 The anime has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America, Manga Entertainment in the UK and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.The English edition of "King of Thorn" was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as among the 10 best graphic novels for teens for 2008.Volume one was praised by "Publishers Weekly" as "a gripping entry in the genre of violent survivor manga," and praised Iwahara's art for conveying the character's claustrophobia without confusing the reader.