Ajin: Demi-Human

"Ajin" redirects here. For the Iranian city, see Ajin (city).

Ajin: Demi-Human
Cover of the first manga volume released in Japan.
亜人 (Ajin)
Genre	Action, adventure, horror, mystery, supernatural
Manga
Written by	Gamon Sakurai
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA Vertical
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	good! Afternoon
Original run	2012 – present
Volumes	7
Anime film
Ajin Part 1: Shōdō
Directed by	Hiroyuki Seshita
Produced by	Naoya Tanaka
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Released	November 27, 2015
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroyuki Seshita
Produced by	Naoya Tanaka
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Licensed by	Netflix (streaming)
Network	MBS, TBS, CBC, BS-TBS
Original run	January 16, 2016 – April 9, 2016
Episodes	13
Original video animation
Ajin Nakamura Shinya Incident
Directed by	Hiroaki Andō
Written by	Kenta Ihara
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Released	May 6, 2016
Anime film
Ajin Part 2: Shōtotsu
Directed by	Hiroyuki Seshita
Produced by	Naoya Tanaka
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Released	May 6, 2016
Anime film
Ajin Part 3: Shōgeki
Directed by	Hiroyuki Seshita
Produced by	Naoya Tanaka
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Released	September 23, 2016
Original animation DVD
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Released	October 7, 2016
Anime television series
Ajin 2nd Season
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Original run	October 2016 – scheduled

Ajin: Demi-Human (Japanese: 亜人, Hepburn: Ajin) is a seinen manga written and illustrated by Gamon Sakurai. It is being adapted into an anime film trilogy and a television series.

Plot

The story is about a student named Kei Nagai (永井 圭, Nagai Kei), who discovers he is an immortal "Ajin" when he is hit by a truck. He becomes a wanted person because the Ajin are considered "criminals" and the only person who is there to support him is his best friend, Kaito. In reality, the Ajin are branded criminals so they can be easily hunted down and captured for research and cruel experimentation in order to unlock, control, and eventually reproduce the strange powers that all Ajin have, even though many of the Ajin themselves don't understand or even know why they have their abilities. As a result, many of the Ajin encountered in the series are cold and unfeeling; some even look down on humans with contempt and wish death upon them.

Publication

The series began publication in Kodansha's magazine good! Afternoon in 2012. Initially, it was written by Tsuina Miura; however, his name is not mentioned in the credits after the first volume, and Gamon Sakurai has been creating the manga himself since.

In February 2014, Vertical announced that it had licensed the series for English release. On March 15, 2014, Crunchyroll began to release the series on their manga service under the title Ajin: Demi-Human, starting with the first two chapters.

