Finished
“Bullied karate student Ichi fears fighting until classmate Dai challenges him, triggering a violent impulse within him.”
1
1〈イチ〉
6.21
20,728 rank · 5,153 readers · 13 favorites
Seinen
Martial Arts
Psychological
School
Action
Drama
Would You Love or Hate This?
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Bullied karate student Ichi fears fighting until classmate Dai challenges him, triggering a violent impulse within him.
Growing up a target of bullying, senior high student Hajime "Ichi" Shiroishi is a skilled karateka, but goes completely weak in the knees with fear when it comes to fighting. Among all this, a power junkie and classmate of Ichi who does nothing but fighting, Dai Akakuma, sets his eyes on Ichi!! When Ichi starts to shed tears, all of a sudden a violent impulse that resided inside him is unleashed!!!! (Source: Shogakukan, translated)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 3 sampled reviews
6.3
/10
What 3 readers settled on.
100%
recommend
Score distribution
median 6
mode 4
σ 2.05
Agreement
Polarized
σ 2.05 · split reception
The polarity gap
—
Not enough recommend signal yet
Score over time
↑ 0.33
Running avg · Feb 2018 → Oct 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 9 “I love the older, classical manga art style and the fun character designs that make this an excellent introduction to the series. While some claim this volume contradicts the main story, I find no...”
- 6 “While this prequel might hold some interest for die-hard fans of the original *Ichi the Killer*, it fails to capture the quality of its successor. The experience is marred by a generic high school...”
- 4 “This manga serves as an interesting historical look at the roots of a seinen great, showing the early bones of a potentially compelling story. However, the experience is marred by gratuitous,...”
Verbosity
Short · 67%
Medium · 33%
Long · 0%
Read Order & Related
A self-contained story.
No sequels, spin-offs or alternate tellings — 1 begins and ends here.
Cast
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A Manga Publication
- Format 11 × 1 ch × vol
- Total read 1h 28m approx
- Published Jan 1993 – Jun 1993
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M23785 catalog