I Shall Survive Using Potions! Manga: All 9 Volumes

I Shall Survive Using Potions! Has 9 Manga Volumes — Here’s What a Complete Set Looks Like

Here’s the short version: I Shall Survive Using Potions! is a completed manga at 9 volumes in both Japanese and English. That’s the full story, start to finish.

The series is based on the light novel — a type of short Japanese novel, often illustrated — by FUNA (a pen name). The manga art is by Hibiki Kokonoe (九重ヒビキ), with character designs by Sukima (すきま). Character designs are the original visual concepts for how characters look, while the manga artist draws the actual comic pages based on those designs. The series was published in Japan by Kodansha, one of Japan’s largest manga publishers, under their Sirius KC label. The first Japanese volume released in November 2017.

The premise is a fun twist on the isekai formula. When Kaoru gets transported to another world, she doesn’t ask for a magic sword or overwhelming combat power. She demands the ability to create any potion she wants — and then proceeds to use that ability to survive entirely on her own terms. It’s a comedy-first isekai driven by a resourceful protagonist who outsmarts problems rather than punching through them.

At 9 volumes, this is a genuinely compact collection. You can line up the complete set on a single shelf without it crowding out your other manga, and reading the whole thing cover to cover is a weekend project rather than a months-long commitment. For isekai fans who’ve been burned by series that run 30+ volumes with no end in sight, that’s a breath of fresh air.

The Easiest Way to Collect All 9 Volumes

Collecting this series is about as straightforward as manga buying gets. Here’s what you need to know.

Physical Paperbacks

The English edition is available in paperback format. All 9 volumes share a consistent size and spine design, so they look clean together on a shelf. There’s no format confusion — no sudden switch from one publisher to another, no hardcover-only early volumes, none of the headaches that plague some English manga releases.

With only 9 volumes to buy, this is one of the most budget-friendly complete isekai manga sets you’ll find. Individual volumes carry a typical manga retail price, and the total cost for the full set at list price is comparable to what you might spend on just a fraction of a longer-running series. You get a complete beginning-to-end story for that investment.

There is no box set currently available for the English edition, so buying volumes individually is the standard approach. That’s not unusual for a 9-volume series — box sets tend to appear for bigger franchises with higher demand.

Volume 9 is the final volume and completes the collection.

Digital Editions

If shelf space isn’t a priority, digital editions offer an even lower-cost path to the complete series. Digital manga pricing tends to sit below physical list prices, and you never have to worry about a volume going temporarily out of stock. Digital editions are available through major e-book platforms that carry manga. For readers who just want to enjoy the story without building a physical collection, digital is the simplest route.

Volume-by-Volume Overview

Here’s a spoiler-free walkthrough of what each volume covers, so you know what you’re getting into before you buy.

Volume 1

This is where everything starts. Kaoru arrives in her new world with the potion-creation ability she negotiated for and immediately begins figuring out how to use it. The comedic tone is established right away — this isn’t a grim survival story. It’s a story about a clever woman who has a wildly useful power and zero patience for being pushed around. Volume 1 sets up the world, introduces Kaoru’s personality, and gives you a clear sense of whether this series’ brand of humor works for you.

Volume 2

Kaoru’s potion business starts drawing attention she didn’t plan for. When your medicines can heal ailments that nobody else’s remedies can touch, word spreads fast — and not everyone showing up at your door has friendly intentions. Volume 2 introduces several recurring characters who become important allies (and occasional headaches) for Kaoru, while the comedy leans into her increasingly exasperated reactions to people trying to exploit her talents.

Volume 3

The political side of Kaoru’s situation comes into focus. Nobles, rulers, and people with real political weight start taking notice of someone who can produce miracle cures at will. The comedy is still front and center, but there’s a growing sense that Kaoru’s potion powers have put her in a position she can’t just laugh her way out of forever. Kaoru’s strategy shifts from laying low to actively managing the chaos she’s attracted.

Volumes 4–5

The mid-series stretch puts Kaoru’s resourcefulness to the test in larger conflicts. The story moves beyond individual encounters into longer storylines where Kaoru has to navigate more complex situations involving multiple factions and competing interests. These volumes do a good job of keeping the lighthearted tone while raising the stakes enough that the story doesn’t feel like it’s running in place. Kaoru’s potion creativity gets some of its most entertaining moments here as she finds increasingly absurd solutions to increasingly serious problems.

