What do you think?
Rate this book
強殖装甲ガイバー [Kyōshoku Sōkō Guyver] #1
強殖装甲ガイバー 1 [Kyōshoku Sōkō Guyver 1]
出現!! 驚異の強殖装甲
平凡な高校生・深町晶は、謎の物体“ユニットG”を手にした事で無敵の殖装体“ガイバー”となった。ユニット奪還をもくろむ、秘密結社クロノスとの死闘が始まる!!
平凡な高校生・深町晶は、謎の物体“ユニットG”を手にした事で無敵の殖装体“ガイバー”となった。ユニット奪還をもくろむ、秘密結社クロノスとの死闘が始まる!!
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 1986
5 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Yoshiki Takaya
34 books6 followersYoshiki Takaya (Japanese: 高屋良樹, Hepburn: Takaya Yoshiki, born February 21, 1960) is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating the manga Guyver, which has been adapted into multiple anime features as well as live action films. Guyver was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Captain (published by Tokuma Shoten) for the lifetime of the magazine from February 18, 1985 to 1997. When Captain was cancelled, the manga moved to Shōnen Ace, published by Kadokawa Shoten, who also reprinted the collected volumes from the beginning. There are 31 tankōbon available.
Takaya began however as an hentai manga artist under the pen name Moriwo Chimi (ちみもりを; Chimi Moriwo), with several works printed in the adult manga magazine Lemon People, published by Kubo Shoten. The best known of these is Hades Project Zeorymer, which was adapted as a four episode original video animation by AIC. He also had stories published in the manga anthology series Petit Apple Pie under this pen name.
Takaya began however as an hentai manga artist under the pen name Moriwo Chimi (ちみもりを; Chimi Moriwo), with several works printed in the adult manga magazine Lemon People, published by Kubo Shoten. The best known of these is Hades Project Zeorymer, which was adapted as a four episode original video animation by AIC. He also had stories published in the manga anthology series Petit Apple Pie under this pen name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 19, 2021
I thank Guyver for getting me into anime in the early 90's. Even before DBZ this was probably my first VHS tape ever for anime and I loved every minute of it.
Re-reading it basically 25 years later it still holds a special place in my heart. The dialogue is toned down here for Viz release back when they did so almost no cursing is here despite people getting their arms, heads, and legs crushed and ripped off. Also, it surprised me just how fast shit escalates in this manga that I forget so much happens in this one volume. Main characters die, plot progression feels like it's speeding through, and I was in shock by the end we already got to a major point that I had remembered happening in a different order in the anime both OVA and newer anime in 2005.
Either way though the idea of it, the brutal moments, ballsy deaths, and so on all work for me. A 4 out of 5.
Re-reading it basically 25 years later it still holds a special place in my heart. The dialogue is toned down here for Viz release back when they did so almost no cursing is here despite people getting their arms, heads, and legs crushed and ripped off. Also, it surprised me just how fast shit escalates in this manga that I forget so much happens in this one volume. Main characters die, plot progression feels like it's speeding through, and I was in shock by the end we already got to a major point that I had remembered happening in a different order in the anime both OVA and newer anime in 2005.
Either way though the idea of it, the brutal moments, ballsy deaths, and so on all work for me. A 4 out of 5.
April 14, 2022
Seems like a cool superhero Manga, similar to something like Ultra-man. The first volume covers the creation of Guyver and on-going villain of the week antics, it lacks the messaging of Sailor Moon but seems fine either way.
July 1, 2018
Back in 1992, Kamen Rider, the most popular
tokusatsu
series out there, introduced a very interesting idea. Soon after William Gibson's Neuromancer started the whole biopunk thing, director Osamu Tsuji decided to try something like that with Shōtarō Ishinomori's most famous creation. In other words, he decided to make a biopunk movie. A realistic take on Kamen Rider. Nowadays, Kamen Rider series is more bright and colorful, but back in the days it was more dark and dramatic. But Osamu Tsuji decided to go even further. He turned the whole transformation thing into a horror-like genetic thing. Scary for viewers and painful for the main characters. That's how Shin Kamen Rider (True Masked Rider) was born. It's a pretty well known fact now, thanks to how popular Kamen Rider series is. But what's even more interesting is that Shin Kamen Rider was heavily inspired by another thing that happened almost at the same time with Neuromancer. I'm talking, of course, about Yoshiki Takaya's Guyver. A manga like no other.
