The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

Tank Chair

What's It About? 

An assassin in the world's deadliest wheelchair and his devoted sister carve an ultra-violent path to recovery across a slick, dystopic landscape in this action manga for fans of Chainsaw Man, Battle Angel Alita, and Dorohedoro!

Living on Guicheng Island, called "the most dangerous town in the universe," is no easy task. Genetic doping is common for gangs to gain ultimate power. Shizuka, a young girl, takes on the most dangerous of assassin jobs, but she's not the one doing the killing. Rather, it's her brother, Nagi, a strong assassin who took a bullet to protect his sister, leaving him in a comatose state and having to use a wheelchair. However, Shizuka has figured out the key to waking her brother up: he must be faced with murderous intent! Thus begins a violent journey of recovery, battling the most dangerous foes!

Tank Chair has a story and art by Manabu Yashiro and English translation by Max Greenway. This volume was lettered by Evan Hayden. Published by Kodansha (September 17, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

Disability representation takes all forms. If you'd find it empowering to read about a mobility device user who has customized his chair into an assault weapon, and who now traverses his post-apocalyptic city murdering dangerous hitmen, then look no further. In a setting that reminds me of a futuristic Kowloon Walled City, a cast of colorful characters with bizarre, unique body modifications use this liberating tech to commit crimes.

Nagi's wheelchair, which he has decked out with steamroller wheels, spikes, and more, only makes him that much more formidable of an assassin. His problem is different: he's normally catatonic ever since receiving a traumatic brain injury. The only thing that shocks him into consciousness is when he perceives another person's killing intent. So his loving little sister Shizuka has a not-at-all-psychotic idea: she'll put out as many hits on her brother as it takes for him to get back to normal! He's so strong that she's not worried any of these criminals are going to succeed. It's a simple story that's carried by its unique character designs and blown-out futuristic backdrop. From a sniper who uses prehensile, mechanical eyes to an 8-foot-tall schoolgirl in a gas mask, these wasteland punk designs are mesmerizing. The setting is just as intriguing: you'd expect living through an apocalypse to warp people's minds a little, and it certainly has. You won't believe what they're teaching the kids in school these days! (Murder. They're teaching them murder.)

If you don't mind a bit of gore, this manga has loads of style, which the localization has adapted to be just as cool in English—like when the literal word “kill” is portrayed as a visual zap to Nagi's brain. I was impressed and surprised by this gritty, apocalypse-punk story's detailed, stylized art and the extraordinary, intriguing characters it illustrates. The violence and blood, plus the characters' single-minded quest for more of both, will turn away some readers. But fans of Dorohedoro and Devilman will want to check out this bizarre and ultra-violent new superhero.