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BANANA FISH #6
Banana Fish, Vol. 6
Nature made Ash beautiful; Nurture made him a killer!
VICE NEW YORK IN THE 80s...
Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of “Papa” Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance... Epic in scope, and one of the best-selling shojo titles of all time in Japan, Akimi Yoshida put an electric shock into the genre and gained a huge crossover audience through Banana Fish 's stripped-down, non-stop style.
Eiji Okamura, a young photographer from Japan, has made Ash's acquaintance; just in time to fall with him into this bloody whirlpool. Now the Chinese Lee syndicate has delivered Ash, Max Lobo, Ibé and Dr. Alexis Dawson to Papa Dino. Banana Fish has been used to brainwash Shorter Wong and manipulate him into mutilating Eiji right before Ash's very eyes!
VICE NEW YORK IN THE 80s...
Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of “Papa” Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance... Epic in scope, and one of the best-selling shojo titles of all time in Japan, Akimi Yoshida put an electric shock into the genre and gained a huge crossover audience through Banana Fish 's stripped-down, non-stop style.
Eiji Okamura, a young photographer from Japan, has made Ash's acquaintance; just in time to fall with him into this bloody whirlpool. Now the Chinese Lee syndicate has delivered Ash, Max Lobo, Ibé and Dr. Alexis Dawson to Papa Dino. Banana Fish has been used to brainwash Shorter Wong and manipulate him into mutilating Eiji right before Ash's very eyes!
200 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 1988
16 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Akimi Yoshida
185 books247 followersAkimi Yoshida (Japanese: 吉田秋生, Yoshida Akimi) is a Japanese cartoonist from Tokyo, best known for her manga series Banana Fish.
Yoshida studied at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and made her professional debut in 1977. Despite serialising her works in shōjo manga (girls' comics) magazines, most notably in 'Bessatsu Shōjo Comic' and 'Monthly Flowers', during the 80's she developed a visual style akin to the aesthetics of shōnen manga (boy's comics) of that era, contributing significantly to creating a bridge between these two traditions. This is particularly evident in her international best-seller Banana Fish (1985-1994), a thriller set in New York City blending action and homoerotic romance. Among her other major works are the series Yasha (1996-2002) and Umimachi Diary (2006-2018).
Yoshida's comics have received a number of accolades in Japan, including three Shogakukan Manga Awards (1983 and 2001 in the category 'shojo', 2015 in the general category), an Excellence Award for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival (2007) and the 6th Manga Taishō award (2013).
Yoshida studied at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and made her professional debut in 1977. Despite serialising her works in shōjo manga (girls' comics) magazines, most notably in 'Bessatsu Shōjo Comic' and 'Monthly Flowers', during the 80's she developed a visual style akin to the aesthetics of shōnen manga (boy's comics) of that era, contributing significantly to creating a bridge between these two traditions. This is particularly evident in her international best-seller Banana Fish (1985-1994), a thriller set in New York City blending action and homoerotic romance. Among her other major works are the series Yasha (1996-2002) and Umimachi Diary (2006-2018).
Yoshida's comics have received a number of accolades in Japan, including three Shogakukan Manga Awards (1983 and 2001 in the category 'shojo', 2015 in the general category), an Excellence Award for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival (2007) and the 6th Manga Taishō award (2013).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
July 27, 2022
Emotional damage disguised as a manga. The action scenes in this volume were insane, and I am most definitely drained of tears after what happened to a certain someone…. true devastation 😭
April 26, 2023
If I'm going to die anyway, at least I'll die trying - Eiji
May 31, 2019
Hey how you doing? Well I'm doing just fine. I lied, I'm dying inside. ♪
November 14, 2020
I think this is my favorite volume so far.
It keeps you on your toes the entire time and it’s action packed all the way through. I really love the way the action in itself is shown in the art style.
In this volume I feel like we see Ash going darker, especially with the way it starts, but it’s also a total contrast to how it ends.
I’ll admit that this is the point of the story where my memories from the anime start to get fuzzy so I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, which is exciting cause it makes it feel like I’m seeing this unfold for the first time again.
It keeps you on your toes the entire time and it’s action packed all the way through. I really love the way the action in itself is shown in the art style.
In this volume I feel like we see Ash going darker, especially with the way it starts, but it’s also a total contrast to how it ends.
I’ll admit that this is the point of the story where my memories from the anime start to get fuzzy so I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, which is exciting cause it makes it feel like I’m seeing this unfold for the first time again.