It's not a big secret that Kamen Rider is Takaya-san's most favorite TV show. He said that many times in many different interviews. And that's why I've started this review by talking about it. Even though Shin Kamen Rider was heavily inspired by Guyver, Guyver itself was heavily inspired by Kamen Rider. You don't need to have glasses to see that. From masked rider to evil organization (change Shocker to Kronos and that will be pretty much it), it was pretty much the same thing. Even design was heavily inspired by Ishinomori-sensei's Kamen Rider. Even though Takaya-san moved that round and shiny thing from the belt to forehead, it's still easy to notice. But there was one thing that made Guyver much more than just a wannabe Kamen Rider.
As you may know, like many other Ishinomori-sensei's creations, early Kamen Riders were cyborgs. The ingenious author was obsessed with them and Kamen Riders weren't an exception. Takaya-san, on the other hand, chose a different path. Instead of cybernetic organisms, he went with biological alternations. The raw power of the altered living beings... the idea was absolutely fascinating and brought a lot of possibilities. From more gory battle encounters to the ability to revive heroes by cloning. It was so... unique and awesome that instead of feeling like yet another masked hero, Guyver quickly became one of the most unique heroes out there. All thanks to biological motif.
Can't say that it was the only good thing about Guyver, though. Quite the opposite. Takaya-sensei was able to create what many tokusatsu fans dreamed of for a very long time. He created a dark and complicated story with deep atmosphere of mystery. Without being forced to think about the TV format, Yoshiki Takaya created a perfect story. With love, drama and perfect suspense feeling. Be strong. Be careful. Look for those you love and don't trust anyone. That's how Guyver thing works and I must say... it's absolutely perfect. It keeps the best dark elements from the original Kamen Rider, but instead of trying to teach the kids, it's going all the way into a mystery and drama. Absolutely amazing work. If you like tokusatsu, or biopunk, you should totally check this manga out. Even though it was born as Kamen Rider-inspired something, it ended up being one of the most important and complicated works in the genre. So, don't you even dare to miss it. Guyver is one of those "must read" stories out there and that's it.
It's not a big secret that Kamen Rider is Takaya-san's most favorite TV show. He said that many times in many different interviews. And that's why I've started this review by talking about it. Even though Shin Kamen Rider was heavily inspired by Guyver, Guyver itself was heavily inspired by Kamen Rider. You don't need to have glasses to see that. From masked rider to evil organization (change Shocker to Kronos and that will be pretty much it), it was pretty much the same thing. Even design was heavily inspired by Ishinomori-sensei's Kamen Rider. Even though Takaya-san moved that round and shiny thing from the belt to forehead, it's still easy to notice. But there was one thing that made Guyver much more than just a wannabe Kamen Rider.
As you may know, like many other Ishinomori-sensei's creations, early Kamen Riders were cyborgs. The ingenious author was obsessed with them and Kamen Riders weren't an exception. Takaya-san, on the other hand, chose a different path. Instead of cybernetic organisms, he went with biological alternations. The raw power of the altered living beings... the idea was absolutely fascinating and brought a lot of possibilities. From more gory battle encounters to the ability to revive heroes by cloning. It was so... unique and awesome that instead of feeling like yet another masked hero, Guyver quickly became one of the most unique heroes out there. All thanks to biological motif.
Can't say that it was the only good thing about Guyver, though. Quite the opposite. Takaya-sensei was able to create what many tokusatsu fans dreamed of for a very long time. He created a dark and complicated story with deep atmosphere of mystery. Without being forced to think about the TV format, Yoshiki Takaya created a perfect story. With love, drama and perfect suspense feeling. Be strong. Be careful. Look for those you love and don't trust anyone. That's how Guyver thing works and I must say... it's absolutely perfect. It keeps the best dark elements from the original Kamen Rider, but instead of trying to teach the kids, it's going all the way into a mystery and drama. Absolutely amazing work. If you like tokusatsu, or biopunk, you should totally check this manga out. Even though it was born as Kamen Rider-inspired something, it ended up being one of the most important and complicated works in the genre. So, don't you even dare to miss it. Guyver is one of those "must read" stories out there and that's it.
September 3, 2020
Shonen que promete. Es una pena que tan solo haya 32 volúmenes, acaba incompleto, no sabremos sobre el fin de Cronos y los demás personajes, tienía mucho potencial. He encontrado algunas inconsistencias narrativas dentro de la trama, pero es perdonable, por lo demás (dibujo, etc.) esta bien.
September 27, 2012
A classic anime title that launched an awesome line of vinyl model kits and some great videos. This was very popular in our area at one time.
