, also known as for short, is a Japanese light novel series by Shinichi Kimura, with illustrations by Kobuichi and Muririn. Since January 2009, 19 volumes have been published by Fujimi Shobo under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. There are five different manga adaptations based on the universe of Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?. A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired in Japan from January 11, 2011, to March 31, 2011, on Television Saitama and other networks. A second season, titled , aired in Japan from April 5, 2012, to June 7, 2012, on Tokyo MX and other networks.
Plot Ayumu Aikawa was once an ordinary high schooler resurrected as a zombie by a necromancer named Eucliwood Hellscythe after being murdered by a serial killer. As he tries to make the best of his undead life, he encounters a named Haruna and inadvertently takes her magic powers, being forced to become a Masō-Shōjo (and therefore crossdress) in the process. With Eucliwood, Haruna, and a vampire ninja named Seraphim living with him, Ayumu helps battle demons known as Megalos while trying to figure out the mystery behind his own death.
Characters Main characters
Ayumu is a high school boy who was killed by a serial killer and resurrected as a zombie by the Necromancer, Eucliwood Hellscythe. As a zombie, he is near invincible and can exceed the limits of the human body, giving him great physical strength, but he will dry out in the sunlight. There are other aspects of his zombie nature that Ayumu has yet to discover, such as the ability to absorb magic (stronger magic absorbs weaker magic). As a result of absorbing Haruna's magic, Ayumu is forced to become a Masō-Shōjo, pink frilly outfit and all, to fight Megalos, and loses some of the associated negative effects such as the weakness to sunlight. When Mystletainn recognizes Haruna as its owner again, it enables both of them to transform into Masō-Shōjos in tandem, right before they fight Yoruno. He is also more aggressive in the manga, as seen in his fight against Kyoko when it takes the appearance and intervention of Ariel to prevent him from killing her. In the anime, he refrains from killing her for good after realizing that she was down to her very last life. Ayumu has a hidden talent; he's able to break-dance. When he had his memory erased, the sloth aspect known as Belphegor took over his body. Ever since Ayumu became a zombie, he has encountered many different girls, some antagonists included, who have gained a rather complicated interest in him. At the end of the light novel, he is now working as a salaryman and quietly lives with his (girl) friends.
Eucliwood, called for short, is a silver-haired necromancer who brought Ayumu back to life to be her servant and has been living with him ever since. Her magic is so powerful that she has to wear heavy armor and suppress her emotions to control it. Her words also carry strong magic, and she can kill someone just by saying the word "Die." Because of this, she avoids talking and instead communicates through written notes, mostly about her appetite. She experiences severe pain whenever her magic is activated, and she claims that even if she were to die, her magic would continue uncontrolled. She doesn't like people talking about death or telling someone to die since (as she takes on the pain of anyone she heals, revives, or kills) she understands the pain of dying, despite being immortal herself. Even though she considers Ayumu to be her servant, she's shown to care about him and has admitted that she's in love with him but can't express her feelings. Ayumu comforts her whenever she thinks about her insecurity, and she is shown to take these feelings to heart. Ayumu often daydreams about her behaving like a visual novel character and speaking in a cutesy manner (voiced by a different voice actress in each episode of the anime). She can also become a Masō-Shōjo, and it is implied that she interned at Matellis, under Ariel. In Episode 11, she spoke to Ayumu for the first time, indicating that she had gained some control over her magic. How or what she did to control it is a mystery; however, she sometimes doesn't realise she can handle it despite having done it before.
Haruna is a Masō-Shōjo from Villiers who wields a chainsaw named to battle demons known as Megalos. She can also use her magic to repair damage caused by her battles and erase people's memories, the latter ability which becomes useful to Ayumu (to avoid exposing himself crossdressing). After first encountering Ayumu, following a fight with a demon, Haruna's magical powers were absorbed by him; due to the fact the magic Eu used to revive him is stronger than hers. As Haruna tries to figure out this situation, she appoints Ayumu to fight the Megalos in her place as a Masō-Shōjo and also starts living with him. She is a great cook, though it's usually limited to just making fried eggs (so delicious that people are surprised that there is nothing else mixed in). Haruna is shown to be beating up Ayumu and getting upset over certain things. Despite being a self-proclaimed genius, she has trouble remembering important details of assignments since she only remembers what she deems interesting and omits everything else. Haruna appears to have some romantic feelings for Ayumu, having a dream of kissing him and later asking him to kiss her. She's even jealous of Mael's relationship with Ayumu, particularly whenever he's too close to her.Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? anime; Episode 8: "Heh, I'm a Schoolyard Wife"Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? anime; Episode 9: "Yes, You Won't Believe What's Under This" In the last chapter of the manga, Haruna kisses Ayumu twice proclaiming herself the "winner" and later stating that she and Ayumu are "going out." Eventually, Mystletainn recognized her as its owner again, enabling her and Ayumu to transform into Masō-Shōjos in tandem for the final battle against Yoruno. When Iori Nomizu was asked which part of her was similar to Haruna, the character she was voicing, she stated that she and Haruna were both very energetic.