Volume list

No.	Japanese release date	Japanese ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 7, 2013	ISBN 978-4-06-387868-4	October 14, 2014	ISBN 978-1-939130-84-6
01. "Detection and Subsequent Action" (発覚とその後の行動について, Hakkaku to Sonogo no Kōdō ni Tsuite) 02. "Event on the First Night" (１日目、深夜の事象について, 1-Nichi-me, shinya no jishō ni tsuite) 03. "Escape and Threat" ( 逃走と脅威について, Tōsō to Kyōi ni Tsuite) 04. "Interrogation and Conspirator" (尋問と協力者について, Jinmon to Kyōryoku-sha ni Tsuite) 05. "Appearance and Organization" (発現と組織について, Hatsugen to Soshiki ni Tsuite)
2	June 7, 2013	ISBN 978-4-06-387902-5	December 9, 2014	ISBN 978-1-939130-85-3
06. "Fresh Start" (心機一転, Shinki Itten) 07. "003" 08. "Blindness" 09. "Killtacular" (キルタキュラー, Kirutakyurā) 00. "The Shin’ya Namakura Incident" (中村慎也事件, Nakamura Shin’ya Jiken)
3	November 7, 2013	ISBN 978-4-06-387934-6	February 3, 2015	ISBN 978-1-941220-21-4
10. "The Real Kei Nagai 1" (本当の永井 圭1, Hontō no Nagai Kei 1) 11. "The Real Kei Nagai 2" (本当の永井 圭2, Hontō no Nagai Kei 2) 12. "The Real Kei Nagai 3" (本当の永井 圭3, Hontō no Nagai Kei 3) 13. "Plan A" (作戦A, Sakusen A) 14. "Backstage" (舞台裏, Butaiura)
4	May 7, 2014	ISBN 978-4-06-387972-8	April 7, 2015	ISBN 978-1-941220-44-3
15. "Fighter" (ファイター, Faitā) 16. "Runaway" (逃亡者, Tōbō-sha) 17. "Double Team" (ダブルチーム, Daburuchīmu) 18. "Fringe" (フリンジ, Furinji) 19. "Let's Make It Flashy!" (派手に行こうぜ！, Hade ni Ikōze!)
5	November 7, 2014	ISBN 978-4-06-388007-6	June 2, 2015	ISBN 978-1-941220-45-0
20. "Sucker Punch" (サッカーパンチ, Sakkāpanchi) 21. "Battlefield Bad Company" (バトルフィールド バッドカンパニー, Batorufīrudo Baddo Kanpanī) 22. "Ajin" (亜人, Ajin) 22.5. "Ajin 2" (亜人②, Ajin 2) 23. "The Chosen Man" (選ばれた男, Erabareta Otoko) 24. "Come with Me!!"
6	June 5, 2015	ISBN 978-4-06-388067-0	August 25, 2015	ISBN 978-1-941220-88-7
25. "Day One" (初日, Shonichi) 26. "Genius…?!" 27. "Izumi Shimomura" (下村 泉, Shimomura Izumi) 27.5. "Izumi Shimomura 2" (下村 泉②, Shimomura Izumi 2) 28. "Wall" (壁, Kabe)
7	November 6, 2015	ISBN 978-4-06-388098-4	March 22, 2016	ISBN 978-1-942993-26-1
29. "Listen!!" 30. "Call of Duty" 31. "Don't say "lazy"" 31.5. "Don't say "lazy" 2" 32. "The Attack Begins" (攻撃開始, Kōgeki Kaishi) 33. "Invincible" (無敵, Muteki)
8	May 6, 2016	ISBN 978-4-06-388137-0	October 18, 2016	ISBN 978-1-942993-47-6
34. "Splinter Cell" (スプリンターセル, Supurintā Seru) 35. "The Man Trap" 35.5. "The Man Trap 2" 36 "Doom" 37. "Shadowrun" (シャドウラン, Shadōran) 38. "Battlefield Hardline" (バトルフィールドハードライン, Batorufīrudo Hādorain)

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

• 39. "Battlefield Hardline: 2"

Media

Film

Plans to adapt the series into an anime film trilogy were announced in June 2015. The films are directed by Hiroaki Ando and written by Hiroshi Seko, with animation by the animation studio Polygon Pictures. The first film, titled Ajin: Shōdō (Ajin: Impulse), debuted in Japan on November 27, 2015. This film is a compilation of the first six episodes of the TV series. The second film, titled Ajin: Shōtotsu (Ajin: Collision), debuted in Japan on May 6, 2016, and the third and final film in the trilogy, titled Ajin: Shōgeki (Ajin: Clash), will debut on September 23, 2016.

Cast

Kei Nagai

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Kaito

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese), Bryce Papenbrook (English)

Satō

Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka

Yū Tosaki

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)

Izumi Shimomura

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Cristina Vee (English)

Kōji Tanaka

Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English)

Eriko Nagai

Voiced by: Aya Suzaki

Sokabe

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese), Martin Billany (English)

Ikuya Ogura

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Kinoshita (Japanese), Kyle McCarley (English)

Kō Nakano

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Griffin Burns (English)

Television series

A television series that follows the anime films premiered on January 16, 2016. It is produced by the staff that produced the film trilogy. The ending theme is performed by Mamoru Miyano, the voice actor who portrays Kei. It aired on MBS, TBS, CBC and BS-TBS, with 13 episodes. The series was streamed by Netflix, starting on April 12, 2016, along with English, French, Spanish, and German dubs. The opening theme song is "Can You Sleep at Night?" (Yoru wa Nemureru kai?) by Flumpool, and the ending theme is "HOW CLOSE YOU ARE" by Mamoru Miyano. An OAD will be bundled with the manga's 9th limited edition volume, which is scheduled for release on October 7, 2016. It was announced that there will be a second season scheduled to be released in October 2016.