January 7, 2026
Bio-Booster Armor Guyver apre la sua saga con un impatto forte e immediato: un mix potente di azione, fantascienza e body horror che cattura fin dalle prime pagine. Il protagonista, Shō Fukamachi, è un normale studente delle superiori la cui vita viene completamente sconvolta quando trova e attiva accidentalmente un’armatura bio-meccanica aliena chiamata Guyver. Questo evento, oltre a trasformarlo in un formidabile guerriero, lo pone al centro di una lotta spietata contro l’organizzazione segreta Cronos e i suoi mostruosi soldati genetici chiamati Zoanoidi.
guyver.fandom.com
Il primo volume riesce a bilanciare con efficacia azione frenetica e tensione narrativa: le trasformazioni sono disegnate in modo dinamico e visceralmente intenso, e il lettore sente sia la potenza che il dolore fisico e psicologico che Shō sperimenta con l’armatura. Non è solo un supereroe con poteri: è un adolescente travolto da responsabilità indesiderate e da una guerra che non voleva combattere.
a caratterizzazione dei personaggi principali (tra cui l’amico Tetsurō e l’interesse amoroso Mizuki) aggiunge profondità alla trama, facendo emergere un contrasto tra la vita quotidiana da studente e la brutalità della guerra contro Cronos. La narrazione non si limita a semplici scontri: suggerisce misteri più grandi legati all’origine dell’armatura e agli scopi oscuri dell’organizzazione che la vuole recuperare a ogni costo.
guyver.fandom.com
Il primo volume riesce a bilanciare con efficacia azione frenetica e tensione narrativa: le trasformazioni sono disegnate in modo dinamico e visceralmente intenso, e il lettore sente sia la potenza che il dolore fisico e psicologico che Shō sperimenta con l’armatura. Non è solo un supereroe con poteri: è un adolescente travolto da responsabilità indesiderate e da una guerra che non voleva combattere.
a caratterizzazione dei personaggi principali (tra cui l’amico Tetsurō e l’interesse amoroso Mizuki) aggiunge profondità alla trama, facendo emergere un contrasto tra la vita quotidiana da studente e la brutalità della guerra contro Cronos. La narrazione non si limita a semplici scontri: suggerisce misteri più grandi legati all’origine dell’armatura e agli scopi oscuri dell’organizzazione che la vuole recuperare a ogni costo.
March 31, 2025
Pretty good! Dropped a star because the pacing can be all over the place. Sometimes it skips between scenes in a jarring fashion. Also the English translation I had wasn’t that accurate. It was engaging though!
April 18, 2018
Another low brow epic, strongly takes cues from classic tokusatsu formulas to craft a gory romp through the hero's adventure protesting against a strong corporation using any means necessary.
September 7, 2023
Great pacing. I was intrigued.
July 1, 2018
A quick look at the very origins of the setting and also a point of the story, where most of the adaptations end. Surprisingly, VIZ didn't ruin the original chapter much this time. They did, of course, but not as much as before. And the original chapter itself is sure awesome. Playing with heroes and villains just wasn't enough for Yoshiki Takaya. He decided to play with the origins of the entire humankind, which helped him to make his Kronos feel different from Kamen Rider's Shocker.
Merged review:
If you have this one from VIZ (and you probably do, since Japanese originals are either a part of the magazine, or published as what we call TBP), then you must know that this one is like the most heavily edited issue so far. Not only it's mirrored, a lot of panels were edited, re-positioned, or even removed. Which is really sad, since the chapter itself... I just love it. In my review of the previous one, I've mentioned it that I just love it how Takaya-san introduces things. And this issue tells us about one of the most important things about Guyver - Control Metal (yes, it's Control Metal / コントロールメタル, not Control Medal as VIZ is trying to tell us in their translation). Again, perfect work on introducing readers to the basics. Love it. And hate VIZ.
Merged review:
Fantastic issue. Literally the most epic so far, even though, I must say, this manga was epic since very beginning. Since the original Guyver idea was heavily inspired by Yoshiki Takaya's favorite TV show - Kamen Rider, you may expect it to become a lot like Sho fighting Zoanoids soon enough. But guess what? Nope. Yoshiki Takaya don't want just some random and repetitive battles. He wants story. And that's why in this issue he's... How cool is that? This issue marks the most famous moment in the entire Guyver history, which was covered in all anime adaptations and in the first American movie. The one that shown "Sho" (who was just
Merged review:
Again, laughably misleading cover on VIZ's side. Thankfully, the chapter itself wasn't as heavily edited as previous one. Which is good, since this one marks one of my most favorite moments so far - the first appearance of Guyver III. Which is charming and covered in mystery... Unlike the previous issue, this one works mostly on mystery part. Which is also good. Yoshiki Takaya keeps the perfect balance between action and mystery and it's hard not to love.
