Zombie Powder: Walk Like a Zombie

Zombie Powder #4

by Tite Kubo

Somewhere in the desert lies the world's greatest treasure: the 12 Rings of the Dead, the only source of the mysterious substance "Zombie Powder," which can raise the dead and give the living eternal life. Now, a small broup of super-skilled hunters has gone in search of the rings, against an army of crooks, killers, and madmen...

WALK LIKE A ZOMBIE
A locomotive races across the desert, with a human body fused to the engine...the body of Wolfina's brother Emilio, one of the "hosts" of a Ring of the Dead! With no help in sight, Wolfina fights alone to free her brother...but can anything save him from a fate worse than death? Includes a special bonus story, "Bad Shield United"!

Genres: Manga, Shonen, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Action, Adventure

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2000

About the author

Noriaki Kubo, known professionally as Tite Kubo ( 久保帯人), is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. His manga series Bleach (2001–2016) had over 130 million copies in circulation as of 2022.

Reviews

[Alina]

E assim termina o último volume (que deixaram publicar) de Zombie Powder... com um final agridoce.
Está a mexer com os meus nervos perceber o potencial desta história e saber que ninguém o deixou crescer e evoluir como deveria (o Tite Kubo tem mesmo azar).
É curioso comparar a arte do Kubo nesta altura com a arte dele no último arco de Bleach... a evolução é digna de nota (nos primeiros arcos Bleach tinha um estilo de arte em tudo semelhante a Zombie Powder).
Queria ler mais sobre o Gamma, e queria ver o Emilio finalmente a acordar depois da "operação". Quem sabe um dia...! (sonhar não custa)

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson]

This volume starts off with Chapter 22: Lay Your Heart On Me.

After this no one knows what happens, due to Tite Kubo discontinuing the series.

I'll write more when my editing mode hits.
Happy Readings!
Fly my Pretties! Fly!

[Emmy]

I'm really torn about how to feel regarding this final volume of Zombiepowder. For one thing, I enjoyed the book, but since I heard that there were only four volumes, I went into it expecting to have all the ends tied up nicely. But, what I found instead was that this was actually meant to be just another book in the series, but the entire thing was cancelled after only 4 books. So, there is more to the story, but I guess we'll just never know what it was.

To say that I'm disappointed seems like a bit of an understatement right now. I'm actually really bummed out, because I had been getting pretty invested in the series, and I have so many questions that I still want answers for. What will happen to Emilio? And will Elwood, CT, and Gamma find all the Rings of the Dead? And what about Wolfina? When we last see her, she agrees to act as a guinea pig to a mad scientist in order to pay for the surgery to save her brother. There is just so much I want to know about, and I'm pissed that I will never know the answers. If I had know this about the series at the start, I probably would not have picked it up.

All the same, I really was enjoying it. And I guess that has to count for something. It's a series with a lot of heart, and I really wish I could have seen it through to the end.

[Jack Boyat]

It really is a tragedy that this series got canceled, and so early on too. It has all of what makes the first arc of Bleach so perfect except with better action sequences and a better aesthetic. Also a better/more intriguing concept. This is basically the closest I'll ever get to having a Borderlands shonen manga. It's the substitute soul reaper arc in the world of Trigun. It was great, and then it ended, and we'll never know where the story of Gamma Akutabi, Elwood, C.T. Smith, and Wolfina was going, and that sucks, but at least what's here is here and can be appreciated as an early step in the career of a genius.

That Chainsaw sword is so fucking cool why the hell did they cancel this!?!?!?@?@?@?¿•¿□□•♡○¥• eoq

[Leila Anani]

This conclusion to the zombie powder saga leaves things quite open ended. It begins where volume 3 left off with Wolfina fighting the fat circus lady on the top of the train for the fate of her brother. The Circus arc is dealt with rather swiftly - The villains take out the brakes so the train is on a non stop course for the city. Smith shoots out the bolts of all the wheels on one side causing the train to turn and crash into and destroy the circus tent. Their boss Balmunk the mystic has fled and seeing the destruction of their tent the other circus guys give up and walk away. Talk about damp squib endings! And the henchmen here were so cool!