January 5, 2025
me while reading this volume:
1. SHOOORRTTTEEERRR NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO😭😭😭
2. ASSSHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO😭😭😭
3. i think I'm dead inside, can't feel anything at all
4. AAAHHHHH ASH AND EIJI REUNION
5. “Please come back. I'll wait for you always.”
6. petition to whatever deity who lives up there: PLEASE PROTECT ASH AND EIJI. PLEASE!!!! TAKE MY OWN LIFE IF THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR THEM TO BE HAPPY 😭😭😭
1. SHOOORRTTTEEERRR NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO😭😭😭
2. ASSSHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO😭😭😭
3. i think I'm dead inside, can't feel anything at all
4. AAAHHHHH ASH AND EIJI REUNION
5. “Please come back. I'll wait for you always.”
6. petition to whatever deity who lives up there: PLEASE PROTECT ASH AND EIJI. PLEASE!!!! TAKE MY OWN LIFE IF THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR THEM TO BE HAPPY 😭😭😭
Read
May 20, 2025come back safe. i can’t lose you too….if that happened, i go crazy 😭
December 6, 2023
“please come back!! i wait for you…always!!”
pain pain pain and guess what? more pain!!!!!!!! it’s never ending.
yet i still keep on coming back regardless on how many tears i end up shedding 😭
February 14, 2024
Basta. Este volumen me dolió...
November 27, 2020
You'd think I've learned my lesson and to never allow myself to get attached to someone because they'll fucking DIE.
Oh, Shorter I'm so sorry, Ash had to do what he had to do because Eiji doesn't know what to do in a fight and I feel so bad for Ash having to do what he had to do keep everyone alive and that Shorter needed to be put out of that pain and suffering.
Arthur really is a fucking scumbag. I want him DEAD!!! I have never wanted someone more to die than fucking Arthur.
I find it so clever that the author doesn't reveal who the Senator and the General are- because regardless of when you read this series you'll always find it relatable and plausible that the current government you have could totally do what these two trashy humans are also doing. Being in cahoots with a literal drug lord to creating a drug that allows them full control of another person and for them to do their bidding and follow orders.
Yut Lung clearly has his own motives but is still willing to help Ash and the others out of the compound. It's a long game for him and I hope it pays off.
"I'll protect you Eiji. Don't leave my side." MY FUCKING HEART!!
"I do not want to lose you. If that happened I think I'll go crazy." EIJI!!!
"I will wait for you always." oh my god I love them.
Oh god, thank god that shithole of a scientist died. While I hoped it was a slow death, I'm glad that he was killed in the same gruesome death that everyone who died at his hands got.
I'M SORRY THERE WAS NO RECONCILIATION WITH ASH AND EIJI?!??! I feel robbed.
Oh, Shorter I'm so sorry, Ash had to do what he had to do because Eiji doesn't know what to do in a fight and I feel so bad for Ash having to do what he had to do keep everyone alive and that Shorter needed to be put out of that pain and suffering.
Arthur really is a fucking scumbag. I want him DEAD!!! I have never wanted someone more to die than fucking Arthur.
I find it so clever that the author doesn't reveal who the Senator and the General are- because regardless of when you read this series you'll always find it relatable and plausible that the current government you have could totally do what these two trashy humans are also doing. Being in cahoots with a literal drug lord to creating a drug that allows them full control of another person and for them to do their bidding and follow orders.
Yut Lung clearly has his own motives but is still willing to help Ash and the others out of the compound. It's a long game for him and I hope it pays off.
"I'll protect you Eiji. Don't leave my side." MY FUCKING HEART!!
"I do not want to lose you. If that happened I think I'll go crazy." EIJI!!!
"I will wait for you always." oh my god I love them.
Oh god, thank god that shithole of a scientist died. While I hoped it was a slow death, I'm glad that he was killed in the same gruesome death that everyone who died at his hands got.
I'M SORRY THERE WAS NO RECONCILIATION WITH ASH AND EIJI?!??! I feel robbed.
June 13, 2021
Quote TWs: mention of abuse, harm
“You’ve been so unbelievably strong when they cut you.. when they abused you.. but when they attack someone you love.. that’s when you start to show cracks, isn’t it?”
“You’ve been so unbelievably strong when they cut you.. when they abused you.. but when they attack someone you love.. that’s when you start to show cracks, isn’t it?”
July 31, 2018
Fuckig hell
August 12, 2018
me @ banana fish rn
November 4, 2021
Estabilidad emocional? Que es eso?
October 6, 2023
suddenly got up from my bed to binge volume 5 and 6 after owning them for months cause i realized i didn’t actually read them😹
July 18, 2025
Nan là je suis folle
August 7, 2020
5/5 stars. There were emo times and action times and I had a hell of a time reading through this volume. It hurt, and some parts were soft, but mostly I was just screaming my curses into the void. It’s time to file an emotional lawsuit against this manga cuz that shit HURTED.
Anyway, this gets brownie points for emotionally ruining me. So, that was REALLY FUN. I love dying inside, truly my favorite hobby.
Welcome to Volume 6, aka the volume where you die inside and never recover... HAVE FUN!
So, because Shorter was injected with Banana Fish he is driven with the need to kill Eiji. They give a knife to Eiji so he can defend himself. Now they have to fight to the death in front of Ash just to break him down, he’s chained and he can’t stop either of them. Eiji refuses to fight and only tries to snap Shorter out of it. Ash is in pain because his best friend and his boi are fighting and he can’t do anything to stop them. He can only tell Eiji to run away from Shorter and beg Shorter to stop.
When Ash begs them to stop and kill him instead, they really refuse. At this point I’d jump into the manga and self-sacrifice because these three boys deserve better than this torture session. While this is all happening, Golzine is showing the senator what Banana Fish is. As if Shorter and Eiji are lab rats. I swear I hate this guy more and more.
I think the most painful thing, right next to Shorter begging Ash to kill him. Was that Ash had to be the one to make that choice. He was given a gun with a single bullet. He had to choose to kill his best friend- to liberate him- all in order to save Eiji. Even if that choice would haunt him and pain him, he had to do what was best for Shorter and Eiji.
I lied, Ash remembering his brother and then immediately after seeing Eiji was very painful. Yut-Lung brings up a very true point. Ash doesn’t break no matter what they do to him, but if they threaten or hurt someone he cares about, he cannot handle it. I love that for us.
Seeing Ash armor up like an absolute fucking badass all to get Eiji back, y’all- That was a crime against me. He really out there calling for Eiji like: where the HELL is my boi? He said y’all ain’t taking my best friend and best man on the same night, over my dead body. When Ash kicked in that door and Eiji saw him... that was the most heroic thing to grace my eyes. Eiji asking for a gun so he can defend himself without needing Ash’s help. I LOVE HIM. Ash saying no, because he wants to keep Eiji like pure of killing people. I LOVE HIM.
“I’ll protect you Eiji, don’t leave my side.”
Can I cry? He’s running through the house defending Eiji. And he gets Eiji to safety so he can retrieve Shorter. Eiji really said:
“Please come back. I’ll wait for you always...”
IS THIS A DIRECT CRIME BECAUSE IT SURE DAMN FEELS LIKE IT.
Ash’s reaction to seeing Shorter... that also hurted. Everything hurts. At this point, I wanna call quits. Ash shot every bullet he had until that damned doctor died. But of course, it really hurt that he screamed his lungs out.
I’m proud to announce, I have no soul anymore.
I love how Ash got back to his gang and just passed out. He said wake me up in two hours no more no less.
The overall mood for this volume is: I want to YEET myself off this mansion and into the pond I’ve made outside of my tears.
Anyway, this gets brownie points for emotionally ruining me. So, that was REALLY FUN. I love dying inside, truly my favorite hobby.
Welcome to Volume 6, aka the volume where you die inside and never recover... HAVE FUN!
So, because Shorter was injected with Banana Fish he is driven with the need to kill Eiji. They give a knife to Eiji so he can defend himself. Now they have to fight to the death in front of Ash just to break him down, he’s chained and he can’t stop either of them. Eiji refuses to fight and only tries to snap Shorter out of it. Ash is in pain because his best friend and his boi are fighting and he can’t do anything to stop them. He can only tell Eiji to run away from Shorter and beg Shorter to stop.
When Ash begs them to stop and kill him instead, they really refuse. At this point I’d jump into the manga and self-sacrifice because these three boys deserve better than this torture session. While this is all happening, Golzine is showing the senator what Banana Fish is. As if Shorter and Eiji are lab rats. I swear I hate this guy more and more.
I think the most painful thing, right next to Shorter begging Ash to kill him. Was that Ash had to be the one to make that choice. He was given a gun with a single bullet. He had to choose to kill his best friend- to liberate him- all in order to save Eiji. Even if that choice would haunt him and pain him, he had to do what was best for Shorter and Eiji.
