The Beginning After the End

The Beginning After the End (Japanese: 最強の王様、二度目の人生は何をする?, Hepburn: Saikyō no Ōsama, Futatabime no Jinsei wa Nani o Suru?, lit. 'What Will the Mighty King Do in His Second Life?') is an web novel series written by TurtleMe and illustrated by Fuyuki23. It began serialization on Tapas in January 2017. A webtoon adaptation, also illustrated by Fuyuki23, began serialization on Tapas in July 2018. Yen Press is publishing the webtoon in English; as of March 2025, seven volumes have been released. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio A-Cat premiered in April 2025.

The Beginning After the End
Webtoon cover of The Beginning After the End volume 1 featuring young Arthur Leywin
Genre	High fantasy,[1] Isekai[2]
Author	TurtleMe
Illustrator	Fuyuki23
Publisher	Tapas (digital) Yen Press (print)
Original run	July 7, 2018 – present
Volumes	7
Anime television series
Directed by	Keitaro Motonaga
Written by	Takamitsu Kōno
Music by	Keiji Inai
Studio	Studio A-Cat
Licensed by	Crunchyroll
Original network	Fuji TV (+Ultra), Kansai TV, AT-X
Original run	April 2, 2025 – present
Episodes	4

Premise

It follows the life of the late King Grey after his untimely and mysterious death. Reborn as Arthur Leywin, he seeks to correct his past mistakes in the vibrant new continent of Dicathen, a world of magic and fantastical creatures. Equipped with the knowledge of a powerful king in his mid-thirties, Arthur navigates his new life as the magic-wielding child of two retired adventurers and gains purpose through each of his new experiences—something he lacked in his previous life. When a kind dragon sacrifices her life to protect him, Arthur resolves to live a sincere, kind, and courageous life with those he loves. With the help of a lost elf princess and the Elven Kingdom of Elenoir, Arthur begins his long journey to find his true place in the world.

As the years pass, Arthur becomes more and more comfortable in this world, positioning himself as a young, but respected figure. However, deja-vu strikes as a war brews between Dicathen and the Vritra, a clan of banished deities now ruling over a faraway continent. Arthur must rise as a leader, despite his fear of becoming the war-hardened monster he once was in his past life. As the war rages on, Arthur discovers that he was not reborn to this world by chance… nor was he the only one.

Characters

Leywin family

Arthur Leywin / King Grey

Voiced by: Natsumi Fujiwara (Arthur), Makoto Furukawa (King Grey)^[3] (Japanese); Amber May (Arthur), Christopher Wehkamp (King Grey)^[4] (English)

Reynolds Leywin

Voiced by: Yamato Kinjo^[5] (Japanese); Jessie James Grelle^[4] (English)

Alice Leywin

Voiced by: Rena Maeda^[5] (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard^[4] (English)

Eleanor Leywin

Sylvie

Voiced by: (Japanese); Kayla Temshiv^[4] (English)

Boo

Regis

Twin Horns

Jasmine Flamesworth

Voiced by: Chiaki Omigawa^[6]

Durden Walker

Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi^[5]

Adam Krensh

Voiced by: Taihi Kimura^[5]

Angela Rose

Voiced by: Riko Akechi^[5]

Helen Shard

Voiced by: Miyū Ogura^[5]

Indrath Clan

Sylvia Indrath

Voiced by: Shiori Izawa^[5]

Kezess Indrath

Myre Indrath

Vritra Clan

Agrona Vritra

Cadell

Elijah Knight / Nico Sever

House Helstea

Vincent Helstea

Tabitha Helstea

Lilia Helstea

House Eralith

Tessia Eralith / Cecilia

Voiced by: Kana Ichinose^[6]

Virion Eralith

Alduin Eralith

Merial Eralith

House Glayder

Blaine Glayder

Priscilla Glayder

Curtis Glayder

Kathyln Glayder

House Greysunders

Dawsid Greysunders

Glaudera Greysunders

Xyrus Academy

Cynthia Goodsky

Clive Graves

Fable Kristwood

Jarrod Redner

Claire Bladeheart

Theodore Maxwell

Media

Novel

Written by the Seattle-based South Korean-American writer Brandon Lee, better known as TurtleMe, and illustrated by the Indonesian artist Fuyuki23, the web novel began serialization on Tapas on January 18, 2017.^[7]

