Thirteen candidates must compete to replace a retiring God in 999 days

History · Published 6 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When a supreme deity decides to retire in 999 days, thirteen candidates are chosen to take the throne. But this celestial succession is far from peaceful, as some competitors will resort to ruthless killing to ensure they are the sole survivor.

Platinum End, a manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, explores a high-stakes battle for divinity. The story follows Mirai Kakehashi, a high school student who survives a suicide attempt thanks to a guardian angel named Nasse. Mirai discovers he is one of thirteen candidates selected to succeed God, who is scheduled to retire in exactly 999 days. After being rescued by Nasse, Mirai learns that his relatives were actually responsible for his parents' deaths. This revelation drives his initial quest for justice.

The competition is defined by the use of supernatural tools: Wings for flight, White Arrows that cause instant death, and Red Arrows that induce love for 33 days. While Mirai seeks to win without killing his competitors, others are far more predatory. Kanade Uryu, operating under the alias Metropoliman, becomes a central antagonist by killing several candidates to claim their powers and using them to manipulate ordinary humans. The Red Arrows can be combined to extend their range significantly. Furthermore, these tools can be given to regular people to serve a user's will.

The series also highlights the diverse motivations of the candidates. Nanato, a product planner suffering from terminal cancer, seeks to secure his family's future, while Gaku, a Nobel Prize-winning professor, represents the intellectual elite. As the contest progresses, the line between justice and ruthlessness blurs, forcing Mirai to form alliances to prevent dangerous individuals from seizing divine power. Saki, Mirai's classmate and love interest, joins the fray after a desperate attempt to drown herself. Meanwhile, Hajime, a candidate who struggled with poverty, seeks to improve his social standing through cosmetic surgery.

The manga was serialized in Jump Square from November 2015 to January 2021, eventually spanning 14 volumes. An anime adaptation by Signal.MD aired between October 2021 and March 2022, bringing this intense struggle for cosmic authority to a wider audience. The original story was published in Shueisha's monthly magazine. It concludes with the series being collected into 14 volumes.

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