Merged review:
I kinda dig it how cover of this issue shows totally different events, not the ones that are shown here... But hey! It's VIZ. Not their worst issue, though. Still mirrored, still bad, but they'll do much worse soon. Anyway, let's stop talking about everybody's least favorite publisher out there and talk about the issue itself. And, I must say, it sure shows how much talent Takaya-san has. Even though his work is heavily inspired by Shotaro Ishinomori, he does things in his own way. Instead of just introducing things to us, like many other writers do, he made us learn about them together with the main characters. Sho doesn't just learn about how to use his new armor all of the sudden, he discovers its new secrets step by step. Yet another thing that makes this manga so cool - there's always another secret to discover. The atmosphere of mystery, mixed with our usual Kamen Rider thing... it's just perfect.
Merged review:
If you have this one from VIZ (and you probably do, since Japanese originals are either a part of the magazine, or published as what we call TBP), then you must know that this one is like the most heavily edited issue so far. Not only it's mirrored, a lot of panels were edited, re-positioned, or even removed. Which is really sad, since the chapter itself... I just love it. In my review of the previous one, I've mentioned it that I just love it how Takaya-san introduces things. And this issue tells us about one of the most important things about Guyver - Control Metal (yes, it's Control Metal / コントロールメタル, not Control Medal as VIZ is trying to tell us in their translation). Again, perfect work on introducing readers to the basics. Love it. And hate VIZ.
Merged review:
Fantastic issue. Literally the most epic so far, even though, I must say, this manga was epic since very beginning. Since the original Guyver idea was heavily inspired by Yoshiki Takaya's favorite TV show - Kamen Rider, you may expect it to become a lot like Sho fighting Zoanoids soon enough. But guess what? Nope. Yoshiki Takaya don't want just some random and repetitive battles. He wants story. And that's why in this issue he's... How cool is that? This issue marks the most famous moment in the entire Guyver history, which was covered in all anime adaptations and in the first American movie. The one that shown "Sho" (who was just
Merged review:
Again, laughably misleading cover on VIZ's side. Thankfully, the chapter itself wasn't as heavily edited as previous one. Which is good, since this one marks one of my most favorite moments so far - the first appearance of Guyver III. Which is charming and covered in mystery... Unlike the previous issue, this one works mostly on mystery part. Which is also good. Yoshiki Takaya keeps the perfect balance between action and mystery and it's hard not to love.
Merged review:
I kinda dig it how cover of this issue shows totally different events, not the ones that are shown here... But hey! It's VIZ. Not their worst issue, though. Still mirrored, still bad, but they'll do much worse soon. Anyway, let's stop talking about everybody's least favorite publisher out there and talk about the issue itself. And, I must say, it sure shows how much talent Takaya-san has. Even though his work is heavily inspired by Shotaro Ishinomori, he does things in his own way. Instead of just introducing things to us, like many other writers do, he made us learn about them together with the main characters. Sho doesn't just learn about how to use his new armor all of the sudden, he discovers its new secrets step by step. Yet another thing that makes this manga so cool - there's always another secret to discover. The atmosphere of mystery, mixed with our usual Kamen Rider thing... it's just perfect.
August 28, 2016
Read for the Okanagan Library Summer Reading Challenge.
Okay, I'm not a huge fan of the anime genre. Many of the stock characters seem repetitious and kind of annoying to me. This classic anime is full of them. Protagonist: hapless, shy (yet somehow really good looking) high school student who gets dragged into things kicking and screaming yet somehow turns out to be the toughest guy on the block. Supporting character: more mature, probably more intelligent best buddy who puts up with protagonist because he's the not-as-good-looking buddy. Love interest: oblivious looks-like-a-ten-year-old girl who, despite being active on the student council and newsletter seems to be supremely naive about life, whose sole purpose appears to be mooning over one of the bad guys (whom she doesn't realize is a bad guy) and creating sexual frustration for the protagonist, who is infatuated with the girl but obviously doesn't love her because he tries to "protect" her by keeping her completely ignorant of what's actually going on, despite the fact that the bad guy uses her for bait. This stuff gets old. I much preferred Robotech and Sailor Moon (the original Japanese with subtitles, thank you very much, not the Americanized version) and Ghost in the Machine when I was a teenager.
