Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon (自動販売機に生まれ変わった俺は迷宮を彷徨う) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Itsuwa Kato (original edition) and Yūki Hagure (revised edition). The series was originally published in 2016 as a web novel by the author on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Later on the same year, it was acquired and then published by Kadokawa Shoten.

The light novels follow its titular protagonist who, after being crushed to death by a vending machine, is reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy dungeon world. Shortly after, he meets and befriends Lammis, a young female hunter, who names him "Boxxo" and starts carrying him around on her back, and the two start their adventures in the dungeon together.

A manga adaptation by Kunieda began serialization ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in August 2021. Both the light novel and manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ aired from July to September 2023. A second season aired from July to September 2025. A third season premiered in April 2026.

Reborn as a Vending Machine has been well received by critics, with particular praise being directed at the novels' unique take on the isekai genre.

Synopsis

An unnamed Japanese otaku who is interested in vending machines is crushed to death by a falling vending machine. He then finds himself reincarnated in a fantasy world dungeon as a sentient vending machine. He can see and hear but is immobile, with his speech being limited to stock Japanese vending machine phrases, such as "Hello there" or "Too bad". As a vending machine, he discovers he can dispense any item he has bought in his previous life, and can convert such sales to points, thus sustaining his existence. He is also able to use excess coins to add additional features to his vending machine body, and is able to choose which items he stocks or the prices of the items. Furthermore, he is able to use some magical abilities, including shapeshifting, invisibility, telekinesis, and a defensive vector force field.

Stuck in the middle of the wilderness, he encounters Lammis, a young female hunter. Lammis has a skill known as the Blessing of Might, which makes her ridiculously strong, but is still a novice at managing her own strength. The two quickly become friends after he dispenses some food items to the hungry Lammis. Calling him "Boxxo", she starts carrying him around on her back, which allows Boxxo to move, with his weight allowing her to more easily control her strength. The series chronicles their adventures as they start exploring the world's dungeon, and the characters they meet on the way.