Volumes 6–9

The final four volumes bring everything to a close. The story threads that have been building across the series converge, and Kaoru’s journey reaches a proper conclusion. Without spoiling specifics, the ending delivers on what the series has been building toward — if you’ve enjoyed the ride through the first five volumes, the back half pays it off.

Key Volumes for New Readers

Volume 1 is the only volume you need to make your decision. It’s a clear showcase of the series’ humor, Kaoru’s personality, and the isekai premise. If Volume 1 clicks for you, you’ll want to keep going. If it doesn’t, you’ve only invested one volume to find out.

That said, with only 9 volumes total, picking and choosing individual volumes doesn’t really make sense for this series. It’s short enough to just read straight through. There are no throwaway stretches to skip or slow patches to push past — the whole thing moves at a comfortable pace from start to finish.

Availability Notes for Collectors

A 9-volume completed manga from a smaller corner of the isekai genre can sometimes run into availability quirks. Here’s what to keep in mind.

Physical stock can fluctuate. Earlier volumes in less mainstream manga series occasionally go temporarily out of stock at major retailers. This isn’t a sign that the series is out of print — with only 9 volumes and a completed status, reprinting is relatively straightforward for publishers to justify. If you notice a particular volume is unavailable in physical format, it’s usually worth waiting a few weeks to see if stock returns rather than paying inflated secondhand prices.

Digital availability is more stable. This is true across the board for manga, but especially for smaller isekai series. If you want guaranteed instant access to every volume without worrying about physical stock, digital is the safer bet.

There’s no urgency to rush. The series is complete, the English edition is fully published, and there’s no limited-edition situation creating artificial scarcity. You can collect at whatever pace fits your budget.

A Finished Isekai Collection That Won’t Keep Growing

One of the best things about collecting I Shall Survive Using Potions! is the certainty. 9 volumes is the complete main manga, illustrated by Hibiki Kokonoe. When you buy all 9, you own the full run of this series from start to finish.

The light novel source material by FUNA is a separate, longer work that continues beyond the point where the manga’s story ends. The manga covers a portion of the light novel storyline but wraps up its own narrative in a way that feels complete. You don’t need to read the light novels to get a satisfying experience — the manga stands on its own as a finished, self-contained story. That said, if you finish the manga and want more of Kaoru’s adventures, the light novels are there waiting for you.

It’s worth knowing that the franchise has expanded beyond the main manga. A sequel manga titled Potion-danomi de Ikinobimasu! Zoku launched in Japan in August 2022 and is ongoing, and a spinoff manga (Hanano and Lotte’s Journey) also ran and has since concluded at 2 volumes. These are separate works — the 9-volume main manga tells a complete story on its own, and the sequel and spinoff are additional entries in the franchise rather than required continuations. For English-language collectors, the 9-volume main manga set remains the core collection.

For collectors, this means your shelf stays clean. The main manga is done at 9 volumes, and that kind of closure is genuinely rare in isekai manga.

An anime television adaptation aired from October to December 2023, produced by Jumondou and streamed on Crunchyroll. If you enjoy the manga, the anime offers another way to experience the story — and if you’ve already seen the anime, the manga gives you the same story with the added detail and pacing that comes with reading it on the page.

Who Should Collect This Series

This series is a great fit if you enjoy:

• Lighthearted isekai — the tone skews comedic and playful rather than dark or dramatic
• Comedy-focused manga — Kaoru’s personality and her creative potion solutions drive most of the humor
• Resourceful female protagonists — Kaoru wins through cleverness and negotiation, not combat power
• Short, complete collections — 9 volumes is easy on both your shelf and your budget
• Light novel companion reading — if you’ve read FUNA’s novels, the manga gives you a visual version of the story

It also works well for collectors who are building out a shelf of completed isekai manga. At 9 volumes it fills a slot without dominating your collection, and the consistent paperback format looks tidy alongside other series.

This series might not be for you if:

• You want dark, high-stakes isekai with real danger and consequences — this is a comedy first
• You prefer action-heavy manga with elaborate fight choreography — Kaoru’s approach is brains over brawn
• You’re looking for a long epic series to sink into for months — 9 volumes goes by quickly

None of those are flaws in the series — it’s just a matter of matching expectations. I Shall Survive Using Potions! knows exactly what it wants to be, and it delivers on that promise across all 9 volumes. If a finished, fun, compact isekai comedy sounds like your kind of read, grab Volume 1 and see for yourself.