Battle Angel Alita is Getting a New Manga

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Key Takeaways

  • Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle final chapter complete, new series in 2025, delighting fans.
  • Cyberpunk masterpiece, Alita series set in post-apocalyptic future, beloved by fans for over 30 years.
  • Franchise success, inspiring live-action adaptation, no plans for anime, manga still available.

As a devoted fan of manga and sci-fi, I can’t help but feel like I’ve stumbled upon a hidden treasure trove with Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita. From its humble beginnings in Business Jump to its recent resurgence, it’s been an absolute joy to witness the evolution of this captivating story.

In a recent update on his official blog, Yukito Kishiro announced that he has completed the final chapter of the manga series “Gunnm: Kasei Senki,” also known as “Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle” in English audiences. He further revealed that the Battle Angel Alita story will resume as a new series in 2025. The Mars Chronicle manga revolves around the character Gally, or Alita in the English version, who embarks on a journey to discover her origins on Mars. After a break from October 2022 to January 2024, the story has now reached its conclusion.

Enthusiasts of the iconic cyberpunk saga, or those who watched its 2019 live-action remake, are bound to be thrilled to learn that the storyline carries on, over three decades after its initial broadcast.

The Battle Angel Alita manga is available to read on Kodansha’s website.

Basic Plot of Battle Angel Alita

A Cyberpunk Masterpiece

The Battle Angel Alita series, conceived by Yukito Kishiro, initially appeared as serializations in Shueisha’s Business Jump magazine between 1990 and 1995. This franchise unfolds in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk setting, specifically within the Scrapyard – a fitting name for this city dump where Zalem’s inhabitants discard their waste. A scientist unearths a cyborg in this junkyard and sets about rebuilding and nurturing her. This cyborg is christened Gally/Alita, who possesses only recollections of an enigmatic martial art called Panzer Kurst. Alita assists Dr Daisuke Ido in his profession as a bounty hunter. Upon discovery, she is found with just her head and upper body intact but in a state of suspended animation; however, after receiving a new body from Dr Ido, Alita becomes an accomplished bounty hunter, eliminating numerous criminals in Scrapyard before a harrowing event triggers a quest to uncover her true identity.

Titles in the Gunnm Franchise
Title Publisher Publish Date
Battle Angel Alita Shueisha 1990 – 1995
Last Order Kodansha 2000 – 2014
Mars Chronicle Kodansha 2014 – 2024
Unknown Unknown 2025 –

About the Franchise

Business Jump’s Big Break

The original “Battle Angel Alita” manga spanned nine volumes from 1990 to 1995. Its sequel, “Battle Angel Alita: Last Order,” followed with a run of 19 volumes between 2000 and 2014. Initially serialised in Shueisha’s Ultra Jump magazine from 2000 to 2010, it then moved to Kodansha’s Evening magazine for the rest of its run. The third series in the “Battle Angel Alita” franchise, “Mars Chronicle,” was published in Evening from 2014 to 2022, with a brief two-year break before resuming in Kodansha’s Comic Days until its final chapter in 2022. A side story titled “Ashen Victor” was released between September 1995 and July 1996. In 1993, a two-episode OVA called “Battle Angel,” produced by KSS Inc., Movic, Animate, and Madhouse, hit the screens with Hiroshi Fukutomi as director. At that time, author Yukito Kishiro was deeply involved with the manga and not particularly keen on an anime adaptation.

I’ve been drawing manga since before I can remember, but it wasn’t until high school that I started to ink my work seriously. I’ve always liked mecha — Mobile Suit Gundam had an incredible effect on me — and my art has been affected by it for years. I couldn’t draw people, but I could sure draw mecha.

– Yukito Kishiro

Currently, there are no announced plans for a anime adaptation. The acclaimed sci-fi title “Battle Angel Alita” gained significant attention when it was adapted into a live-action Hollywood film directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, starring Rosa Salazar. Known as one of the greatest sci-fi titles, “Alita” draws inspiration from science fiction legends like Isaac Asimov. Yukito Kishiro’s exceptional artwork, world-building, and character development contributed to Business Jump magazine reaching a record monthly sales count of over 760,000 between 1990 and 1995, making it the highest in its history. During that same period, over 50 million copies of Business Jump entered circulation, generating an estimated revenue of approximately $135 million. The next chapter in the “Battle Angel Alita” story will commence next year, but no details have been disclosed yet.

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2024-12-01 20:59