Chiikawa’s Nightmare (Akumu) Arc: what it is and how to read it
Based on our Japanese story page for this arc; anime episodes checked on the official anime site (2026-10-01).
In “Akumu” (あくむ, “nightmare”), Chiikawa is visited in dreams every night by a strange opponent who proposes a contest: whoever laughs first loses. Nagano posted the story on X in early 2023, and it has since been collected in Volume 7 and adapted in the anime. This page tells you where to read it in order, without spoilers.
- Original posts
- 20 posts on Nagano’s X, Feb 19, 2023 – Mar 10, 2023
- Book
- Vol. 7 (Japanese), released Nov 21, 2024
- Anime
- Episodes 349–359 (“Akumu 1–11”), aired Jun 5, 2026 – Jul 10, 2026
- Main characters
- Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, and the dream visitor called “Zou”
Read the Nightmare Arc in order
Our Japanese page lines up all 20 of Nagano’s posts for this arc as X embeds, in the order they were posted. The page is in Japanese, but the comic is the same post you would see on X: just scroll down from the top, and use the next-page button at the bottom of each page.
- Page 1: The nightly contest
- Posts 1–10
- Page 2: Night after night
- Posts 11–20
- 20 is the number of Nagano’s posts we collected, not an official episode count.
- Most of the posts have almost no text, so you can follow the story even without reading Japanese.
What is the Nightmare Arc about? (no spoilers)
One night, Chiikawa is drawn into a dream and challenged to a staring contest where whoever laughs loses. The visitor keeps coming back every night, and Chiikawa wakes up with nothing but exhaustion.
- Worried, Hachiware and Usagi hear Chiikawa out, and Usagi gets pulled into the nightly contests too (Kodansha’s description of Vol. 7 mentions this much).
- Fans often name it among the scarier Chiikawa stories, because nothing violent happens, yet night itself starts to feel frightening.
- We stop there. How the contests turn out is best found in the comic or the anime.
Who is the elephant? Its name is “Zou”
The long-nosed visitor is called “Zou” (ゾウ, “elephant”). The official goods name, the guide for the “Akumu Room” area at Chiikawa Park, and the anime’s cast credit all use that name.
- What it really is, where it comes from, and why it enters Chiikawa’s dreams have not been explained, as of October 2026.
- Some fans read it as a baku, the dream-eating creature from Japanese folklore, but the word “baku” never appears in the story.
Which volume and which anime episodes?
The Nightmare Arc is collected in Volume 7 of the Japanese books (Kodansha). In the anime, it is episodes 349 to 359, titled “Akumu 1” to “Akumu 11”.
- Volume 7 was released on Nov 21, 2024.
- The episodes aired in Japan from Jun 5, 2026 to Jul 10, 2026, on Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi TV”.
- Volume 7 is not the movie’s source story; the movie adapts the Siren Arc in Volume 8.
- We have only checked the Japanese books and the broadcast in Japan.
Characters and more to read
The arc centers on Chiikawa, with Hachiware and Usagi at its side. Our character pages explain who they are.
Frequently asked questions
What is the name of the elephant in the Chiikawa nightmare story?
It is called “Zou” (elephant). The goods, Chiikawa Park and the anime credits all use that name. What it really is has not been revealed.
Which volume has the Nightmare Arc?
Volume 7 of the Japanese books (Kodansha).
Which anime episodes are the Nightmare Arc?
Episodes 349 to 359, “Akumu 1” to “Akumu 11”, aired in Japan in June and July 2026.
Where can I read it for free?
The original posts are on Nagano’s X account. Chiifan’s Nightmare Arc page shows all 20 posts in order.
Sources
Pages marked (Japanese) are only available in Japanese.