  The Fermi-LAT observations of SN 2023ixf, a Type II supernova in the nearby
Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 101 (M101), presents us with an excellent opportunity
to constrain MeV-scale Axion-Like Particles (ALPs). By examining the photon
decay signature from heavy ALPs that could be produced in the explosion, the
existing constraints on the ALP-photon coupling can be improved, under
optimistic assumptions, by up to a factor of $ \sim 2 $ for masses $ m_a
\lesssim 3 $ MeV. Under very conservative assumptions, we find a bound that is
slightly weaker than the existing ones for $ m_a \lesssim 0.5$ MeV. The exact
reach of these searches depends mostly on properties of the SN progenitor. This
study demonstrates the relevance of core-collapse supernovae, also beyond the
Magellanic Clouds, as probes of fundamental physics.
