is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written by Shō Makura and illustrated by Takeshi Okano. It was serialized in

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

's manga magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

'' from August 1993 to May 1999, with its chapters collected in 31 volumes. The series follows Meisuke Nueno, aka Nūbē, the homeroom teacher for Class 5–3 at Dōmori Elementary. More than a teacher, however, he is a skilled exorcist, protecting the town of Dōmori from supernatural threats with strength borrowed from a powerful demon sealed in his left hand—a technique he calls the Demon's Hand. A 49-episode

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series by

Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

was broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

from April 1996 to August 1997. Three movies and three

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OVA) episodes were released. A new anime television series adaptation produced by

Studio Kai is a Japanese animation studio based in Suginami, Tokyo. It was founded by Asatsu-DK, ADK Emotions in June 2019. History Studio Kai was founded by Asatsu-DK, ADK Emotions in June 2019. In July 2019, Gonzo (company), Gonzo transferred some of its ...

is set to premiere in July 2025. A

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

story for Izuna Hazuki the

itako , also known as or , are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. Training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to communicate with Japanese Shinto spirits, ''kami'', and the spirits of ...

-girl, '' Reibaishi Izuna: The Spiritual Medium'', was serialized in '' Oh Super Jump'' and later in ''Super Jump'' from July 2007 to October 2011. A sequel to the spin-off, titled ''Reibaishi Izuna: Ascension'' was published from November 2011 to June 2016. A direct manga sequel, titled ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo'', was serialized across three Shueisha's magazines from May 2014 to December 2018. It is set ten years after the main story events, with Kyoko becoming a teacher at the Dōmori Elementary and Nūbē returning to the school from Kyushu. A sequel titled ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē S'' was published in ''

Saikyō Jump is a Japanese monthly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Shueisha. The magazine was started on December 3, 2010 with three completely original titles and seven spin-off (media), spin-off manga from series in ''Weekly Shōnen J ...

'' from August 2018 to April 2021. Another series, ''Jigoku Sensei Nube Kai'', started in May 2025. By July 2024, the overall manga franchise had over 29 million copies in circulation.

Plot

What seems like a normal day at Dōmori Elementary is disrupted by some weird phenomenon, usually targeting one of Nūbē's own students. Nūbē is forced into action, most often using the power of the Demon's Hand to assist in solving the problem, but occasionally the solution lies either in another of his spiritual weapons, or somehow reasoning with or appeasing the threatening entity. By the end, things always seem to get back to normal, with Nūbē and his students having learned something from the experience. Most of the series retains an episodic formula, forgoing an overarching storyline in favor of more character-driven action, although there are several recurring antagonists throughout, as well as some longer story arcs towards the end of the series.

Media

Manga

Written by Shō Makura and illustrated by Takeshi Okano, ''Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube'' was serialized in

's manga magazine ''

'' from August 24, 1993, to May 11, 1999. Shueisha collected its 276 chapters in 31 volumes, released from January 11, 1994, to September 3, 1999.

Spin-offs and other series

A spin-off story for Izuna Hazuki the ''

''-girl, titled '' Reibaishi Izuna: The Spiritual Medium'', started in Shueisha's manga magazine ''

Super Jump , was a biweekly manga anthology published by Shueisha under the '' Jump'' line of magazines. Released in Japan on December 20, 1986, the magazine provided serialized chapters of various seinen manga series. The manga series were published under ...

'' in the August 2007 issue. The series was transferred to ''Super Jump'' on September 8, 2010. It ran in the magazine until its suspension on October 12, 2011. Ten volumes were published by Shueisha between August 4, 2008, and December 2, 2011. The manga was then transferred to Shueisha's ''

Grand Jump is a Japanese biweekly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under their '' Jump'' line of magazines. Launched in November 2011 as a merging of '' Business Jump'' and '' Super Jump'', it carried over nine series from the former and three ...

'', renamed as ''Reibaishi Izuna: Ascension'', starting on November 16, 2011. It was transferred to ''Grand Jump Premium'' on August 27. The manga finished on June 22, 2016. Ten volumes were published between April 19, 2012, and December 2, 2016. A one-shot chapter ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē: Ōmagatoki'' was published in ''Grand Jump'' on April 2, 2014. A to sequel to the original series, ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo'', started in ''Grand Jump Premium'' on May 28, 2014. It was transferred to ''Grand Jump'' on July 16 of the same year. ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo'' was simultaneously serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''

'' from August 5, 2016, to June 1, 2018. The series finished on December 5, 2018. Shueisha collected its chapters in seventeen volumes, released from October 3, 2014, to January 4, 2019. Another series, ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē S'', was serialized in ''Saikyō Jump'' from August 3, 2018, to April 1, 2021. This is a sequel to ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo''. Shueisha collected its chapters in four volumes, released from March 4, 2019, to June 4, 2021. Another series by Makura and Okano, titled ''Jigoku Sensei Nube Kai'', started in ''Saikyō Jump'' on May 2, 2025.

