The Darwin Incident

The Darwin Incident

The Darwin Incident (Japanese: ダーウィン事変, Hepburn: Dāwin Jihen) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shun Umezawa. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since June 2020. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bellnox Films aired from January to April 2026.

By May 2024, the manga had over 1.6 million copies in circulation. In 2022, The Darwin Incident won the 15th Manga Taishō, as well as the Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival.

Plot

The Darwin Incident

An extremist animal-rights organization, the ALA (Animal Liberation Alliance), carries out a raid on a biological research institute and rescues an injured, pregnant chimpanzee. At an animal hospital she gives birth to Charlie, a rare human–chimpanzee hybrid known as a "humanzee".

Raised by human adoptive parents, Charlie develops physical abilities far beyond those of either humans or chimpanzees. Charlie enters high school at the age of 15, where he befriends a shy girl named Lucy Eldred. As he attends high school, he faces fear, prejudice, and moral conflict. Meanwhile, extremist animal rights groups and powerful institutions clash around his existence.

Characters

The Darwin Incident

Charlie (チャーリー, Chārī): Voiced by: Atsumi Tanezaki (Japanese); Yenni Ann (English) A 15-year-old boy living in Missouri, United States. The world's only "Humanzee", half human and half chimpanzee, was created using genome-editing technology and possesses intelligence that surpasses that of humans and physical abilities that exceed those of chimpanzees. He is calm, but after enrolling in a local high school at the age of 15, he developed a strong interest in humans. On the other hand, having had little interaction with anyone other than his adoptive parents, Gilbert and Hannah, he often behaves in ways that surprise those around him. Lucy Eldred (ルーシー・エルドレッド, Rūshī Erudoreddo): Voiced by: Mitsuho Kambe (Japanese); Kate Domenech (English) Charlie's classmate at Shrews High School. Although she is an honors student with a frank personality and strong drive, she also has a brilliant mind, but she is fed up with the relationships in her town and at high school. For this reason, she has not actively interacted with other people. However, after Charlie rescues her from falling out of a tree, she develops a strong interest in him and becomes his friend. Rivera Feyerabend (リヴェラ・ファイヤアーベント, Rivera Faiyaābento): Voiced by: Akio Otsuka (Japanese); Sean Tapiero (English) The leader of the ALA. While he comes across as being friendly and composed, he is actually very calculating, manipulative, and ruthless. He has a strong interest in Charlie. Gilbert Stein (ギルバート・スタイン, Girubāto Sutain): Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Roly Gutierrez (English) A primatologist and Charlie's adoptive father. Hannah Stein (ハンナ・スタイン, Hanna Sutain): Voiced by: Rina Satō (Japanese); Sara Secora (English) A lawyer and Charlie's adoptive mother. Philip Graham (フィリップ・グラハム, Firippu Gurahamu): Voiced by: Yōji Ueda (Japanese); Tim PowersEp. 2 credits (English) A deputy in Shrews who while initially antagonistic, eventually helps and fosters Charlie. He is commonly referred to as "Phil" (フィル, Firu). Gare (ゲイル, Geiru): Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Kevin GarciaEp. 5 credits (English) A student at Shrews High School who believes in animal rights. Due to his admiration for the ALA, Rivera is able to convince Gare into committing a mass shooting at the school. Lesley K. Lippman (レスリー・K・リップマン, Resurī Kei Rippuman): Voiced by: Hiroya Egashira (Japanese); Charles Sothers (English) A former Major in the U.S. Military who act as second-in-command in the ALA. Dafne M. Linares (ダフネ・M・リナレス, Dafune Emu Rinaresu): Voiced by: Yoko Soumi (Japanese); Nicole QuintanaEp. 5 credits (English) A Congresswoman who involves herself in the legality surrounding Charlie. She has written a book on animal rights. Roy Navarro (ロイ・ナヴァロ, Roi Navaro): Voiced by: Izo Oikawa (Japanese); Rene GranadoEp. 5 credits (English) The sheriff of the Shrews Police Department who is Phil's boss. Ronnie Schulz (ロニー・シュルツ, Ronī Shurutsu): Voiced by: Yasuhiro Kikuchi (Japanese); Heath MartinEp. 7 credits (English) An influential figure in Shrews. Maurice Williams (モリス・ウィリアムズ, Morisu Wiriamuzu): Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Marcus RothenbergEp. 8 credits (English) An FBI agent involved in Charlie's case. He is a habitual smoker. Kyle Foster (カイル・フォスター, Kairu Fosutā): Voiced by: Toshiki Watanabe (Japanese); Chris VandepasEp. 8 credits (English) Maurice's partner in the FBI. Sarah Yuan (サラ・ユァン, Sara Yuan): Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Emi LoEp. 13 credits (English) A wealthy Korean benefactor and co-conspirator of the ALA. Omelas (オメラス, Omerasu): Voiced by: Takuya Satō (Japanese); Jason KesserEp. 13 credits (English) Charlie's secret humanzee older brother, who is hidden by Rivera.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Shun Umezawa, The Darwin Incident started in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon on June 25, 2020. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on November 20, 2020. As of December 23, 2025, ten volumes have been released.

During their panel at Anime NYC 2022, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the manga, with the first volume released on September 5, 2023.

