History of The Summer Hikaru Died in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: September 28, 2025

The Summer Hikaru Died is a manga series by Mokumokuren, serialized since August 2021. It revolves around Yoshiki Tsujinaka, a teenager living in rural Japan, who realizes his friend Hikaru Indo has been possessed by a supernatural entity. The story focuses on Yoshiki's efforts to understand and navigate their altered friendship while confronting various supernatural threats and mysteries. The manga has been compiled into seven volumes as of July 2025.

January 2021: Posting Drawings on Twitter

In January 2021, Mokumokuren began posting drawings on Twitter, which led to the manga's serialization.

August 2021: Series Serialization on Young Ace Up

In August 2021, The Summer Hikaru Died manga series began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website.

August 31, 2021: Series Serialization on Young Ace Up

On August 31, 2021, The Summer Hikaru Died began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website.

2021: Initial Introduction as Boys' Love Story

In 2021, Mokumokuren initially introduced The Summer Hikaru Died as a boys' love story before later specifying it as a coming-of-age horror with queer themes.

September 2022: Yen Press Licenses Series

In September 2022, Yen Press announced that they had licensed The Summer Hikaru Died series for English publication.

October 2022: Series Circulation

By October 2022, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 550,000 copies in circulation.

June 2023: Series Circulation

By June 2023, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 1.4 million copies in circulation.

December 4, 2023: Novelization Publication

On December 4, 2023, a novelization of the manga series, written by Mio Nukaga, was published by Kadokawa Shoten.

December 2023: Series Circulation

By December 2023, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 1.9 million copies in circulation.

May 24, 2024: Anime Adaptation Announcement

On May 24, 2024, the anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died was announced.

June 4, 2024: Series Circulation

By June 4, 2024, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 2.3 million copies in circulation.

November 4, 2024: Series Circulation

By November 4, 2024, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 3 million copies in circulation.

2024: Yen Press Licenses Novel

At New York Comic Con in 2024, Yen Press announced that they also licensed the novelization of The Summer Hikaru Died for English publication.

July 4, 2025: Series Circulation

By July 4, 2025, The Summer Hikaru Died series had 3.5 million copies in circulation.

July 6, 2025: Anime Series Premiere

On July 6, 2025, The Summer Hikaru Died anime television series premiered on Nippon TV and its affiliates. The opening theme song is "Saikai" by Vaundy, and the ending theme song is "Anata wa Kaibutsu" by Tooboe. Netflix is streaming the series globally, while Abema is streaming it inside Japan for free.

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