Japan

A Japanese publisher reprints Dante’s Divine Comedy, and it’s all thanks to a gacha game

Here’s how Dante Alighieri became a hit in Japan 704 years later.

Update: Jun 11th, 2025 23:25 CEST

The Divine Comedy, the work of Florentine author Dante Alighieri, has become a bestseller in Japan in recent months. How is it that one of the most influential works in Western literature is causing one of the largest book publishers in that country to run out of copies? It’s all due to a connection that would never have been expected, a mobile gacha game.

As reported by Automaton, the publisher Kawade Shobo Shinsha, announced through its X account (formerly Twitter) that it is already working on a restock of the book, in its illustrated version. Part of its great success is due to the also successful mobile game Fate/Grand Order, which a three months ago added elements of Alighieri’s work.

【📢速報】たぶん間違いなく #FGO 効果でダンテ『神曲完全版』の急遽重版決定しました。

思わぬ時期に枯渇、計算したら昨対130％
文庫もいいけど本体5,900円だろうがFGOにも活かされているドレの挿絵完全収録版選ぶの超解る(私も結局そうした…)

感謝🙏　6月中旬出来予定▼https://t.co/vTrM6gXJyD pic.twitter.com/gCEhVdZKmc
— 河出書房新社 (@Kawade_shobo) June 5, 2025

“Breaking News! Due to shortages, we have decided to urgently reprint Dante’s “Divine Comedy: The Complete Edition,” it reads on the tweet. “Sales are up 130% compared to last year, likely due to the Fate/Grand Order effect. Even though the book costs 5,900 yen, I can understand why people would choose the complete edition, as it features illustrations similar to those used in the game.”

In Fate/Grand Order, Dante Alighieri is a summonable servant as part of the recent storyline Ordeal Call IV: Tribunal of Humanity - Trinity Metatronius. Who knew creating husbandos would motivate classical reading?

What is The Divine Comedy about?

For those who have neither read the work nor skipped it in high school, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is an epic poem narrating the author’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Initially guided by the Roman poet Virgil, Dante travels through the nine circles of Hell and observes the punishments of various sinners. He then ascends the Mountain of Purgatory, where souls purify themselves before reaching Heaven. Finally, Beatrice, his platonic love, guides him through the heavenly spheres of Paradise, where he contemplates beatitude and the vision of God.

Fate/Grand Order is available on Android, iOS, iPadOS, and arcades.