Ou no Kemono

Description

A smoldering tale of romance and revenge set in the world of the New York Times best seller Dawn of the Arcana!

Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast-servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When they were children, Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody dynastic intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope at avenging her brother is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace!

Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected, and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange. Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother, or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings?

Notes:
Nominated for the 46th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards (best shoujo manga).

Official English Release: Viz

Type

Manga

Related Series

Reimei no Arcana (Alternate Version)

Reimei no Arcana (Novel) (Alternate Version)

Kogetsu no Yume (Alternate Version)

Associated Names

Das Biest des Königs

La Bestia del Rey

Ou no Kemono -Enpei no Arcanum-

Ou no Kemono -Enpei no Arukana-

Ou no Kemono: Enpei no Arcana

The King's Beast

Ō no Kemono

Звір короля: прихована аркана

王の獣

王の獣～掩蔽のアルカナ～

王之从兽

왕의 짐승

Groups Scanlating

Shojo Papers

Latest Release(s)

v.6 c.20 by Shojo Papers 5 years ago

v.5 c.19 by Shojo Papers 5 years ago

v.5 c.18 by Shojo Papers 5 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

18 Volumes / 70 Chapters (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Anime Start/End Chapter

N/A

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

0 topics, 0 posts

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User Rating

Average: 8.5 / 10.0 (74 votes)

Bayesian Average: 7.86 / 10.0

42%

18%

Last Updated

July 13th, 2025 5:48pm PDT - 2 weeks ago

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Genre

Action Drama Fantasy Gender Bender Mystery Romance Shoujo Supernatural
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

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Monstress

Lost Phoenix: Spoil the Repudiated Empress

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (Novel)

Recommendations

N/A

Author(s)

TOUMA Rei

Artist(s)

TOUMA Rei

Year

2019

Original Publisher

Shogakukan

Serialized In (magazine)

Cheese! (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Viz (15 Volumes - Ongoing)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #839

(-19)

Monthly Pos #1484

(-182)

3 Month Pos #2213

(+66)

6 Month Pos #2537

(+372)

Year Pos #2578

(-11)

List Stats

On 387 reading lists

On 276 wish lists

On 29 completed lists

On 17 unfinished lists

On 178 custom lists

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

art is cute

by CCheshire
1 year ago

Rating: N/A

I feel the longer I read this series the less motivated I feel like the story is dragging hard at 14 volumes. The setting is just a Choice with the idea of Ajin boys becoming soldiers/servants and the Ajin girls forced into prositution and I'm like no protest a little other than MC? Oh ok.

Also, it's weird in this world Rangetsu is known for being physically and mentally stronger than human men but she is often saved by them to the point I'm seeing some serious benevolent sexism on the writing. It's just a strange reaction to how Ajin is so great but MC is still being captured/fainting during key moments.

One of the main reasons I see Rangetsu becoming a supporting character after the main problem is resolved and she kinda just hangs around the prince/friends with no reason goal.

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really addicting to read

by mispelling
3 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

The mystery to the plot seems but simple but when you add in the added layer of hiding your identity, being a half-beast, potentially falling in love with your employer it’s a very interesting and good read.

I’ve bought the raws to continue just to see how the first arc gets resolved. The art is so pretty tho so just an added bonus. I’ve never read Dawn of Arcana but might have to do so because this one is really good!

Romance takes its time and it’s not super abrupt and it’s nice too see a semi-naive male lead with a stronger female and not just an overpowering Gary Stu who saves her every time

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One of my new favorites

by firewolf19
3 years ago

Rating: N/A

First and foremost, I just have to get off my chest how GORGEOUS the art is. Rangetsu is so unique looking for a manga heroine (not just because she's living as a male), and it's so refreshing. The way the author draws Rangetsu's eyes honestly makes a huge difference in the mood or overall feel of certain scenes; it gave me chills several times!

I also genuinely like the story. Despite the plot being relatively simple, the emotions of the characters and slow unweaving of the mystery of Sougetsu's death keeps me eagerly coming back for more. I've tried several times to get into this author's other series (Dawn of the Arcana & Water Dragon's Bride), but those fell flat for me. This one however is honestly one of my new favorite series, and one that I've already reread a few times (of the available volumes in my country).

Can't wait to see where this goes.

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I was so Surprised....

by LittleKittyGroans
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I am really in love with this story so far. The story is very introcate without being too overly dramatic and spiraling downward in a overly dramatic loop like some stories can be. There is also a sense of well written mystery as the story begins there is an objective to find out who murdered Kogetsu's brother mecilessly.
The story flows smoothly and I have not seen one obvious cliché yet. Kogatsu is very independent and hard, she does not seem to trust easily but she is strong. Her tanasity is her driving force to avenge her brother. and what made her the way she is detailed later on in the story. She is honestly one of the more likable main characters I have seen in a long time.

The story also dives deep into prejudice, and specisist. Indicating the horrors of this alternative world and how the society around the Ajin treat them, even down to the little remarks that can also be seen as backhanded prejudices.

The art is also refreshingly beautiful and detailed. found myself saving many pages because it was just so well done, the eyes are drawn so intricate, the anatomy is proportionate, the backgrounds are stunning. The many hours it must have taken...

This will easily become one of my most favorite series. I can't wait to read more of this and see what else happens. I am very impressed with this and I highly recommend this story.

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