Creator: Tonkye
Artist: Akira Mitsuya
Original Character Designer: Sinsora
Translator: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements
Letterer: Tom Williams
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: David Colderley
Publisher: Titan Manga
Price: $12.99
Release Date: November 4, 2026
When aliens reached Earth, they didn't bring us presents. Instead, they wreaked havoc on civilization. But as the Phenom threatened nations with extinction, the extraterrestrial contact yielded an unexpected result. As the survivors rose from the wreckage, teenagers began exhibiting superhuman powers. Recognizing the need to mobilize this new resource, Japan organized the National Defense Force. How will the NDF fight off their Phenom invaders? And how does becoming a Gifted individual change a teenager’s life? Let’s leap into The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1 and see!
Story
Kouki Suou is 16 years old. In elementary school, he dreamed of becoming one of the Gifted. He trained in martial arts and protected his friend Hiro Sanada. Yet while other kids his age can lift automobiles or fly, Suou realizes that his chances of gaining superpowers are dwindling. Downhearted, the teen has drawn inward. Suou feels self-conscious around others. He no longer feels like he belongs. Worse, as his mother points out, his school grades are dropping along with his belief in achieving a future that matters.
Still, it's a shock when his childhood friend, Hiro Sanada, confides that he has joined the National Defense Force. Hiro could be using his status as a superhero to attend an exclusive academy. Yet, as he continues attending school and receiving the admiration of the girls, Hiro trains to join a prestigious NDF team, such as Nature Stranger, who recently repelled a Phenom attack. In The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1, Suou tries to hide his jealousy over Hiro's news. But he's angry. When he sees a thug attacking someone in the street, Suou leaps into the fray. But when a superpowered brawler takes the would-be vigilante to task, the violent assault awakens something in Suou.
While Tonkye’s story focuses on Kouki Suou, readers see the world through the eyes of other characters. In 2070s Japan, the government insists people register when their gifts awaken. Unless they become authorized Specialists, follow their leaders' orders, and protect others, the government classifies them as Firz. Yet, when this life change occurs rapidly for Suou, the authorities make assumptions about him, forcing the teen to hide his abilities.
Along the way, Kouki Suou learns more about life among the Gifted. As his powers grow, he begins to wonder where he belongs. Yet a new student in his school, Fuuka Mizutani, looks beyond people's status in The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1. She reminds Suou that it doesn't take superpowers to make someone extraordinary.
Art
As Kouki Suou walks to school in his uniform, he looks down and frowns. Like Suou, Hiro Sanada has a tousle of hair that threatens to obscure his eyes. Yet the Gifted teen’s blond hair seems to dance as he smiles. Female students regard Suou with frowns and sneers. Yet Fuuka Mizutani wears a lost, innocent expression as she attends her first day of class.
When he spots a thug threatening someone, Suou’s features grow determined. The thug's colleagues sweat as Suou dispatches their friend. But lightning crackles, and globules fill the air, when a Firz rams his fist into Suou’s abdomen. Black splotches erupt from Suou’s chest as he falls.
While Akira Mitsuya shows people flying, fighting with swords, and utilizing their powers, Tom Williams places uppercase dialogue in balloons. Suou’s thoughts fill rectangles in this recognizable future world, with aerial lines strung between homes, tower blocks, and over automobiles. Dialogue swells for intonation, and extreme emotions transform spheres into stars, as giant words fill the air, announcing Suou has unlocked a new ability in The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1.
Final Thoughts
When life surprises him and he gets his fondest wish, Kouki Suou discovers that the National Defense Force is less valiant than he imagined. While Suou makes new friends, the superpowered teen wonders who he can trust in The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1.
Rating 9/10
To look inside see my preview of The Raven Dark Hero Vol 1.
