Blaster Knuckle

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Japanese: ブラス・ナックル

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 3

Chapters: 20

Status: Finished

Published: Dec 11, 1992 to Jul 28, 1995

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural

Theme: Historical

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Animal

Authors: Wazarai, Shizuya (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 6.78¹ (scored by 2,019 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #12023²

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

Popularity: #3635

Members: 5,653

Favorites: 43

6.78

Ranked #12023Popularity #3635Members 5,653

MangaYoung AnimalWazarai, Shizuya (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /3

Chapters: /20

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Synopsis

America, 1885. Slavery has been abolished and African Americans are able to live freely. Yet, tensions still run high in the country—they are shunned by the majority of the white population and ruthlessly killed by the vicious Ku Klux Klan. Amidst this era of uncertainty, former heavyweight boxer Victor Freeman contends with prejudice while evading the law and bounty hunters looking to collect the high price on his head. Though charged with the murders of several white folk, the truth driving Victor's actions is much more horrific than any truly realize.

Hiding among the human race are intelligent, man-eating demons, who have assimilated themselves into positions of power and taken advantage of mankind's bigotry to fill their bellies. Having witnessed his father being brutally devoured by demons as a child, Victor vows to eradicate their kind for good. However, slaying them leaves nothing but a human corpse behind, effectively casting him as a cold-hearted killer. Regardless, with his robust arsenal and unparalleled boxing prowess, Victor soldiers on to destroy demonkind—even if doing so will turn the world against him.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Characters

Freeman, Victor

Main

MacGregor, Alex

Supporting

Reviews

Jun 21, 2009

The_Golden_Witch

Recommended

Have you ever wondered what early Berserk would be like if the Black Swordsman were actually black, the demons he fought were members of the KKK, and the whole thing was set in the American southwest of 1880? Well, Blaster Knuckle is the answer you your questions.

Blaster Knuckle is one of those novelty manga that no matter whether it’s any good or not, is going to get it’s own little cult fanbase just for being what it is. The plot is as follows - Victor Freeman is a former heavyweight boxer whose father was killed by the KKK when he was young. However, Victor knows ... the secret behind the KKK - it is headed by half-vampire half-warewolf demons that eat humans. Because black people are prejudiced against, they are easy to be hunted and killed and not missed, so the monsters mainly feed on them. Victor is out to destroy these monsters one at a time on his endless quest for vengeance.

Because the beasts he fights are immortal, he has to blow up their heads to kill them, which he does with his badass fucking shotgun glove loaded with silver shells. When he kills the demons, though, they become regular human corpses, so the world knows him as a murderer and there is a huge bounty on his head. Therefor, Victor walks a lone road, taking the pain of being hunted and the burden of vengeance onto himself. Of course, like Gatts, he’s way too badass to mind.

The manga is only 3 volumes long, so the plot is pretty basic, but it does enough in that time to have a decent variety, not outstay it’s welcome, and leave a great taste in your mouth. It’s mostly about Victor Freeman being insanely badass, blowing off peoples heads, and freeing his fellow black man. The depiction of 1880’s American life is actually pretty researched and accurate aside from the, like, demons. Some fun side characters are introduced, and the ending is significantly epic. Interestingly, a lot of the plot is actually withheld for the later parts so that you only really get the full picture in the end. So, while the plot isn’t particularly deep or complex, it’s more than good enough to stand up to the novelty value and make it worth reading all three volumes and keeping it memorable.

The artwork in Blaster Knuckle is about as good as it really needs to be. It takes the usual seinen route of more realistic characters and more grotesquely detailed monsters. Victor Freeman is a badass, but he looks EXACTLY like Gatts from Berserk, only black. Even the Blaster Knuckle could be called a sort of copy of Gatts’ arm canon. What’s really important, though, is that Wazarai Shizuya knows how to draw some badass fight scenes. The fights flow well and are a ton of fun, especially because of Victor’s boxing style that gives an extra level of cool to the fights, like you can tell he knows what he’s doing. And while Victor is absurdly powerful, he does get kicked around enough that the battles don’t feel totally one-sided. Towards the end, there get to be some especially great fights when Victor and one of his com padres are taking out hordes of enemies.

