Gantz

Gantz/Osaka

Manga8.1123362 votes37 volumes · 383 chaptersFinished

ActionDramaHorrorSci-FiSupernaturalGoreHigh Stakes GamePsychologicalSurvivalSeinen

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About this title

Synopsis

Lonely high school student Kei Kurono isolates himself out of a growing cynicism toward his fellow man and the cruelty they are capable of enacting. One day, while waiting to take the subway to school, Kei's classmate Masaru Katou leaps onto the tracks in an effort to save a drunk man. Driven by an uncharacteristic desire to rescue someone else, Kei follows Katou down into danger. While successful in saving him, the two boys are killed by the train. Kei wakes up beside Katou in an apartment full of strangers and furnished by a giant black orb with a glass-like outer surface. After finding out that everyone in the room has recently died, words appear on the black ball tasking them with killing a strange creature. The ball equips Kei and the others with power suits and mysterious guns before sending them off to collect this bizarre bounty. Although Kei discovers the mission to be far more deadly than originally suspected, he manages to survive. He is teleported back to the apartment where he and the other survivors are rewarded point values according to their actions in battle by the black sphere, which a fellow survivor says is called "Gantz." Despite his death earlier that day, Kei is granted the ability to return to his daily life with one condition: he can be uprooted from his day at any time and summoned back to the apartment, where Gantz will task him and other recently deceased with the assassination of another target. While Katou dreads the inevitable return to Gantz, Kei finds himself living for the sole purpose of carrying out these missions. Thriving in the heat of battle and learning to care about himself and his comrades, Kei faces escalating monstrous threats that begin to bleed out into his normal life outside of Gantz. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Publication notes

Gantz was published in English by Dark Horse Comics from June 25, 2008, to November 17, 2015, and as omnibuses from September 4, 2018 to July 4, 2023. It was also released in Czech by CREW from January 13, 2013, to January 16, 2024; and in Spanish by Panini Comics from September 16, 2015, to September 19, 2018. The series was adapted into two live-action movies released in Japan on January 29, 2011, and April 23, 2011, respectively. A TV movie titled Another Gantz aired before the second film was released and is an alternate telling of the first film.

