Phantom of the Idol

Phantom of the Idol (神クズ☆アイドル) is a Japanese comedy manga series by Hijiki Isoflavone. It has been serialized in Ichijinsha's josei manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum since December 2017 and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes as of July 2023. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Gokumi aired from July to September 2022.

Plot
Yuya Niyodo is on the verge of being fired from his job as an idol in the two-man group ZINGS, due to his poor and lazy attitude, when he meets the ghost of Asahi Mogami, a popular idol who died a year ago in a traffic accident. Niyodo gets her to possess him and do his job for him, causing him to gain a reputation as a strange idol.

Main

 * Yuya Niyodo (仁淀ユウヤ)
 * Yuya is a member of idol unit ZINGS. However, since he debuted as an idol to earn easy money, he is unmotivated during performance and fan interactions. He lets Asahi possess his body during his idol activity so Asahi can stay in the living world as long as possible, and he can keep earning easy money.
 * Yuya is a member of idol unit ZINGS. However, since he debuted as an idol to earn easy money, he is unmotivated during performance and fan interactions. He lets Asahi possess his body during his idol activity so Asahi can stay in the living world as long as possible, and he can keep earning easy money.


 * Asahi Mogami (最上アサヒ)
 * A popular idol from the group I'm who lost her life in a car accident and became a ghost roughly a year before her encounter with Niyodo.
 * A popular idol from the group I'm who lost her life in a car accident and became a ghost roughly a year before her encounter with Niyodo.


 * Kazuki Yoshino (吉野カズキ)
 * An idol and member of ZINGS who desperately keeps Yuya in the unit because he cannot perform alone.
 * An idol and member of ZINGS who desperately keeps Yuya in the unit because he cannot perform alone.

Others

 * Hitomi Shinano (信濃ヒトミ)
 * The manager of ZINGS and owner of the company they belong to.
 * The manager of ZINGS and owner of the company they belong to.


 * Kasenjiki (河川敷)
 * A dedicated Niyodo fan with green hair who often wears a headband with lightsticks attached to it.
 * A dedicated Niyodo fan with green hair who often wears a headband with lightsticks attached to it.


 * Tsugiko (ツギコ)
 * A Niyodo fan who works an office job.
 * A Niyodo fan who works an office job.


 * Shigutaro (しぐたろ)
 * A Niyodo fan who is also a student.
 * A Niyodo fan who is also a student.


 * Hikaru Setouchi (瀬戸内ヒカル)
 * The leader of popular idol group Cgrass. Setouchi initially believes that Niyodo is copying Asahi Mogami, and creates a thorough website documenting every time Niyodo behaves strangely or poorly.
 * The leader of popular idol group Cgrass. Setouchi initially believes that Niyodo is copying Asahi Mogami, and creates a thorough website documenting every time Niyodo behaves strangely or poorly.


 * Chihiro Misaki (岬チヒロ)
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.


 * Akira Uchihama (内濱アキラ)
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.


 * Yukinari Nada (灘ユキナリ)
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.


 * Homare Hakata (伯方ホマレ)
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.
 * A member of popular idol group Cgrass.


 * Narrator (ナレーション)

Manga
Phantom of the Idol is written and illustrated by Hijiki Isoflavone. The series began serialization in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Zero Sum magazine on December 28, 2017. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha USA.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 26, 2021. It was produced by Studio Gokumi and directed by Daisei Fukuoka, with scripts written by Yasuko Aoki, character designs handled by Saori Hosoda, and music composed by myu. It aired from July 2 to September 3, 2022, on TV Tokyo, BS11, and AT-X. The opening theme song is "Let's Zing!", while the ending theme song is "Kimikira", both performed by the musical unit ZINGS, composed of Fumiya Imai and Shun Horie. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series.

On November 16, 2023, Hidive announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on November 23.

Reception
In 2019, Phantom of the Idol placed third in the 5th Next Manga Award in the print category.