Blame!

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Japanese: BLAME!

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 66

Status: Finished

Published: Jan 25, 1997 to Jul 25, 2003

Genres: Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Afternoon

Authors: Nihei, Tsutomu (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.29¹ (scored by 50,897 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #337²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #66

Members: 177,911

Favorites: 9,871

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8.29

Ranked #337Popularity #66Members 177,911

MangaAfternoonNihei, Tsutomu (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /10

Chapters: /66

BLAME!

Volume 1
$19.99

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Synopsis

In an enormous steel labyrinth riddled with horrifying creatures, humanity is forced to isolate itself in small enclaves while living in constant fear of its annihilation. In this dystopia, only a strange young man known as Killy is brave enough to traverse its unforgiving territories.

Possessing superhuman strength and a rare Graviton Beam Emitter, Killy fights off bloodthirsty beasts and other fiendish forces in his desperate search for a human with the Net Terminal Gene—genetic information that holds the potential to restore the corrupt world.

The dark world of Blame! follows Killy as he meets new people, sheds more blood, and draws closer to finding the Net Terminal Gene. Through these exploits, the true nature of the world is slowly pieced together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Blame! was published in English by Tokyopop from August 9, 2005, to November 6, 2007; this release was nominated for the Harvey Award in the Best American Edition of Foreign Material category in 2006. Vertical Inc. re-released the series in English following the Japanese shinsouban reprint from September 13, 2016, to December 12, 2017. The manga was also published in Italian by Panini Comics from March 16, 2000, to November 18, 2004; in Polish by Japonica Polonica Fantastica from April 8, 2016, to January 31, 2018; in Brazilian Portuguese by Editora JBC from December 2016 to June 2018; and in Russian by XL Media from May 24, 2017, to October 4, 2018.

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Characters

Killy

Main

Cibo

Main

Sanakan

Supporting

Dhomochevsky

Supporting

Pcell

Supporting

Seu

Supporting

Zuru

Supporting

lu Linvega, Davine

Supporting

Upper-Level Builder

Supporting

Ivy

Supporting

Reviews

Jan 10, 2026

RegularUser

Recommended

Blame! is an extremely complex work despite having less dialogue than the average manga, due to its narrative style, which follows the "show, don't tell" writing technique. To get a general idea of where the story is going, you have to pay close attention to each panel. It's complicated, yes, but once you get used to it, you'll see what a great work it is.

The art is simply spectacular, possibly among the best in the world of manga in that aspect. The level of detail in the backgrounds and settings is astounding, making each part of the mega-structure feel unique and, at the same time, ... consistent with the rest of the world established beforehand, which is truly admirable on the part of the author. The world-building is brutal; despite being such a dystopian and terrifying universe, it also manages to be interesting due to the good variety of settings and locations shown as the story progresses, allowing for greater immersion in the work, which in the long run could enhance its enjoyment, even though, on average, it's not a particularly entertaining manga. The action, on the couple of occasions when it occurs, is tense (especially in the Electrofisher arc), since from the beginning it's established that each confrontation against the silicon beings is a matter of life or death for the characters, which helps to add more excitement to the work without feeling forced or out of place given the themes it deals with. There's not much to say about the character design, really; it works and fits well with the tone of the work, especially in Non-human characters like Cibo or silicon beings.

And speaking of the characters, I'll say upfront that they're quite flat with virtually no real development, and if there is any, it remains very much in the background. So don't expect any complex or nuanced characters, because there aren't any. But while this might seem like a negative point, and in other stories it certainly would be, here it doesn't really matter. The narrative style uses the main and secondary characters as tools to move the story through the various events that unfold. The plot is sustained more by the events themselves than by the characters. In any case, the work doesn't try to make you connect with or empathize with them in any way, because that was never its intention. We have Killy, the protagonist, as an example of this. He has no objective beyond finding the network connection genes, and he doesn't have a personality of his own, but he fulfills his purpose as an instrument that helps move the story forward through his actions. So, in general, the characters, as mere conduits of the story, work well, fitting the tone and themes of the narrative.