Seraphim for short, is a black-haired well-endowed who combines her Secret Sword Technique: Swallow Cut, and ninja reflexes with her vampire powers to fight her enemies. She can form a pair of bat wings and a katana out of leaves. Her signature outfit consists of a yellow spaghetti-strapped top (that reveals her midriff) and dark blue jeans (this outfit is the one she wears most often in promotional material). As a vampire, Sera periodically requires blood to stay alive and can anesthetize people with a kiss to numb the pain from neck bites. She does this to girls only since kissing a boy would symbolize marriage according to her faction's rules. She comes to Ayumu's house to serve Eu, though when rejected, she becomes Ayumu's servant in hopes that she can change Eu's mind. She, however, is indifferent towards Ayumu, constantly calling him a , though has a healthy respect for his combat and magic abilities. Sera also cooks the most out of her friends. However, she is terrible at it; its consumers usually either pass out or are taken to the hospital due to eating Sera's bizarre meals, which are seen in Mael and Orito's cases. Sera has a brief argument with Ayumu over her participation in Saras' assassination attempt on Eu and, on moral grounds, decides to let Eu live. However, Sera is killed by Yoruno, only to be resurrected when Eu pricks her own finger to supply blood for her — blood which makes her the key to sealing the gates of the underworld. Kyoko reveals that Sera is a tsundere and masks her true feelings, especially when it comes to Ayumu.
Mael is a blonde vampire ninja from a different faction than Sera's, who's also a student in Ayumu's high school, where she's known as Yuki Yoshida. Because of how this name is written, she is often nicknamed , but she only allows Ayumu to call her by that name. Yuki has a giant flame spirit inside her, named Mysticore. When she loses control, it will take over her consciousness and go on a rampage, destroying everything nearby. As a result of accidentally kissing Ayumu when he was pushed onto her by Haruna, they are technically married by her faction's customs, and she acts like his wife while at school. Even though initially, she only accepts her position as his wife due to tradition, she eventually develops strong feelings for Ayumu due to his kind and daring persona. Ayumu doesn't seem to take it very seriously, but Yuki says that she's always wanted to be married. She is somewhat tomboyish, speaking with the term "ore" when referring to herself. Mael can use tonkotsu ramen soup to instantly defeat Megalos, though the explanation behind it is too advanced even for her to understand. She even has a machine that sprays the same soup over the city should a horde of Megalos attack. However, in the anime, the machine had failed (it is hinted that Sera's faction had destroyed it because it might upset the natural environment when used), and thus the project was abandoned. In Season 2, Ayumu gives Mael a ring that suppresses Mysticore, though she mistakes it for a wedding ring.
Sarasvati, for short, is a vampire ninja and Sera's superior who lives in the human world as Kirara Hoshikawa. She's also known as Lovely Kirara, leading a "double" life as an idol singer who is very popular in the human world. Known as an earnest individual who exudes a great deal of authority and iron will, she has Sera attempt to assassinate Eu for being a Megalo magnet. However, Saras sets Sera's execution for failing to follow her orders. Later, Saras saves her and Haruna from Yoruno. She revokes her mission, following the success of her and Mael's combined factions in sealing the gates of the Underworld (though Sera was ultimately the key since she had Eu's blood flowing through her veins after a fatal injury incurred by Yoruno). Saras owns a cafe, where Ayumu and Orito take the "tsundere challenge" to conquer the girls there. Eventually, she falls in love with Ayumu (to be more precise, lust at first sight when she sees his butt and curve lines, but properly falls in love with him nonetheless). She invites Ayumu to her concert. Saras says that she's glad since Ayumu was able to fulfill his promise and indirectly kisses him. This results in her being married to Ayumu according to her customs.
Antagonists
First introduced as a supposed childhood friend of Ayumu's classmate, Orito, and a survivor of the serial killer attacks. In actuality, she is a Masō-Shōjo and the serial killer responsible for killing Ayumu. By killing various humans and sacrificing their souls, she can add those lives to her own, allowing herself to be revived if she is killed. She seems to display yandere-like tendencies at times. It is later revealed she is being possessed by the King of the Night. Following her defeat by Ayumu, he shows her mercy by refusing to kill her for good once she is down to her last life. She is imprisoned for re-education after Ariel shows up to congratulate Ayumu for being merciful in defeating her, warning him that she would have killed him in retaliation if Ayumu had killed her. She is later arrested by Dai-sensei but later is let out to help with Chris's situation and let Ayumu know she truly loves him.