Published

Jul 13, 2000 to Jun 20, 2013

Authors

Oku, Hiroya

External links

MyAnimeList page Official Site Wikipedia Wikipedia

MAL rank: #714
Members (MAL): 257,944
Favorites (MAL): 19,196

Related titles

Prequel

Adaptation

Spin-Off

Alternative Setting

Gantz:E

Other

Gantz no Moto: Oku Hiroya to SF Eiga Monogatari

Main characters

Kei Kurono3364 fan favorites
External profile
Age: 17 Height: 168 cm Kurono Kei is the protagonist of Gantz. He is a 10th grader summoned by Gantz, along with Kato, after being hit by a subway train in an effort to help a hobo passed out on the tracks. Initially Gantz refers to Kurono as "Bitch" and "Loser," though he settles on "Kurono" as the series progresses. (Source: Wikipedia)
Jouichirou Nishi723 fan favorites
External profile
First appearance in manga: Chapter 1 First appearance in anime: Season 1, Episode 1 Jouichirou Nishi is a middle-school veteran of the Gantz world, having arrived there over a year before the beginning of the series. While running away from police officers after shoplifting, he fled onto an apartment building roof where he fell to his death. Much like how Kurono started out, he is also selfish and has a Social Darwinist approach to life. Nishi is reluctant to reveal anything about the Gantz or himself, but he runs a web site where he posts information about it (carefully avoiding Gantz's rule about informing outsiders, which would in turn prove fatal). Gantz calls him "Mr. Nishi," which is rather interesting given how informally or derisively he refers to most of the other participants.
Masaru Katou500 fan favorites
External profile
Age: 17 Height: 192 cm Masaru Katou has a good personality; he loves to help people and easily cares for everyone. His parents are dead so he is responsible for his younger brother who he is fiercely protective of. Katou usually takes the position of being a leader because he has good authority, but is unable to hurt others which hinders his performance in the game of Gantz. Masaru Katou was Kei Kurono's childhood friend. They meet each other again the day they die because Katou was trying to help a drunk off of the train line, with Kurono reluctantly lending him a hand.
Reika Shimohira314 fan favorites
External profile
First appearance in manga: Chapter 135 She is a beautiful, young, and popular idol. Like almost everyone else, she is caught in the line of fire during Izumi's killing spree in Shinjuku. She develops a crush on Kurono after seeing him in action during her first night as a participant in the game. Surprisingly enough, she proves to be a formidable opponent against the Aliens. (Source: Wikipedia)
Daizaemon Kaze259 fan favorites
External profile
A tall and incredibly powerful martial artist who came from the countryside to Tokyo looking for a good fight. One of his signature moves is the "back attack," in which he thrusts his back against his enemies with incredible force, often sending them flying. He died against Izumi in the Shinjuku massacre. He seems to care about Takeshi, a young child who recently joined the game and admires Kaze as his "Muscle Rider" savior. On Kurono's request, he uses his points to revive Nishi. Gantz calls him "Countryside General," and later on "Muscle Rider." He has chosen to remain in the Gantz game in order to both continue testing his strength and fighting skills against more powerful enemies and to protect Takeshi. Despite his cold outlook, he does have a softer side—in fact, he wept when he thinks of how Takeshi dies at such a young age without ever having experienced love. (Source: Wikipedia) No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .
Hiroto Sakurai135 fan favorites
External profile
He is a psychic who receives instructions on how to unlock his latent powers from Sakata after attempting suicide. He is then encouraged by Sakata to kill his bullies who sexually abused him with the use of his powers, which he does. However, he later regrets it, realizing how it feels to be a murderer. When he and Sakata witness Izumi's Shinjuku massacre, he insists in trying to stop Izumi and convinces Sakata to join him, arguing that it is a good opportunity to redeem themselves for the murders they committed themselves. While they do put up a good fight, Izumi still does manage to kill both, leading them to Gantz. A phenomenal learner, he masters his abilities rather quickly. He dies in the fight against the Flame Oni, but is revived by Sakata. Gantz calls him "Cherry," taken from the Japanese Sakura and which is his online handle. He has a girlfriend named Tonkotsu who he first met after he murdered the people who abused him. With her, he is seen trying to catch murderers using his psychic powers, in order to further redeem himself. After the mission in Osaka, Gantz names him "no longer a Cherry." (Cherry is also the way Japanese address a virgin boy. No longer a Cherry in this term means that he is no longer a virgin.) No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .
Shion Izumi130 fan favorites
External profile
He was a psychotic yet powerful teenager who participated in the game and won his freedom before the series's events. He desired to return to the game and used a SMG and a pistol to rampage through Shinjuku, killing Hiroto Sakurai, Kenzo Sakata, and Daizaemon Kaze, and either injuring or killing 387 bystanders in broad daylight. He thus not only brought Gantz new participants but also himself because he was killed by Kurono in a standoff. He is an incredible swordsman and was the first to use the Gantz Saber, a katana with a retractable blade that was hidden in one of the apartment's rooms. He can easily be seen as Kei Kurono's "unfeeling" and arrogant rival whose only ambition is to live his life striving to be the best Gantz fighter. He has proved willing to take innocent lives to make it happen (e.g. killing Tae Kojima in one of the missions.) When he earned 100 points for the second time, Izumi chose Option #2—a strong weapon. Before he can use it, however, he is attacked by a legion of vampires in front of his apartment. After he killed all of them, the four vampire leaders attack him. Izumi managed to kill three of the leaders and was in combat with the blonde vampire Hikawa before his girlfriend, Ryōko, tried to save him from the Hikawa. Izumi protected her from the final blow by shielding her with his back. He then marveled at the scores of dead vampires he felled and states that he is definitely going to hell. As of the end of Phase I, Shion Izumi has not been revived. (Source: Wikipedia) No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .
Tae Kojima124 fan favorites
External profile
First appearance in manga: Chapter 101 She is Kurono's first actual girlfriend, first dated on a dare. He actually falls in love with her, and they build a real relationship, Kurono appearing to be very protective of her. (Source: Wikipedia) No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .
Kei Kishimoto94 fan favorites
External profile
Age: 15-16 Height: 160 cm