Anime

1996 series

A 49-episode

television series adaptation, produced by

, was broadcast on

between April 13, 1996, and August 7, 1997. The opening theme is , performed by Feel So Bad. The first ending theme is , performed by

B'z is a Japanese rock duo consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba,佐伯明『B'z ウルトラクロニクル』ソニー・マガジンズ、2003年。新型光�B'zはなぜ� ...

, and the second ending is "Spirit, performed by Pamelah.

2025 series

In July 2024, it was announced that the manga would receive a new anime television series adaptation. The series is produced by

and directed by Yasuyuki Ōishi, with Yoshiki Ōkusa handling series composition, Yū Yoshiyama designing the characters, and

Evan Call Evan Call (born June 29, 1988) is an American composer and arranger working in Japan. He has composed music for multiple anime series, such as '' Violet Evergarden'', ''Muv-Luv Alternative'' and '' Frieren: Beyond Journey's End''. Call is affil ...

composing the music. It is set to premiere on July 2, 2025, on TV Asahi's brand new programming block. The series is set to air in two split cours, with the second cours premiering in January 2026. The opening theme song is , performed by Shintenchi Kaibyaku Shudan: Zigzag, while the ending theme song is , performed by Chilli Beans. Remow licensed the series.

Films

Three movies have been released. The first movie ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē'' was released on July 6, 1996. A second anime film titled, ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē: Gozen 0 toki Nūbē Shisu'', premiered on March 8, 1997. The third anime film titled ''Jigoku Sensei Nūbē: Kyoufu no Natsu Yasumi! Asashi no Uni no Gensetsu'' premiered on July 12, 1997.

Original video animations

Three

OVAs , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

were released. The first OVA ''Kessen! Yōjin no jutsu VS kabeo'' was released in June 1998. The second OVA ''Nazonazo nana fushigi BUKIMI chan'' was released in July 1998. The third OVA ''Shijō saidai no gekisen! Zekki raishū!!'' was released in May 1999.

Video games

A video game was released in Japan on the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

in 1997. Nūbē and Yukime became support characters in the 2006

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

game ''

Jump Ultimate Stars ''Jump Ultimate Stars'' is a 2006 crossover fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.Tor Thorsen, "Jump! Ultimate Stars details dished", GameSpot, September 28, 2006, It is the sequel to '' Jum ...

'', with Hiroshi and Kyoko as help characters. Nūbē later appeared as a playable character in the 2014

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

game ''

J-Stars Victory VS is a crossover fighting video game that combines the universes of several ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainm ...

''.

Drama

A ten-episode

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

adaptation was broadcast on

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

from October 11 to December 13, 2014. The cast includes

Ryuhei Maruyama is a Japanese idol, singer, actor and radio host. He is a member of Japanese male idol group Super Eight (group), Super Eight (previously known as Kanjani Eight), which is under the management of Johnny & Associates. He is also the group's bass ...

as Nūbē,

Mirei Kiritani is a Japanese actress, model, and news anchor. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Kimi ni Todoke (film), Kimi ni Todoke'' (2010), ''Usagi Drop (film), Usagi Drop'' (2011), ''Arakawa Under the Bridge (film), Arakawa Under the Bridge'' ...

as Ritsuko Takahashi,

Mokomichi Hayami is a Japanese actor, chef, TV presenter, entrepreneur, and model. Biography Hayami debuted in 2002 with the television series '' You're Under Arrest'', and came to fame with '' Gokusen 2'' in 2005. Hayami has appeared in popular TV dramas like ...

as Kyōsuke Tamamo,

Mizuki Yamamoto is a Japanese actress and model. Career Yamamoto was born in Fukuoka Prefecture. She started her career as an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazine CanCam in 2009. Two years later, she made her acting debut in the Fuji TV drama ''Sh ...

as Izuna Hazuki,

Hideki Takahashi is a Japanese people, Japanese actor. Born in Kisarazu, Chiba near Tokyo, he attended Ichikawa Gakuen and later Nihon University. Career Takahashi made his debut with Nikkatsu Corporation, Nikkatsu and acted in youth-oriented films. Takahashi ma ...

as Mugenkai Jikū and

Kang Ji-young Kang Ji-young (; born January 18, 1994), also known mononymously as Jiyoung or under the stage name JY in Japan, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actress. At age 14, she rose to fame as a member of the South Korean girl group Kara (Sout ...

as Yukime.

Reception

By December 2014, the manga had 24 million copies in circulation. By August 2023, the manga (including its spin-offs) had over 28 million copies in circulation; and over 29 million copies in circulation by July 2024.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{Studio Kai 2025 anime television series debuts Action anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Dark fantasy anime and manga Exorcism in anime and manga Fiction about urban legends IMAnimation Remow anime Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Shōnen manga Studio Kai TV Asahi original programming Toei Animation original video animation Toei Animation television Upcoming anime television series Yōkai in anime and manga