who admonishes him for only taking items she considers unnecessary for survival. She takes off after she saves his life. With his bike destroyed, he ultimately finds a motorcycle and uses it to escape. When he finally returns home, Akira notices zombies have managed to break into the Kousakas' apartment. Retreating to his apartment, he solemnly reflects on his situation. As such, Akira writes down a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie. Meanwhile, a flashback shows that prior to meeting Akira, the girl was obsessed with survival, but after meeting him begins to wonder if there might be room for some fun.
3	"Best Friend of the Dead" Transliteration: "Besuto Furendo obu za Deddo" (Japanese: ベストフレンド オブ ザ デッド)	Jun Shinohara	Hiroki Yamamura	July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)	April 14, 2024
Shou and other survivors defend Club Shou-Time. Meanwhile, after Akira crosses growing a cool beard off his bucket list, he vows to find his friend Kencho. He then notices his phone has unread notifications. Elsewhere, Kencho is trapped at Club Shou-Time when he receives a call from Akira, who promises to meet him. As he heads to Shinjuku, Akira recalls their friendship prior to the outbreak. Just as the zombies are about to kill Shou, they are distracted when they hear some noise. Once Akira and Kencho reunite, Akira apologizes to Kencho for being jealous of him before zombies chase them onto the roof. After Akira successfully jumps onto the roof of another building, he tells Kencho to do the same. Kencho refuses and reveals to Akira he hated his job as a real estate agent and what he really wants to do is be a stand-up comedian. With Akira's encouragement, Kencho makes it while he takes off his clothes. Later that night, Akira and Kencho have a conversation while they are naked.
4	"Flight Attendant of the Dead" Transliteration: "Shī-Ē obu za Deddo" (Japanese: CA オブ ザ デッド)	Katsuya Ōshima	Hiroaki Karasu & Haruhito Takada	July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30)	April 21, 2024
Akira and Kencho decide to go to the department store to get a flat-screen TV as Akira had it on his bucket list. When they arrive there, they discover they are not alone as they meet an old man and three flight attendants named Yukari, Maki, and Reika. They end up wining and dining with the girls, which was another thing on the bucket list. Akira eventually drinks too much trying to impress the girls, while Kencho and Maki head to the furniture department to have sex. Meanwhile, Reika is attacked by the zombified old man. Yukari later approaches Akira and the two ultimately have a conversation about their dream jobs. When Kencho investigates the commotion, Maki is killed by a zombified Reika, while Kencho himself is forced to smash Reika's head. As Yukari is about to say something to Akira, she is attacked and bitten by the old man. Despite Akira's pleas, she willingly sacrifices herself when the old man attacks them again. Akira and Kencho manage to escape with a flat-screen TV. When they get back to their base, Akira adds his desire to recall his childhood dream to his bucket list.
SP	"Zom 100 Special Program: 100 Things You Need to Prepare to Run Away from Zombies" Transliteration: "Zom 100 Tokuban ~Zombie Kara Nigekiru Tame ni Junbi Shitai 100 no Koto~" (Japanese: ゾン100 特番～ゾンビから逃げ切るために準備したい100のこと～)	N/A	N/A	August 6, 2023 (2023-08-06)	N/A
A recap special covering the first four episodes.
5	"Hero of the Dead" Transliteration: "Hīrō obu za Deddo" (Japanese: ヒーロー オブ ザ デッド)	Shōtarō Tamemizu	Hiroaki Karasu, Haruhito Takada & Atsuko Nakajima	August 13, 2023 (2023-08-13)	April 28, 2024
Recalling what his childhood dream was, Akira heads to the aquarium with Kencho to grab a shark suit so he can achieve said dream of being a superhero. Elsewhere, the girl Akira previously met is on a bus when one of the passengers turns into a zombie. She and the remaining survivors head to the aquarium where they are rescued by Akira. When he approaches her, she questions his motives. After investigating a loud noise, Akira and Kencho discover a zombified shark with legs is on the loose. While everyone is running away, the girl gets left behind. Once Akira rescues her again, she comes up with a plan to stop the shark. A naked Kencho provides a distraction which allows Akira to electrocute the shark. Before they part ways, Akira and the girl, whose name is Shizuka Mikazuki, exchange contact information.
6	"RV of the Dead" Transliteration: "Kyanpingu Kā obu za Deddo" (Japanese: キャンピングカー オブ ザ デッド)	Toshihiro Maeya	Hiroaki Karasu & Haruhito Takada	August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27)	May 5, 2024
After Akira and Kencho grab a pair of solid gold watches, they decide to head to Gunma. When they arrive at an RV dealership, they run into Shizuka. Once an RV is chosen, the trio continue their journey until they are stopped by a spike strip, which also injures Kencho. They are then confronted by a group led by Gonzou Kosugi, Akira's former boss. A nervous Akira reluctantly agrees to work for Gonzou again for two days in exchange to use his truck stop. The next day, while Shizuka is with Kencho, an annoyed Gonzou is forced to announce that he is throwing a welcome party for Akira and his friends after he catches Akira chilling beer for everyone. Gonzou later taunts Akira when the former reveals he is using the latter, the zombies, and everyone else as cheap labor.
7	"Truck Stop of the Dead" Transliteration: "Sābisu-Eria obu za Deddo" (Japanese: SA オブ ザ デッド)	Directed by : Kazuya Monma Storyboarded by : Hanako Ueda	Hiroaki Karasu	September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03)	TBA
