Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time (Japanese: いずれ最強の錬金術師？, Hepburn: Izure Saikyō no Renkinjutsu-shi?; lit. 'Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist?') is a Japanese light novel series written by Kogitsunemaru and illustrated by Hitogome. Originally published online since August 2017, AlphaPolis have published eighteenth volumes of the series since February 2018. A manga adaptation illustrated by Tarō Sasakama began serialization online via AlphaPolis' manga website in August 2018 and has been collected in nine tankōbon volumes. The manga is published digitally in English through Alpha Manga. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Comet aired from January to March 2025. A second season has been announced.
Contents
Plot
Takumi Iruma is accidentally caught up in a summoning spell to gather heroes in the fantasy world of Mildgard. Since he cannot be returned to Earth, the goddess Nolyn compensates him with the power of alchemy. Takumi prefers to live a peaceful life, but his incredible powers start attracting attention.
Characters
"Wings of Nolyn" Members
Takumi Iruma (タクミ・イルマ)
Voiced by: Shogo Sakata (Japanese); Zac Loera (English)
A Japanese salaryman who was accidentally summoned to the world of Mildgard by the goddess Nolyn. His body was disintegrated by the spell, so Nolyn resurrects him as a teenager and gives an array of magical powers to make a new life for himself in Mildgard. Initially, Takumi wants to live peacefully and avoid conflict, so he decides to become an alchemist in the city of Bolton, but to gain employment, he has to become a member at the local adventurer's guild and fulfill at least one quest for them per month. His inventions cause the kingdom of Barcula to get unwanted attention from the Holy Sidonia Empire, which gets inspired to summon three heroes from Takumi's old world. He soon becomes the ruler of Wedgefort, a town that he built.
Sofia Sylphid (ソフィア・シルフィード, Sofia Shirufīdo)
Voiced by: Ai Kayano (Japanese); Dee Meo (English)
An elf and Takumi's adventuring partner. She was crippled and under a magic sealing curse before Takumi healed her. She is initially harsh and tries to keep her distance from Takumi, but after her healing, she becomes nicer and develops feelings for him.
Maria (マリア)
Voiced by: Nao Tōyama (Japanese); Monica Flatley (English)
Takumi's housekeeper and Sofia's best friend. She is trained in cooking, cleaning and fighting, to the point she becomes excited whenever Takumi crafts tools that facilitate her tasks. Maria is cheerful and more socially adept, providing a contrast to the more restrained Sofia.
Maple (カエデ, Kaede)
Voiced by: Afumi Hashi (Japanese); Jessica Peterson (English)
A Killer Spider that helps Takumi survive an attack from a wild boar. Takumi decides to adopt her and they form a telepathic bond, which allows Takumi to interpret her thoughts as spoken words. Because of her ability to produce silk, she becomes an asset to Takumi's production efforts. Takumi named her Maple due to the pattern on her back that resembles a maple leaf. She later evolves into an Arachne with a human torso atop her spider body and develops the ability to speak with others without Takumi having to act as her translator. It is through her that Takumi finds and adopts a Drake Horse who later evolved into a Dragon Horse named Camellia, whom Maple grows attached to. She can enter and exit Takumi's pocket dimension at will.
Other characters
Goddess Nolyn (女神ノルン, Megami Norun)
Voiced by: Sora Amamiya (Japanese); Lexa Childress (English)
A goddess that accidentally summoned Takumi to the world of Mildgard. As an apology, she resurrects him as a teenager and gives him magical powers so he can start a new life as an alchemist. It is later revealed that she actually brought Takumi to Mildgard before the Holy Sidonia Empire could summon three heroes, implying that Nolyn's summoning might not actually have been accidental.
Molly
A young girl whom Takumi meets after saving her from a monster. She is the first human that Takumi meets in his new life.
Banga and Martha
Molly's parents.
Elizabeth
The empress of the Holy Empire of Sidonia, who summoned the three heroes.
Papek
A trader who forms good terms with Takumi.
Heath, Riell, and Bogar
Members of the party Lion Fang.
Mulan
The owner of the Mulan Slave Company.
Akira and Yamato
The other two heroes who were summoned by the Holy Empire of Sidonia. Unlike Akane, they are more willing to help the empire, eventually becoming ruthless warriors as a result of a drug that the empire fed them, which Akane managed to resist.
Barack
Media
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Tarō Sasakama began serialization on AlphaPolis' manga website in August 2018. The manga's chapters have been collected in nine tankōbon volumes as of December 2024. AlphaPolis has published the series in English on their Alpha Manga app. AlphaPolis would later publish the English version physically starting in 2026.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on May 9, 2024. It is produced by Studio Comet and directed by Naoyuki Kuzuya, with Mitsutaka Hirota writing series scripts, Sayaka Anesaki designing the characters, and Hiroshi Nakamura composing the music. The series aired from January 8 to March 26, 2025, on Tokyo MX and BS11. The opening theme song is "TREASURE!", performed by Dialogue+, while the ending theme song is "Twinkle Days" (トゥインクル・デイズ; Tuinkuru・Deizu), performed by harmoe. Crunchyroll streamed the series. The company is set to release the series in Blu-ray set on March 10, 2026.
A second season was announced on September 11, 2025.