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BLAME! Reading order

Part of the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre, Blame! was also Tsutomu Nihei’s first work. The mangaka left his work in construction to study at the Parsons School of Design in New York. The manga was first published in 1997 in the seinen magazine Monthly Afternoon, before being collected in ten tankōbon volumes.

Although the main manga ended in 2003, the Blame! Universe expanded with several one-shots and a six-part original net animation (ONA) also released in 2003. Most importantly, Blame! found a new audience with the anime film adaptation by Polygon Pictures, released on Netflix in May 2017.

Blame! is set in a future version of Earth where a city has grown so chaotically that its inhabitants no longer remember what ‘land’ is. Within this megastructure, the silent and stoic Kyrii is on a mission to find the Net Terminal Gene, a genetic mutation that once enabled humans to access the cybernetic NetSphere. Armed with a powerful gravitation beam emitter, Kyrii fends off attacks from humans, cyborgs, and silicon-based lifeforms. Along the way, he meets a highly skilled scientist whose body has deteriorated from lengthy imprisonment. She promises to help him find the Net Terminal Gene once she has settled a personal score.

While influenced by classic works of the genre such as Akira, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Ghost in the Shell, Nihei’s work is also inspired by other influential figures in the field, including Swiss artist H. R. Giger and French artist Jean “Mœbius” Giraud. Classic cyberpunk works have also had an impact on his work, including Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser.

Discover the world of Blame! with our reading guide, which will take you on a journey with Killy (or Kyrii) through The City, where you can experience some cyberpunk adventures.

BLAME! Manga Collection

Below is a list of all the manga set in the cyberpunk future of Blame!

  • BLAME! (1997-2003) – The original manga, a Cyberpunk seinen manga written and illustrated by Tsutomu Nihei. 67 Chapters (known as Log) or 10 Volumes. 
  • NOiSE (2000-2001) – Originally published in Afternoon Season Zōkan. This is a prequel to Blame!, in which a police officer investigates a gang-related murder. One Volume.
    A prequel to Blame!, in which a police officer investigates the murder of a gang. 
  • Blame Academy! (2004-2008) – A spin-off and parody of Blame! that features the characters in high school. 3 Chapters. 
  • NSE: NetSphere Engineer (2005) – A second One-Shot sequel taking place in a distant future.
  • Blame!² (2008) – A one-shot follow-up to the original Blame!, set in a more distant future.
  • BLAME! Movie Edition: The Electrofishers’ Escape (2017) – A manga adaptation of the film Blame!, illustrated by Kotaro Sekine.

You’ll find that our main character has two names. He is called ‘Kyrii’ in the English Master Edition, but elsewhere he is known as ‘Killy’, from other manga collections to the artbook and the movie. It appears that the author made the decision to change the name, having been dissatisfied with how ‘Killy’ was being pronounced incorrectly by English speakers.

NOiSE, the Prequel of BLAME!

Set 3,000 years before the events of BLAME!, this dark prequel from Tsutomu Nihei provides a glimpse into the origins of the Safeguards and the NetSphere. 

Though most fans recommend reading it after the main story, it was originally published alongside Blame! in response to complaints that the setting was confusing. Nihei provided a backstory to connect it with the near future, in which we can still recognise parts of our own era. To stay close to the release order, read it between Volumes 3 and 4 of the Master Edition. Or you can simply read it before BLAME!, if you prefer to enter this world with more information.

  • NOiSE (One Volume)
    Collects Chapters 1-5, Final Chapter, Epilogue: The Minus Corridor, and an early version of BLAME!.

BLAME! The Main Manga

Discover the dystopian future of Blame!, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Follow Killy on his quest to save humanity as he journeys through the city and encounters its inhabitants. As of right now, the manga has been reprinted in a Master (or Deluxe)  Edition by Kodansha. 

BLAME! Complete Master Edition 6-book Set by Tsutomu Nihei

Kodansha first released BLAME! as a 10-volume tankōbon series from 2005 to 2007. This particular collection is only available second-hand today.

BLAME! Academy and So On

Following the conclusion of BLAME!, Tsutomu Nihei returned to this future with two one-shot sequels, as well as a parody that relocated the action to a traditional Japanese school. All of these stories have been reprinted in the following volume:

  • BLAME! Academy and So On
    Anthology of Tsutomu Nihei’s manga collecting: 

    • Zeb-Noid, a one-shot about a hostile encounter between two different species. Not part of Blame. 
    • Blame! Academy, a 3-part parody manga of Blame! 
    • Parcel, a one-shot about a man looking for his brother. Not part of Blame. 
    • NSE: Net Sphere Engineer, the first sequel of Blame! 
    • Pump, a one-shot about the last human reproduction process. Not part of Blame. 
    • Blame!², the second sequel of Blame! 
    • Numa no Kami, a one-shot about a man encountering a lake Goddess. Not part of Blame. 
    • Winged Armor Suzumega, a one-shot about a battle between alien beings. Not part of Blame. 

BLAME! The Movie universe

An animated movie based on the manga directed by Hiroyuki Seshita was released on Netflix in 2017. A serial manga version of the movie was published in Monthly Shōnen Sirius the same year, before being collected into one volume, released in 2018.

A one-shot epilogue to the film’s story (distinct from the original manga) was later made available in the limited edition Blu-ray.

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