BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. originally began on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, written by the author, Yuumikan, some time in 2016, being viewed by more than 60 million times on the site as of today. In the following year, the series was acquired by game publisher company Fujimi Shobo, to be published as a light novel with illustrations by Koin on the Kadokawa Books Imprint, with the first volume being published on September 2017.
The latest volume of the Light Novel series was released on March 2020.
Volumes[]
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 2017 | ISBN 978-4-04-072441-6 | 
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Maple, who has little knowledge of games, has devoted all her status points into defense. Her movement is slow, she can't use any magic, and at the end of the day, a rabbit gets the best of her. "But it doesn't hurt at all... I mean, zero damage? With just a powerful swing, I got a skill called "Absolute Defense". In addition, I even acquired a "Counter" skill that nullifies attacks." She is a slow, impenetrable fortress, and a rookie gamer who dominates all with lethal poison. Yet, she's going off on adventures without noticing her own abnormalities! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | December 10, 2017 | ISBN 978-4-04-072443-0 | 
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Maple instantly rose into fame after ranking third place among all the players in the Battle Royal event. Joining her is her best friend, Sally, who avoids all attacks effortlessly. With these two combined, even a boss that cannot be defeated will be overrun quite easily! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | April 10, 2018 | ISBN 978-4-04-072688-5 | 
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Maple became quite infamous in the second event alongside Sally, having a one-two finish. "We will create a new guild, Maple Tree, and work together with our friends to strengthen it!" Later, the fearsome guilds "Congregation of the Holy Swords" and "Kingdom of the Flame Emperor" appear to challenge the abnormality of Maple Tree. The losing ones will cry! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | August 10, 2018 | ISBN 978-4-04072697-7 | 
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Maple Tree, led by Maple, crash with the strongest holy swordsman, and his number 1 guild! Maple's guild, Maple Tree, gets new members, friends and skills, challenging guilds into battle in the fourth event. With over a hundred large guilds, top guilds Congregation of the Holy Swords and the Kingdom of the Flame Emperor are also participating in the war against each other. But how will the overwhelming enemies and the abnormals fight each other in quality and quantity?! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | December 10, 2018 | ISBN 978-4-04-072698-4 | 
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Maple, who has obtained a new class, starts fighting with the strongest guilds! Maple, who defeated the top guilds in the fourth event, deepens friendships with each guild master. Maple is going to adventure with them at the next level! How will she look in the strongest's eyes?! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | April 10, 2019 | ISBN 978-4-04-073115-5 | 
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A WALKING NIGHTMARE FOR GAME DESIGN! Between easily beating the fifth stratum’s secret boss and keeping pace with the best players in the game, Maple continues to demonstrate exactly how broken she is. Unfortunately, things aren’t going as smoothly for Sally because the sixth stratum’s debut reveals a horror-themed level, meaning it’s chock-full of ghosts, geists, and ghouls! Wanting to do something nice for her partner who’s too terrified to even step onto the new map, Maple sets out to find presents in the haunted houses and cursed crypts, much to the horror of the admins... | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | August 9, 2019 | ISBN 978-4-04-073116-2 | 
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Still feeling a bit sad for Sally, who missed out on the sixth layer, Maple proposes they try something fun for the seventh event. It'll be just the two of them, aiming to complete a no damage run with the odds against them and the difficulty set to max. What could possibly go wrong? | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
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| 8 | December 10, 2019 | ISBN 978-4-04-073117-9 | 
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Maple's made it to the seventh stratum. Finally, monster taming's available on a grand scale, and the other Maple Tree members have begun the search for their own pets! As usual, Maple's gone off on her own to find a new skill. She’s eaten another monster… and this time she's got tentacles?! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | March 10, 2020 | ISBN 978-4-04-073118-6 | 
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All members of Maple Tree made it through the prelims and are joining forces in the eighth event’s main round—a brutal three day survival mission. But they’ve all tamed monsters that perfectly fit their builds and they are unmatched in combat. They rampage across the perilous fields, annihilating bosses that slew countless other players and are well on their way to becoming a gauntlet that no force on earth can hope to survive! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | August 7, 2020 | ISBN 978-4-04-073759-1 | [[File:|312x312px]] |
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It's been a while since Maple and Sally enjoyed some adventures with just the two of them. The girls head out to search for a secret dungeon in the sky. They discover some amazing scenery and even take commemorative photos, but then Maple comes across a girl with lightning-based skills. Apparently, she's the guild master of an up-and-coming new guild and intends to knock Maple Tree off their pedestal! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | January 9, 2021 | ISBN 978-4-04-073760-7 | [[File:|312x312px]] |
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HUNT SEA MONSTERS? THEY’VE GOT OTHER PLANS! The ninth event is here, and the entire player base must work together to defeat enough aquatic monsters before time is up. Maple Tree is so powerful they sweep the battlefield with little trouble. Other than Iz, who’s after limited-edition crafting materials, the guild members aren’t really invested in an event that’s not challenging or competitive. Instead, they spend their time searching for rare monsters and bosses or scouting out other guilds. Any info they gather is priceless if they want an edge in future PvP events. This has never been more important now that two up-and-coming guilds have declared themselves Maple Tree’s rivals. And they’ve got beastly members of their own who can give Maple and Sally a run for their money! | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | August 10, 2021 | ISBN 978-4-04-074129-1 | [[File:|312x312px]] |
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Sunken ships, lost treasure, and underwater adventure! Maple Tree arrives on the eighth stratum to find a whole new world under the sea. They’ll have to dive deep to explore and master fighting in the water. Maple’s defense build isn’t designed for the speed and agility required to swim, but she’ll find a way! Thankfully, Sally’s already a skilled swimmer. With her help, the rest of the guild heads out to find what awaits them on the ocean floor―and what lurks in the dark depths... | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | March 10, 2022 | ISBN 978-4-04-074131-4 | [[File:|312x312px]] |
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The ninth stratum is a large-scale PvP event where players are divided into two opposing kingdoms! All the guilds are scheming about alliances and enemies, but naturally, everyone is interested in who Maple Tree will ally with. As Maple exchanges information with her rivals and receives invitations from competing guilds like the Order of the Holy Sword, she has a lot to consider… And yet, under such circumstances, she gets a special quest! To complete it, she’ll have to use almost all her skills and drain her MP. How will she overcome the biggest crisis she’s faced so far!? | |||
| # | Release Date | ISBN | Cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | August 10, 2022 | ISBN 978-4-04-074630-2 | [[File:|312x312px]] |
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The highly-anticipated tenth event begins! Maple Tree and the Holy Order have formed an alliance, and prepare to head into combat together. Against Mii’s Flames, Velvet’s lightning, and Lily’s army, an epic battle is inevitable! However, the ace up their sleeve—a full roster of first rate players—brings the battlefield to a standstill. To break the stalemate, Pain issues a command for an all-out assault, and Sally hatches an outlandish scheme. Using Maple’s skill, they’ll strike fear in the hearts of their enemies! | |||