The March issue of Monthly CoroCoro Comic announced a fresh chapter for the Duel Masters franchise: Shigenobu Matsumoto will launch a sequel manga titled Duel Masters RX (pronounced “reverse cross”) in the magazine’s next issue on March 13. The prelude short teases a fun, meta crossover moment—Duel Masters Win protagonist Win Kirifuda literally steps into the world of manga and meets the franchise’s original hero, Shobu Kirifuda—setting the stage for nostalgia, character interplay, and new plot directions that both long-time fans and newcomers can get excited about.
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What is Duel Masters RX (Reverse Cross)?
Duel Masters RX promises to continue Win Kirifuda’s journey, but with a twist: the new title (read as “reverse cross”) hints at storylines that will invert or remix established franchise tropes. The prelude short—published as an introductory piece—shows Win crossing into the manga world and meeting Shobu Kirifuda, the original protagonist of the Duel Masters series. That kind of crossover sets up possibilities for timeline-bending, multiverse-style interactions, and character development that leans on series history while opening up room for fresh storytelling.
Release Details and Where to Read
The sequel is scheduled to begin in the March issue of Monthly CoroCoro Comic, which goes on sale March 13. Readers who follow the print magazine or its official channels will be first to see the prelude and early chapters. For background reading and collected volumes, the first volume of Duel Masters Win is available through major retailers (example image source: Amazon Japan). If you want to follow official magazine updates, check the Monthly CoroCoro Comic site for issue release information and serialization schedules. Monthly CoroCoro Comic is the magazine home for ongoing Duel Masters manga announcements.
How RX Connects to Duel Masters Win and Franchise Lore
The key hook for RX is its direct tie to Duel Masters Win: Win Kirifuda has already been established as a modern-era protagonist, and seeing him meet Shobu is significant because Shobu is the foundational hero of the franchise. That encounter serves both story and marketing—tying a new entry to legacy characters deepens engagement for returning fans and provides a natural entry point for readers who are curious about the series’ history.
Story-wise, crossing into the “world of manga” is a metafictional device that allows creators to freely reference prior arcs, resurrect or reinterpret past events, and explore “what-if” scenarios without breaking continuity. Given Matsumoto’s involvement—he’s already been central to recent Duel Masters installments—readers can expect character-driven drama with fast-paced duels and franchise-aware humor.
Recent Duel Masters Manga & Anime Developments — Context for RX
RX arrives amid a busy run of Duel Masters projects. The franchise has been active across multiple manga strands and short anime adaptations, which helps explain why a new sequel is both timely and strategically smart:
Duel Masters GT
The second part of the Duel Masters GT manga launched on Shogakukan’s Weekly CoroCoro Comic website on December 31 (initially titled Duel Masters GT2 -God of the Trickery-, now listed as Duel Masters GT2 -Gate of the Teleport-). The first part of the GT series, Duel Masters GT -Gear of the Twin heart-, ran from August 2025 until October 2025. GT’s serialized structure and evolving subtitles highlight the franchise’s willingness to rebrand and retitle arcs to reflect shifting story centers and thematic turns.
Duel Masters LOST Series and Short Anime Runs
Shigenobu Matsumoto and Yō Kanebayashi have also produced Duel Masters LOST entries. Duel Masters LOST: Tsuioku no Suishō launched in February 2024 and concluded in March 2024. The follow-up, Duel Masters LOST ~Gekka no Shinigami~ (Reaper of the Moon), ran from August 2024 to February 2025. A third part, Duel Masters LOST ~Bōkyaku no Taiyō~, debuted in September 2025 and concluded on January 1 with word of a fourth part in development.
On the anime front, the LOST entries have received short net anime adaptations: Tsuioku no Suishō had a four-episode net anime in October 2024; Gekka no Shinigami’s anime began in December 2024 and wrapped with its fourth episode in February 2025; the Bōkyaku no Taiyō anime premiered on February 6 for a four-episode streaming run. These compact anime formats are ideal for testing audience interest and cross-promoting the manga runs.
What Fans Should Expect from RX
- Nostalgia-driven encounters: Seeing Win and Shobu interact will likely produce callbacks and character contrasts that reward long-term readers.
- Creative freedom via metafiction: The “manga world” setup allows for playful storytelling devices—alternate realities, in-universe fourth-wall commentary, and remixed duels.
- Cross-media potential: Given Duel Masters’ recent pattern of short anime adaptations and multiple manga arcs, successful reception of RX could lead to more animated content, special chapters, or tie-in merchandise.
- Accessible entry point: Because the premise involves a protagonist moving between worlds, creators can reintroduce key elements to newcomers without long exposition dumps.
Where This Fits in the Broader Duel Masters Strategy
Between GT’s evolving chapters and the LOST series’ compact anime experiments, RX looks like a continuation of an overall strategy: keep the franchise highly serialized, offer short-form anime to maintain visibility, and craft character-driven sequels that thread nostalgia with novelty. Having a standout creative like Matsumoto at the helm makes RX a natural next step in that playbook.
If you’re following the franchise closely, now is a good time to catch up on recent GT and LOST installments so you’ll recognize the references and character dynamics when RX launches. For collectors, early chapters and special corocoro issues tend to include exclusive inserts or previews—another reason fans often track the magazine releases closely.
Final thoughts
Duel Masters RX looks poised to be a love letter to long-time fans while remaining accessible to new readers: a meta crossover that brings established heroes together and opens fresh narrative possibilities. With a bustling slate of recent manga and short anime content, RX can ride that momentum and potentially spark broader multimedia activity for the franchise. Keep an eye on the March 13 issue of Monthly CoroCoro Comic for the prelude and the first serialized chapter—this sequel may well be the next must-follow entry for Duel Masters enthusiasts.
