Dead Rock is an academy in the demon world where students are trained to conquer the human world as demon rulers. Yakuto, a young demon descended from a blackdragon, is one of seven applicants who pass the school's deadly special entrance exam into Class F. On his first day of class, Yakuto murders his homeroom teacher and reveals his true objective is to kill God, a supreme evil being who serves as Dead Rock's principal. To this end, he involves his classmates in his plans as they fight to survive Dead Rock's brutal curriculum, murderous teachers, and ambitious rival students.
Yakuto is a demon who seeks revenge against God for exterminating his family and people, the Dragon Roots. Appearing timid and mild-mannered, he is in fact a ruthless boy who readily kills those who oppose him. He is cursed with the power to transform his arm or entire body into that of his "root" ancestor, a blackdragon, which reduces his lifespan. His dragon form resemblesFairy Tail characterAcnologia.[3]
Frey (フレイ,Furei)
Frey is anarsonist who manipulates fire with the power of her root, anifrit. She enrolls in Dead Rock to satisfy her love of battle, as well as to surpass her older sister, who failed to graduate from the school. Her admiration of others' strength leads her to fall in love with Yakuto for his brutality.
Raizen (ライゼン)
Raizen is a swordsman whose root,Orochi, allows him to split his weapon into eight copies. He seeks the power of a demon king to rescue a cursed princess, whose soul is sealed within his broadsword. After being killed by the school chef, he is reanimated by Mikoto as a sentientzombie who can withstand various damage.
Hien (ヒエン)
Hien is a wolf-eared demon with the root ofFenrir, which gives him the ability to create ice with hiskatana. He comes from a feudal clan rumored to have caused their homeland's eternal winter, which he hopes to end by becoming a demon king. He frequently draws the attraction of young women, to which he is oblivious.
Mikoto (ミコト)
Mikoto is anecromancer whoselich root allows her to reanimate the dead as flesh-eating zombies, whom she gives doting affection. She is later revealed to be an undercover agent of Ghost, the demon world'ssecret service, who targets Dead Rock's corrupt faculty members.
Hani (ハニー,Hanī)
Hani is a livinghaniwa giant with the root ofThor. He uses a lightning-infused hammer and is capable of shrinking to human size, but is brittle and prone to shattering. He is intelligent and analytical, desiring to study humans rather than conquer them, and is agitated by others' stupidity.
Chako (チャコ)
Chako is a crow demon who can sprout a third leg atop her head with herYatagarasu root. Her true identity is Zelecia (ゼレシア,Zereshia), a cat-eared humanoid girl with a black wizard root, which grants her powerfulblack magic she suppresses with her crow form. Like Yakuto, she aims to kill God for massacring her people.
God (神,Kami)
God is the creator and supreme ruler of the three worlds of existence, presiding over the demon world as principal of Dead Rock. His omnipotence is derived from the faith of his worshipers, and he routinely kills those who lack belief in him. His real name is Elfed (エルフェド,Erufedo), distinguishing him from his fellow gods.
Written and illustrated byHiro Mashima,Dead Rock started inKodansha'sshōnen manga magazineMonthly Shōnen Magazine on July 6, 2023.[2][4] Mashima has stated that he had not intended for the manga to be a long series, but extended it due to positive reader reception.[5] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individualtankōbon volumes, with the first released on November 16, 2023.[6] As of July 9, 2025, five volumes have been released.[7]
In July 2024,Kodansha USA announced that it had licensed the manga for English release in North America, with the first volume released on March 4, 2025.[8][9]
Reviewing the first English volume forAnime News Network, Rebecca Silverman rated it three stars out of five, criticizing the large number of characters introduced in the first chapter, but expressing interest in its setting; MrAJCosplay wrote more positively, giving it four stars while praising the "air of mystery" surrounding the characters.[18]
Ian Wolf ofAnime UK News reviewed the first three English volumes. He gave the first volume a score of six out of ten, calling it a "decent enough opening" but finding "it hasn't really got into its stride yet in terms of fleshing out the other main characters and their motivations."[19] He rated the second and third volumes a score of seven, calling the second volume "enjoyable",[3] and commending the third volume for its death scenes.[20] He also commented on the volumes' English translation and lettering, calling it "generally fine" but criticizing the size of the small translation notes, and appreciating the added end sections providing context to its translation conventions.[19]
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