Angelle a psychic 11 year old in love with Gamma arrives with medicine and transports them all to the mad doctor who starts work on removing the tentacle ring parasite from Wolfina's brother in exchange for.... Wolfina! as a guineapig, but seeing how she makes all her assistants dress up as maids.... who knows! Gamma comes to the decision to train Elwood properly.

And that's it guys - we don't know if the op is successful, the fate of Wolfina, Elwood's quest, what happens to Blamunk.... Absolutely nothing is resolved. The other downer is the artwork - this feels really rushed and some of the faces are awful - the chins feel very skewed -you can tell this is a manga creator just starting out.

On the upside, every single character is larger than life and detailed - this has a great deal of energy and it's what you would describe as 'really cool' even with its flaws.

There's a bonus story: Bad Shield United - which has a lot of potential - about an organization who rescue 'Shields' - Androids, created by the military who've fallen into private hands. They have to rescue Rachel (a shield) who thinks she's the girlfriend of a shield trafficking mob boss. While this is an obvious homage to Bladerunner (no coincidence she's called Rachel!) this has enough mileage to be its own thing and I'd love to see more cases of these guys. I also liked the female android emancipation here as Rachel learns the truth - quite relevant at the moment, what with last year's Arthur C. Clarke award winner Annie Bot.

[Vered]

3.5/5

I sought after this series only because I adored reading Bleach and Burn the Witch.

If you are not a fan of Tite Kubo or you haven't read/watched Bleach, I don't think you'll enjoy this series too much and I suggest reading Bleach before looking for Zombie Powder. However if you have read/watched Bleach I recommend this series to you.

I loved Bleach's funky cool characters and its story so I chased after anything from Kubo for another taste of that. While I enjoyed this short series it still left me craving something fun like Bleach again.

The characters are cool (as always from Kubo) and the story was alright, it definitely could've been better in many aspects but I didn't hate it. Worth a read if you like the bad-ass and goofy that Bleach has!

[Andrew Alvis]

Done...again. I wonder if Kubo knew it was only going to be a short series, hence why it all felt a bit rushed and certain plot lines and other story parts were omitted?
Either way, it was resolved to a point so I guess that's alright 🙄

Also, I'm curious if these side stories appearing after the main story are ideas Kubo drew and published alongside Zombie Powder he hoped to explore further had they been picked up. Shame they're lost to time, the man had a lot of interesting ideas waiting to break out it seems.

[Toastkat]

On the one hand, I'm sad to see the story ended so soon, when there was obviously so much more left to tell. But on the other hand... It's probably for the best that this series ended when it did and the way it did. Things were getting ridiculous, and the raising of the stakes at each fight were just getting... out of hand. Not to mention the side-stories were hit and miss in quality. All-in-all, an okay series. Not as good as some, but not as bad as others. 3/5

[AJ]

Yikes, we don't even get a decent ending, no rush ending, no open ending; the story just cuts; as if they were going to write another chapter. Now that is what I call a hard cancel.

This volume was looking to be the best as well, because we were going to know more about the main character's past and his partner.

Probably the most funniest volume as well. I could have given this a 4 stars, but we slashing this to 1. What a huge disappointment.

[Cecillie]

Yeah, I'm bored by this. It's like okay, but I can understand why this series is only these four volumes (as far as I understand). I don't get the power/magic system, which just takes me out of the story. It also get a bit frustrating that every volume has a bonus story of varying level of quality in terms of story. I think I've like one of the bonus stories? Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading some other manga.

[Laura]

I forgot how much I loved Tite Kubo’s art style so coming back to his earlier works was such a breath of fresh air.
I really wish this could’ve been longer or there could have been an anime… hell I even liked the short stories.

Here’s hoping maybe he does more with Burn the Witch cause I need more Kubo in my life

[Lisa]

The story doesn't finish here, it was cancelled.
That's a shame I enjoyed this and I like these characters.
I wanted to see some more interactions from Elwood and Gamma.
I wanted to find more about CT. I wanted to know about the rings, the fights.
Real shame this ended
Guess ill start bleach then since I liked this.

[Brandon]

Kubo was only just starting to hit his stride as the series gets abruptly cancelled and the whole thing is a wash. Luckily he can channel this into his next series (Bleach) but yeesh this is such a disappointing read for a story I was actually starting to dig.