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	November 20, 2020	978-4-06-521398-8	September 5, 2023	978-1-64-729316-1
2	May 21, 2021	978-4-06-523314-6	November 7, 2023	978-1-64-729317-8
3	November 22, 2021	978-4-06-525778-4	January 23, 2024	978-1-64-729318-5
4	April 21, 2022	978-4-06-527946-5	March 5, 2024	978-1-64-729337-6
5	March 23, 2023	978-4-06-531026-7	May 7, 2024	978-1-64-729343-7
6	November 22, 2023	978-4-06-533687-8	July 9, 2024	978-1-64-729355-0
7	May 22, 2024	978-4-06-535534-3	June 10, 2025	978-1-64-729453-3
8	November 21, 2024	978-4-06-537463-4	September 23, 2025	978-1-64-729492-2
9	May 22, 2025	978-4-06-539468-7	February 24, 2026	978-1-64-729576-9
10	December 23, 2025	978-4-06-541466-8	October 20, 2026	978-1-64-729632-2

Anime

In May 2024, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation. The series was produced by Bellnox Films and directed by Naokatsu Tsuda, with Katsuichi Nakayama serving as series director, Shinichi Inotsume overseeing series composition, Shinpei Tomooka designing the characters, and Alisa Okehazama and Mariko Horikawa composing the music. It aired from January 7 to April 1, 2026, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The opening theme is "Make Me Wonder", performed by Official Hige Dandism, while the ending theme is "Turn It Up", performed by Ako.

The series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Episodes

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Storyboarded by</th><th>Original release date</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>"Humanzee"</td><td>Naokatsu Tsuda & Katsuichi Nakayama</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Naokatsu Tsuda & Katsuichi Nakayama</td><td>January 7, 2026 (2026-01-07)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>"ALA (Animal Liberation Alliance)"</td><td>Katsuya Asano</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Taizo Yoshida</td><td>January 14, 2026 (2026-01-14)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>"Heterosis" Transliteration: "Heterōshisu" (Japanese: ヘテローシス)</td><td>Tatsuya Kyōgoku</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>For(wal)k</td><td>January 21, 2026 (2026-01-21)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>"One of a Kind"</td><td>Shinpei Tomooka & Katsuya Furumoto</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Hideki Nagamachi</td><td>January 28, 2026 (2026-01-28)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>"The Struggle for Rights" Transliteration: "Kenri no Tame no Tōsō?" (Japanese: 権利のための闘争？)</td><td>Katsuichi Nakayama</td><td>Anna Kawahara</td><td>Katsuichi Nakayama</td><td>February 4, 2026 (2026-02-04)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>"Direct Action" Transliteration: "Chokusetsu Kōdō" (Japanese: 直接行動)</td><td>Tatsuya Kyōgoku</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Tatsuya Kyōgoku</td><td>February 11, 2026 (2026-02-11)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>"Red Pill" Transliteration: "Reddo Piru" (Japanese: レッド・ピル)</td><td>Mineo Ōe & Fuko Abe</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Taizo Yoshida</td><td>February 18, 2026 (2026-02-18)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>"Visitors" Transliteration: "Hōmon-sha" (Japanese: 訪問者)</td><td>Hirofumi Ogura</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Taizo Yoshida</td><td>February 25, 2026 (2026-02-25)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>"Bluebeard's Castle" Transliteration: "Aohige no Shiro Nite" (Japanese: 青髭の城にて)</td><td>Tatsuya Kyōgoku</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume & Anna Kawahara</td><td>Tatsuya Kyōgoku</td><td>March 4, 2026 (2026-03-04)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>"Door to Accelerated Advancement" Transliteration: "Kasoku Suru Tobira" (Japanese: 加速する扉)</td><td>Erika Toshimitsu</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Hideki Nagamachi</td><td>March 11, 2026 (2026-03-11)</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>"Transfer of Ownership" Transliteration: "Shoyū Ken no Iten" (Japanese: 所有権の移転)</td><td>Katsuya Asano</td><td>Anna Kawahara</td><td>Katsuya Asano</td><td>March 18, 2026 (2026-03-18)</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>"Sexual Dimorphism" Transliteration: "Seiteki Futanari" (Japanese: 性的二形)</td><td>Natsumi Mamada</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume</td><td>Tsutomu Miyazawa</td><td>March 25, 2026 (2026-03-25)</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>"Will"</td><td>Naokatsu Tsuda & Katsuichi Nakayama</td><td>Shinichi Inotsume & Naokatsu Tsuda</td><td>Koichi Chigira</td><td>April 1, 2026 (2026-04-01)</td></tr><tr><td>Charlie, Lucy, and Grace go grocery shopping. The people at the market have mixed feelings about Charlie, but they end up with a positive impression of him. Before she dies of old age, Charlie goes to visit his mother, Eva. Eva gives Charlie a message: that he is not her only child. This confirms for Charlie who killed his parents.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Reception

The Darwin Incident

By May 2024, the manga had over 1.6 million copies in circulation. It ranked 10th on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 list of best manga for male readers. The series won the 15th Manga Taishō in 2022. The series ranked second on the Publisher Comics' Recommended Comics of 2022. It won an Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2022. It was ranked fifth at the first Late Night Manga Award hosted by Bungeishunjū's Crea magazine in 2022. It was nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2023; it was also nominated for the 48th edition in the same category in 2024. The manga was awarded the French 17th ACBD's Prize "Asie de la Critique" in 2023. It was nominated for the Japan Society and Anime NYC's first American Manga Awards in the Best New Manga category in 2024.