Brave Story
#1184.19 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2003 Reading commitment Low Miyuki Miyabe Last reviewed 2026-09-06
Overview
A standalone Japanese portal fantasy: Wataru Mitani, a Tokyo schoolboy whose family is falling apart, follows a doorway into the world of Vision in search of a power said to grant any wish. What he finds instead is a journey that forces him to grow up.
Portal fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Brave Story (2003) core · 4.19 (2,903 ratings); Standalone portal fantasy: a Tokyo schoolboy escapes into the fantasy world of Vision to seek a wish-granting power that might restore his broken family. First published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten (Japan, 2003), after 1999-2001 serialization. Translated into English by Alexander O. Smith (Viz Media/Haikasoru, 2007); the English translation won the American Library Association's 2008 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book originally published in a language other than English.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Brave Story? Brave Story's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Brave Story finished? Complete (2003).
- How much reading does Brave Story take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~816 pages).
- How is Brave Story ranked? #118 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 2,903 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #118?
Ranked #118 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.19 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (2,903 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #117, The Letter for the King (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #118 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Brave Story and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Tom's Midnight Garden Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.05
- Elidor Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- The Neverending Story Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.18
- The Chronicles of Narnia Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.19 across 2,903 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe) accepted 2026-09-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-06
Rule: Registered as a single work, not a series: the Japanese original (Kadokawa Shoten, 2003) is one continuous novel, published across two physical hardcover volumes for print length, not an independently sold sequence.