Black God (manga)

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Black God
黒神
(Kuro Kami)
Genre Action, Drama, Fantasy
Manga
Author Dall-Young Lim (story)
Sung-Woo Park (art)
Publisher Flag of Japan Square-Enix
Demographic Seinen
Serialized in Flag of Japan Young Gangan
Original run 2004 – ongoing
Volumes 7

Black God (kanji: 黒神 Kuro Kami; 흑신 Heuk Shin) is a Japanese manga series story by Dall-Young Lim and art by Sung-Woo Park published in Japan under Square Enix in Young Gangan ; a bi-monthly magazine which publishes seinen manga. The story is set in Tokyo, Japan. It has been translated to English. "Black" in the title refers to the character Kuro (kuro is Japanese for "black"). "God" in the title refers to the fact that Kuro is superhuman (a mototsumitama).

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Keita Ibuki is a computer programmer who, with two of his friends, is developing and trying to sell a video game program. He has a chance meeting with a high Mototsumitama named Kuro. He gives her his dinner, a bowl of ramen, and tries to protect her when she is surprise attacked by another Mototsumitama. He loses his left arm, but she exchanges it with her left arm (Mototsumitama have enhanced healing ability). This creates a bond between them which makes her more powerful provided that he stays near her and supports her. Soon they, and Akane Sano, are targeted by the strongest Mototsumitama clan of the East, the Shishigami (Lion God) Clan in attempt to kidnap Sano and bring about the destruction of the coexistence balance, which Mototsumitama are supposed to protect.

[edit] Characters

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (March 2008)
  • Keita Ibuki （伊吹慶太）: The main character. As a child he and his mother met a person who looked exactly like her. The next day, she died. Years later, he's a struggling video game programmer. One day, at a Ramen house, he met Kuro, offered her food and his story began there. He does not appear to be aware of Akano's feelings for him.
  • Kuro （クロ）: Keita's partner. As a child, she was princess of the Motosumitama. However, tragedy met up with her when her most cherished brother slaughtered her whole tribe. She came to the human world to stop him.
  • Mikami Houjou: A Motosumitama of the Ginko(silver tiger)clan.
  • Punipuni: Kuro's dog （プニプニ）
  • Akane Sano: Keita's childhood friend. Her doppeliner seems to be one of the main antagonists. She may have feelings for her childhood friend, Keita.(osananajimi) （佐野茜）
  • Excel （エクセル）
  • Steiner （シュタイナー）

[edit] Terminology

  • Mototsumitama: God-like beings charged with maintaining the balance of existence. However, they can become corrupt which result in conflicts between them.
  • Doppeliner: one of three people with identical bodies and minds who share the same fate. Every normal human being begins as a doppeliner. If two of them meet, they die. The remaining luck and fate of the two go to the remaining person, called The Root, giving them unimaginable good luck. Keita's mother died this way when he was a child.
  • Contract: A pact or a bond made between a human and a Mototsumitama through sharing limbs. Kuro exchanges left arms with Keita to save his life and unwillingly formed a contract.
  • Synchro: The greatest initiation of a contract, usually when both partners have a shared will. When synchro is reached, a Mototsumitama's power multiplies. However synchro is really strenuous on the human partner because the human shares all injuries the Mototsumitama receives.
  • Exceed: Abilities used in fighting by the Mototsumitama once synchro has been initiated. Each Mototsumitama has a unique Exceed, and some may be dangerous to the human partner, due to the high use of tera.
  • Tribal Ends: Humans who have been given Mototsumitama powers by Mototsumitama.
  • Tera: Spiritual life force that inhabits all lifeforms. Mototsumitama usually form contracts with humans with high amounts of tera because it enables them to use exceed more often.
  • Alter Ego: A human who has met his doppeliner, yet has not died. Alter egos disrupt the coexistence balance. Mototsumitama, who are in charge of keeping the balance, carry out the deaths of alter egos to protect the coexistence balance.
  • Thousands: Relics made by the Mototsumitamas of the old, that are given to humans as a means of self defense. By channeling their tera, these relics release specific effects (i.e. Excel's Hex Ring creates the Hex Shield which blocks attacks).
  • Pure Land ( also known as Holy Land): A desolate area which few humans visit which is surrounded by a barrier made by the Mototsumitama to keep away humans and preserve the tera flow, keeping it pure.

[edit] External links