[Nals]

I really liked a lot about this series, but the ending was inconclusive. Kind of a let down, especially with Emile (Emil?). Still, I liked the characters and art a great deal. I feel like I might appreciate Bleach more now that I know Kubo's style better.

[Gabby]

I’m kind of disappointed ☹️ I really like the story but I wish we had a bit more resolution to everything going. It felt like we were really only getting started and left things very open ended. I still like the series but I wish it was a little more finished?

[-moonprismpower-]

Ah man... I wish this was a finished series.


I really hate these random short stories. I can’t get into short stories. They’re too short to care about the characters.

[Sedna Dragon]

This was an unsatisfying conclusion and seemed to be cancelled before it could be what it could have been.

[el]

girl what was that ending

[Nehemiah]

its cool to see Kubo before bleach, defo had potential to be a rlly cool world to explore

[Will]

A shame this never got anywhere near completion, I liked the hyper focus on action and while it is a Trigun derivative, I like the main character more than I ever liked Vash.

[Rubén Darío’s simp]

I didn’t knew this was the last one released and the author never made other one, I feel abandoned

[~Cyanide Latte~]

Talk about such a solid follow-up to the last volume! For what it's worth, I feel like this is still not a bad place for the story to have been set aside, but I still wish there was more than what we got.

Volume 4 of Zombie Powder is a very nice wind-down after the fast-paced adrenaline rush that was volume 3. Unfortunately, it's here that the story ends. I don't recall off the top of my head the reasons behind why Kubo never continued with the story, and back in the day when I first read this mini-series, it broke my heart to learn that these four volumes were all we were ever going to get. It still felt like there was a lot of world to explore, unanswered questions about all the characters we followed and the ones that get introduced in this final volume, and despite the hopeful upswing, the story still feels like it's ending on a cliffhanger.

Re-reading it now, while my original sentiments about that still hold, I think the way things ended and how they ended where they did were the best kind of send-off Kubo could have written with what little he was allowed to do. There's no true resolution, in a way, but since I'm older now I'm more easily able to appreciate that a lot of that is left up to reader interpretation. I suppose if I still want more, I'll try to find fanfic on the internet. (Or if I'm feeling bold enough, I might write some myself.) But I'm less bothered by the lack of resolution now and I owe it to Zombie Powder to state as much. This series is still solid for all that it got canceled, and I still adore it to pieces. This time, it's going to stay in my collection for a very long time to come.

[Once again, I did not re-read the short stories at the end of this volume. They were thrown in for padding, and as with volume 3, I doubt I'll ever re-read the shorts. I just don't have the patience or energy to read those and write up reviews for them at this point in time.]

[Michele Lee]

The final volume in the Zombie Powder series continues the engaging story of Gamma, a chainsaw sword wielding master criminal, Smith, a light-hearted super criminal himself, Elwood, on the cusp not just between boy and man, but criminal and hero, and Wolfina, who is trying to save her brother from both a circus of crazies and a Ring of the Dead. This volume continues to establish our leads as heroes of the Punisher type, who don't hesitate to break laws and even kill people if it keeps innocents safe. Kubo drops more tantalizing hints about Gamma and Smith's histories, then comes the blow that this is the last book in the series and therefore will remain unfinished.
Zombie Powder is a fun series, even if the action scenes are confusing and space consuming. The characters make the story, as great characters should, and its hard not to see them translating well to other mediums. I truly hope Kubo revisits these characters again, but as far as getting to see the creative mind playing with convention, this is a rewarding series and should be a part of manga collections. (Though it's more appropriate for a teen audience than middle grade.)
Contains: cartoon violence, implied criminal activity including sexual crimes and murder

[Robert Beveridge]

Tite Kubo, Zombiepowder, vol. 4: Walk Like a Zombie (ViZ, 2000)

