Shadow Warrior

by Shogo Aoki

A cool new manga format for Spider-Man, one of the most iconic characters of all time! A reimagined Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Spider-Gwen travel to feudal Japan to take on the Kingpin in this original manga from Japanese writer/illustrator Shogo Aoki!

Travel to 19th century Japan, where the Kingpin Wilson Fisk has fled America and established himself as Governor of Edo. Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Ghost-Spider are hot on his trail. But the Kingpin has a trick up his He's brought an alien parasite capable of granting extraordinary powers. When a young man named Hyo accidentally bonds with the symbiote and seemingly transforms into the infamous Venom, things go from bad to worse! This new book is perfect for manga and super-hero fans alike!

Genres: Manga, Superheroes

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[D.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The speed lines were very overdone here. Hard to decipher scenes, sometimes. While I understood Hyo's motivation, the story was too generic.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this parallel universe Kingpin has fled to Japan where he establishes himself as Governor of Edo. Even with three Spider-People pursuing him he still manages to bring a piece of the Venom Symbiote with him. Before he’s able to use it for his nefarious purposes it bonds with Ryo Hachizuka, the sick son of a missing police officer. Determined to find his father and become a real hero Ryo must first learn to control the Symbiote. This is perfect for fans of action manga and superheros and Ryo is a great addition to the team.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will get to take a plunge into the multiverse in this Marvel/manga shōnen mash-up that takes place in an alternate version of 19th century Edo (now Tokyo), Japan. Hyo Hachizuka has never been physically robust, but with his father missing, he’s trying to get a job as a policeman. Instead, he bumps into an injured Spider-Man and the symbiote that’s behind Venom. Now transformed into Orochi the Ninja Spider-Man (with razor-sharp fangs), Hyo and his new buddies (Peter Parker plus Miles Morales and Ghost-Spider, who show up to help the newly empowered superhero) must battle the evil Kingpin and rescue Hyo’s father and sister. The artwork for this new adventure unfolds in typical manga fashion, reading from back to front and right to left. I loved the deep inky black that predominates as well as the incredibly intricate pen-and-ink drawings of period Japanese architecture and clothing. The chapters of the book include the title in English under Japanese characters and the author frequently works giant calligraphy elements into action sequences. Although there’s plenty of fighting, there’s not much gore (despite the frequent images of giant sharp teeth). For those who need no introduction to the Spider-Verse and like the idea of trying manga with familiar characters, this will be an exciting read. The cliffhanger ending, with Kingpin temporarily dispatched but his henchmen Scorpion and Hobgoblin on the loose, hints at Hyo’s next adventure. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manga Spider-Man adventure that's a little light on Spidey. This apparent one shot really focuses on original character Hyo, who accidentally acquires a symbiote. Peter, Miles, and Ghost Spider all show up to help him get used to his new powers. This isn't really a rehash of Venom/Flash Thompson, though it certainly feels heavily inspired by. Hyo is a distinct character, with his own backstory, personality, and motivations. His relationship with his symbiote is different, and so is his powerset. Miles, Gwen, Hobgoblin, Scorpion, Kingpin, and, to a lesser extent, Peter all get manga makeovers to fit them with the art style. I thought Miles looked particularly cool. The story and action aren't anything terribly exciting, but they're perfectly fine. Obviously, this will work best for people who love both Spider-Man and action manga.

[ceruleanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this manga. It gave me exactly what I wanted from a seemingly stand alone Spider-Man story: nice story, cool setting and fast paced action. The art style is amazing. Prolly my favorite part of the book.

It was overall generic and predictable, but in a positive sense. Not every story (especially graphic novel) has to be original and life changing. Some stories are just there for entertainment and this manga gave me exactly that. If you’re fan of Spider-Man and would enjoy a nice comic set in an alternate universe in which the classic characters blend with Japanese art and culture, then this is definitely for you.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! Ryo makes a good addition to the Spider-People team, and there's a lot of good action in it. It's a familiar story with the symbiote, but there's a slightly different spin on it with it being set in Japan. It's something I'd definitely read more of, as a fan of Spider-Man and of manga. Plus, it might be a good way to introduce kids to the manga form, especially if they are fans of Spider-Man. Fans of manga and superheroes will enjoy this one!

[Gabe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lore doesn't quite know what it wants to be, pacing is clearly limited by the single-volume nature, and the art is messy and hard to follow. Honestly not sure why Scholastic picked this as one of their first manga to release outside of the Spider-man brand attracting a reader-base.

There are so many other English-translated Spider-man manga that middlegrade audiences can read. Give any of those a shot instead.

[Aiden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got this from my YA section of the library but it reads like idk an I-Can-Read book. Dialogue sucks! It’s what I imagine Paw Patrol is like or something. Truthfully this black and white manga format didn’t work well for illustrating a Symbiote that is essentially just black ink splatter. It made even looking at the art difficult to decipher what was going on…

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the manga a lot. However, and this might be a personal issue, I found it difficult sometimes to figure out what was happening because the art was just soooo all over the place. Especially for a story that’s filled with so much action, and the symbiote being black…it was tough on my eyes. Plot-wise, it was fun and I loved seeing Miles, Gwen and Peter Parker together!

[Shireen Hakim · Rating 1 out of 5]

wth is Ghost-Spider wearing? No need to oversexualize her.

[Markus Seaberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun, manga take on the Spider-Man family of characters.

[Zach Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book!!!
This 100% became one of my favorite Spider-Man storylines. I think it’s awesome that Japan and Marvel have been collaborating with stories and art work.

[Rachel Reads]

Still trying to [emotionally and financially] recover from the fact that this manga was 20.95$ at the Scholastic Book Fair 💔😩📚