${ item.name }
(${ mediaTypeWithStartYear })

Elfen Lied
Edit
What would you like to edit?
 

Elfen Lied

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Elven Song, Elfenlied, MOL, Digitopolis, memoria
Japanese: エルフェンリート
English: Elfen Lied
More titles

Information

Type: Manga
Volumes: 12
Chapters: 113
Status: Finished
Published: Jun 6, 2002 to Aug 25, 2005
Genres: Action Action, Drama Drama, Horror Horror, Romance Romance, Supernatural Supernatural
Themes: Gore Gore, Psychological Psychological
Demographic: Seinen Seinen
Serialization: Young Jump
Authors: Okamoto, Lynn (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.781 (scored by 5231052,310 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #15752
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #152
Members: 104,379
Favorites: 5,601

Resources

7.78
Ranked #1575Popularity #152Members 104,379
Add to My List

Try making your own Manga List! (No sign-up required)', }) }) })(jQuery);

Volumes: /12
Chapters: /113

Synopsis

Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as Diclonius, born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.

During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Included one-shots:
Volume 1: MOL
Volume 2: Digitopolis
Volume 3: Memoria
Volume 5: Elfen Lied

Background

Elfen Lied was published in English by Dark Horse Comics as 3-in-1 omnibus volumes from May 22, 2019, to September 9, 2020. It was also released in German by Tokyopop as 2-in-1 omnibus volumes from March 4, 2009, to January 18, 2010; in Italian by Panini Comics from October 20, 2012, to August 30, 2014; in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics from May 2010 to May 2011.

Characters

Lucy
Main
Nana
Main
Kouta
Main
Mayu
Main
Yuka
Main
Nozomi
Main
Kurama, Mariko
Supporting
Bandou
Supporting
Kurama
Supporting
Number 3
Supporting

Reviews

Nov 4, 2024
Elfen Lied must be one of the most controversial manga/anime, however it is one of my favorite stories.

What I like most about Elfen Lied are the stories of the characters and how they show those emotions through those stories. Many characters show a duality in their feelings, actions and purposes. The biggest example would be Lucy (who is an amazing character and her story is very tragic but beautiful at the same time) but other characters also have this kind of development which really makes this story overall amazing, interesting and very emotional.

For me the strongest point of Elfen Lied is the drama but if ...
Feb 8, 2026
Mixed Feelings
A story full of interesting ideas and a few great moments smeared with fanservice, WTF scenes, ok writing and questionable storybeats. Still, for all its flaws, one thing you can’t deny is that Okamoto Lynn gave it his all to make an interesting manga. That is the TL;DR of this review.

By the way, if you come from the anime there are 2 things you need to know:
Manga Lucy and anime Lucy are NOT the same character. Everyone has their differences between the two versions but Lucy has the most differences. So if she is your favorite character and only reason to read the manga, be ...
Jan 16, 2026
You know, maybe I gotta bump up my rating for the anime, this was abysmal.

Talk about a fantastic idea. Humanity is faced with another evolution which threatens the current one, and we explore themes of nature vs. nurture, specially with characters who forgot the most important parts of their lives. What a premise! So sad this manga was so bad! I didn't even have the greatest expectations, since it comes from the gory schlock that was the anime adaptation. So many claimed the manga was great, but dear God it wasn't.

To start off, the manga has many issues with its nudity, and its ...

Interest Stacks

50 Entries · 322 Restacks
50 Entries · 48 Restacks
50 Entries · 384 Restacks

Recommendations


Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for October Week 1: October 6 - 12 Anime Releases B: The Beginning Season 1 Collection Blu-ray & DVD B: Th...read more

North American Anime & Manga Releases for February

North American Anime & Manga Releases for February

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for February Week 1: February 4 - 10 Anime Releases A.D. Police (TV) Complete Collection Blu-ray Bai She: Yuan...read more


Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Elfen Lied Chapter 78 Discussion
XorMal - Nov 12, 2008
16 repliesby Damnits »»
Dec 9, 2025 1:55 AM
Poll: Elfen Lied Chapter 26 Discussion
ricardocsc - Jul 29, 2012
4 repliesby Nisien »»
Oct 18, 2025 11:42 AM
Poll: Elfen Lied Chapter 107 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 )
sLy777 - Sep 6, 2008
161 repliesby rodmanii »»
Oct 15, 2025 8:01 PM
Poll: Elfen Lied Chapter 63 Discussion
ricardocsc - Aug 1, 2012
8 repliesby KingSlowDown »»
Sep 28, 2025 1:34 PM
Poll: Elfen Lied Chapter 44 Discussion
ricardocsc - Jul 30, 2012
5 repliesby KingSlowDown »»
Sep 27, 2025 3:41 PM

Recent Featured Articles

The Top 10 Mature Manga

The Top 10 Mature Manga

Manga comes in all flavors and for all age groups. We're about to uncover some of the best mature manga which is just right for those in their late teens. Get ready to enter the world of seinen manga!