I can't help thinking about this manga in 4 very distinct arcs of which, for the most part, I'd keep the first and obliterate the rest.
It's not fair to make that distinction, but up until Volume 14, Shamo had earned it's masterpiece status, at least in the world of martial arts manga.
It wasn't violence for violence sake, it was a study of a loathsome character, a true villain who, true to classic villain fates, had to fight odds stacked entirely against him but which he "deserved" due to his heinous, egotistical actions.
Story:
This follows Ryou Narushima, a brilliant teen who, out of the
...
blue, knifed his parents to death, this being shunned and sent to a reformatory.
In there he was bullied, raped and, eventually taught karate by a shady yet talented figure. At this point, and arc is formed, where Ryou goes from desperate teen to victim of a harsh world, to the sprout of a villain that we will see grow in every sense all the way through to Volume 14, where the whole thing takes a dive into Crying Freeman, more or less, only to then turn and go back to it's grounded setting, but never recovering it's intense focus or purpose.
And that's the thing, there was a purpose, there was a line to follow, one which could end with Ryou's redemption or absolute fall into the darkness.
Neither came to be, though.
Characters:
Ryou Narushima is the absolute focus, the titular battle rooster with a deep feud against life. A man who ruined his own life when pressure got to him and never really looked back, yet not entirely devoid of ethics, morals or empathy. The tragedy of this is that Ryou isn't a psychopath, he's an insecure egomaniac, a survivalist, but also a thrill-seeker. A cunning mind, yet a thug. He lives by his own rules but he can't find happiness because he's unable to see himself for what he truly is. He can't ask forgiveness, he can't forgive himself and he can't escape his increasing number of evil deeds. So he's haunted by them.
Natsumi Narushima is Ryou's sister, who's life was essentially ruined by him, which she didn't take too kindly. She goes into her own spiral of doom, trying to survive, but finds herself perhaps even more lost than his sibling.
She's not properly developed and she's there mostly to be a burden over Ryou.
Kenji Kurokawa is Ryou's karate master, the man who changed his life by giving him the first tools to survive and shape his surroundings.
A mentor figure to him, he also carries a terrible evil within, some of which is passed down to Ryou in one way or another, being instrumental in shaping him as a selfish, violent man.
Naoto Sugawara is Ryou's first and foremost nemesis. The man who did everything right. A strict yet fair karate master who rose to the top by honing his talent and becoming an icon. Ryou hates him immediately.
The rest are other players in Ryou's story. If it isn't obvious yet, it's all about him, it is his character study fist and foremost, and all the other developments serve to move his story forward or add some nuance to it,
but these four are definitely the key players of first and better part.
Tragedy:
There was a point to all this. To all the violence and the suffering and the horrible things happening. This would either be a story about falling into the darkest pit and drown in his self-provoked misery... or a story of redemption from that darkest of pits. Unfortunately it was none.
Somewhere around the third arc, where another, more flashy nemesis was introduced to contrast and perhaps save Ryou from himself... the already unfocused authors had a falling out and got entangled in a legal battle from which, after a long time, the artist, Akio Tanaka emerged victorious with the rights to the manga. This was not so great.
While it's former right wasn't doing his best, at least he seemed to have remembered the point of it all and was moving forward in that direction.
Then the change happened and the point got further and further away.
The last 4 volumes of this are, essentially, painful to read.
Terrible characters are introduced, lots of threads are left loose and the conclusion to it all is an irritating, pseudo-poetic drag after the most ridiculous fight in the whole series. It's a mess.
So yeah, I'm giving the whole of Shamo a 7. The art reaches a peak and never goes down from it -some weird arm anatomy aside- while the highs of the story somewhat compensate the lows -although some of those basically destroy the initial point of it all. To me the first arc gets a 9, the third arc gets a 7, due to a lousy finish, and the second and last arc... they shouldn't exist. So a 4 or something.
Conclusion:
If you like martial arts stories, if you like dark stories, if you like to understand the origins of evil, to see the worse depths and not feel like you're reading adolescent edgy angst, there is a wonderful story for you... up to volume 14. Then there's a whole arc to skip until volume 17, where you get an interesting complimentary story... that falls flat at the very end, in Volume 28.
