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TV anime20041 season13 episodesOriginal: mangaLynn Okamoto

The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...

Where does Elfen Lied continue after the anime? For each finished season, see whether there is a confirmed place to start reading, whether starting from the beginning is safer, and whether the original story is complete.

Book language
EditionDark Horse Manga
Elfen Lied Season 1 anime poster

Season 1

Medium confidence

13 episodesJul 2004 – Oct 2004

Anime ends at
Ep 13

The anime diverges from the manga story by episode 12.

  • Start overOptionalVol. 1 · Elfen Lied Omnibus Volume 1After the TV series, read the original manga from Volume 1 to follow its different storyline from the beginning.Buy on Amazon

Where it stops:

1 side entryOVAreading notes
  1. In the Passing RainOVA1 episodeApr 2005This extra episode takes place between TV episodes 10 and 11 and includes a flashback to Lucy’s capture; it does not continue the TV ending.

Original · Manga

Elfen Lied

エルフェンリート

Lynn OkamotoShueishaCompleted12 volumes

  • JapaneseShueisha12 volumesOct 2002 – Nov 2005
  • EnglishDark Horse Manga4 volumesJun 2019 – Oct 2020
  • FrenchDelcourt/Tonkam6 volumesMay 2021 – Aug 2022
  • SpanishEditorial Ivrea España12 volumesMar 2012 – May 2013

All volumes

Before you read

The original manga is complete in 12 volumes.

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