Bloody Roar (manga)

Bloody Roar: The Fang
Written by	Maruyama Tomowo
Publisher(s)	Shueisha (former) Gentosha (current)
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	2001
Volume(s)	2

Bloody Roar: The Fang (ザ・ファング) is an adaptation into a manga of the Bloody Roar game series, drawn by Maruyama Tomowo. It was originally published in Monthly Shōnen Jump.

Composition

A few themes were used from the games but the scenarios and characters in Maruyama's version were completely new, though a few of his characters looked a lot like the original game characters. The main stars of the manga were a loner wolf zoanthrope, Fang, and a rabbit girl named Mashiro. Their adventures had them fighting out-of-control beast men and trying to stop an evil creature from being released by the gathering of talismans. The manga was released in two volumes (13 chapters) in 2001.

In a special edition format, Gentosha re-released the manga in 2008.

Sypnosis

As in the video game series, Bloody Roar: The Fang presented a modern world where some humans can secretly become half-beast half-human like werewolves, they call them the Zoanthrope race. The story takes place in a Japanese city, Hiroshima where the protagonists Mashiro and Fang, both Zoanthropes, are in search of four talismans, the remains of a legendary and evil creature. Fang has to find them before Tylon Corporation's scientist, Hashiba. In fact, if Tylon reunites the talisman, they will wake up the creature and her dark power.

Chapters

Volume 1

Image	Description
	Fang, the Werewolf In a dream, Mashiro in a mi-human, mi-rabbit form, sees a young man who looks at her. The morning, her best friend Akino wakes her up and remarks ground on her hands and feet. On the way to school, Mashiro meets the man of her last dream, she panics and runs from him. When in school, Mashiro feels faint and her professor, Hashiba, gives her medicine. The night, Mashiro dreams about three beasts and discovers the following day, when she passes through the crime scene that his dreams were real. Before going to bed, Mashiro received a call from Akino who asks her to join her in school. Mashiro accepts but she's not alone with Akino, the man of the dream comes. Suddenly, Akino transforms herself into a giant cat and attacks the young man before comes Hashiba with two other monsters. The professor reveals his true nature: he's a scientific from Tylon Corporation and for years he administrates experiments in his students. With false medicine, he creates zoanthropes, humans with the ability to change themselves in a beast. Mashiro transforms herself into a rabbit beast, proving the success of Hashiba's experiment on her. Suddenly, the young man becomes a wolf beast. He defends Mashiro against the enemies and saves her. The young man presents himself, Fang a supernatural investigator.
	The Minotaur´s Labyrinth A young couple was murdered during the night by a Minotarus near what it seems to be an old labyrinth. The morning after, Mashiro and her new friend, Fang come to the conclusion that the Minotaur is a zoanthrope like us. The two go to inspect the crime scene and use the journalist license of Fang for going through the security. After a short research, the Minotaur appears behind them armed with a road sign using like a hammer. Fang quickly reacts and changes in his wolf form. The two Zoanthropes fight against each other but it's Mashiro who knocks out him when she imitates a matador. Semi-conscious the Minotaur becomes human again shares that he was Hashiba's victim and this ruin was a testing ground.
	The Vampire and the Lion - The Appearance of LionHead During her night routine, a nurse discovers a beast surrounded by blood. The morning after, Mashiro and Fang come to visit Akino. Akino is in hospital since the first chapter incident. While playing Bloody Roar 3, Akino reveals that there's a rumor about a vampire prowling in the place. Mashiro starts her own research but she is soon attacked by a horrible bat zoanthrope. She's rescued by a Lion zoanthrope, LionHead. At first, Mashiro isn't trusting and transforms herself into a rabbit for copying him. Finally she gives him her trust and the two knock out the bat zoanthrope. Fang appears and, seeing LionHead as their ally, offers him to join them but he aggressively refuses to explain that he will only cause them trouble.
	A Rainy Day - The Legend of the Mermaid On a rainy day, Fang answers to a cry for help from a girl, Aoi. She was attacked by a strange man. In the hospital with Akino, Mashiro listens to the news who talk about the discovery of a siren mummified. When Fang comes back with Aoi, Mashiro is jealous but finally finds a pleasant personality in her. [...]
	'The Hamlet from the Abyss - Invocation since a Blue Sea' [...]
	The Black Cat - The Betrayal of my Best Friend [...]

Volume 2

Image	Description
	The Relic - The Appearance of Genbu [...]
	The Last Flight - Shuou of Suzaku, the Wise Men  [...]
	The Dragon Tears - Romance with Yato of Seiryu [...]
	Black and White - Shirakumo's Kindergarten of Byakko [...]
	Fight between Mashiro and Fang - Between The Rage and Love [[ [...]
	The Downfall of Oagito No Magami [...]

Bonus Chapter

Image

Description

The Zoanthrope Kingdom After being invited to the tournament in the Zoanthrope Kingdom, Fang and Mashiro, visit the kingdom expecting to learn more about the competition. They come across Yugo the Wolf who is fighting against a group of men. Fang comes to help and he and Yugo win against their opponents. Suddenly, the prince of the kingdom, Cronos, asks them to stop fighting in public. Mashiro can't hide her sudden crush on the prince and Fang takes the opportunity to talk about the tournament and its cash prize saying that it could bring the wrong type of people. Things get heated between the Prince, Yugo and Fang, in response to that Cronos' bodyguard, Ganesha, steps in. A fight begins where Ganesha, Yugo and Fang all transform into their beast form. Impressed, Cronos, at the end of the fight, shares his impatience to see them at the tournament. Fang, who now understands that Yugo was the man behind the destruction of Tylon years ago, shows his respect and both of them wish luck to the other for the upcoming competition.

Covers

Volume 1

Volume 2

Re-release

Bonus Chapter

Monthly Shonen Jump (April 2001)

Trivia

• The Bonus Chapter, Zoanthrope Kingdom, was featured in the Bloody Roar: Extreme V-Jump Book.
• You can follow the ongoing translation of the manga by SCXCR.

Credits

• Bloody Roar Official Website (Archived)
• The Bloody Roar Retrospective - Bloody Roar: the Fang by SCXCR