To Love-Ru Darkness Manga Editions: All 18 Volumes

If you’ve been searching for information on To Love-Ru Darkness manga editions, you’ve probably run into a tangle of different releases, a predecessor series, and anime adaptations all sharing similar names. Sorting all of that out before you spend money is just smart shopping.

Here’s the good news: To Love-Ru Darkness is a completed series with 18 volumes in both Japanese and English, so there’s no waiting around for new releases. The story is written by Saki Hasemi with art by Kentaro Yabuki, and it’s a direct sequel to the original To Love-Ru. That last point matters a lot — jumping straight into Darkness without reading the original will leave you confused about characters, relationships, and ongoing plot threads. Reading the original first is strongly recommended.

Both editions — the Japanese release from Shueisha under the Jump Comics brand and the English release from Seven Seas Entertainment — contain the same 18 volumes with a clean 1-to-1 mapping. No volumes were skipped or combined in the English release.

To Love-Ru Darkness Manga Editions — Complete Overview

Before diving into the details of each release, here’s the short version for anyone who just needs the basics.

To Love-Ru Darkness is a harem romantic comedy — meaning one central character is surrounded by multiple romantic interests — with a heavy dose of fan service (genre shorthand for gratuitous or titillating visual content aimed at the audience). The story follows Rito Yuuki and an expanding cast of alien princesses and classmates as romantic entanglements and sci-fi chaos pile up. The sequel shifts Momo Belia Deviluke into a more prominent role as she hatches her own plan to bring Rito’s various relationships under one roof.

There are two main editions available:

• Japanese Edition — 18 volumes, published by Shueisha under the Jump Comics imprint
• English Edition — 18 volumes, published by Seven Seas Entertainment

The volume numbering matches exactly between both editions. Volume 1 in English is Volume 1 in Japanese, all the way through Volume 18. No chapters were removed, rearranged, or merged in the English release.

The series is complete and both editions are fully published, so you can buy and read at your own pace with no risk of a publisher dropping the series partway through.

Japanese Edition (Shueisha — Jump Comics)

The original Japanese edition of To Love-Ru Darkness was published by Shueisha under their Jump Comics brand. Shueisha is the parent publisher, and Jump Comics is one of their imprints — think of it as a label within the larger company. The series was serialized in Jump SQ. magazine, meaning chapters were published one at a time in the magazine over months and years, then later collected into the book-format volumes you see on shelves.

Volume Run at a Glance

The Japanese edition runs 18 volumes in standard tankoubon format — that is, the collected book editions that compile individual magazine chapters into a single volume:

• Volume 1 — Released March 4, 2011 (ISBN: 9784088702056)
• Volume 18 — Released April 4, 2017 (ISBN: 9784088810539)

That’s roughly six years of publication from start to finish. The series wrapped up cleanly, so collectors buying the Japanese edition can pick up the complete run without worrying about missing volumes or indefinite hiatuses.

Why Buy the Japanese Edition?

The Jump Comics edition features the original Japanese cover art and is the version most Japanese-language collectors will want. If you’re studying Japanese or prefer to read manga in its original language, this is the edition to track down. Tankoubon volumes from Shueisha are widely available through import retailers and Japanese bookstores.

For collector purposes, the first and last volumes (Vol 1 and Vol 18) serve as natural bookends for the series. Volume 1 ISBNs are particularly useful when searching for the correct edition in online stores, since the series title can return results for the original To Love-Ru as well.

English Edition (Seven Seas Entertainment)

English-speaking readers get their To Love-Ru Darkness from Seven Seas Entertainment, which published the complete series across 18 volumes. The volume numbering matches the Japanese edition exactly — English Volume 1 corresponds to Japanese Volume 1, English Volume 18 to Japanese Volume 18. No content was split, merged, or rearranged.

This is a big deal for anyone who follows discussions in the fan community or reads chapter-specific references online. Some manga series have different numbering between regions, which can cause confusion when people cite specific chapters or scenes — that’s not an issue here.

What You Get

The Seven Seas release is the standard English-language manga format. Pages and panels are read right-to-left — the opposite direction from Western books, preserving the original Japanese layout so you start at what would be the “back” of a Western book and read each page from the right side to the left. Dialogue is translated into English, and sound effects are handled in the typical Seven Seas style. The full 18-volume run is complete and available, so there are no gaps or missing volumes to worry about.

For a harem romantic comedy with this much fan service, having an official English edition readily available is genuinely convenient. You can pick up Volume 1 to see if the tone and humor click for you before committing to the rest of the series.

