Is Kengan Ashura Worth Reading?

Kengan Ashura Review

Kengan Ashura is among the most intense and gruesome manga out there. In the whole Kengan Ashura manga, there is action, action, and only action. This Manga represents the pleasure of watching pure, physical fighting. Kengan Ashura has an Anime Adaptation too.

Table of Contents:

• Plot
• Characters
• Art
• Overall Review
• Where to read
• Burning Questions

Synopsis: Mangadex | Read: Amazon

Plot:

The plot of this manga revolves around a fighter named Tokita Ohma and a civilian businessman named Yamashita Kazuo, both of their stories lead them to an underground fighting circuit known as Kengan matches. The matches are held between representatives from different business corporations to settle corporate disputes or gain access to a few perks that can help their business. There are two fractions in the association as of now, going against each other and both Ohma and Yamashita are right in the middle of all this. A lot of things are happening behind the scene at the same time as well as every fighter and their employers have different motives to fulfill, making it a thrilling ride to sit through as a reader. The fighters all have different stories and styles which come from a variety of inspiration.

Characters:

Most of the characters introduced in the story are either short-lived or lacking the time to evolve, but that isn’t a turn-off for a battle martial art fantasy like Kengan Ashura. That said few characters like the self-proclaimed “Superhuman” Rihto and the man called “Iron Lance” Kuroki Gensai has really great development and storytime. The best and the most fun to watch is Yamashita Kazuo and his reactions to everything batshit crazy going around him. Yamashita has some of the most priceless reactions in a manga period. Now, this doesn’t mean the MC himself Tokito Ohma is a let down as he slowly owns his name of “Ashura” throughout the many battles he fights through. The side plot of “Inside” and “Kure clan” is really fascinating and later expanded in the sequel ‘Kengan Omega’.

Art:

The artist behind the manga is Daromeon and he sure has evolved over the course of the story. The rough and quick paneled fights from the initial chapters slowly evolve into more dynamic and polished fights with a lot of full-page sprites as the story progresses. For a martial arts manga, the physical attributes of the characters are pushed into inhuman or monstrous domain by each chapter, the smooth flowing fight scenes have a good amount of detailed art and plenty of body destruction with bloodshed as well. The most fascinating aspect of the manga though is the crooked and bizarre facial expressions or closeups of a lot of different characters. It’s just that sense of awe when a character slowly breaks apart through different struggles. The art really improves several tiers by the end so impatient readers are warned here as the payoff is totally worth it.

Overall Review:

Kengan Ashura as a story might be a little weak in the initial stage and with few characters but as a martial arts manga, it works really well with its over-the-top action, interesting character traits, and a rich variety of martial arts. The puns and back cover gags are certainly worth it and enjoyable. The Mangaka Yabako Sandrovich sure did experiment with a lot of different elements and styles but at the end of the day, it’s that mix of anything and everything that makes you come back for more of what the manga has to offer.

My ratings: 7/10

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Burning Questions about Kengan Ashura

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