Hitsujiya's life is forever changed when his high school friend Kokudo reveals the secret of “hacks.” By following specific instructions found in a mysterious notebook, he can alter reality itself!

Kokudo and Hitsujiya experiment with the hacks and learn more about their strange nature. It's all fun and games at first. But when Kokudo uses a hack to go back in time, things take a dark turn. Hitsujiya attempts to do the same thing, but if a hack's directions aren't followed precisely, the results can be devastating!

Bug Ego has a story by ONE and art by Kiyoto Shitara. English translation is done by Jan Mitsuko Cash and lettering by Finn K. Published by Viz Media (April 21, 2026). Rated T+.

Erica Friedman
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Hitsujiya recognizes something in little, easily bullied classmate Kokudo that makes him want to help, when everyone else seems to avoid him. He teaches Kokudo “hacks” to get through life with a little less friction. When Kokudo repays the favor by teaching Hitsujiya “hacks” that unlock a door to the uncanny and bizarre, Hitsujiya's life begins to spin out of control. He's not sure if he actually travels through time only to find himself homeless and hopeless, or if everything now is just a dream of that crazy old man.

Kokudo says he only wants to be friends, but when Hitsujiya needs him, is he going to show up? Weird dreams and horrifying situations pile on Hitsujiya, while the world of hacks seems to favor Kokudo. Even when they team up in the alt-world, Hitsujiya's nightmares follow. Kokudo keeps telling Hitsujiya that his lack of imagination is the problem, but that's not going to get him out of the situation when they are being chased by an angry horror.

Shitara's art is on point here, with bizarre, vaguely occult situations, with that distinctly “Japanese horror” feel. Situations are disturbing, just slightly gross, without being traumatic to read…although it is easy to grasp how horrific it would be to experience them. ONE's story is likewise calculated to keep us from feeling grounded. Hitsujiya appears to be a decent guy, but Kokudo, while initially sympathetic, quickly turns into someone who cannot be trusted…maybe? Or maybe not. It's hard to separate the feeling of paranoia cultivated by the situation from Kokudo's own paranoia.

While not as carefully built a scenario as About a Place in the Kinki Region, this manga asks a lot of questions and offers few answers, in a way designed to bring you back for more.

Kevin Cormack
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Writer ONE is one of the most intriguing creatives in the manga industry. While his major hit One-Punch Man attracts the most media interest (for good and bad), I far prefer his other series Mob Psycho 100, and especially the recent Versus. ONE is particularly adept at taking simple-sounding premises and exploring them to absurdly entertaining extremes. Bug Ego does this with the compelling concept of “hacks”, unusual shortcuts that the two main characters use to enhance their lives. These can be as simple as being polite to other people to improve social interactions, but others are distinctly weirder and more dangerous…

Dual protagonists Kokudo and Hitsujiya are unpopular kids who deal with bullying from muscle-headed jocks daily. Luckily, they've discovered a plethora of secret life hacks to help them on their way. Kokudo has access to a creepy notebook that contains details of some of the more… unsettling life hacks they use, such as a terrifying time travel hack that shows them a disturbing future. The one I like the best is the “lucid dreaming” hack that allows them to interact with one another in a shared dreamscape where only their imagination limits the possibilities of experience. I love this kind of nutso storytelling that's totally unpredictable, yet built on logical consistency and fascinating premises.

It seems there are other less-benign hack-users out there, which leads to a deeply unsettling dream experience for the boys, and then the final chapter ends on a truly existentially horrifying cliffhanger, like something from the most nightmarish Black Mirror episode. Shitara's art is perhaps not the most attractive, but it doesn't have to be. He captures the characters' emotional distress well and depicts some absolutely bonkers set pieces.

Bug Ego is an extremely enjoyable adventure with two unique protagonists exploring a previously unknown world where the nature of reality can be rewritten by following bizarre rules to the letter. I have absolutely no idea where it's going next, but I'm very sure I'd like to find out.