Reading Order — Where Darkness Fits in the To Love-Ru Series

This is probably the most important section if you’re new to the franchise. To Love-Ru Darkness is not a standalone series. It’s a direct sequel that picks up story threads, character development arcs (a character’s growth and change over the course of a story), and relationship dynamics from the original manga.

Step 1: Read To Love-Ru (The Original Series)

The original To Love-Ru introduces Rito Yuuki, the alien princess Lala, and the sprawling cast of characters that carry over into Darkness. The humor, the harem setup, and the sci-fi elements — alien characters, futuristic technology, and interstellar politics played mostly for comedy — all get established here. Skipping it means missing the foundation that Darkness builds on: character introductions, key relationship moments, and the overall premise.

The original series is also published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Step 2: Read To Love-Ru Darkness

Once you’ve finished the original, move straight into To Love-Ru Darkness. The sequel shifts focus, bringing Momo Belia Deviluke into a more central role and taking the story in a slightly different direction while keeping the same core cast. The tone leans a bit more into its romantic and fan-service elements compared to the original.

What About Spin-Offs and Anime?

A spin-off — a separate but related side-story, not a direct continuation — called To Love-Ru Dangerous Girls Talk exists but isn’t required reading for understanding the main story. It’s supplementary material for fans who want more time with the characters.

On the anime side, two TV series adapt Darkness content:

• To LOVE-Ru Darkness — aired starting October 5, 2012
• To LOVE-Ru Darkness 2nd — aired starting July 6, 2015

The anime can be a fun companion to the manga, but the manga is the complete source material. The anime adaptations don’t cover everything in the 18-volume run, so manga readers get the full story.

Which Edition Should You Start With?

With two complete editions available, the choice comes down to your reading language and what matters to you as a collector or casual reader.

For English Readers

The Seven Seas Entertainment edition is the simplest choice. It’s complete at 18 volumes, widely available at major retailers, and doesn’t require any importing or Japanese language ability. If you just want to read the story, this is the easiest way in.

Since the series is finished, you can also watch for the volumes at used bookstores or during sales at manga retailers. Buying a completed series means you can pace your purchases however you like — no pressure to keep up with a release schedule.

For Japanese Readers and Collectors

The Shueisha Jump Comics edition is the original and features the Japanese cover art. Collectors who display their manga or prefer original-language editions will want this version. Import costs vary, but 18 volumes is a manageable set size.

Budget Considerations

Eighteen volumes is a mid-length series — not as intimidating as a 70+ volume run, but still a real investment. A few notes:

• Start with Volume 1 of whichever edition you choose. There’s no need to buy the whole set upfront. See if the series clicks for you first.
• Both editions are complete, so there’s no risk of the publisher dropping the series partway through. Every volume you buy brings you closer to a finished story.
• Used copies are worth checking for, especially with a completed series. Manga that’s been out for several years often shows up in the secondhand market.
• Digital editions may also be available through platforms like BookWalker, Kindle, or Kobo, which can sometimes offer a lower per-volume cost compared to physical copies. Digital can be especially appealing for fan-service-heavy titles that you might prefer not to display on a physical shelf.

Remember that the original To Love-Ru is also a separate purchase. Factor that into your budget planning if you’re buying both series from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions About To Love-Ru Darkness Manga Editions

Is To Love-Ru Darkness complete?

Yes. The series is finished at 18 volumes. The final Japanese volume was released in April 2017. There are no additional volumes planned — the story has a definitive ending.

Do I need to read the original To Love-Ru first?

Yes. To Love-Ru Darkness is a direct sequel. It continues character development and storylines from the original series. Starting with Darkness alone means missing important context for the characters and their relationships.

Is this series appropriate for younger readers?

To Love-Ru Darkness is a harem romantic comedy with significant fan service — meaning it contains frequent gratuitous or titillating visual content. It’s aimed at an older teen to adult audience. Parents and younger readers should be aware that the series contains mature visual content. Check volume ratings and previews before purchasing if this is a concern.

Who publishes the English version?

Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the English edition of To Love-Ru Darkness. All 18 volumes are available.

How many volumes are there?

18 volumes in both the Japanese edition (Shueisha, Jump Comics) and the English edition (Seven Seas Entertainment). The volume numbering is a 1-to-1 match between editions.

Are the English and Japanese volumes the same content?

The English volumes map directly to the Japanese volumes — Volume 1 in English is Volume 1 in Japanese, and so on through all 18 volumes. No chapters were removed or rearranged in the English release.

Are there omnibus or special format editions?

The article covers the standard single-volume editions from both publishers, as these are the primary formats available. If you’re looking for alternate collected formats, availability may vary — check with major retailers for the most current options.