Episode list

No.	Title	Original airdate
1	"What's that stuff have to do with us?" "Bokura ni wa Kankeinai Hanashi" (僕らには関係ない話)	January 16, 2016
Prologue: A gun battle takes place in Africa in which a single western soldier outguns many locals, no matter how many times he is killed. He is eventually felled by tranquilizer darts and removed in a U.S. Top Secret body bag. Later, in Japan, Kei Nagai is leaving school, lost in his thoughts, crossing the road, when he is hit and killed by a truck. Within moments, he begins to recover and discovers he is an immortal Ajin, the third in Japan. The bystanders and students realize it too and begin to see the opportunity to receive a large reward for his capture. In shock, Kei screams which immobilizes everyone, allowing him to escape. The police and Yu Tosaki of the government Ajin branch converge on the scene. Kei manages to meet up with Kaito, an old trusted friend, and they flee on his motorcycle.
2	"Why is this happening? Why me..." "Nande kon'na kotoni natta nda. Boku wa warukunainoni" (何でこんなことになったんだ。僕は悪くないのに)	January 23, 2016
Kaito takes Kei Nagai into the hills on his motorcycle. While stopping for fuel, Kei is recognised by two criminals in a van who have just abducted a schoolgirl. The criminals follow them and when the boys stop by the side of the road, the criminals attack. The leader pins down Kei and chokes him to death to see if he revives. As Kei loses consciousness a mummified figure or "Black Ghost." materialises nearby. Kei comes back to life and screams again, immobilizing everyone. Kaito recovers first and they flee again on the motorcycle, pursued shortly thereafter by the criminals, who are in turn followed by the Black Ghost. Meanwhile Yu Tosaki orders tranqilizer guns for the police as the best way to stop Ajin. Kaito and Kei manage to cross a railway line, but as the criminals cross the tracks behind them, the Black Ghost immobilizes the driver, and their van is destroyed by an oncoming train. The Black Ghost is heard repeating Kei’s words.
3	"Maybe this is the end?" "Mō Dame Janai ka na?" (もうダメじゃないかな?)	January 30, 2016
Kaito and Kei are seen and pursued by another motorcyclist. Meanwhile Yu Tosaki recognises Sato, an Ajin hunter at the original accident scene. The other motorcyclist causes the boys to crash, but Kaito recovers and knocks him unconscious. Unfortunately Kei has a broken leg and cannot move. He uses the motorcyclist’s knife to kill himself, and then fully recovers without injuries. Sato and Koji Tanaka discuss ways to find Kei Nagai. Kaito takes Kei to his retreat in the forest where he suggests that they to go to Kyushu. Kei sees the Black Ghost again. Yu Tosaki’s assistant, Izumi Shimomura, questions Kei’s sister Eriko who tells her of the time Kei saw a Black Ghost when their dog died. Suddenly a Black Ghost appears and kills Izumi Shimomura and the police officers before her eyes.
4	"Have you ever seen a black ghost?" "Kimi wa Kuroi Yuurei o Mita Koto ga Aruka?" (君は黒い幽霊を見たことがあるか?)	February 6, 2016
Izumi Shimomura recovers and is revealed to be an Ajin. She uses her own Black Ghost to attack the one sent by Koji Tanaka that killed her. The Black Ghosts battle each other, with the one controlled by Izumi Shimomura eventually defeating the one controlled by Koji Tanaka. However Sato abducts Eriko during the battle and tells her that he wants to help Kei. Kei decides that he should try to contact other Ajin who may be in hiding, but Sato contacts him first and they agree to meet. Kei leaves while Kaito is sleeping and meets Sato, but before Kei can decide whether to trust Sato, he is shot by a tranquilizer dart. Sato decides that Kei inexperienced and must be 'educated'.
5	"But when it comes down to it, you still want them to help you... You're the worst kind of trash..." "Iza to Nattara Tasuke o Motomeru Saitei na Kuzu" (いざとなったら助けを求める最低なクズ)	February 13, 2016