Characters

• Boxxo (ハッコン)
• The titular protagonist of the series. Prior to being reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy world, Boxxo was a vending machine otaku who was crushed by a falling vending machine in Japan. His current name was given to him by Lammis. As a vending machine, Boxxo can only communicate in stock vending machine phrases, although he can still speak to himself in his thoughts and he can see and hear just fine; however, he is soon able to use the letters in his limited speech to spell out what he is trying to say. He is able to sell and dispense an unlimited number of products, which rewards him with points he can use to upgrade himself and can make food packagings and wrappings disappear. He is also built with a small digital slot machine, has the ability to shapeshift, can create a forcefield around him for defense, use telekinesis, raise or lower his temperature, and can reward people with free products.
• Lammis (ラッミス)
• Lammis is a young, energetic hunter with a special ability called the Blessing of Might, which makes her incredibly strong, though she is clumsy at controlling her own strength. This is resolved when she carries Boxxo on her back, allowing her better control of her strength. She lives on the Clearflow Lake stratum. Lammis is Boxxo's primary love interest and means of transportation, the latter because she is the only human who can carry Boxxo on her own. She hates losing her friends and loved ones due to her parents being killed by monsters and her village being destroyed in the attack. Due to her closeness with Boxxo, she gets emotionally upset if they are separated and will stop at nothing to find him.
• Hulemy (ヒュールミ)
• A childhood friend of Lammis who behaves more like an older sister. Hulemy is a talented magical item engineer and has a tomboyish personality. She is the first to discover that Boxxo contains a human soul inside him. Like Lammis, she lost her parents and village in a monster attack. She also appears to have feelings for Boxxo.[11]
• Suori (スオリ)
• The daughter of a rich tycoon who is selfish, arrogant, and strong-willed. Suori has taken an interest in Boxxo, so much so that she even once tried to buy him. She also has a rival named Kanashi, whom she hates above all else.[11]
• Director Bear (熊会長)
• A literal bear who is the director of the Hunter's Association on the Clearflow Lake stratum. His real name is Bommy (ボミー).[11] Like Lammis, he is strong enough to carry Boxxo. He is a strong fighter, his claws are razor sharp to cut through even solid stone and he can emit a super sonic roar.
• Kerioyl (ケリオイル)
• The leader of the Menagerie of Fools. He is quite arrogant, but is a very skilled fighter. Boxxo has personal issues towards him. It is later revealed that he and Filmina are married and that Aka and Shino are their sons. They also have a third son, who is suffering a curse that is quickly making him decay. To save him, he and his family secretly aid the Netherlord in his scheme in exchange for a cure; this revelation causes the rest of the team to turn on him and his family. He also possesses a secret power that can disable other people's magical abilities.
• Filmina (フィルミナ)
• Kerioyl's second-in-command of the Menagerie of Fools who can use water magic. She usually gets annoyed with her leader's arrogance. It is later revealed that she is part vamp fiend (vampire) and also has a vampire form. It is also revealed that she and Kerioyl are actually married and that Aka and Shino are their sons. Furthermore, they have a third son, who is suffering a curse that is quickly making him decay. To save him, she and her family secretly aid the Netherlord in his scheme in exchange for a cure.
• Shui (シュイ)
• A huntress whom Lammis befriends. She serves as a member of the Menagerie of Fools and has a monstrous appetite. Like Lammis and Hulemy, she also appears to have feelings for Boxxo.
• Shirley (シャーリィ)
• A cordial, beautiful woman who runs a "business of the night" on the Clearflow Lake stratum. Boxxo takes a liking to her. It is implied she has a crush on Director Bear, blushing whenever he compliments her. She is also a strong hunter and fights with a whip.[11]
• Aka (赤)
• A member of the Menagerie of Fools. It is later revealed that he and Shiro are Kerioyl and Filmina's sons and they have been secretly helping the Netherlord to save their brother from a curse. He is also part vampire.
• Shiro (白)
• A member of the Menagerie of Fools. It is later revealed that he and Aka are Kerioyl and Filmina's sons and they have been secretly helping the Netherlord to save their brother from a curse. He is also part vampire.
• Mishuel (ミシュエル)
• A handsome hunter who appears charming on the outside. On the inside, however, he is shown to be somewhat of a coward and is not good with communication. He later joins the Menagerie of Fools.
• Suco (スコ), Pell (ペル), Short (ショート), and Mikenne (ミケネ)
• Suco:
• Pell:
• Short:
• Mikenne:
• A group of Bearcats who are known as the Band of Gluttons. They later join the Menagerie of Fools. They are fast and can emit a powerful sonic attack.
• Missus (おかみさん) and Munami (ムナミ)
• Missus:
• Munami:
• Two women who work at an inn on the Clearflow Lake stratum. They are good friends with Lammis.
• Acowi (アコウイ)
• The owner of the Merchants Exchange.
• Gocguy (ゴッガイ)
• Acowi's helper. He is skilled with using an axe.
• Karios (カリオス) and Gorth (ゴルス)
• Karios:
• Gorth:
• Two guards who protect the Clearflow Lake stratum.
• Fia (フィア)
• A shopkeeper who has a crush on Karios. Boxxo helped them interact upon noticing this.
• Gugoyle (グゴイル)
• A thief who tried to rob Boxxo once. He is a member of a group of bandits.
• May (メイ)
• A young girl who once won a free item from Boxxo. She is Shimelai and Yumite's granddaughter.
• Kanashi (カナシ)
• Suori's rival who has a similar personality as her.
• Hoxie (ホクシー)
• The director of the orphanage located on the Origin stratum who is also a skilled hunter, using bows and arrows.
• Shimelai (シメライ) and Yumite (ユミテ)
• Shimelai:
• Yumite:
• An elderly couple who are skilled hunters and can use magic. They are May's grandparents.
• Director Origin (始まりの会長)
• The unnamed director of the Origin stratum. She specializes in combat skills.
• Hevee (ヘブイ)
• A former member of the Menagerie of Fools who has a shoe fetish; it is because they remind him of his deceased childhood friend. He also knows of Boxxo's origins.
• Kikoyu (キコユ)
• A Snow Child who can shield her presence and telepathically read other people's thoughts by touching them. She also has some control over cold air, which grows very powerful when she reaches adulthood. She becomes Boxxo's rival due to her having the ability to use her Piece of Field to create food for people to eat. She, Botan, and Kuroyata eventually leave the dungeon to find and revive Field.
• Botan (ボタン) and Kuroyata (黑八咫)
• Botan:
• Kuroyata:
• Kikoyu's monster companions who serves as her protectors rather than her tamed pets.
• Field (畑)
• A sentient field mentioned by Kikoyu who went dormant in the Demon Lord's domain. A magical barrier prevents anyone from seeing him. Kikoyu now carries a piece of him, which can grow crops quickly and convert monster corpses into nutrients. He is also a reincarnated human like Boxxo.
• Director Dark (闇の森林会長)
• The director of the Dark Forest stratum, whose real name is Dark-Dark. He can flatten himself into a shadow and slip under cracks.
• Director Labyrinth
• The director of the Labyrinth stratum. Her real name is unknown.
• Director Scorching (灼熱の会長)
• The director of the Scorching Sand stratum. His true name is unknown. He possess powerful fire magic.
• Director Dog Mountain
• The director of the Dog Mountain stratum. His true name is unknown. He is technically a young boy who is accompanied by a man, presumed to be his father.
• Pity
• A shy but determined girl who lives in a giant clam. She can fight using her clam as a shield and weapon. She also has the power to alter weight, making her one of the only characters who can carry Boxxo on her own.
• Kerioyl’s Son
• Kerioyl and Filmina’s unnamed first son, who is under a curse that forces his family to serve the Netherlord in exchange for a cure. Though he looks younger than his brothers Aka and Shiro, he is really older than them. He has also developed a bond with Sulream, but was really pretending this whole time as he knows of her true intentions and wants to free of his pain.
• King of Souls (死霊王)
• A powerful undead who is a part of the Netherlord.
• Kayolings (カヨーリングス)
• A ghostly woman who serves the Netherlord. Even though she is a ghost, she is vulnerable to magic. She can create fires and telekinetically control a chain.
• Tashtay (タシテ)
• A highly arrogance hunter and the leader of a group of bandits called the Billowing Flames. He was responsible for murdering Hevee's childhood friend. He also works for the Netherlord. He is killed by Sulream.
• Sulream (スルリィム)
• An alternate adult version of Kikoyu who works for the Netherlord, who saved her in another timeline. This version never met Field, Botan, and Kuroyata. She has the same powers as her original variant.
• Middle Finger General
• A shark-like monster who serves the Netherlord. He can use telepathy. He is killed by Boxxo and Pity after he tries to stop them from escaping the Netherlord’s fortress.
• Netherlord (冥府の王)
• The dungeon's strongest monster and a servant of the Demon Lord. It is implied that he knows Boxxo's origins. It is later revealed that he lured hunters into the dungeon so he could kill them and use their corpses to reproduce his army, while also attempting to conquer the dungeon for his own means. He has lots of servants, both humans and supernatural beings, doing his dirty work and is even manipulating Kerioyl and his family into helping him in return for saving their cursed son.
• Demon Lord (魔王)
• The Netherlord's master who rules an area located north of the dungeon.