Discussing the story in detail is complicated, and it's not my intention to provide a comprehensive analysis of the entire manga, so I'll focus on its general aspects. The story is set in a dark, dystopian, and apocalyptic future where humanity is on the brink of extinction due to the constant hunting of silicon-based beings. The story unfolds within the Mega Structure, a mechanical city that grows uncontrollably to the point of covering the entire world. The protagonist, Killy, wanders the length and breadth of this mechanical labyrinth with the goal of finding a human with the network connection genes to access the Netsphere and regain control of the city, thus preventing humanity's extinction. As I mentioned before, the narrative is based entirely on the "show, don't tell" principle. This is because it has chapters with little to no dialogue, relying primarily on the brutally drawn panels, which forces the reader to examine each one closely to follow the plot. This can be difficult at first due to its unconventional narrative style, but it's simply a matter of patience. And observation and a certain amount of interpretation are needed for some elements that aren't entirely clear on the first reading.

With all this said, it's evident that this isn't a work that will appeal to everyone, and to some extent, that's understandable. It's a manga that breaks the classic narrative mold that characterizes not only Japanese comics but, in general, the vast majority of known works of fiction. From beginning to end, it's a reading experience that leaves a great sense of loneliness due to the exorbitant size of the megastructure and, at the same time, how empty it feels despite the creatures (aside from the few humans) that inhabit it. This is especially reflected in the final chapters, which are my personal favorites because they are a compilation of the best elements that make this work unique, and they also leave (more specifically on the last page) a small glimmer of hope in such a bleak world, telling us that all is not lost even in the worst-case scenario, that's why I consider it a masterpiece, for its ability to evoke so many emotions within a universe that portrays one of the worst possible futures for humanity at the hands of technology. I know it's not perfect, but then again, nothing in this world is, and I believe its strengths are more remarkable, especially because at the end of the day, it leaves the reader with something, even if it's just confusion.

In conclusion, Blame! is a work that departs from the conventional, which might make it difficult to give it a chance. However, behind this lies a manga with majestic artwork and a vast world as complex as it is interesting. It's not an easy read, nor is it for everyone, but if you're looking for something different in the world of manga, this is an experience worth exploring.

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Feb 13, 2025

Boozarda

Mixed Feelings

Blame! Is without a doubt a very intriguing, Unique piece of art.

I doubt anybody could read it and not be intrigued by it's aesthetic and atmosphere. With that being said, I would not say this manga is for everyone by any means. The Story can be very hard to track at times, either with how difficult the sense of scale in this world is to capture in manga format, or by how in depth some of the dialogue the characters have can be.

In short, if you are a cyberpunk/goth/distopian-future/ fan you will most likely be attracted to the world and charactes presented in ...

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Dec 17, 2025

LoneWolf1759

Not Recommended

TL;DR: The setting and art are cool, but that’s pretty much where the good stuff ends.

The world’s got a lot of potential. You've got this massive city stretching in all directions, and then there’s this mega-structure outside the city. The art does a great job setting up the scale and making the world feel big and alive. There’s a lot you could do with this setup, honestly.

But here’s the problem: the story is all over the place. The characters are supposedly on some quest to find a “Net Terminal Genre” to connect to the netsphere? Cool, I guess. But Killy’s here for reasons that aren’t ...

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Poll: BLAME! Chapter 63 Discussion Rasco - Sep 23, 2011	14 replies	by vseer »» Dec 13, 2025 11:40 AM
The Safeguard' symbol Cyberpunker - Nov 6, 2016	1 replies	by JeepFryDimmy »» Dec 1, 2025 4:57 PM
Poll: BLAME! Chapter 17 Discussion Ston3_FreeN7 - Nov 19, 2010	10 replies	by LackiehLuka »» Nov 30, 2025 1:23 AM
Poll: BLAME! Chapter 14 Discussion Rasco - Sep 17, 2011	12 replies	by MrKuandohan »» Oct 8, 2025 8:42 PM
Poll: BLAME! Chapter 66 Discussion ( 1 2 ) TuzoAnime - Jun 6, 2010	64 replies	by Giverny »» Jul 29, 2025 5:32 AM

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