I lied, Ash remembering his brother and then immediately after seeing Eiji was very painful. Yut-Lung brings up a very true point. Ash doesn’t break no matter what they do to him, but if they threaten or hurt someone he cares about, he cannot handle it. I love that for us.
Seeing Ash armor up like an absolute fucking badass all to get Eiji back, y’all- That was a crime against me. He really out there calling for Eiji like: where the HELL is my boi? He said y’all ain’t taking my best friend and best man on the same night, over my dead body. When Ash kicked in that door and Eiji saw him... that was the most heroic thing to grace my eyes. Eiji asking for a gun so he can defend himself without needing Ash’s help. I LOVE HIM. Ash saying no, because he wants to keep Eiji like pure of killing people. I LOVE HIM.
“I’ll protect you Eiji, don’t leave my side.”
Can I cry? He’s running through the house defending Eiji. And he gets Eiji to safety so he can retrieve Shorter. Eiji really said:
“Please come back. I’ll wait for you always...”
IS THIS A DIRECT CRIME BECAUSE IT SURE DAMN FEELS LIKE IT.
Ash’s reaction to seeing Shorter... that also hurted. Everything hurts. At this point, I wanna call quits. Ash shot every bullet he had until that damned doctor died. But of course, it really hurt that he screamed his lungs out.
I’m proud to announce, I have no soul anymore.
I love how Ash got back to his gang and just passed out. He said wake me up in two hours no more no less.
The overall mood for this volume is: I want to YEET myself off this mansion and into the pond I’ve made outside of my tears.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2020
The way Ash and Eiji look at each other!!! My heartt :')
Eiji is going to be forever changed. He's gone through so much. And Ash!! He's experiences so much pain and suffering his entire life. He deserves so much more. This kid really can't catch a break. That panel of him screaming in front of the fire and the panels of him shooting the doctor. Wow those were intense. I'm starting to appreciate the art a lot more as I read on.
Eiji is going to be forever changed. He's gone through so much. And Ash!! He's experiences so much pain and suffering his entire life. He deserves so much more. This kid really can't catch a break. That panel of him screaming in front of the fire and the panels of him shooting the doctor. Wow those were intense. I'm starting to appreciate the art a lot more as I read on.
September 26, 2018
3.5 Stars
I am watching the anime series, so I knew what was coming. Still, it didn’t make it easier to read. It is rare that I hate characters that much, but Arthur & Dino are on top of my list. I want Ash to get revenge against them so bad. At least, he got to be all “Rambo like” and kill a bunch of Gonzine’s men.
I am watching the anime series, so I knew what was coming. Still, it didn’t make it easier to read. It is rare that I hate characters that much, but Arthur & Dino are on top of my list. I want Ash to get revenge against them so bad. At least, he got to be all “Rambo like” and kill a bunch of Gonzine’s men.
February 11, 2025
Devastata, sfinita, sfiancata, distrutta, sconvolta, annientata, prostrata, spezzata, esausta, lacerata, dilatata dal dolore, demoralizzata, annichilita, svuotata, senza più forze, privata di ogni emozione, spenta, intorpidita, in frantumi, stordita dal dolore, ridotta in polvere, annientata fino all’osso, un cuore senza battito, persa nel deserto interiore
July 8, 2023
Don't mind me I'm just thinking about how in another universe there's a film version of this starring River Phoenix. Also the soundtrack is by by Malice Mizer.
September 16, 2023
fellas, is it gay to say you'll go crazy if another man were to die?
July 30, 2021
this author better be funding my therapy istg
August 16, 2022
Llore como una maldita forra dios mio shorter te extraño tanto me quiero matar
No entendía lo mucho que me encariñé HASTA AHORA JO PIEDOSD MAS NESWSIRO WUE OSREN
No entendía lo mucho que me encariñé HASTA AHORA JO PIEDOSD MAS NESWSIRO WUE OSREN
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2024
a lot of action and emotional damage? count me in
March 1, 2025
HE WAS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER 💔💔
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August 6, 2025
they could never make me hate you shorter
September 23, 2025
There really is no rest for the wicked
August 30, 2021
yup that was devastating, im devastated
January 19, 2023
what a bloodbath! just the way i like it
you've been so unbelievably strong when they cut you... when they abused you... but when they attack someone you love... that's when you start to show cracks, isn't it?
you've been so unbelievably strong when they cut you... when they abused you... but when they attack someone you love... that's when you start to show cracks, isn't it?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews