What Chapter Does Grand Blue Season 2 End in the Manga?
After waiting years for Grand Blue Season 2, I honestly forgot just how ridiculously funny this series could be. One minute you’re getting gorgeous underwater diving scenes that make you want to grab a scuba license, and the next you’re watching Iori and the Peek-a-Boo crew destroy every ounce of dignity they have left. Somehow, it still works perfectly.
Now that the second season is over, one question keeps popping up everywhere in anime communities: where should you start reading the manga after the finale? If you’re like me and hate waiting years for another anime sequel, the manga is absolutely worth diving into.
Where to Start Grand Blue Manga After Season 2: The Ultimate Guide
The Quick Answer
If you only want the continuation of the story, start with Chapter 46.
Season 2 finishes adapting the events of Chapter 45, wrapping up the unforgettable deserted island storyline before moving toward the next phase of college life.
Here’s the simple breakdown:
| Anime | Manga Chapters |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Chapters 1–21.5 |
| Season 2 | Chapters 22–45 |
| Continue After Anime | Chapter 46 |
The transition feels surprisingly smooth, so you won’t spend several chapters wondering whether you skipped something important.
Season 2 Was Surprisingly Faithful
One thing I genuinely appreciate about the anime adaptation is that it doesn’t try to reinvent the manga. Plenty of comedy series lose their rhythm when adapted, but Grand Blue manages to preserve the insane energy that made the manga famous.
There are a few scenes that appear in a slightly different order, mostly because they work better in an episodic TV format. Some extra chapters are repositioned, and a handful of small jokes disappear along the way, but none of the major story beats are missing.
The anime successfully covers:
- The return from Okinawa.
- University festival chaos.
- Sakurako’s introduction.
- The unforgettable deserted island arc.
- The ending of Chapter 45.
For anyone jumping into Chapter 46, everything still feels completely natural.
Should You Skip to Chapter 46?
Personally, yes… but with one exception.
If your only goal is seeing what happens next, Chapter 46 is absolutely the right place to begin. The characters, relationships, and ongoing jokes all carry over naturally, and you’ll immediately enter the next big storyline.
The pacing stays fast, and the manga wastes almost no time before introducing new disasters for Iori and the gang. For anime-only fans, this is probably the best option because you get fresh content immediately instead of rereading dozens of chapters you’ve mostly already seen.
…But Starting From Chapter 1 Is Also Worth It
This is where longtime manga readers usually start convincing everyone to begin from scratch—and honestly, I understand why.
The anime captures the spirit of Grand Blue, but the manga simply has more room to breathe. Many jokes last longer on the page, and some of the funniest character interactions never made it into the television adaptation.
Why the Manga Feels Even Better
- Extra visual gags that never appeared in the anime.
- Longer conversations that make the cast even more entertaining.
- More ridiculous facial expressions that somehow become even crazier.
- Additional character moments that strengthen later story developments.
The artwork deserves special praise. Every time I think the series can’t possibly draw an uglier reaction face, it somehow proves me wrong. Then, a few pages later, it switches to breathtaking underwater scenery that looks like it belongs in an entirely different manga.
That contrast is one of the biggest reasons why Grand Blue stands out among comedy manga. It constantly balances absolute absurdity with genuinely beautiful artwork.
What Happens After Season 2?
Without getting into heavy spoilers, the story changes in some really fun ways after Chapter 45.
The island adventure may be over, but the social chaos is only getting started. Iori’s fake relationship continues creating one misunderstanding after another, while new romantic tensions slowly begin taking center stage.
Sakurako also becomes far more important than many anime viewers probably expect. She quickly turns into one of the biggest sources of comedy—and absolute mayhem—in the entire series.
Meanwhile, the diving club starts looking toward its next major destination, which longtime fans already know is one of the manga’s greatest story arcs.
The Palau Arc Lives Up to the Hype
If you’ve spent any time browsing anime forums or Reddit discussions, you’ve probably seen readers constantly praising the Palau arc.
After finally reading it myself, I completely understand why. The arc doesn’t rely solely on outrageous comedy, even though there is plenty of that. Instead, it brings the diving aspect of the series back into focus and reminds readers why the club exists in the first place.
The underwater scenery becomes spectacular, character relationships continue evolving, and the romance-comedy misunderstandings somehow become even more ridiculous than before. It’s one of those rare arcs where nearly every chapter delivers either a huge laugh or a genuinely memorable diving moment.
Is the Manga Better Than the Anime?
This is one of those rare situations where I honestly don’t think there’s a wrong answer.
The anime absolutely nails many of the jokes thanks to excellent voice acting, expressive animation, and perfect comedic timing. Watching the cast scream at each other somehow makes every ridiculous situation even funnier.
Still, the manga offers several advantages that are difficult to ignore.
Reasons to Read the Manga
- More detailed artwork.
- Better pacing for many jokes.
- Extra comedy scenes.
- More character interactions.
- Hundreds of additional pages beyond Season 2.
If I had to recommend only one version, I’d still choose the manga simply because there’s so much more content available, and the quality never really drops.
Where to Continue Reading
Once you’ve finished the anime, the reading order couldn’t be simpler.
| If You Want… | Start Here |
|---|---|
| Continue immediately after Season 2 | Chapter 46 |
| Experience every joke and extra scene | Chapter 1 |
Both choices make sense depending on how much time you have. If you’re eager to see brand-new material, Chapter 46 is the obvious starting point. If you’ve become a true fan of the series, reading from Chapter 1 gives you the complete experience with every hilarious panel the anime couldn’t include.
Final Thoughts
After finishing Grand Blue Season 2, I expected to read only a handful of manga chapters before taking a break. Instead, I found myself binge-reading volume after volume because the comedy somehow keeps getting even better. Very few series manage to balance outrageous humor, heartfelt friendships, awkward romance, and genuinely beautiful diving moments this successfully.
If you’re wondering where to continue after the anime, Chapter 46 is unquestionably the place to start. But don’t be surprised if you eventually return to Chapter 1 anyway. That’s exactly what happened to me, and I never regretted reading the entire story from the beginning. Some manga are simply too entertaining to experience only once.