Volumes

• The Beginning After the End: Early Years (volume 1)
• The Beginning After the End: New Heights (volume 2)
• The Beginning After the End: Beckoning Fates (volume 3)
• The Beginning After the End: Horizon's Edge (volume 4)
• The Beginning After the End: Convergence (volume 5)
• The Beginning After the End: Transcendence (volume 6)
• The Beginning After the End: Divergence (volume 7)
• The Beginning After the End: Ascension (volume 8)
• The Beginning After the End: Amongst the Fallen (volume 8.5)
• The Beginning After the End: Reckoning (volume 9)
• The Beginning After the End: Retribution (volume 10)
• The Beginning After the End: Providence (volume 11)
• TBA (volume 12)

Webtoon

A webtoon adaptation of the web novel, also illustrated by Fuyuki23, began serialization on Tapas on July 7, 2018.^[7] Fuyuki23 ceased illustrating the webtoon in June 2023.^[8] An executive of Kakao Entertainment, Tapas' parent company, said the webtoon adaptation was specifically created for the North American market.^[9] At New York Comic Con 2021, Yen Press announced that they would be publishing the webtoon in print.^[10] As of March 2025, seven print volumes have been released.^[11]

Seasons

Season	Episodes	Premiere date	Finale date
1	25	July 7, 2018	April 20, 2019
2	37	July 31, 2019	March 20, 2020
3	23	May 29, 2020	November 27, 2020
4	40	January 1, 2021	October 15, 2021
5	50	December 31, 2022	January 24, 2023
Jasmine: Wind-Borne (side story)	10	November 4, 2023	December 30, 2023
6	37	May 11, 2024	Present
Overall	222	—	—

Volumes

No.	English release date	English ISBN
1	August 2, 2022[12]	978-1-97-534563-1
2	February 28, 2023[13]	978-1-97-534564-8
3	July 18, 2023[14]	978-1-97-537308-5
4	November 21, 2023[15]	978-1-97-537309-2
5	April 23, 2024[16]	978-1-97-537310-8
6	August 20, 2024[17]	978-1-97-537311-5
7	March 25, 2025[11]	979-8-85-541343-4
8	July 22, 2025[18]	979-8-85-541344-1

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced at New York Comic Con on October 19, 2024. It is produced by Studio A-Cat and directed by Keitaro Motonaga, with Takamitsu Kōno writing series scripts, Masami Sueoka designing the characters, and Keiji Inai composing the music.^[19] The first season premiered on April 2, 2025, on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block and other channels.^[5][a] The opening theme song is "Kingsblood", performed by Kala,^[3] while the ending theme song is "Mahiru no Tsuki" (真昼の月, lit. 'Midday Moon'), performed by Seiza.^[20] Crunchyroll streams the series.^[19] The first season of the anime is slated for a total of 24 episodes.^[21]

