Is The Rose of Versailles Manga Finished? Status Guide
Yes, The Rose of Versailles Manga Is Finished — Final Volume Released in 2018
Short answer: yes, The Rose of Versailles manga is finished. The fourteenth and final volume was released in Japan on March 23, 2018, bringing Riyoko Ikeda’s landmark romance to a close.
If you’re new to manga — Japanese comics read right-to-left — this is one of the most important romance titles the medium has produced. The main story was originally serialized in 1972–1973, and Ikeda returned decades later to publish additional side story volumes between 2014 and 2018. But the core narrative has been complete for a long time, and you can read the whole thing right now.
Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the story follows Oscar François de Jarjayes, a woman raised as a man and serving as commander of the Royal Guard at Versailles, alongside the political and romantic entanglements of Marie Antoinette and the Swedish nobleman Count Axel von Fersen. You don’t need any background in French history to enjoy it — Ikeda weaves real historical events into the fictional narrative so naturally that the story teaches you what you need to know as you go. Just start reading; the story takes care of the rest.
The complete Japanese run spans 14 volumes under Shueisha’s Margaret Comics label. For English-speaking readers, UDON Entertainment has published the main story in a 5-volume hardcover edition with a larger page size and high-quality presentation. These aren’t abridged — they collect the full main story.
So if you’ve been waiting to pick this up until the story was done, your wait is over. It’s been over for years. Time to read.
Does the Romance Get a Real Ending?
This is the question that matters most for romance readers, and the answer is satisfying: the main story’s central love stories reach definitive conclusions. There are no cliffhangers. No “read the sequel to find out what happened.” The story commits to its endings.
Without getting into heavy spoiler territory, here’s what you can expect:
Oscar and André’s relationship — the emotional backbone of the series — is fully resolved within the main storyline. Their bond develops slowly and powerfully across the volumes, and Ikeda gives it the weight and resolution it deserves. Whether you find the ending happy or heartbreaking depends on how you define those words, but it is unquestionably complete.
The Marie Antoinette and Fersen romance also reaches its conclusion, intertwined as it is with the actual history of the French Revolution. Ikeda uses the real historical events as the framework for this love story, which means the ending carries a sense of inevitability that makes it deeply affecting rather than arbitrary.
If you’re the kind of reader who needs to know a romance manga will actually deliver emotional closure before investing your time — this one delivers. The Rose of Versailles is a story that knows where it’s going and arrives there with purpose.
How Many Volumes Make a Complete Set
Here’s where things get a little nuanced, so let’s break it down clearly. In manga, a “volume” is a single collected book — think of each one like an installment of a novel, numbered in sequence.
Japanese Edition (Margaret Comics, Shueisha)
| Volume Range | Content | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Volumes 1–10 | The original main story | Serialized 1972–1973 in a manga magazine, then collected into volumes through 1974 |
| Volumes 11–14 | “Episode” side stories | Published 2014–2018 |
The main story — the one with Oscar, André, Marie Antoinette, Fersen, and the French Revolution — is contained in volumes 1 through 10. This is the narrative that made The Rose of Versailles a beloved classic.
Volumes 11 through 14 are the “Episode” side stories that Ikeda wrote and published decades later, returning to the world she created to expand on it with additional stories and characters. These came out between 2014 and 2018, with Volume 14 marking the series’ conclusion.
English Edition (UDON Entertainment)
UDON Entertainment’s release collects the complete main story across 5 hardcover volumes. These are not condensed or cut — the larger page size simply means fewer books are needed to contain the same content as the Japanese volumes 1–10.
Important: The Episode side story volumes (Japanese volumes 11–14) are not currently available in English. If you read the UDON hardcovers, you’re getting the full main story with its complete love stories and ending. The Episode volumes are supplementary material for readers who want more time in the world.
For most readers — especially those coming to the series for the first time — the 5 English volumes are everything you need for a complete experience.
The first volume of UDON’s hardcover edition is the perfect starting point if you’re ready to begin.
The Rose of Versailles Volume 1 (UDON hardcover)
Side Stories, Spin-Offs, and Related Works
The Rose of Versailles doesn’t exist in isolation. Over the decades, Ikeda built out the world in several directions.
The Episode Volumes (JP Volumes 11–14)
These side stories represent Ikeda’s return to the Rose of Versailles universe after a gap of roughly four decades. Published between 2014 and 2018, they expand the world beyond the main romance with additional stories set in and around the French Revolution era. For devoted fans of the original, they offer a chance to spend more time with familiar settings and themes.
As mentioned, these remain Japanese-only as of this writing. There’s no confirmed English release for them yet. If you read Japanese or are willing to collect the original editions, they’re available as part of the Margaret Comics line from Shueisha.
Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica (栄光のナポレオン-エロイカ)
Ikeda also created this related manga, which shifts the historical focus to Napoleon while inhabiting the same broader universe as The Rose of Versailles. It’s a separate series set in the same world — think of it as a follow-up story with a new cast. If you finish the main series and find yourself wanting more of Ikeda’s take on French history through a manga lens, this is the natural next step — though English availability is limited and it may be difficult to find translated editions.
Anime Adaptations
Both an anime TV series (a Japanese animated adaptation) and an anime film of The Rose of Versailles exist. These can serve as alternative entry points to the story, or as companion experiences after reading the manga. The anime is beloved in its own right and helped cement the series’ international reputation.
Where to Start Reading The Rose of Versailles
Good news: there is no complicated reading order here. The Rose of Versailles is refreshingly straightforward.
For English Readers
Start with UDON Entertainment’s hardcover Volume 1 and read straight through to Volume 5. That’s it. Five books, one continuous story, complete romantic resolution. The hardcovers are well-produced and present the manga beautifully in a larger format that does justice to Ikeda’s art.
After finishing, if you want more:
- Seek out the Episode side stories (Japanese volumes 11–14) if you read Japanese
- Watch the anime adaptations for a different take on the story
- Look into Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica for more of Ikeda’s French historical manga
For Japanese Readers
Read volumes 1 through 14 in ascending order. Volumes 1–10 give you the main story, and volumes 11–14 continue with the Episode side stories. Simple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Rose of Versailles still being published?
No. The series is complete. The final volume (Volume 14) was released in Japan on March 23, 2018. No new volumes are forthcoming.
Are the Episode volumes available in English?
Not yet. UDON Entertainment’s 5 hardcover volumes cover the main story only (equivalent to Japanese volumes 1–10). The Episode side stories (Japanese volumes 11–14) have not been released in English as of this writing.
Is The Rose of Versailles a romance manga?
Yes. The Rose of Versailles is one of the foundational romance titles in manga history. “Shoujo” is the Japanese category label for manga aimed at a young female audience, and this series helped define what shoujo romance could be. The story centers on the intertwined love stories of Oscar and André, and of Marie Antoinette and Fersen, all set against the turbulent final years of the French monarchy. Romance isn’t a subplot here — it’s the emotional core of the entire series.
Do I need to read the Episode volumes to understand the ending?
No. The main story is completely self-contained. You will get a full narrative with resolved romantic storylines from the main story alone — whether you read the Japanese volumes 1–10 or the English hardcovers 1–5. The Episode volumes are bonus material that expands the world but is not required for the story to make sense or feel finished.
What order should I read everything in?
Main story first (always), Episode side stories second (if available to you). Within each, just go in volume order. No jumping around needed, no alternate timelines to track. Straightforward and sequential from start to finish.