Seeing Akira being abused by Gonzou reminds Shizuka how her father controlled every aspect of her life. While she is in the RV, Shizuka finds Akira's bucket list and writes "Tell Kosugi Off" in it. Elsewhere, unbeknownst to a couple of members of the supply gathering team, a zombie is hiding in their truck. Back at the truck stop, when Akira, Kencho and Shizuka attempt to leave, Gonzou manipulates Akira into staying. A furious Shizuka calls out Gonzou for being a coward before she hands Akira his bucket list back to him, which reveals what she wrote down earlier. As such, Akira finally gains the confidence to tell Gonzou off. Once chaos ensues when the truck arrives and releases the zombie, Akira successfully neutralizes the situation and saves everyone, even Gonzou. After Gonzou's gang leaves him behind at the truck stop due to his abusive and controlling behavior as well as his cowardice, Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka continue their journey.
8	"Sushi & Hot Springs of the Dead" Transliteration: "Sushi & Hotto Supuringu obu za Deddo" (Japanese: スシ＆ホットスプリング オブ ザ デッド)	Gorō Kuji	Hanako Ueda & Haruhito Takada	September 17, 2023 (2023-09-17)	TBA
After Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka try Paddleboard Yoga, the trio continue their journey where they encounter a female otaku from Germany named Beatrix Amerhauser. Akira agrees to help her deliver fish to Takasaki since eating at a sushi restaurant is on his bucket list. When they arrive there, Akira and Beatrix fight a horde of zombies until the latter are lured away and killed in an explosion caused by Kencho and Shizuka. Everyone has a good time eating sushi that night. Sometime later, the quartet arrive at a hot spring. As they are enjoying themselves, they discover it is surrounded and are forced to flee. While he is alone, Akira finds a seemingly unoccupied hot spring in the mountains. However, he runs into Shizuka where they have a heartfelt conversation about love before they are joined by Kencho and Beatrix.
9	"Treehouse of the Dead" Transliteration: "Tsurīhausu obu za Deddo" (Japanese: ツリーハウス オブ ザ デッド)	Yū Harima	Hiroaki Karasu	September 24, 2023 (2023-09-24)	TBA
Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix are near Gunma when they come across a barricaded tunnel full of zombies. While taking a detour through the forest, they rescue an old man named Masaru Kumano from a zombified boar. A thankful Kumano shows the quartet the treehouse he is building, which causes an excited Akira to help out. Once the treehouse is completed, the quartet part ways with Kumano. After a while, they finally arrive at Akira's home village. When Akira reunites with his parents, he has a hard time repaying them. Elsewhere, it is revealed Akira's father has a wound. Meanwhile, another group in the village is completing a bucket list of their own.
10	"Hometown of the Dead I" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo I" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド I)	Sachiko Kanno	Haruhito Takada	December 25, 2023 (2023-12-25)	TBA
As the quartet settles into Akira's village, they meet other survivors from the nearby city and slowly get to know them. That evening, Akira listens to his father talk about his dream of wanting to be an astronaut and how small world their really is once they get to explore more. Meanwhile, the other group led by Akira and Kencho's former university classmate, Kanta Higurashi, take down the barriers blocking the tunnel and soon lead the zombies to the village, causing havoc and terrorizing the villagers along the way. Akira and the others realize an electric fence has trapped everyone in the village, forcing them to make plans to evacuate the village and fight back.
11	"Hometown of the Dead II" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo II" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド II)	Hiroaki Takagi	Hiroaki Karasu	December 26, 2023 (2023-12-26)	TBA
While the members of the quartet brawl with others from Higurashi's group, Akira goes to defend his parents and other survivors from the zombies. However, Akira's father resolves to defend the family and throws Akira into the house to confront the zombies on his own. In a series of flashbacks, each member of Higurashi's group recount their worst memories before the pandemic started that caused their resentment towards society. They decided to vent their frustrations by destroying the village, but are instead thwarted in their encounters with Akira's quartet. Before Akira's father is turned into a zombie, Higurashi saves him but then holds him hostage, taunting Akira to prove that he is a good son.
12	"Hometown of the Dead III" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo III" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド III)	Jun Shinohara	Hiroaki Karasu & Haruhito Takada	December 26, 2023 (2023-12-26)	TBA
A flashback shows that Higurashi grew from a happy child to an antisocial loner who began to despise society, especially people like Akira. He decides to take it out on Akira and make him choose between him and his father. Akira seemingly turns into a zombie but quickly gets the upper hand on Higurashi. It is revealed that Akira disguised himself as a zombie with the help of some of the survivors to trick Higurashi. When Akira confronts him, Higurashi has a breakdown while he reveals that he just wanted to have friends. After he is bitten by a zombie, Higurashi accepts his fate, sacrificing himself to buy time while Akira and the other survivors attempt to evacuate the village but realize the bridge connecting them across a canyon has been destroyed. Fortunately, Kumano has built a bridge just in time. Akira and Kencho hold the bridge while the villagers evacuate, and they barely escape. The villagers eventually manage to trap the zombies in the tunnel again and begin to rebuild. Akira learns his father is not infected and instead has hemorrhoids. The quartet soon makes plans to continue their goals to survive the zombie apocalypse and leave the village to explore the world and fulfil their dreams.

