Kiseijuu

Parasyte
寄生獣
Parasite
Parasitic Beasts

Manga8.452252 votes10 volumes · 64 chaptersFinished

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About this title

Synopsis

"Parasites" are tennis ball sized creatures, whose numbers and origins are unknown. They invade and take over the human mind in order to survive. Shinichi Izumi is a 16-year-old high school student who lives with his parents in a quiet neighborhood. One night, a Parasite invades Shinichi's body in an attempt to take control of it. However, it fails to complete the takeover process and ultimately ends up inhabiting only his right arm. Thus, both Shinichi and the Parasite—who calls himself Migi—retain their individual minds. Now in a peculiar "human and alien" relationship, Migi proposes that they cooperate to survive. Shinichi has no choice but to agree, and he must now cling to his morality as he and Migi face off against other bloodthirsty Parasites. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Publication notes

Kiseijuu won the 17th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 1993. In 2003, it was reprinted in a eight volume complete version format; in 2014, in a new edition format, and complete version in a bunko format. The manga was adapted into two live-action movies which released on November 29, 2014 and April 25, 2015, respectively. A spin-off live-action series titled Parasyte: The Grey was released on Netflix in 2024. The series was first published in English as Parasyte by Tokyopop, ran in their manga anthology magazine Mixxzine and had a 12 volume release from June 23, 1998 to November 19, 2002. Del Rey Manga republished the series based on the eight volume reprint from May 1, 2007 to July 28, 2009. Kodansha Comics USA later reprinted the Del Rey release from July 26, 2011 to August 21, 2012. It has been published in Spanish by Planeta Comic and was published in Brazilian Portuguese by Jbc from September 2015 to June 2016. The manga was also published in Italian by Magic Press from October 3, 1998 to August 30, 2004 before release was discontinued. RW Edizioni picked up the license and published the manga based on the eight volume reprint under the GOEN imprint from December 6, 2014 to January 30, 2016.

Published

Jul 4, 1989 to Dec 23, 1994

Authors

Iwaaki, Hitoshi

External links

MyAnimeList page KodanshaKodansha USA Wikipedia Wikipedia

MAL rank: #281
Members (MAL): 111,929
Favorites (MAL): 4,639

Related titles

Adaptation

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (anime)

Spin-Off

Kiseijuu Reversi

Other

Main characters

Shinichi Izumi5330 fan favorites
External profile
Age: 16-18 Birthday: May 17 Zodiac Sign: Taurus Height: 170 cm-178.8 cm Eye:Brown (Black in the Manga) Shinichi is the protagonist of the manga, a thoughtful, compassionate high-school boy whose hand is infected with a Parasite. Shinichi is repeatedly put into difficult positions. He must find a way to peacefully coexist with Migi, the Parasite which has taken over his hand, and reconcile his desire to protect humanity from the Parasites with his desire to keep his own Parasite a secret in order to avoid being killed or used as a laboratory specimen. Like a superhero with a secret identity, he must also find a way to explain away his Parasite-fighting activities, as well as the stress and grief they cause him, to his friends and family. Shinichi's retention of a human mind, emotion, and sensibilities causes other Parasites to see him as a threat. He and his Parasite must defend themselves from attacks by other Parasites, and their ability to think and act independently, and as a team, gives them a tactical edge over normal Parasites. (Source: Wikipedia)
Migi4688 fan favorites
External profile
Migi is the Parasite which lives in Shinichi's hand. Unlike "successful" Parasites, Migi has no desire to kill humans for sustenance, and is nourished by the food Shinichi eats. Migi is, like other Parasites, completely without emotion. His primary consideration is survival, and he has threatened (and in some cases attempted) to kill other humans who pose a threat to his and Shinichi's secrecy. When he and Shinichi were first coming to terms, he even threatened to remove Shinichi's other limbs in order to render him unable to place the two of them in danger. Migi can be reasoned with, however, and has just as much reason to be mistrustful of other Parasites as does Shinichi. On the other hand, unlike Shinichi, Migi has no inclination to place himself at risk in order to protect other humans from Parasites. (Source: Wikipedia)