Episodes

No.	Title [22][23]	Directed by [b]	Written by [b]	Storyboard by [b]	Original release date [24][a]
1	"The Rebirth of the King" Transliteration: "Ōsama, Umare Kawaru" (Japanese: 王様、生まれ変わる。)	Keitaro Motonaga	Takamitsu Kono	Goichi Iwahata, Keitaro Motonaga	April 2, 2025 (2025-04-02)
Grey, the most powerful and bloodthirsty king in the world, dies suddenly in his mid-30's of no apparent cause. Floating in the abyss, a voice urges him to seek out the light. He suddenly awakens in an alternate world as newborn Arthur Leywin, first son of retired adventurers Reynolds and Alice. At first he is furious to be reduced to a helpless infant, but he soon discovers humans in this world use an unfamiliar power called magic. Determined to protect himself by gaining as much power as possible Arthur takes any opportunity he can to learn, reading his parents books in secret. He discovers his new home is the continent of Dicathen which contains three kingdoms; Sapin the nation of the humans, Darv the underground nation of the Dwarves and Elenoir the forest nation of the Elves. Having been a master of Ki in his old world Arthur practices magic at every opportunity and casts his first spell at only two years old, injuring Reynolds and destroying their house. Having never experienced family in his former life he is confused at the feelings of guilt and realizes he has learned to love his parents and cries for the first time in either of his two lives.
2	"The King, Under Attack" Transliteration: "Ōsama, Osowareru" (Japanese: 王様、襲われる。)	Honami Inamura	Takamitsu Kono	Takashi Iida	April 9, 2025 (2025-04-09)
Arthur recalls when an emissary from another nation attempted to assassinate him, so he executed the man’s family to spare them years of torture, and the emissary thanked him. Reynolds begins teaching Arthur the sword and is astounded Arthur is already a skilled swordsman. Realizing he and Alice aren’t capable of training Arthur they move to Xyros city to find him an instructor. For the journey they hire their old party Twin Horns as bodyguards. Arthur learns Alice is an especially rare Emitter mage who can use healing magic. Adam, Twin Horn’s spearman, decides to test Arthur’s abilities, which Arthur loses as he is unfamiliar fighting with such a small body. Jasmine, Twin Horn’s scout, notices Arthur use Ki on his legs to increase his speed. After teaching her how she gifts him a knife. They are attacked by bandits seeking Alice. Reynolds reveals Alice is pregnant. A bandit mage attacks and Arthur is thrown from a cliff but uses Jasmine’s knife to drag the mage with him to protect Alice and his future sibling. As he falls he realizes he understands why the emissary thanked him, feeling he can die happy knowing Alice will survive. Arthur awakens in the forest at the bottom of the cliff and is confronted by a terrible monster that greets him by name.
3	"Meeting The King" Transliteration: "Ōsama, Deau" (Japanese: 王様、出会う。)	Keitaro Motonaga	Takamitsu Kono	Shirahata Bobu	April 16, 2025 (2025-04-16)
The monster, named Sylvia, claims to be Arthur’s ally and helps him recover. Afterwards she shows Arthur he has been unconscious for days and his parents were forced to continue their journey without him. More time passes and while Arthur wants to leave the forest is full of monsters, and Sylvia cannot leave her cave. Sylvia shows Arthur it is possible to use magic whilst absorbing more from the environment at the same time, allowing spells to be cast indefinitely. However, she refuses to teach him while evil lives within his heart. Eventually, Arthur realises he cannot repeat his former life of hatred and violence and swears to protect others. Meanwhile, another monster identical to Sylvia searches for her. After much effort Arthur learns Sylvia’s ability. The second monster locates Sylvia who quickly hides Arthur. Sylvia reveals her true form as a white dragon and temporarily freezes time. She reminds Arthur of his promise to help others and gives him a magic crystal, one of her feathers, and a tattoo similar to her own body markings. After an emotional goodbye where Arthur acknowledges her as his adoptive grandmother, she uses the last of her magic to teleport Arthur as close to his parents as she can, unfreezes time and attacks the other monster with an explosion that collapses the cave. Arthur awakens alone in the forest and begins his journey to survive until he finds his parents.
4	"Saved by the King"	TBA	TBA	TBA	April 23, 2025 (2025-04-23)
Almost immediately Arthur witnesses slavers transporting a young elf girl. He takes down three slavers in ambush attacks but their leader turns out to be a mage whom Arthur eventually kills after a difficult magical duel. For a moment, the girl reminds him of a woman he once knew. Arthur tries to send the girl to her home of Elenoir but realises she is too young to travel on her own, forcing him to try lead her there. He learns she is Tessia Eralith and that she wants to train as a mage when she is old enough. Arthur realises one of the slaver's pet wolves is following them so he makes sure to stay on guard. The trip starts to annoy him since it is preventing him looking for his parents. He also begins to struggle with terrible pains from his mana core. During one such episode that leaves him immobile with pain the wolf suddenly appears with food for them before leaving again. Arthur is confused but Tessia is sure it is thanking them for setting it free. They eventually reach a teleportation portal Tessia recognises as a gateway to Elenoir and quickly pulls him inside. Before Arthur can do anything he is grabbed by elven soldiers while the suddenly uncaring Tessia watches.