Live-action film

On June 7, 2022, during the Geeked Week livestream, Netflix announced a live-action film adaptation. Yusuke Ishida directed the film, based on a screenplay by Tatsuro Mishima. Akira Morii served as producer at Robot Communications, in collaboration with Plus One Entertainment. The film premiered on August 3, 2023. The theme song is "HoriZOM" performed by Ren.

Reception

Manga

Critical reception

Briana Lawrence of The Mary Sue praised the manga's premise for making the reader care not for Akira's quest but instead of the fact that he does not care about the fact there are zombies in Japan and how he spends his free time. Akira's viewpoint of the post-apocalyptic world was compared to an optimistic view to the world's situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kara Dennison of Otaku USA said the series gives several positive messages, such as Akira's optimism when dealing with the chaotic world as well as the cast in general's outlook to the current status quo. Koiwai of Manga News found the story quirky, crazy, and cynical, praising the handling of Akira, while responding positively to the artwork, especially the drawing of zombies.

Accolades

The series was nominated for the Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia and Best Humor Publication categories in 2022. The series was also nominated for the 69th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2023.

Anime

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 9.7/10. The critics from Anime News Network gave the first episode a very positive reception. James Beckett and Richard Eisenbeis gave it a perfect score, complimenting the storytelling, visuals, direction, animation and the handling of Akira's character. Rebecca Silverman described that the art direction is fascinating and does a remarkable job of emphasizing the decline of Akira's quality of life and its sudden resurgence. Nicholas Dupree praised its animation, direction and Akira's character while noting that "[the show] is simple, a bit trashy, and doesn't do much to innovate in the well-trodden ground of zombie fiction, but it has a solid emotional core and an excess of energy."

Daniel Kurland of Den of Geek describing the series premiere, saying, "This first episode utilizes a simple, yet effective, trick where the color palette is actively muted during the extended flashback that's set during the early days at Akira's job." Regarding the series' opening theme song, he described it as "an absolute banger and perfectly captures the anime's bombastic, care-free energy". Rafael Motamayor of IGN called the series premiere as "one of the best first episodes of an anime in a long time", praising its visual storytelling, framing, and color in handling Akira's miserable work life. He also praised the series for its refreshing take on a zombie genre, characters, and humor, while criticizing its animation quality as unreliable due to the studio's production delays that made it a "less-than-perfect watch".

Accolades

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead was nominated at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in six categories: Best New Series, Best Comedy, Best Art Direction (Taketo Gonpei), Best Opening Sequence ("Song of the Dead" by Kana-Boon), Best Ending Sequence ("Happiness of the Dead" by Shiyui), and Best Voice Artist Performance – German (Patrick Keller as Akira Tendo).

External links

• Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead official manga website at Monthly Sunday Gene-X (in Japanese)
• Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead official manga website at Viz Media (in English)
• Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead official anime website (in Japanese)
• Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead official anime website (in English)
• Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia