Choujin X, Band 6

超人X [Chōjin X] #6

by Sui Ishida, Yuko Keller (Translator)

Hoch oben im Turm der Trauer trifft Tokio auf Zora. Die einstige Kriegsheldin und Gründerin von Yamato-Mori hat in ihren Träumen den Untergang von Yamato vorhergesehen. Das drohende „Schwarze Unheil“ kann nur durch den prophezeiten Biest-Choujin verhindert werden. Um die Zukunft von Menschen und Choujin zu retten, soll Tokio nun Zoras Kräfte erben. Nur einen Haken gibt es: Bisher hat niemand diesen Versuch überlebt. Aber Widerworte duldet Zora nicht, und so bleibt Tokio nur die Flucht …

Genres: Manga, Horror, Fantasy, Seinen, Action, Comics, Fiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2023

About the author

Also known as 石田スイ.

Sui Ishida (石田スイ, Ishida Sui), born December 28, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese manga artist
In 2010 he won the Young Jump 113th Grand Prix award with Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種, Tōkyō Kushu). In March 2011, the same oneshot was published in the 2nd Issue of Miracle Jump. And later in September 2011, Tokyo Ghoul started as a series in Weekly Young Jump 2011-41 Issue. In December 2011, he made another oneshot about Rize that was published in December 2011 in Miracle Jump 6th Issue, which was later collected in the 6th volume of Tokyo Ghoul.
In 2013, he also started Tokyo Ghoul: Jack in the digital magazine Jump LIVE.

Sui Ishida is his penname; nobody knows his real name or what he looks like.

Reviews

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so sad after Tokio's sudden decision…. but after that ending? Oh I can’t wait for his reappearance.

It was so cute seeing Azuma and Ely bond for a little as they tried to reconcile Tokio’s absense; I loved the stylistic choice to depict several pages-worth of their mundane friendship without any words.
I didn’t expect so many choujin to get involved in the fight with Zora—at least not this early. The outcome feels like a bandaid on an otherwise massive wound, one that will reopen very soon with even more anger. Incredible art as always. Anything Ishida touches is gold.

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 5 out of 5]

BANGER AFTER BANGER!! These Choujin X volumes don’t miss and being able to binge them is wonderful. Reading as a monthly(?) release kinda made me drop off the series, but reading it collected makes it sing! And this volume is easily the best one yet. The fights, the ART, the silent montage?! Chef’s kiss all around.

[warisha ‧₊˚]

cover person looks like euronymous from lords of chaos. maybe im just obsessed ith the movie and im having hallucinations now (○•ᴗ•○)✧*。

[Alo ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 mMmM no sé, algo no me convence de los personajes o más bien de cómo se está desarrollando la historia o.0

pd. mi husbando se quedó sin sus patitas 😔☝️

[Alex Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the art more in this volume than previous volumes, the story continues to baffle me. There still doesn’t seem to be a sense of coherence, and I still feel nothing for the characters. Maybe it has to do with the pacing? I’m not sure. Tokyo Ghoul grabbed me immediately, but I don’t know what to make of this series.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5.

I was a bit confused about what was going on during the big fight, but this volume had some good moments still.

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

the unhinged tokyo ghoul got more unhinged

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025
See the thing about Ishida is that this is just how he does things. You’re like why don’t you fully expand on the 7 hour battle? He’s like nah, here’s the dramatic outcome. He did it ALL the time in TG. I think it has more to do with him wanting to not drag a series out for too long. Sometimes tho when he does this he does skip a lot of parts and assume you know what he’s talking about.

Kaneki from TG and Tokio have a few differences but their character journeys and over disposition on life are pretty much the same. When things became too real they both went on this find myself thing where they dropped out of school abandoned their friends and went on their own. Is this the best course of action? Also Ishida doesn’t like to really say what they did. It almost starts to put them as secondary characters. But you know that both of them are the chosen ones who have to come to terms that they will have to make personal sacrifices for the greater good. Kaneki ended up becoming the one eye king and thus became the villain for a minute bc he was exploited. What will happen to Tokio if Ishida loves this archetype for his characters?

2024
I DONT TRUST NO FOUNDERS ESP AFTER AOT.

[jegaevi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got more and more disappointed as I progressed through the story. It became very generic very quickly. I know art doesn't have to be revolutionary to be good, but to be honest, I am already tired of reading about the same characters and stories, just with a different "skin and texture pack".

But one thing this manga excels at is the art. It's amazing, I can't say anything negative about it. So I am pushing through for the sake of the art (and the talking pigeons).

Update: I almost caught up with the series, and I decided to drop it. I don't think it's worth it.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tokio, Higashi, and Ely make a mad dash to escape Choujin X Mama Zora and only make it out because Sandek and Yamato Mori come to their rescue.

So after this disaster, Tokio quits school and runs off for choujin training. Meanwhile, Higashi and Ely continue school and become upstanding members of Yamato Mori.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON! I DON'T THINK THIS SERIES HAS EVER BEEN CLEAR ON WHAT'S GOING ON! AM I JUST DUMB?? I think I can see what the author is trying to do, like I understand enough to follow certain plot points, but everything in between is like mud.

[Val’ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot-wise, I liked this volume a bit less than the others. I don’t understand everything and I’m getting lost into the story. It was still very cool though.
The cover is stunning and we’re getting into some cool looking body horror!

[Anna Marie Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note to Self: Don't Mess With The Psychotic Biblically Accurate Angel Lady

Anyone who's been following my reviews of Chojin X will know that I have been a bit skeptical of this series, but for me, this volume was the first one that truly earned that five star rating from me.

Volume 6 continues our hero's first encounter with shadowy series antagonist Mother Zora / Sora Siruha (for the purposes of this review, I'm including the last 1.5 chapters of Volume 5 with this). Zora, a former holy warrior heroine, has now become dangerously mentally unstable and is inflicting unhinged violence on followers and enemies alike to prevent a prophecy that she may, ironically, be speeding to its conclusion, and Tokio, a bumbling everyman who has just happened upon potentially world-changing supernatural powers, is caught in the crosshairs and just trying to do the right thing. At this critical turning point in the series, some of the series' biggest themes are finally coming to the forefront. Are human beings slaves to fate, or can we change the future? What does it mean to be a hero, anyway?

No conclusive answer is reached, of course. Tokio quite literally asks to have a little time to think on it, an answer as hilarious as it is impossible. But this volume has really done an excellent job of laying the groundwork for Tokio to develop into a true hero and someone who can discern right from wrong on his own rather than leaving it up to others. Having read the next few volumes after this, I can confirm that the story gets quite a bit more interesting, and more consistent, from here on out. Ishida-sensei also seems to be finally committing to a darker tone, which I think is for the best and makes the story easier to actually take seriously. (I think Ishida enjoys writing absurd humor, but for his audiences' sake he really needs to stick to dark and heavy because imo that's where he does his best work, e.g. Tokyo Ghoul. We can't all be Fujimoto.).

I've always had good things to say about Ishida's art, but he really outdoes himself in this volume. The gothic atmosphere of the Tower of Mourning, with its eerie twisted religious symbolism, deep shadows, and inhuman beasts lurking in every corner, is absolutely phenomenal. And the superpowered fights are breathtakingly cinematic. I can definitely see why people are clamoring to see Chojin X adapted into an anime. It's all so big and grand and epic. But Ishida shines equally in the quiet moments of daily life. A significant portion of the transitional middle chapter is just a silent montage as Ely and Azuma pursue their education and training and grow closer (Do I sense a new romance blossoming?). But no words are needed. The pictures convey the full emotional impact. I couldn't help but draw comparisons to quiet-moment-maestros like Hayao Miyazaki and Tatsuki Fujimoto.

The third and final chapter takes us out of the timeskip montage and into Part II, and sees Ely and Azuma fighting bad guys on a plane in a battle that manages to balance the silliness of the powers with serious stakes without leaning quite so hard into goofiness as some of the earlier fights (also, Nari is back, and not only fully clothed but dressed in an adorable snake-scale minidress that really SHOULD have been her signature outfit all along). Ely seems to be in grave danger, but Tokio returns unexpectedly...setting up an action-packed, and hopefully interesting, volume 7.

For CX As A Whole (So Far):

I started reading Sui Ishida's absolutely incredible Tokyo Ghoul a few months ago, so when I found out the author has a second, still ongoing, manga series, I was eager to jump on the bandwagon.

At first glance, Chojin X (or Choujin X, depending on which Romanization you prefer) shares a lot of surface similarities with the mangaka's previous smash hit, Tokyo Ghoul . An every-boy protagonist dealing with sudden, grotesque changes to his body, themes of alienation and injustice, rival organizations of super-powered folk with their own mysterious goals ... it's all here, too. At the same time, though, it isn't really fair to compare this series to TG. It is its own beast (or rather, its own bestial Chojin) and even in its early stages, there are already a few key differences.

For one, Chojin X feels a lot more like a shonen manga than its predecessor. The characters are several years younger, and their personal struggles feel more teenaged than young adult, though Ishida being Ishida, the psychology is still expertly well-drawn. The arcs feel more like self-contained adventures, there's more emphasis on big fights, and the themes feel more focused on friendship and figuring out one's purpose in life than the intense moral and psychological questions of TG. There's a school for young superhumans, and the accompanying training montage scenes, as well, all of which feels solidly shonen. There's also quite a bit more wacky humor, which I have mixed feelings about (see below). So rather than comparing Chojin X to TG, perhaps a better comparison would be to new gen shonen like Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Jujitsu Kaisen, Dan Da Dan, Kaiju #8, Sakamoto Days, etc. -- and in comparison to the aforementioned titles, Chojin X, while less accessible or tonally consistent, manages to hold its own. Despite its other weaknesses, CX's outstanding art and psychological drama give it an edge in the world of new-gen shonen.

Tokio and Azuma's friendship, with its heady combination of mutual admiration and mutual resentment, is the real heart of Chojin X, and it is by far the best thing about this series, especially in its early parts. Tokio's decision to become a chojin is ultimately motivated by his desperate desire to be someone self-assured and accomplished like Azuma, and the hideous vulture form he takes is pretty much an externalization of his repressed feelings of shame and resentment towards his friend. As in TG, Ishida really excels at expressing his characters' complexes and hangups through beautifully insane body horror. Still, though, I'll also admit that I did not find Tokio, Azuma, or Ely as likeable or interesting as even the secondary characters in early Tokyo Ghoul, but we shall see.

The art is incredible, with cute but distinctive and detailed character designs and bold, sketchy strokes bringing the run-down world of Yamato, the Chojin body horror, and the subtle facial expressions of the human characters beautifully to life. It feels more stylized and shonen-y than Tokyo Ghoul, but it is still quite recognizably Ishida, and it is truly a cut above the typical manga illustration style. It's well-worth paying $15 each for the oversize tankobon volumes for the cover illustrations and artwork alone.

I think if there was one word I would use to describe Chojin X so far it would be "indulgent." That's both a criticism and a compliment. On the plus side, Ishida seems to be having a lot of fun with the process this time around, and his enthusiasm is infectious. An artist this talented being given this much freedom to let his imagination run wild is a joy to behold. The experimental art style yields some lovely surprises at every flip of the page. The sheer coolness factor of the Chojin powers and transformations (as well as the intricate worldbuilding that undergirds Chojin physiology and history) is pretty enjoyable. And even some of the sillier, what-the-hell-even-was-that sequences are at least visually fun.

But unfortunately, the level of authorial self-indulgence starts to become a bit of a problem for the story itself. To put it bluntly, Ishida just isn't as funny or clever as he seems to think he is. That's not to say he's not funny -- Tokyo Ghoul had its lighthearted and comedic moments, too, and those were deployed masterfully to make readers care about the characters (and give them a much-needed reprieve from the relentless violence and angst). But Chojin X's wild swings between genuinely affecting character drama and wacky shennanigans including superpowered baseball, an ill-fated attempt at eating pancakes while having a vulture skull for a head, and a high-speed tractor chase (yes, really), honestly felt more distracting than charming to me. So far, I feel like the silliness of this manga undermines the big story moments rather than building on them like TG did. It's like Chojin X can't decide whether to be a serious, dark drama like, say, Tokyo Ghoul or Attack on Titan, or a wacky, unhinged romp that never takes itself too seriously, like Kaiju #8 or Dan Da Dan. Instead it tries to split the difference and ends up falling short at both. Though I will say around volume 5/6 it starts to become more serious for the most part and gets quite a bit better.

Oh and speaking of indulgent ... I feel obliged to say that the fanservice in Chojin X is absolutely heinous. Like I do not know how Sui Ishida managed to make the boob jokes in CX feel dirtier than the literal chapter-long sex scene in TG: re, but, somehow, he pulled it off. What's worse is when the fanservice jokes are at the expense of the younger female characters -- Ely, Maiko/Momo, and, eventually, Palma -- who are minors (Ely is stated to be 16 but looks like she's about 13. Momo is 18, and Palma is 16). Now, look, I know fanservice is just part of the deal with shonen manga/anime, considering that the primary audience is teenage boys, and, well, teenage boys like certain things. But I am genuinely pissed off because I know that my boy Sui Ishida-sensei is capable of better so I don't know why he doesn't just DO better.

The one saving grace is that Ely, the female co-protagonist, is a pretty solid character. She's funny, she's smart, she's brave, she's tough, and she's deeply endearing. She's also, at this point, the strongest protagonist of the three. Momo is also cool and likeable, if underutilized, and Zora, the former hero of Yamato Mori turned mad witch is a powerful female villain who is, thankfully, not sexualized at all. The female characters are *just* cool, smart, and likeable enough that I can overlook the fanservice and not throw the book across the room, but do be warned: Chojin X has a fanservice problem, and unfortunately it does not get better later in the series.

Still, despite its uneven start and some lingering issues, Chojin X is shaping up into a solid series that, recently (volumes 11/12 as of latest serialization) has been getting very good. So it's worth powering through the earlier volumes to get to the good stuff.

[Printia_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No puede ser posible que el mundo tenga que depender de mi. No soy más que una persona normal, pérdida en el flujo de la vida, cuyas circunstancias y el mismo destino le ha llevado a cargar con un poder del cual no es capaz de responsabilizarse. Sin embargo, si tengo que proteger a mis amigos, no dudaré en hacer mi sacrificio."

Este tomo es el desenlace final de todo el arco del pasado de Yamato Mori, donde nos explican su origen y sus convicciones. Sin embargo, en estas páginas hemos podido tener más datos de dicho pasado, aparte de ofrecernos diferentes escenas bélicas para que el espectador pueda apreciar la fuerza del enemigo.

Y, aunque me alegro que el tomo entero no fuese batalla tras batalla, si que siento que este evento que debería haber sido contundente en la historia ha pasado un poco como sin pena ni gloria. Al igual que las propias consecuencias de los eventos. Esta velocidad ha hecho que, a pesar de que estuviese disfrutando y que no me viera venir los giros de guion, a veces sí que desconectaba un poco de la historia.

Como ya he dicho, este tomo cierra un arco, y en el mismo se inicia otro que muestra desde el minuto uno su potencial. Y es que en este mismo ya se va notando el desarrollo de algunos de los personajes secundarios más importantes. Todo esto con un dibujo más que exquisito por parte del autor, que nunca me cansaré de adular su arte.

[Sergsab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este sexto volumen cambia por completo el devenir de la historia. Los personajes llegan a su punto álgido para bien y para mal, y la gran batalla en la Torre Omega supone un punto y final en la infancia de estos personajes. A partir de ahora toca madurar.

A veces Ishida es un poco caótico en sus escenas de acción y la extraña anatomía de estos personajes tampoco ayuda a saber qué está pasando, pero en los momentos más reflexivos vuelvo a enamorarme de este elenco de personajes.

Cada vez que un nuevo Choujin aparece (persona con un superpoder) no puedo más que dedicarle al menos 5 minutos en analizar el diseño y las decisiones tomadas por Ishida. Es tan guay lo que hace a nivel físico con sus personajes que me flipa.

No sé si mucha gente está leyendo Choujin X pero lo recomiendo encarecidamente si como yo, disfrutas con ideas locas y un trazo digno de estudiarlo.

Publica Norma Editorial.

[Lexyloowoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with ADHD, I drew struggle when reading manga to consistently read one series. Specifically for action I’m not really sure why that is the case, but I think it takes a lot for me to truly be indulged in the story to the point of wanting every volume. Although very slowly, I am so very happy and content to have it on my bookshelf. And I honestly cannot see myself giving it up anytime soon, although the art is not normal in any aspect. The story is so interesting and the fight sequences are so creative. I am genuinely content and surprised every time I pick up one of the volumes of Choujin X. And I’m glad that this book was no different from the others. In that sense. I have yet to become bored like I have with other series.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Dicono che non importa che forma abbia… la vita, alla fine, prenderà sempre la piega adatta a chi la vive.»