And then you evaluate your inertia. I can't deny there is no satisfactory conclusion, but sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination.
And skipping a couple of stations.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: 軍鶏 InformationType: Manga
Volumes: 34
Chapters: 338
Status: Finished
Published: 1998 to Jan 13, 2015
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Evening Statistics Ranked: #23942 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #493
Members: 36,517
Favorites: 924 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 27 / 32
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Jan 18, 2018
I can't help thinking about this manga in 4 very distinct arcs of which, for the most part, I'd keep the first and obliterate the rest.
It's not fair to make that distinction, but up until Volume 14, Shamo had earned it's masterpiece status, at least in the world of martial arts manga. It wasn't violence for violence sake, it was a study of a loathsome character, a true villain who, true to classic villain fates, had to fight odds stacked entirely against him but which he "deserved" due to his heinous, egotistical actions. Story: This follows Ryou Narushima, a brilliant teen who, out of the ... 
Jan 10, 2022
Brutal, direct, often beautiful, and some times laugh out loud funny, Shamo cements itself as head and shoulders above more known fighting mangas.
Something I especially enjoyed with this series was the creator's establishing of an "feeling" and a vibe that never lets up, despite the fact that making Ryo a more sympathetic character at some point would have been the artistically easier route. We start off dark, and only end up walking more into that absence of light as the manga progresses. Whatever messages or themes that may exist are established early on and mostly forgotten as the series turns its focus on its ... 
Jul 4, 2023
Extremely interesting manga that is severely underrated. The art style is very unique and very gorgeous. The characters are pretty good but the main character Ryo Narushima is easily one of the best written character in fiction. (in my opinion ofc) The story writing in general is pretty excellent as well with its flaws which is why I rated it a 9/10. The biggest flaws the story had was complications with the two creators which resulted in plot in the middle of the story not being used later when set up to be and a rushed ending. The ending despite
...
Jul 26, 2024
Shamo” is an intense manga series that pushes boundaries and explores the darkest corners of human nature. From its gripping storyline to its evocative artwork, this manga will leave a mark on you.
1. Story and Writing: ★★★★★ “Shamo” doesn’t shy away from controversial themes. It delves into rape, murder, and prostitution, presenting a raw and unfiltered view of society’s underbelly. The writing is both brutal and captivating, drawing readers into the twisted world of its protagonist. The character development is exceptional, making us question our own morality as we follow his journey. 2. Artwork: ★★★★★ The art in “Shamo” is nothing short of breathtaking. The illustrations ... 
Feb 10, 2021
Shamo was a lot of 'firsts" for me: First manga i read all the way trough,first "politically incorrect" manga i ever read,first "trully evil" protagonist i ever saw (light yagami doesn't count,he tought he was making "justice'). Seeing ryu's "dark evolution",from a killer in juvenile prison to a violent thug and eventually a professional MMA fighter was great. But,do a favor to yourself and stop reading when the sugawara arc ends. Anything beyond that can just be called a "clusterfu#k of ideas with no relation to each other".
Aparently the people responsible for the manga were passing trough some juridical tribulation regarding copyright ownership and ... 
Apr 12, 2021
tl;dr: A manga with good action but that is pretty bad at everything outside of that.
Shamo is a manga about a boy that gets pulled into the world of martial arts after he finds he needs a way to defend himself when he ends up in juvenile detention after murdering his parents. It’s a much darker take on the pretty standard story of following a character as they get into various fights and grow stronger along the way. And starting out, it feels like this darkness gives it an edge that makes it quite a bit more interesting and gives it potential to be a ... 
Jun 15, 2022
By far the worst manga I've ever read, had a strong start with the tragic and darker take on the genre but with literally no consistency between arcs, almost every character is entirely one dimensional, there is no sense of timing or spacing between arcs besides the narrator saying 6 years have passed and just leaving it at that when a time skip felt entirely forced and unnecessary, the mc seems to be reset every single arc where something that was learned previously is completely dropped and never mentioned again, and finally the random mysticism type of things that feel so far out there and
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