Yu Tosaki and the police arrive and take Kei into custody. Sato reveals that it was his plot to have Kei captured by the government so that they would mistreat him and thus turn him against humans. The government surgeons begin experimenting on Kei in a sealed room. Under intense pain, his Black Ghost appears, but Kei resists using it to kill the surgeon. Sato and Tanaka mercilessly attack the installation, until Sato finally reaches Kei to free him. However Sato discovers that Kei has not become the vengeful Ajin that he expected, and considers his strategy a failure.
6	"I'm gonna kill you too" "Kimi mo Buchikoroshite Yaru" (君もブチ殺してやる)	February 20, 2016
Sato suspects that something is different about Kei and when Sato starts to kill helpless surgeons, Kei objects and kills Sato. In the Ajin research centre, Ikuya Ogura tries to explain the Black Ghosts and Yu Tosaki insists that Izumi Shimomura stay by his side to protect him. Sato hunts Kei to kill him permanently, but Kei decides to help the surgeons escape and act as a decoy. He attacks Sato, but fails and as Sato is about to kill Kei, Kei’s Black Ghost appears and kills Sato. As Kei and the remaining surgeon try to escape the installation, Sato again catches them, so Kei calls his on his Black Ghost but so does Sato. The Black Ghosts attack each other, and neither wins, but the distraction enables Kei to escape to the nearby river.
7	"I swear I'll cover the whole thing up" "Soshite Kanarazu Inpei Suru" (そして必ず隠蔽する)	February 27, 2016
After losing the 'sample', Kei, Yu Tosaki receives a warning from the minister. He recalls the time when the minister offered him a position in the Ajin Control Commission and where he saw weapons being tested on Ajin 002 for potential profit. As Sato leaves the research complex, he addresses the media and uses them publicize the fact that the government conducts inhumane experiments on Ajin and to announce a public meeting - his strategy being to attract other Ajins to the event. At the event, Tanaka uses his Ajin skills to address only the Black Ghosts of the Ajin present to tell them of the real meeting place. Meanwhile Tosaki pursues his own agenda to get more information about the Ajin. He kidnaps the expert Ikuya Ogura and leaves a damaged body in his place. Later, he visits a hospital where his fiancé lies in a coma because she couldn’t afford the high cost of her treatment.
8	"Brace yourselves" "Shōgeki ni Sonaero" (衝戟に備えろ)	March 5, 2016
Kei recovers from drowning in the ocean but then is run into by an old lady on a bicycle. He decides to stop and help her. Sato addresses the seven Ajin who attend his private meeting and gives them the option of joining him in a massacre. Those that don't, he plans to keep as captives. Three decide to join him, but four do not. Two are shot and two run, but only one young boy, Ko Nakano, escapes. Kei helps the old lady home, and although she realises he's an Ajin, takes no action. Kei uses the opportunity to carry out some tests of his own to summon the Black Ghost. Nakano arrives home to find armed men sent by Tosaki to capture him. Before he's caught, an ambulance called by a neighbour arrives and takes Nakano to hospital. He dies, but re-awakens and escapes. Meanwhile Sato records a public message threatening to change public opinion by force, commencing with an attack on a pharmaceuticals company in 10 days.
9	"Wait, let's talk it over" "Mate, Mōichido Hanashiaō" (待て、もう一度話し合おう)	March 12, 2016
Ko Nakano comes across Black Ghost tracks and finds Kei Nagai who is now acting as the grandson of the old lady in the village with her consent. Ko suggests that they join forces to fight Sato. Although Kei agrees with Ko, he really wants a peaceful life, and traps Ko in an abandoned truck to restrain him. Meanwhile Sato and the new Ajin prepare for the beginning of the war on humanity. Back at the Ajin Control Commission, Sokabe is assigned to monitor Tosaki, and possibly become his successor. Regardless, Tosaki continues to brutally question his captive Ogura for information about Ajin. After being allowed to smoke his preferred brand of cigarettes, Ogura is prepared to talk.
10	"They start to decay as soon as they're created" "Hassei to Dōji ni Hōkai ga Hajimatte iru" (発生と同時に崩壊が始まっている)	March 19, 2016
