Oh My Goddess! #7

History

The source material was written and illustrated by Kōsuke Fujishima and originally serialized in Kodansha's seinen anthology Monthly Afternoon, where the series had run since September 1988. The English edition, translated by Dana Lewis and Toren Smith through their Studio Proteus operation, was published by Dark Horse Comics in the original flipped (left-to-right) standard format on November 24, 1999, collecting chapters 43–47 of the Japanese manga — material that had previously appeared as the single-issue mini-series Oh My Goddess! Part IV #1–5 (cover-dated from late 1996 through early 1997). A second edition appeared in 2007, re-translated and reformatted to the original Japanese right-to-left reading order, reflecting the broader shift in Dark Horse's manga program driven by fan demand for authentic editions.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Volume 7 collects chapters 43–47 of the manga, corresponding to the single-issue series Oh My Goddess! Part IV #1–5, originally published by Dark Horse in late 1996 through early 1997.
• The collected volume was first published in the English 'Standard Format' (left-to-right, flipped artwork) on November 24, 1999, as a 152-page black-and-white trade paperback translated by Dana Lewis and Toren Smith.
• A second edition was released on December 19, 2007 (184 pages), re-translated and printed in the original Japanese right-to-left reading order, restoring content absent from the first edition and aligning with Dark Horse's broader move to unflipped manga volumes.
• This volume marks the introduction of Sora Hasegawa — identified as a 'meganekko' (girl with glasses) Motor Club freshman — who becomes a significant recurring character and the focus of the much-later 'Sora Unchained' story arc that ended the series' single-issue run.
• Volume 7 also introduces Banpei-kun, a robot built by Skuld to guard the household against demonic threats such as Mara; after receiving a booster circuit, Banpei develops his own personality and becomes a recurring comedic presence throughout the series.
• The title chapter, 'The Queen of Vengeance' (Chapter 44), centers on campus socialite Sayoko Mishima's scheme — amplified by the demon Mara — to weaponize her social authority and drive Belldandy away from Keiichi permanently.
• Mara returns in this volume after recovering from injuries sustained during the earlier 'Lord of Terror' arc, taking possession of Keiichi's sister Megumi's body and deploying Senbei, a minor god associated with spreading misfortune, as her instrument.
• The series in which this volume belongs was recognized by Dark Horse as the longest-running manga in the United States, having debuted in single-issue form in August 1994 and continuing in various formats through 2015.