Ninja Slayer: The Problem of Where to Start Reading

The Ninja Slayer official account is doing something strange with a strange look in its eyes again. It's a Black Friday sale. In short, the 14 e-books that make up the first part of the Ninja Slayer comic adaptation are being sold for 33 yen each, but without further ado, please just read the announcement (…?) below. We can talk after that.

https://x.com/njslyr/status/1728976596546330979?s=46&t=MfbZiHMw5yYur3G-T6JGsw

This is just a passage from the middle of the announcement tweet, but the Ninja Slayer official account, which is based on Twitter serialization of novels, always has a suspicious look in its eyes, even when it comes to a single announcement, which is written like a short story.

I'll leave it to those interested in this tweet to follow the official X account... Now, the topic is the problem of how to read Ninja Slayer. I imagine those of you who are 'Heads' (the official term for all of us who have encountered Ninja Slayer) who tried reading the comic adaptation from volume 1 must have felt its overwhelming... power, or the strange intensity of the pages.

Is it... like this for all 14 volumes...? Does that mean the original novels also have this abnormal writing style like the official account...? Scary, I'm going home to play PaRappa the Rapper instead....

Oh, Buddha, are you sleeping...!? I can clearly picture the face of a 'newbie Head' who finds it interesting but also incomprehensible, and is at a loss as to where to start. This is what is known as the 'Newbie Go-Home Problem'—the problem where one is interested in the vast amount of content but, being a newcomer, doesn't know where to start (and so makes a U-turn and goes home to play the familiar PaRappa the Rapper).

I get it, I really do. Ninja Slayer seems interesting, but there's so much information, the official account is always acting weird, and it feels like everyone around is a long-time fan... it feels like a high barrier to entry. But it really is incredibly fun, so I hope you'll take this opportunity to give it a try.

As for the original novels, other fellow Heads have already provided guides, so this time, I would like to use the 14 volumes of the first part of the comic adaptation as a foundation to guide you a little through the Neo-Saitama world of hardcore Japanized cyberpunk, woven from a vast amount of information.

**********

◆How to read the 14 volumes of the first part of the comic adaptation?◆

First, let's start with the 14 volumes you picked up in the Black Friday sale. Ninja Slayer is told using a technique called 'cut-up,' where the timeline and events are depicted in a scattered manner for each story. This is a technique not often seen, but it is the same as in Star Wars or The Five Star Stories. It might seem difficult for a newbie to get into at first.

However, it's simple if you think of the comic adaptation in the same way, where one story is completed in about 1 to 2 volumes. Ninja Slayer is, in a sense, an ensemble drama where various characters and stories intertwine. It is, so to speak, a cyberpunk epic set in Neo-Saitama. In other words, you can access this epic through about 11 stories from the first part of Ninja Slayer within these 14 volumes of the comic adaptation.

Machine of Vengeance(Volume 1)

Last Girl Standing(Volumes 2 & 3)

Atrocity in Neo-Saitama City(Volume 4)

One Minute Before the Tanuki(Volume 5)

Three Dirty Ninja Bonds(Volume 6)

Menace of Dark Ninja(Volume 7)

Merry Christmas Neo-Saitama(Volume 8)

Geisha Karate Shinkansen and Hell(Volumes 9 & 10)

Fist Filled with Regret and Ohagi(Volume 11)

Stranger Stranger Than Fiction(Volume 12)

Neo-Saitama in Flames(Volumes 13 & 14)

I will leave the details of these individual characters and plots to your own searches, the impressions of fellow Heads, and recommendations, but please read Last Girl Standing, it really is a masterpiece. Regardless, from the very first page, it is so gripping and interesting that you just have to read it!!!!!

…Anyway, the links above lead to a wiki created by volunteer Heads, which includes summaries and recaps from the time of serialization, so you can't go wrong by looking up the manga adaptations based on titles or characters that catch your interest.

◆Hooked by the manga! What's next?◆

There are many ways to enjoy Ninja Slayer, ranging from a light approach of picking and choosing your favorite stories and characters, to analyzing the world through the vast gaps between the stories, to fan fiction and even TRPGs. This is where the story's unique 'cut-up' style comes into play. We Heads don't need to know everything about Ninja Slayer from 1 to 10, from the first episode to the latest. In other words, the disparity in information doesn't really matter here. In Ninja Slayer, every Head can find their own way to enjoy it.

Now, even among these 14 volumes, a diverse array of ninjas and organizations appear, centered around Ninja Slayer-san. Have you found any characters, organizations, or interesting terms that caught your eye? If you've found even one, you're all set(?). The world of Ninja Slayer expands organically, like pulling on a vine.

◆If you want more information or are curious about a character, check the wiki◆

First, I recommend the wiki created by volunteer Heads. If you think, 'Ninja is interesting,' then reading this and the official X account is a good start. The world of Ninja Slayer expands organically like a spider's web, with characters and organizations as the points. On this wiki, you can comprehensively grasp everything from the latest official developments to directories of characters and terms, and summaries of the Twitter serializations. It is a wonderful IRC guide for Heads.

However, due to the nature of how information is organized on the wiki, it contains massive spoilers for the story. If you want to keep up with the current serialization, enjoy it flexibly by accepting spoilers up to Part 3, and then reading from Part 4 onwards by purchasing the official notes.

◆Want to immerse yourself more in the Neo-Saitama world? Check out the manga and TRPG rulebooks◆

If you liked the unique atmosphere of Neo-Saitama and the cyberpunk visuals, enhance your immersion with the digital or physical books below. Each manga adaptation showcases the author's 'waza-mae' (skill), and their individual personalities shine through strongly.

Actually, Ninja Slayer has no official visual or art board images for anything from characters to the world itself. These are left to the imagination of each artist and reader. This is another interesting singularity of Ninja Slayer, which is why such a wide range of fan fiction is created.

Also, this world of Ninja, left to the reader's imagination, is highly compatible with TRPGs. With the TRPG rulebook and the wiki, you can become a ninja running through the darkness of Neo-Saitama right now.

⚫︎Each manga version

・Ninja Slayer and Ninja Slayer: Kyoto Hell on Earth

The so-called 'original' version. A classic action manga adaptation by Yogo and Tabata. Many Heads likely picture this visual when they think of Ninja Slayer.

・Ninja Slayer Kills

Kills. A sci-fi focused manga adaptation with stylish compositions and mechanical designs. The unique surrealism inserted into the serious tone is increased, which is really great.

・Ninja Slayer Glamorous Killers

Glamorous Killers. This comic adaptation, which emphasizes good-looking characters and features men with their faces close together, caused quite a stir among Heads when it was announced. Every ninja that appears has, in any case, a very good face.

⚫︎TRPG Physical Book

The long-awaited physical book version of the Ninja Slayer TRPG, which was originally available via subscription on note. With simple rules, fast-paced action checks, and a variety of data that fits the Neo-Saitama worldview, it is very exciting to play even with players who haven't read the original work, as it creates a unique Neo-Saitama.

◆If you want to try the Ninja Slayer novels but the barrier to entry still feels high, try a spin-off!◆

I understand the world of Ninja Slayer well enough, and I want to try the original novels, but there is so much volume that I don't know where to start... Even after reading through the comic adaptations, it still takes courage to suddenly dive into that amount of books. In such cases, I recommend 'Yellow of the Wasp,' which features Laomoto Chiba, a major character who appears throughout from Part 1 to the current Part 4, as the protagonist.

'Yellow of the Wasp' is a truly wonderful cyberpunk yakuza noir, a full-length novel where you can enjoy the growth of the boys and the dry atmosphere of Neo-Saitama. The so-called 'Ninja Slayer language,' which resembles machine translation and is often seen in the series, is milder here, and Neo-Saitama is overflowing with vivid colors and vulgarity that make you feel the chaos of Asia, and you can even smell the dried blood. It is a recommended spin-off for newbie Heads who are used to watching movies or reading full-length novels, and it is a fantastic SF neon noir that can be read on its own.

◆And into the future...◆

Having written this much, it's a bit late to say this, but I am one of those Heads who had been away from Ninja Slayer for a while and recently picked up a comic adaptation for the first time in a long time. Re-engaging with Ninja Slayer, I thought, 'No, this is actually really interesting...! This is such an exciting story...!!' and I pulled out the physical books and comics from my bookshelf. I've been using e-books a lot lately for convenience, but the warmth of physical books is also great.

I mean, the expressions of Shogo from the original series are so teenage, it's really good... I still support Shogo even now... Please support Circle Shimanagashi.

It has become a long post, but I hope that Heads who started from the comic adaptations will also have a fun Neo-Saitama life.

Ninja Slayer is fun, you know 👍👍👍