And after the series got derailed in volume 3, and I was thinking “okay, maybe Jump wasn't unjustified in canceling this,” along comes the final volume, where the big battle against the circus is wrapped up and we were starting to get into the second story arc, which kicked off the tale—or so it would seem, we'll probably never know now—of how Gamma Akutabi went from being a master criminal to a ring hunter who has a soft spot for the humanity he once loathed, introducing us to a host of new and interesting characters, etc. Now I find myself wanting to know a great deal more about these characters, and hoping that eventually Kubo kicks off a doujin version of Zombiepowder that will bring us back into the story. Will Wolfina fall in love with Smith? (That seems the least likely pairing, so knowing Kubo, that's where he was headed.) What's going on with the lab, and will we get to know any of the more interesting experiments we just saw, rather than interacted with? Will Elwood become a full member of the gang now that he's honed his skills? Will Angelle stop being so damn creepy? (That cover art for Track 25? [http://www.anymanga.com/zombie-powder...] How dark is that?) Maybe someday we'll find out. *** ½

[Monster]

The final volume in the Zombie Powder series continues the engaging story of Gamma, a chainsaw sword wielding master criminal, Smith, a light-hearted super criminal himself, Elwood, on the cusp not just between boy and man, but criminal and hero, and Wolfina, who is trying to save her brother from both a circus of crazies and a Ring of the Dead. This volume continues to establish our leads as heroes of the Punisher type, who don't hesitate to break laws and even kill people if it keeps innocents safe. Kubo also drops more tantalizing hints about Gamma and Smith's histories. Then comes the blow that this is the last book in the series and therefore will remain unfinished.
Zombie Powder is a fun series, even if the action scenes are confusing and space consuming. The characters make the story, as great characters should, and it’s hard not to see them translating well to other mediums. I truly hope Kubo revisits these characters again, but as far as getting to see the creative mind playing with convention, this is a rewarding series and should be a part of manga collections. Grades 9-12.
Contains: cartoon violence, implied criminal activity including sexual crimes and murder

[MissAnnThrope]

28 December 2012

Wait...wha-? Well, now, that was abrupt. Just when Zombie Powder starts to get interesting, it comes to an end. Phooey.

Zombie Powder, Vol. 4: Walk Like a Zombie is the final installment in the series, and many questions are left unanswered. Secrets of Gamma's past are revealed, giving us a teaser peek into his tortured soul. Gunfunnit! Why's it have to end now? It's just getting good!

The complexity of the characters is finally developing but since this is the end, we'll never know more about them. Elwood reminds me of a young Ichigo, always trying to do right by people. Wolfina is a very likable, tough chica. Gamma is brooding and badass. Smith is just all kinds of awesome and I don't want to see him go.

Have I mentioned what a shame it is that this is the end? We haven't even uncovered the 12 Rings of the Dead yet! Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. It would be fun to see what Tite Kubo could do now with these characters after honing his skills over the years. I bet he could turn this into another mega hit just like Bleach. Here's to hoping!

[Natasha]

Wait... That was it? That's the end of the story with no real continuation? There are way too many plot ends left to close to make this a good read, since there are so many questions left over. Don't get me wrong, if you like the other books, you'll like these, but after finding out that there aren't any more after this, it spoils the ending of this one quite a bit. I guess this just never gained the popularity it needed to continue.

[Alba]

¿Porqué? ¿¡Porqué Tite Kubo!? ¿Porqué lo dejaste así? D: Bueno, la verdad es que lo entiendo, Bleach esta bastante mejor, además de que las explicaciones son lógicas y no es nada más porque sí... a veces. Pero el caso es que sí es mas interesante, aunque fue cruel, porque la parte donde se quedo estaba muy buena. Apenas iba a comenzar lo chido y emocionante u.u Total, me ire a acabar de leer Bleach entonces D:

[Yuiko]

This series kinda sucked.....it didnt even finish what the characters were set out to do.this says its the last vol but set it up for the writer/manga artist to make another book in the future..i wanted to read this series because its by the guy who made bleach but was dissipointed..i shouldnt be to hard on him because this is his first series!! But all there is is constant fighting all the time hardly any time to set down and let the charecters talk.

[Kelly]

I Really Hope It Tastes Better Than It Looks!

I want to punch Angelle. I honestly have her on a list of the most annoying characters I've ever read. Again we get a glimpse of Elwood's skill, which I'm living for! Honestly this is an amazing series and the fact that it's only four volumes breaks my heart! If I had the choice I'd give Bleach four volumes and Zombie Powder the longevity. For now I have fan fiction to help heal the wound!