Dragon Head, Volume 3

ドラゴンヘッド [Dragon Head] #3

by Minetarō Mochizuki

At the end of every dark tunnel exists a light, but for Teru and Ako, the discovery of an exit to the surface will lead to a greater, more menacing threat. Once outside, Teru and Ako must depend on each other if they are going to survive the trek to Tokyo. But they also realize they are not alone in their quest for salvation... "An unforgettable journey into darkness. " â€" Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Seinen, Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 1996

About the author

Minetarō Mochizuki (望月峯太郎) is a manga artist. He is best known for his apocalyptic thriller series Dragon Head (ドラゴンヘッド Duragon Heddo), as well as the comedy series Mai Wai. Mochizuki has also written one-shot manga such as Zashiki Onna.

Reviews

[Estelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where it starts getting real good!

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have liked what I have read so far, for some reason I no longer find the concept to be appealing.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thinking at first that the entire series would be set underground in the subway tunnel, but in this volume we get to see the rest of the world. It's not an improvement. Some type of apocalyptic event has decimated the world, or at least Japan. Where do thing go from here? I'm liking this series a lot so far.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo, things are starting to get so spicy. Volume 3 is definitely an improvement from the previous volume, and everything is super intense. The latter half of this installment reminds me a little of The Road because of the apocalyptic landscape and the environmental descriptions. I think that's why I enjoyed this one a lot, since anything that resembles The Road gains bonus points in my mind. I'm not gonna go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but volume 3 picks up fast and is probably the best one so far. I would recommend picking this series up if you haven't/if you enjoy horror comics! This overall was a solid four-star read.

[Hafeez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 3: Chapter 24-36
Arc 2: Searching for allies

The manga entering apocalypse phase. The damage of the catastrophe is not fully shown yet, but from what has been shown, the destruction that ensued was devastating. The sky turned dark and the sun is barely seen due to dense ash enough to show how devastating it is. This volume focused on fear, trauma and cultism.

Highlight:
• There are several minor earthquakes that damaging the tunnels.
• Teru and Ako found a way out through an abandoned wastewater treatment plant.
• They stucked in the plant and struggling to find foods and drinks.
• Teru found a group of survivors but they were a cult group.
• They leave the group and set for a journey.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: Hole/circle phobia (there is a few pictures of it, but not as much in volume 2!)

***

I like what I've read so far, but something about it just doesn't click for me, making me feel quite "meh" about the first few volumes.

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is volume 3 of the series so I can't talk much about the story as a whole because of spoilers. Let's just say, I'm really liking the story and plot. Hate the two main characters. Seto-san and Teru-kun are such whiny kids. I mean yes... they are both in dire need of food, water, etc., but do they need to be sooooo whiny?

In this volume the kids are running through the train tunnel because of earthquakes. They find themselves in another part of the city, a water treatment plant. The also find a working t.v. After a while a fuzzy broadcast comes on saying that the world is doomed. The kids are frantic to do something. They can't stay where they are or they will starve to death. They need help.

A few days has gone by since they reached the water treatment plant and they come across some survivor kids that were just passing through. The plan is to head to Tokyo. The group of kids go first, the two main characters go the next day. Will they all reach their destination?

So excited I have the next three manga's borrowed from the library. Binge reading!!!!!

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 2 out of 5]

It all starts with a class trip on a subway train. All of a sudden the underground railroads collapse beneath the weight of an earthquake and all the students aboard the train are trapped underground where it’s hard to breathe and it’s excruciatingly humid. The few survivors must dig their way out from the labyrinthian tunnels to reach the surface, but the world above might not be as they remember it.

A great concept with a weak execution. The atmosphere is intense and the art is hauntingly bleak. Unfortunately, I found all of the main characters very unlikable. The dialogue is also pretty bad and doesn’t always make sense which could be the fault of a poor translation. The story also drags out way longer than necessary with repetitive drama and the unlikeable cast constantly bickering over dumb issues doesn’t do the plot or the stakes of the narrative any favors.