An English dub was produced concurrently, premiering shortly after the Japanese broadcast. The English voice cast is led by Amber May as Arthur Leywin and Christopher Wehkamp as Grey. Colleen Clinkenbeard voices Alice Leywin, Jessie James Grelle voices Reynolds Leywin (credited as Rey), and Kayla Temshiv voices Sylvie. The English dub production is overseen by Voice Director Jonathan Rigg and Producer Samantha Herek, with adaptation by Heather Walker, mixing by Neal Malley, and engineering by Derric Benavides. The First English dubbed Episode premiered on Crunchyroll Wednesday, April 16, 2025.^[25]

Reception

Webtoon

Mel Lake of Multiversity Comics praised the main character's journey, particularly its psychological aspects. Lake also praised the artwork, particularly its fight scenes, backgrounds, and faces.^[1] Vanessa Piña of Screen Rant compared the series to Solo Leveling, while also describing its aesthetic and storytelling as "distinct".^[26]

Anime

The launch of The Beginning After The End anime was immediately overshadowed by a wave of negative reactions from viewers, primarily targeting the quality of its animation. Fans expressed profound disappointment, using terms like "bad animation quality," "lackluster character design," "stiff," and "cheap"^[27][28] to describe their viewing experience. Many felt the adaptation failed to capture the essence and tone of the beloved source material, with some claiming key scenes were "butchered". The criticism intensified following the release of the second episode. Comparisons were frequently drawn to a "slideshow presentation" or "PowerPoint animation"^[29] due to perceived issues like a lack of fluid character movement,^[30] overuse of still frames, reliance on panning shots, and heavy-handed visual effects apparently used to mask limited animation, particularly during action sequences. This critique suggests fundamental problems in the animation production process itself, rather than mere stylistic disagreements. The show's visual shortcomings led to it reportedly breaking Solo Leveling's record for the most disliked anime episode on Crunchyroll with its second installment.^[31]

The dissatisfaction extended beyond online commentary. Fans organized petitions demanding the cancellation of the current adaptation and a complete redo by a more capable animation studio; one such petition quickly garnered over 40,000 signatures.^[32] Observers noted a distinct lack of positive buzz or hype surrounding the series within the broader anime community, with discussions dominated by disappointed fans. Many explicitly blamed Studio A-CAT, citing its perceived poor track record and arguing that a high-profile property like TBATE "deserved better". Fans suggested studios known for high-quality fantasy action, such as Wit Studio, MAPPA, CloverWorks, Studio Bind, or Madhouse, would have been more suitable choices.^[33]

In the face of the mounting criticism, TurtleMe, the original creator of The Beginning After The End, addressed the fan backlash directly in a detailed post on the official TBATE novel subreddit. He began by expressing gratitude for the fans' enduring passion and support, acknowledging that while "things have gotten... loud," he appreciated the kind messages received.^[34]  

TurtleMe then provided context on the realities of anime production, explaining that his level of control differed significantly from his experience with the novel and webcomic. He stated that he learned "in the anime industry, it's very rare for the creator to have a say in deciding the ins and outs when it comes to the inception of an anime". He described the adaptation process as a "huge learning experience" involving multiple stakeholders—Tapas, Studio A-CAT, and Crunchyroll—each bringing their "own unique vision" and potentially leading to "creative differences in the room". Despite the outcome and the public's perception, TurtleMe conveyed his belief that everyone involved approached the project with their "best effort and intentions".^[35]

Addressing the calls from some fans for the anime to be canceled and redone, TurtleMe explicitly argued against this course of action. He used an analogy, suggesting that like a cherished pet or child, one shouldn't wish for a "do-over" when faced with challenges but rather offer support. He pleaded for patience from the fanbase, drawing a parallel to the TBATE webcomic's own early days when it faced criticism before growing and improving over time. He urged fans to remain respectful in their discourse, even if they were disappointed with the adaptation, and to continue being the supportive foundation that allowed TBATE to succeed initially. While acknowledging that his own decisions might not always be perfect, he reaffirmed his respect for the fans and their dedication.^[36]TurtleMe asked fans to remain respectful, even if they were disappointed.^[37]

Notes

1. Fuji TV listed the series premiere on April 2, 2025, at 24:45, which is effectively April 3 at 12:45 a.m. JST, though AT-X has the earliest release on April 2.
2. Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.