Naruto, Vol. 1: Uzumaki Naruto


Masashi Kishimoto - 1999
    His wild antics amuse his teammates, but Naruto is completely serious about one thing: becoming the world's greatest ninja! UZUMAKI NARUTO Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace, and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!

Shaman King, Vol. 1: A Shaman in Tokyo


Hiroyuki Takei - 1998
    When he takes a shortcut through a cemetery, Manta Oyamada meets a strange kid with headphones — surrounded by ghosts. The kid is the teenage shaman Yoh Asakura. Tapping the supernatural swordfighting powers of samurai ghost Admidamaru, Yoh fights Bokuto no Ryu, a sword-wielding gang member. But an even more dangerous opponent is stalking Yoh and Manta — a Chinese shaman who wants to possess Amidamaru.

Bleach, Vol. 1


Tite Kubo - 2002
    When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Find out why Tite Kubo’s Bleach has become an international manga smash-hit!Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn't change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia--who is slowly regaining her powers--it's Ichigo's job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.

Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 1


Jinsei Kataoka - 2007
    Ganta Igarashi, a middle school evacuee, has finally begun to live a normal life... that is, until the day 'Red Man' appears at his school and Ganta's fate is changed forever.

Black Butler, Vol. 1


Yana Toboso - 2007
    Not being able to do it alone he sells his soul to a demon he names Sebastian Michaelis. Now working as his butler, Sebastian must help the Earl Phantomhive in this suspenseful, exciting, thriller manga.

One Piece, Vol. 1: Romance Dawn


Eiichiro Oda - 1997
    Luffy, whose main ambition is to become a pirate. Eating the Gum-Gum Fruit gives him strange powers but also invokes the fruit's curse: anybody who consumes it can never learn to swim. Nevertheless, Monkey and his crewmate Roronoa Zoro, master of the three-sword fighting style, sail the Seven Seas of swashbuckling adventure in search of the elusive treasure "One Piece."

Soul Eater, Vol. 1


Atsushi Ohkubo - 2004
    But themeisters' own personal quirks may prove a bigger obstacle than anysultry enchantress!

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1


Hiromu Arakawa - 2002
    Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…

Black Cat, Volume 01


Kentaro Yabuki - 2001
    Since then, Train has been a sweeper, a bounty hunter, catching criminals and bringing them in alive. But his main mission is to find a former Chronos member who killed his best friend.

Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 01


Nobuhiro Watsuki - 1994
    Set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration, it tells the saga of Himura Kenshin, once an assassin of ferocious power, now a humble rurouni, a wandering swordsman fighting to protect the honor of those in need. A hundred and fifty years ago in Kyoto, amid the flames of revolution, there arose a warrior, an assassin of such ferocious power he was given the title Hitokiri: Manslayer. With his bloodstained blade, Hitokiri Battosai helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu period and end the reign of the shoguns, slashing open the way toward the progressive Meiji Era.  Then he vanished, and with the flow of years became legend. In the 11th year of Meiji, in the middle of Tokyo, the tale begins. Himura Kenshin, a humble rurouni, or wandering swordsman, comes to the aid of Kamiya Kaoru, a young woman struggling to defend her father's school of swordsmanship against attacks by the infamous Hitokiri Battosai. But neither Kenshin nor Battosai are quite what they seem...

Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 01


Yoshihiro Togashi - 1998
    But such pursuits require a license, and less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling qualification exam. Those who do pass gain access to restricted areas, amazing stores of information, and the right to call themselves Hunters.THE DAY OF DEPARTUREGon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito's protests, Gon decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren't devastated by bouts of seasickness.Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive...?

Reborn! Vol. 01: Reborn Arrives!


Akira Amano - 2004
    He only attends school so he can stare at his beautiful classmate Kyoko from afar. But Tsuna's life takes a dramatic turn when Reborn, a suit-wearing, gun-toting baby who claims to be an Italian hit man, shows up at his house. Reborn was sent to Japan to groom Tsuna for his future life as a big Mafia boss. Tsuna doesn't believe this absurd story, so Reborn shoots Tsuna in the head with his gun. As Tsuna faces his own death, he's filled with regret that he never confessed his feelings to Kyoko...and suddenly he's overcome with supernatural powers that allow him to run off screaming to tell Kyoko how much he loves her. After five minutes, Tsuna goes back to normal. Reborn explains how his gun works: when he shoots a person in the head, if that person has regrets about her life, then she will die and be reborn, temporarily endowed with special powers that enable her to fix or solve whatever is the source of her regret. (If Reborn shoots someone who is free of regret, she would die.)Tsuna becomes Reborn's disciple, and because Reborn shoots Tsuna in the head all the time, he is constantly being reborn and growing into a stronger and better person, gradually impressing those around him and making friends.---Taken from back cover:HERE COMES REBORN!Junior high student Tsuna is a failure at school, sports, and social life. He needs a Mafia hit man tutor like he needs a hole in the head...and he's about to get both!When Reborn, a fedora-wearing, gun-toting toddler, arrives and says he's come to groom Tsuna for his future as boss of an Italian organized crime family, Tsuna is more than a little skeptical. But Reborn may have the "magic bullet" necessary to turn Tsuna's life around!

.hack// Legend of the Twilight, Vol. 1


Tatsuya Hamazaki - 2003
    Twins Rena and Shugo are two middle-school students who enter 'The World' as level one game characters. When Shugo's character dies, he is transported to another level where he is entrusted to bear the Twilight Bracelet by the mysterious Aura. Shugo must find out who Aura is and why she gave him this powerful weapon to protect his sister from the peculiar characters in 'The World'.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1


Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - 1994
    1, contains a Japanese sound FX glossary plus special bonus commentary by series mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita, as well as the famous "confession letter" written by director Hideaki Anno in the months before the original TV series premiere that laid out his deeply personal motivations to make Evangelion.

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 1


Kazue Kato - 2009
    One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin's veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father's sword releases the demonic power within him!Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for audiences T+.