Ogura starts telling what he knows about Ajin and Black Ghosts or IBMs (Invisible Black Matter). For example: IBMs have individual characteristics and are unstable; last only about 10 minutes; can be generated only 1-2 times per day; are difficult to control in the rain. Kei keeps Ko locked up and continues to try to understand how the Black Ghost behaves, for example he found that it does the opposite of what he tells it to do. Kei is seen in the woods by a local who becomes suspicious. To allay the fears of the local officials, Kei appeals personally to them to accept him into the village. Sokabe reports that Tosaki is acting under his own authority and suspects that he has Ogura, but the minister decides to take no action and continue to monitor him. Sato's group prepare for their attack on the Grant Pharmaceuticals company.
11	"It's show time" "Sā, Shōtaimuda" (さあ、ショウタイムだ)	March 26, 2016
Sato's group puts his plan into action with the assistance of the three new Ajin, sabotaging a building dressed as cleaners. Tosaki coordinates the defense of Grant pharmaceuticals whose CEO does not stop production or send staff home. Kei still keeps Ko captive and refuses to stop Sato, enjoying his life playing the grandson of the old lady. Sato implements his plan, collapsing a nearby 50 story building onto Grant Pharmaceuticals, then challenging the elite Metropolitan Police Assault Team to defeat him.
12	"Whew, I'm beat" "Iyaa, Tsukareta ne" (いやあ、疲れたね)	April 2, 2016
The Metropolitan Police Assault Team use different tactics to continually kill Sato to prevent him from acting against them. Two of Sato's Ajin begin shooting the police, but are themselves targeted by police snipers. However Tanaka uses his Black Ghost to attack the snipers in turn. A break in the action enables Sato to revive and use his Black Ghost to distract the Metropolitan Police Assault Team so he can wipe them out by firing at close range. After killing them all, Sato calmly walks away. Mr Keita, the villager who saw Kei in the woods, sees the ensuing news coverage and recognises a picture of Kei.
13	"Sato, it's all your fault!" "Satō-san, Anta no Sei de Mechakuchada" (佐藤さん、あんたのせいでメチャクチャだ)	April 9, 2016
Mr Keita reports Kei Nagai to the police to claim a reward. Yu Tosaki orders all available forces to the area to catch Kei. When Kei is confronted by the police, he uses his Black Ghost to delay them allowing him to escape into the woods. He uses Ko Nakano’s phone to throw the police off his trail, but Tosaki realizes it's a ruse and closes in. Kei releases Ko and they try to escape together, but they are intercepted by Tosaki who shoots them with tranqilizer darts. Kei manages to invoke his Black Ghost to attack Tosaki, but Izumi Shimomura invokes hers to intercept it. The Black Ghosts battle each other, and it gives time for Kei and Ko to revive and run. Shimomura's Black Ghost pursues them, but much to Tosaki's and Shimomura's surprise, Kei manages to keep on recreating his. The boys manage to escape and Kei finally decides it's time for them to take out Sato, blaming him for the destruction of his peaceful life. Sato makes another public broadcast, announcing a 'Second Wave' action to assassinate 15 people involved in the conspiracy against Ajin, and if there is no improvement in the treatment of Ajin, a 'Third Wave' where he intends to rule the country.
OVA	"Ajin Nakamura Shinya Incident"	May 6, 2016

Reception

The Japanese manga news site Comic Natalie awarded the series third place in its poll of the best manga in 2013. The third volume ranked 6th on the Oricon manga chart on the week of its release. In a survey of 400 manga and publishing professionals for the manga guidebook Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, the series was rated 3rd place in a list of top 20 manga for Male readers.

The series was listed as a nominee for the Readers Award in the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, and in the Seinen category in the 38th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards.

External links

• Ajin: Demi-Human at Monthly Afternoon (Japanese)
• Official anime website
• Ajin: Demi-Human (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Ajin (TV Series) at IMDb