Volume di transizione in cui si chiude un arco e ne inizia un altro. Dopo lo scontro della torre, Tokio sceglie un percorso solitario per migliorare se stesso. Ely e Azuma, rimasti soli, finiscono per avvicinarsi e iniziano un percorso di maturazione insieme. Come cambieranno le dinamiche adesso?

Comunque, quelle mani enormi sono state veramente disturbanti durante la lettura e, proprio per questo, mi sono piaciute per l'impatto che hanno lasciato. Sui Ishida disegna sempre delle tavole ispirate.

[Jose Granados · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Lectura de la Versión en español en Manga plus** El Sexto número de este manga, los protagonistas descubre y se enfrentan a la bruja Zora.... Se conoce su historia, luego de una gran lucha donde fueron salvados por varios Choujin de alto rango, donde hubo varias pérdidas, Tokio decide irse a entrenar a otro lugar y abandonar por un tiempo a Ely y Azuma

Por lo visto ya pasado cierto tiempo y al final de tomo regresa Tokio en un momento crucial para salvar a Ely

El dibujo aveces genial en otros muy difícil de entender su composicion

[ANTHONY FLORES · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen tomo, aunque es mucho mejor de lo que imaginé porque no tiene mucho texto es más imagenes.

En este tomo tratan de dar seguimiento a todo lo que está pasando con la ida de Tokio.

Literal, el segundo capitulo de este tomo es totalmente imagenes como si estuviera viendo la escena en la que Rocky trapa las escaleras, es más, eso reproducia en mi mente mientras lo veía.

A lo último del tomo aparece Tokio y se reencuentra con Asuma y Ely

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Great art but muddy plotting, hard to follow some of the action and has the generic “new good guy/bad guy appears mid battle” in every single fight scene. Let down by the lack of character depth that I felt we got teased with earlier in the series, in exchange for just dropping in 1 dimensional character after character for one scene.
I got several vol at once from the library so I’ll hop on to the next one, but still considering dropping it, even when I can read for free.

[Štěpán · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this story will be much better if one re-reads it. The symbolism, cuts in scenes, time skips, chaotic action sudden explosions and prophecies. Well, it is fun and the art is different, fresh and good. But I would like to have some answers and not just questions. But maybe I am just a dumb person. But the cover is gorgeous.

[Domenico Auriemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una gioia per gli occhi.

[Jovana · Rating 2 out of 5]

i swear something is happening, but at the same time nothing is happening

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending! I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens! I love that we got to see the characters really grow and change in this volume.

[Logan Kinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would have thought one of the best battles I’ve seen in a manga would be one they never showed, simply skipping ahead to the gore of the aftermath was haunting and made it feel so much darker.

[Khadija Faisal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wahhh azuma looks so cool after the timeskip.
And all of the three's powers are so cool too.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy buenas ilustraciones aunque la historia no avanza mucho o queda muy clara.

[Devonn Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No joke, this is literally peak.

[Ara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giggling. Gagging in joy.

Whole volume was a masterpiece.

[Crabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A modo de recordatorio, en el mundo existen súper humanos con poderes bastante peculiares. Tokio es un chico normal, aunque con falta de motivación en la vida, que, por azares del destino, termina convertido en Choujin, con todos los peligros que esto conlleva.

Me faltan palabras para expresar lo que me ha parecido este tomo. Me ha resultado cómo una especie de punto de inflexión para el protagonista. En el tomo anterior (y parte de éste) se enfrenta al mayor peligro que ha vivido hasta el momento; y es cuándo se vuelve más consciente de sus propias limitaciones y aspiraciones, así que toma una serie de decisiones vitales.

Veremos cómo afectan estas decisiones a las personas que le rodean y le quieren, y seremos más conscientes de la importancia de un protagonista que, a priori, parecía no tener relevancia.

Durante la segunda mitad de este tomo, el protagonista se hace a un lado pero, a pesar de ello, no se pierde el foco sobre él. Al contrario, te crea la necesidad de saber qué está haciendo y cómo evoluciona.

Lo que más me ha gustado ha sido el final. El último panel me ha dejado con necesidad del siguiente tomo, ya que da la sensación de que vamos a ver una gran evolución. Aunque conociendo el tratamiento que hace el autor del protagonista, me espero cualquier cosa.

[Andrés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un poco apresurado todo lo que pasó en este capítulo, creo que Sui sensei quiere que esto sea una serie corta. Aún muy interesante