Ryo Shirakome is a prolific Japanese light novel author, best known for his breakout series Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (2015–2022). This series has catapulted Shirakome into the limelight within the anime and manga communities, domestically and internationally.
The Arifureta series follows Hajime Nagumo, a high school student who, along with his classmates, is transported into a fantasy world. Initially receiving only a modest magical ability, Hajime's life takes a drastic turn when he is betrayed and forced into a labyrinthine dungeon to survive.
The narrative chronicles his transformation from the weakest to the most formidable as he encounters and allies with various characters, including the vampire Yue and the bunny-eared Shea.
Shirakome's work has expanded beyond the original light novels, with adaptations into manga, anime, and even short stories. The manga began serialization in 2016.
The anime adaptation, produced by studios White Fox and Asread, first aired in 2019, with subsequent seasons following and a third season announced.
As a web novel, the Arifureta light novels first appeared on the user-generated novel site Shōsetsuka ni Narō before being picked up by Overlap for print publication with illustrations by Takayaki. The series concluded with its thirteenth volume, but a prequel series, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Zero, further explores the universe Shirakome created.
English-speaking audiences can read Shirakome's novels digitally at J-Novel Club, which licenses and publishes the series. The series has enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim.
Despite the success of the light novels and manga, the anime adaptation faced criticism for its production quality.