Not a terrible horror manga, but not nearly as good as it could’ve been. The few solid moments were underwhelming compared to the long periods of monotonous boredom, bland characters and uninteresting villains in between.

My rating: 2.3/5

[CesarSadAsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teru y Ako al fin logran escapar de la terrible oscuridad del túnel en el que se encuentran. Para encontrarse con que todo aquello que conocían ha sido destruido. Partiendo con este plost twist sorprendente la historia comenzará a plantear terribles cambios que nos llevarán explorar los límites a los que es capaz de llegar el ser humano con tal de buscar en que creer para liberarse del miedo al vacío, a la oscuridad y la muerte

[Kansas · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sé como acabará pero me gusta mucho ese tono apocalíptico y algo bizarro. Es todo muy desesperanzador y el dibujo de Mochizuki contribuye a la oscuridad del mundo en el que parecen vivir. Me gusta ese suspense de no saber con lo que se van a encontrar cuando salgan a la superficie.

[Cameron Takeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story progresses finally and continues to add a few more unsettling parts, which is nice. Still, it's somewhat difficult to root for these personality-less characters. It transitions to a more generic appearing apocalypse setting, but that may not be a bad thing.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome Psychological Apocalyptic manga, really awesome artwork and story! 😁😻❤️❤️

[skaska123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting story and is well paced

[A. B. Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weirdness continues!

[Kcastella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not alot of dialogue for the first 30 or so pages. Almost seems like a rest period .

But finally more development

[Alex Malai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hasta este volumen llegamos.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

More post-apocalyptic shenanigans.

[Solim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very reminiscent of Metro 2033. This manga is on something else. This setting is so depressing!

[সৌম্য বিশ্বাস · Rating 3 out of 5]

বাকি দুটো ভলিউমে গল্প খুবই বোরিং লাগছিল। এটায় এসে প্লটটা development হল

[Florencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Termino muy bien con ganas de saber como sigue

[Paul Hiersemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mir gefällt wie sich die Story entwickelt, so kangsam wirds richtig interessant.

[Alma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bien llevado el ritmo e intensidad sobretodo el intercalado con los flashbacks y las pesadillas con Nobuo.

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I'm kinda hooked

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al fin avanza. No sé qué derroteros seguirá pero por el momento me tiene bastante intrigado

[vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

tragedia tras tragedia me meo

[maro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I had found the first volumes first

[Lorem Ipsum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is getting more interesting.

[Charis bigglebottom · Rating 3 out of 5]

exciting

[Remina's Galaxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

O mundo lá fora

[Barrett Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

"WE WERE STILL ALIVE. BURIED UNDER THE EARTH, WE AWAITED THE ASPHYXIA. AND IN SPITE OF FEAR WE COULDN'T MOVE."

Volume 3 is where things really start to click. The tension that’s been simmering finally hits a boiling point, and the story starts moving with more urgency. Teru and Ako are still trapped, but everything feels heavier now—more dangerous, more surreal. The collapse, the darkness, the isolation—it’s all crushing them. And Nobuo? He’s completely gone. Watching his descent into madness is genuinely disturbing, and it’s no longer a slow slide—it’s a nosedive into something primal and terrifying.

There are some incredible moments here. The smoke. The hallucinations. That one scene with the flares lighting up the tunnel—beautifully terrifying. It’s not just psychological horror anymore; there’s real dread in the air, and the claustrophobia is almost tangible. You can feel how deep underground they are, how close they are to death, and how utterly alone they are.

But what really sold this volume for me is how the fear is no longer abstract. It’s personal now. You get the sense that survival isn’t just about escaping the tunnel—it’s about not losing yourself along the way. Teru’s desperation to keep it together, to keep Ako safe, feels more intense, more human.

I liked this volume a lot more than the first two. It still keeps its slow-burn style, but there’s real payoff here. The stakes are rising, the characters are cracking, and the darkness isn’t just around them—it’s inside them now.