# Pandora Hearts (パンドラハーツ)
**Pandora Hearts** (パンドラハーツ, *Pandora Hātsu*) is a Japanese dark-fantasy mystery manga written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki (望月淳), published by [Square Enix](https://www.edgepedia.org/square-enix) in the magazine *Monthly G Fantasy* from 2006 to 2015 and collected in 24 volumes[1](https://news.seasonalanime.com/pandora-hearts-manga-gets-3rd-stage-musical-4f2529) • [2](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/). It was Mochizuki's first main manga series, following her one-shot *Crimson-Shell* and preceding her second series, *The Case Study of Vanitas*[3](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Jun Mochizuki (望月淳); her first main manga series[3](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts) |
| Serialization | *Monthly G Fantasy* (Square Enix), 2006 to 2015, a nine-year run[1](https://news.seasonalanime.com/pandora-hearts-manga-gets-3rd-stage-musical-4f2529) |
| Volumes | 24; volume 1 released 27 October 2006, final volume 24 released 27 June 2015[2](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/) |
| English release | Yen Press serialized the English edition from December 2009 to March 2016[3](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts) |
| Anime | A 2009 television adaptation covering roughly the first third of the manga, ending with an anime-original conclusion[4](https://factually.co/product-reviews/baby-kids/pandora-hearts-content-df9fcd) |
| Follow-up | *The Case Study of Vanitas*, Mochizuki's next series, began serialization in December 2015[5](https://vanitas-vanitatum-omnia-vanitas.net/odds_ends.html) |
| Stage adaptations | A third stage musical, *Retrace III*, announced for 2027[6](https://animedispatch.com/pandora-hearts-retrace-iii-musical-2027/) |
## Story
The story follows Oz Vessalius, the fifteen-year-old heir to one of the country's great duchies. At his coming-of-age ceremony, masked executioners intervene and cast him into the Abyss, an otherworldly prison, for a crime of which he has no knowledge[7](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts). In the Abyss he meets Alice, a girl with mysterious powers and unclear intentions; the two share the goal of escaping as quickly as possible by whatever means are needed, and they form a pact that lets them get out[7](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts).
On his return Oz is taken in by Pandora, a secret organization whose stated purpose is to uncover the mysteries surrounding the Abyss[7](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts). The Square Enix listing for the first volume frames the premise in one line: "Your sin is... your very existence," as Oz, condemned for a crime he does not remember, meets Alice in the eternal prison of the Abyss[2](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/).
## Publication history
Mochizuki began her career as a mangaka in 2004, when, through a contest, she debuted as an artist with a chapter titled "Pandora Hearts"[8](https://ramenparados.com/resena-pandora-hearts/). The serialized version ran in *Monthly G Fantasy* from 2006, with the first collected volume on sale 27 October 2006[2](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/) • [7](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts). The run ended in 2015 after nine years, and the 24th and final volume was released on 27 June 2015[1](https://news.seasonalanime.com/pandora-hearts-manga-gets-3rd-stage-musical-4f2529) • [2](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/).
[Yen Press](https://www.edgepedia.org/yen-press) licensed the manga for North America and began the English serialization in December 2009 with the first volume, ending in March 2016 with the final volume[3](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts). Yen Press also licensed Mochizuki's *Crimson-Shell* and Shinobu Wakamiya's side-story novel *Pandora Hearts: Caucus Race*[6](https://animedispatch.com/pandora-hearts-retrace-iii-musical-2027/).
**Related books.** Alongside the main series, Square Enix published an artbook, *Odds and Ends*, on 26 September 2009; two guide books, numbered 8.5 and 18.5, in March 2009 and July 2012; and three *Caucus Race* novels, the first released 26 March 2011[7](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts). Each light novel is a collection of loosely connected short stories featuring the manga's characters, mostly set between major story arcs[3](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts).
## Anime adaptation
A single anime season aired in 2009[4](https://factually.co/product-reviews/baby-kids/pandora-hearts-content-df9fcd). It adapts roughly the first third of the manga and closes with an anime-original ending, leaving many of the story's mysteries unresolved[4](https://factually.co/product-reviews/baby-kids/pandora-hearts-content-df9fcd). The Spanish-language review by Ramen Para Dos states plainly that the anime caught up with the unfinished manga and had to give it an ending[8](https://ramenparados.com/resena-pandora-hearts/). Reviews and fan discussions have generally treated the manga as the fuller experience, praising the series' characters, gothic atmosphere, and soundtrack while criticizing the anime's pacing, inconsistent animation, and tacked-on conclusion[4](https://factually.co/product-reviews/baby-kids/pandora-hearts-content-df9fcd).
## Legacy and related works
After *Pandora Hearts* concluded, Mochizuki began *The Case Study of Vanitas* in December 2015[5](https://vanitas-vanitatum-omnia-vanitas.net/odds_ends.html).
The franchise has continued on stage: a third musical adaptation, *Retrace III*, was announced for 2027[6](https://animedispatch.com/pandora-hearts-retrace-iii-musical-2027/). In Italy, Star Comics began releasing *Pandora Hearts New Edition* in April 2024 and publishes the series monthly at €12.90, with volume 13 scheduled for 24 March 2026[9](https://www.starcomics.com/titoli-fumetti/pandora-hearts-new-edition?r=%2Ftitoli-fumetti%2Fclaymore-new-edition).
## References
1. [Pandora Hearts Announces Third Stage Musical Adaptation, Anime News](https://news.seasonalanime.com/pandora-hearts-manga-gets-3rd-stage-musical-4f2529)
2. [PandoraHearts 1, Square Enix](https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/top/comics/detail/9784757518087/)
3. [Pandora Hearts, Jun Mochizuki Wiki (Fandom)](https://mochijun.fandom.com/wiki/Pandora_Hearts)
4. [Pandora Hearts: Is the Anime Worth Watching or Should You Read the Manga?, Factually](https://factually.co/product-reviews/baby-kids/pandora-hearts-content-df9fcd)
5. [Odds & Ends (Mochizuki works publishing history)](https://vanitas-vanitatum-omnia-vanitas.net/odds_ends.html)
6. [Pandora Hearts Gets a Third Stage Musical, Retrace III, for 2027, Anime Dispatch](https://animedispatch.com/pandora-hearts-retrace-iii-musical-2027/)
7. [Dossier Pandora Hearts, Manga News](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/report/Pandora-Hearts)
8. [Reseña Pandora Hearts (Norma Editorial), Ramen Para Dos](https://ramenparados.com/resena-pandora-hearts/)
9. [Pandora Hearts New Edition, Star Comics](https://www.starcomics.com/titoli-fumetti/pandora-hearts-new-edition?r=%2Ftitoli-fumetti%2Fclaymore-new-edition)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Manga titles, publishers, and magazines › Shōnen manga titles › Action, adventure, and fantasy titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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