And of course, seeing as how we’re dealing with demons and shotguns, there is bound to be a decent amount of gore. Blaster Knuckle does have some shock value moments, though they are more or less justified by the plot. That said, there’s nothing more fun than showing off some of the crazier pages.

It’s a shame that this manga is almost totally unheard of and will likely never, ever make it to America, because I would love to own it. Even if the main draw is the novelty, I do think it’s more than fun and cool enough to re-read, which just makes it that much more awesome. It’s one of those manga you simply can’t help but love no matter how silly it is. Even though you can never find it in America, it is actually fully scanslated thanks to a group that formed just to release this manga, and is findable right on MangaFox (which is good because I’ve been too lazy to download the series for like 2 years now, lol.) It’s more than worth reading if you’re like me and always wanted to see more black people in manga, or if you just generally like absurd gore, badass dudes, and crazy action fun.

Final Score - 7.6

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Jan 30, 2015

Dokubachi

Recommended

Testosterone filled delivery of anachronisms which doesn't jump out from the ordinary, except for incorporation of a black protagonist; highly commendable and welcomed, even if only for the refreshment worth. For everything else it remains on already-seen basis, albeit presents it with certain vivaciousness which supplement the enjoyment value.

Environment in which it plays is perhaps the most memorable point, since plot is stuck in one firm direction and characters are debilitated in their development. They do have a few distinctive attributes, even if they are merely on appearance and manly portrayal basis. Basically, both plot and characters are affected by short duration, which in the ...

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Feb 19, 2016

711nono

Recommended

I've always been a sucker for over the top and ridiculous action in anime and manga. What makes this type of action even better is if there's a special spin or twist added in to make the action more unique. Blaster Knuckle is a manga that is unique in many ways. Anime and manga that take place in the Western Hemisphere aren't exactly unheard of but they aren't common either.

Coming into this manga I thought it was gonna be just basic action with gun duels and a great western feel. Well I was correct on 2 thirds of that prediction but the ... action in blaster kunckle is anything but basic.

Well let's start with the basics, Blaster Knuckle is a 3 volume long manga written by Shizuya Wazari. This series is often compared to berserk which I cannot comment on because I have not read berserk yet. But I'm definitely going to say that in my opinion Blaster Knuckle is a very special manga with some interesting concepts ingrained within it.

One thing I really liked about this manga is the premise. I would have never expected that the Ku Klux Klan would be portrayed as demonic beasts that eat the flesh of humans. The narrative is fueled primarily by the vengeance which is what the main character is seeking for. The setting is the southern United States which is pretty interesting and it connects to the context of the Ku Klux Klan and racism. The time period is captured very well in this manga which is important.

The characters here were pretty good but the only two characters that can transcend the realm of decent are the main protagonist Victor Freeman and an important side character named Alex Mcgregor. These 2 characters are very well done. Victor in particular really drives the story with his extremely cool character design and demenaor. Mcgregor also exentuates cool but adds some comic relief and humor into the story.

One can argue that this story is driven solely by action which is kind of correct. The action sequences here are great and ooze cool. Victor has fists and Mcgregor has guns in unexpected places and watching them destroy the demons was entertaining.

The conclusion of the manga was good but I large problem I had was that some crucial info about the two characters were info dumped way to late into the story and could have been further elaborated. The length of the series was also a slight issue because the majority of the anime is taken up by that third story arc. I felt some other interesting stories could have been weaved if the manga was longer.

The art here is great with the monsters being very detailed and the character designs were also top notch. The backgrounds were drawn well and captured the time period in both art and dialogue.

So overall I enjoyed this series for its fresh plot elements and creative story. The world that this anime takes place in was well done and the character design was meticulously detailed. This is for the people who love straight up action and monster flicks that dont mind gore. Definitely check this out for the western atmosphere, the detailed main characters, and that wonderful dose of brutal action.

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