# Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
**Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid** (*Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon*, 小林さんちのメイドラゴン) is a Japanese comedy manga by Coolkyousinnjya (クール教信者) about an office worker who saves the life of a female dragon, Tohru, who repays her by moving into her apartment as a maid in human form[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/). The series is published by Futabasha, has run continuously since 2013, and has been adapted into two television anime seasons and a theatrical film by [Kyoto Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyoto-animation)[2](https://www.yominoma.jp/details/8804) • [3](https://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/works/maidragon/). [Seven Seas Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/seven-seas-entertainment) publishes the English edition under the title *Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid*[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 小林さんちのメイドラゴン (*Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon*)[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/) |
| Creator | Coolkyousinnjya (クール教信者), story and art[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/) |
| Serialization | Monthly Action (Futabasha) from the July 2013 issue (launch issue) to the April 2024 issue, then in Manga Action from the 2024 No. 8[2](https://www.yominoma.jp/details/8804) |
| Anime | Season 1 aired January to April 2017; season 2 (*Maid Dragon S*) aired in 2021; both by Kyoto Animation[3](https://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/works/maidragon/) |
| Theatrical film | *Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants a Letter...* (さみしがりやの竜), released in Japanese theaters on June 27, 2025[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/) |
| English manga | Seven Seas, Volume 1 on October 18, 2016; Volume 17 scheduled for September 1, 2026[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/) |
| Genres | Comedy, Fantasy, Monster Boys, Monster Girls, Yuri[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/) |
## Premise
Miss Kobayashi is an ordinary office worker living alone in a small apartment until she saves the life of a female dragon in distress. The dragon, Tohru, can transform into a human girl, retaining horns and a long tail, and will do anything to repay her debt of gratitude, whether Kobayashi likes it or not[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/). Tohru feels a great debt to Kobayashi and, for reasons that prevent her returning home, takes human form as a maid and moves into Kobayashi's home to take care of her[2](https://www.yominoma.jp/details/8804).
The Japanese tagline on the publisher's site describes the series as a "nonhuman everyday comedy" about an exhausted-but-OK office worker and a dragon girl in maid clothing[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/). Critics have read it in different ways: one review describes it as a found-family story wearing the skin of a dragon comedy, with Kobayashi and the young dragon Kanna as the emotional core[5](https://www.dearmanga.com/slice-of-life/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid) • [6](https://ninjutsugaming.com/en/reviews/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/), and an academic article in the *Journal of Anime and Manga Studies* notes that the episodic structure makes membership in a community of peers the primary function of its peripheral characters[7](https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/issue/download/99/19).
## Publication history
The manga began in the launch issue of Futabasha's magazine Monthly Action, the July 2013 issue, and ran there until the magazine's final issue in April 2024; after Monthly Action folded, the series moved to Futabasha's Manga Action and has been serialized there since the magazine's 2024 No. 8[2](https://www.yominoma.jp/details/8804). A 10th-anniversary campaign ran in 2023[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/).
Japanese collected volumes have passed twenty: Volume 19 went on sale April 9, 2026, and Volume 20 on September 10, 2026[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/). The base list price of a volume is 600 yen plus tax[8](https://maidragon.jp/1st/product/book/comic.php).
In English, Seven Seas Entertainment released Volume 1 on October 18, 2016 and has continued at roughly two to four volumes a year, with Volume 13 in December 2023, Volume 14 in March 2024, Volume 15 in December 2024, Volume 16 on November 25, 2025, and Volume 17 scheduled for September 1, 2026; later volumes carry the price of 13.99 US dollars[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/). [Seven Seas](https://www.edgepedia.org/seven-seas) has also issued full-color editions, the Chromatic Edition (September 13, 2022) and the Double-Chromatic Edition (November 14, 2023)[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/). The Volume 17 listing describes an "Arena of Trials" tournament arc in which Kobayashi herself becomes a maid serving Tohru, with translation by Jenny McKeon and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa[9](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-vol-17/).
## Spin-off manga
The franchise has grown through several spin-off series, each centered on a supporting dragon from the main story[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/):
- ***Kanna's Daily Life*** (カンナの日常), illustrated by Mitsuhiro Kimura with Coolkyousinnjya; Volume 16 released August 6, 2026 in Japan[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/) • [10](https://takkun.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/comic_2405.pdf).
- ***Elma's Office Lady Diary*** (エルマのOL日記), by Ayami Kazama with Coolkyousinnjya, following the food-loving dragon Elma adjusting to work in a modern Japanese office; its English edition began February 26, 2019 and reached Volume 10 in March 2026[11](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-elmas-office-lady-diary/) • [4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/).
- ***Fafnir the Recluse*** (お篭りぐらしのファフニール), by Coolkyousinnjya and Nobuyoshizamurai, about the otaku curse dragon Fafnir and his housemate Takiya; the English edition began January 17, 2023[12](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-fafnir-the-recluse/).
- ***Lucoa is my xx*** (ルコアは僕の××です。), Volume 10 of which was released August 6, 2026 in Japan[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/).
- ***Ilulu Can't Understand Love!*** (イルルは恋とかわかりません!), whose first Japanese volume was announced in 2025 alongside the film[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/).
Futabasha has also published official anthologies, a fanbook, an art book, and a picture book tied to the film campaign[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/).
## Anime adaptations
A second season, *Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S*, aired in 2021[3](https://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/works/maidragon/). A theatrical anime film, *さみしがりやの竜* (*A Lonely Dragon*), was announced on January 15, 2025 and opened in Japanese theaters on June 27, 2025[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/). A reviewer credits the studio's direction with balancing an oddball premise through casual domestic scenes and occasional action, rating the animation and direction 9 out of 10 in an 8.3 overall review[6](https://ninjutsugaming.com/en/reviews/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/).
## Reception and themes
The series' handling of sexuality has drawn analysis. An Anime Feminist essay identified three sex-focused narrative models in the same show, exploitative fanservice, bawdy comedy, and honest exploration of sexuality, and judged the mix uneven but successful when it worked[13](https://www.animefeminist.com/fan-vs-service-miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-vs/). Seven Seas lists Yuri among the series' genres, reflecting the romantic thread between Tohru and Kobayashi[1](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/). The dub of the first episode drew attention in 2017 when fans noticed that lines accurately translated for the subtitles had been revised for the English dub[14](https://www.animefeminist.com/discourse-arent-problematic-translations-fixed/).
The franchise has expanded beyond print and screen. A browser game, *Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Fantasia*, operated on the G123 platform by CTW Inc., opened pre-registration on February 13, 2025[15](https://maid-dragon.fandom.com/wiki/Anime), and Futabasha released an official board game, *世界の終わりの大運動会*, on June 18, 2025[4](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/). Kyoto Animation's experience with the series has been cited as a qualification for its later dragon-centric urban fantasy adaptation of *RuriDragon*[16](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/for-years-ive-read-this-manga-the-nanosecond-a-chapter-drops-and-now-its-getting-an-anime-adaptation-i-only-dreamed-of-kyoto-animation-announces-ruridragon/).
## References
1. [Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Seven Seas Entertainment series page](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/)
2. [『小林さんちのメイドラゴン』作品情報, yominoma](https://www.yominoma.jp/details/8804)
3. [小林さんちのメイドラゴン 作品情報,京都アニメーション](https://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/works/maidragon/)
4. [『小林さんちのメイドラゴン』双葉社コミックス公式サイト](https://www.futabasha.co.jp/maidragon/)
5. [Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Review, DearManga](https://www.dearmanga.com/slice-of-life/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid)
6. [Review: Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Ninjutsu Gaming](https://ninjutsugaming.com/en/reviews/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid/)
7. [Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, Volume 3](https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/issue/download/99/19)
8. [原作コミック, TVアニメ「小林さんちのメイドラゴン」公式サイト](https://maidragon.jp/1st/product/book/comic.php)
9. [Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Vol. 17, Seven Seas Entertainment](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-vol-17/)
10. [2024年5月コミックラインアップ](https://takkun.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/comic_2405.pdf)
11. [Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Elma's Office Lady Diary, Seven Seas Entertainment](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-elmas-office-lady-diary/)
12. [Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Fafnir the Recluse, Seven Seas Entertainment](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-fafnir-the-recluse/)
13. [Fanservice, bawdy comedy, and sexuality in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Anime Feminist](https://www.animefeminist.com/fan-vs-service-miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-vs/)
14. [Why Aren't Problematic Translations Fixed?, Anime Feminist](https://www.animefeminist.com/discourse-arent-problematic-translations-fixed/)
15. [Anime, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Wiki (Fandom)](https://maid-dragon.fandom.com/wiki/Anime)
16. [Kyoto Animation announces RuriDragon, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/for-years-ive-read-this-manga-the-nanosecond-a-chapter-drops-and-now-its-getting-an-anime-adaptation-i-only-dreamed-of-kyoto-animation-announces-ruridragon/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Comics and sequential art › Comic-book series and issues › Japanese shōnen and seinen manga › Comedy and romance manga*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license