So, yeah. Not generally an anime fan for this reason. However, if all you're looking for is a superhero style beat-up-the-bad-guys slugfest, this is awesome. The Guyver is a symbiotic extradimensional entity that acts like Spartan armour and can be called from the other dimension at need, that is being researched by a Big Evil Corporation (one thing I will give anime is that the bad guys are usually corporations, not governments, which is closer to reality). It's the next stage up from the zoanoids that that bad guys have mastered creating (by torturing human beings of course) and the bad guys want to control the Guyvers too so they can take over the world. Three escape; one of which bonds to the protagonist; one of which bonds to one of the bad guys; and one of which bonds to some MYSTERY MAN (ooo, spooky! yet another stock anime theme, ho hum) whose identity is never revealed and whose motives are not explained in this, the first in a classic anime series. Bad guys try to capture protagonist and his buddy the witness (but not the girl until later, I wonder why?) and hijinks ensue. Lots of splash panels of lots of lines to indicate movement, and weird sound effects (what, may I ask, makes a GOOM noise? WTF is GOOM?) that were occasionally difficult to follow in that I could tell someone was getting beat up but it was hard to discern who until the fight was over.
Yeah, it was a good way to amuse myself for about an hour. But it was kinda fun for its own sake. Your teenagers will love it.
Okay, I'm not a huge fan of the anime genre. Many of the stock characters seem repetitious and kind of annoying to me. This classic anime is full of them. Protagonist: hapless, shy (yet somehow really good looking) high school student who gets dragged into things kicking and screaming yet somehow turns out to be the toughest guy on the block. Supporting character: more mature, probably more intelligent best buddy who puts up with protagonist because he's the not-as-good-looking buddy. Love interest: oblivious looks-like-a-ten-year-old girl who, despite being active on the student council and newsletter seems to be supremely naive about life, whose sole purpose appears to be mooning over one of the bad guys (whom she doesn't realize is a bad guy) and creating sexual frustration for the protagonist, who is infatuated with the girl but obviously doesn't love her because he tries to "protect" her by keeping her completely ignorant of what's actually going on, despite the fact that the bad guy uses her for bait. This stuff gets old. I much preferred Robotech and Sailor Moon (the original Japanese with subtitles, thank you very much, not the Americanized version) and Ghost in the Machine when I was a teenager.
So, yeah. Not generally an anime fan for this reason. However, if all you're looking for is a superhero style beat-up-the-bad-guys slugfest, this is awesome. The Guyver is a symbiotic extradimensional entity that acts like Spartan armour and can be called from the other dimension at need, that is being researched by a Big Evil Corporation (one thing I will give anime is that the bad guys are usually corporations, not governments, which is closer to reality). It's the next stage up from the zoanoids that that bad guys have mastered creating (by torturing human beings of course) and the bad guys want to control the Guyvers too so they can take over the world. Three escape; one of which bonds to the protagonist; one of which bonds to one of the bad guys; and one of which bonds to some MYSTERY MAN (ooo, spooky! yet another stock anime theme, ho hum) whose identity is never revealed and whose motives are not explained in this, the first in a classic anime series. Bad guys try to capture protagonist and his buddy the witness (but not the girl until later, I wonder why?) and hijinks ensue. Lots of splash panels of lots of lines to indicate movement, and weird sound effects (what, may I ask, makes a GOOM noise? WTF is GOOM?) that were occasionally difficult to follow in that I could tell someone was getting beat up but it was hard to discern who until the fight was over.
Yeah, it was a good way to amuse myself for about an hour. But it was kinda fun for its own sake. Your teenagers will love it.
July 1, 2018
The issue I have was heavily ruined by VIZ, but man, this manga is still absolutely brilliant and since Goodreads don't let us to rate the exact editions, I'll still give this one five stars. Even though I want to warn those who want to buy the VIZ version - their version is mirrored, it's heavily edited, it has some name changes, translation is inconsistent, while some of the original panels were completely removed. If you want to know more about what this manga is and why it's so cool, check out my review of the original Japanese edition. Here, I just want to say that VIZ did what they do best - ruined the great work a lot. But even that was unable to kill this amazing Japanese hero. Amazing blend of Kamen Rider, horror and mystery.
April 19, 2018
One of my favourite Manga's from when I was younger. I've never read all the comics so I am starting to work my way through them now. One down, twenty nine to go. The guyver is a fast paced sci-fi action story with some great horror elements.
July 4, 2010
100% Shonen
July 1, 2022
Molto simile a devilman per certi aspetti ma resta bellissimo! Un misto tra Venom e Ultraman!
Lo consiglio a chiunque ami il genere horror e supereroistico!
Non mancano nemmeno i vari kaiju
Lo consiglio a chiunque ami il genere horror e supereroistico!
Non mancano nemmeno i vari kaiju
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews