The Summer Hikaru Died comes to an end: the horror manga wraps up with chapter 51
Mokumokuren closes the series after five years on Kadokawa's Young Ace UP. The anime, a Netflix hit in 2025, already has a second season confirmed.
Imagem: CyberAgent / © Mokumokuren, KADOKAWA, comitê de produção de Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu (material de divulgação do anúncio da 2ª temporada do anime)
The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) comes to an end on Tuesday, October 20, with chapter 51. The date was set by the series' official X account, which posted the schedule for the last two chapters in September: chapter 50 ran on October 13, and chapter 51 closes the story on Young Ace UP, the Kadokawa website where Mokumokuren's manga has run since August 2021.
To mark the home stretch, Kadokawa made volumes 1 to 9 free to read on its Kadocomi portal between September 8 and October 13, according to Japanese site Denfaminicogamer. The series is expected to finish at ten volumes, with chapters 47 to 51 collected in the last one, according to Siliconera.
What it's about
The story is set in a rural Japanese village steeped in old legends. Yoshiki realizes his best friend Hikaru has been replaced by “something” wearing his face and voice, and chooses to stay by its side anyway. The manga blends horror, mystery and the drama of that bond, and it topped the male readers' list in the 2023 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guide.
Where to read and watch
In English, the manga is published by Yen Press, which releases new chapters the same day as Japan. The anime, produced by CyberAgent and Kadokawa with animation by CygamesPictures, premiered in July 2025 and streams on Netflix.
The first season reached number one on Netflix Japan's daily ranking and on ABEMA's anime chart, according to CyberAgent, which announced season 2 right after the finale. There is no premiere date or episode count yet. With the manga complete, the adaptation now has all of its source material available.
Sources and references
- Denfaminicogamer: campanha de leitura grátis antes do fim de Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu (em japonês) (opens in a new tab)
- Siliconera: The Summer Hikaru Died Horror Manga Will End in October (opens in a new tab)
- Anime Corner: The Summer Hikaru Died Manga to End in 2 Chapters, Final Release on October 20 (opens in a new tab)
- CyberAgent: anúncio da segunda temporada do anime (em japonês) (opens in a new tab)
- Critical Hits: Mangá de O Verão em que Hikaru Morreu chega ao fim em outubro (opens in a new tab)
- Milky Way Ediciones: El verano en que Hikaru murió (opens in a new tab)