Media

Reception

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon has received positive reviews. Theron Martin of Anime News Network reviewed the first volume positively, praising its unique take on the isekai genre, Hirukuma's writing style, and the relationship between Boxxo and Lammis, which he found to be impressive and not having to "resort to hackneyed gimmicks". Summarizing that "this novel's bizarre concept is what will catch people's attention, but the writing is good enough to keep it", some criticism was directed at the light novel's fanservice, which Martin found to be forced, and the RPG elements typical of isekai series.[53] Similarly, Robert Frazer of UK Anime Network found Reborn as a Vending Machine to be "a blast of fresh air to flush out the stale isekai genre", as "it's fun and different to defeat the villain with Diet Coke and Mentos instead of just firing a Saiyan blast at a higher powerlevel".[54]

Rebecca Silverman and Lynzee Loveridge, in Anime News Network's Spring 2018 Light Novel Guide, also praised the setting but found the writing to "read like fan-fiction-level quality". They ultimately found the volume to "still [be] an engaging read", with its format adapted the same way as So I'm a Spider, So What? and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.[55] Loveridge further included the protagonist's "Death By Vending Machine" on her list of the "7 Strangest Isekai Deaths".[56]

See also

• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, the manga adaptation of which is also illustrated by Kunieda

External links

• at Shōsetsuka ni Narō