Finished
“Detective comic creator uncovers his character's dark past and murderous history in post-war Japan.”
Billy Bat
BILLY BAT
8.58
118 rank · 86,549 readers · 3,266 favorites
Seinen
Detective
Historical
Psychological
Drama
Mystery
Supernatural
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
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...
Personalized to you
Honest pros & cons
Based on your library
Synopsis
Detective comic creator uncovers his character's dark past and murderous history in post-war Japan.
Japanese-American Kevin Yamagata now authors the renowned detective comic book "Billy Bat" after serving in the Allied Forces in World War II. But as his series becomes a massive hit, Kevin discovers that his famed character, Billy Bat, already existed before within a Japanese comic. Worried that he may have unconsciously copied something he saw during his time there, Kevin returns to Japan to find Billy Bat's original creator and seek permission for him to use their character. However, as he traces back Billy Bat's roots, he finds himself unraveling a dark and twisted history of murders that somehow involve the character he thought he created.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 32 sampled reviews
8.4
/10
What 32 readers settled on.
92%
recommend
Score distribution
median 9
mode 10
σ 1.56
Agreement
Mostly aligned
σ 1.56 · some divergence
The polarity gap
4.5 pts
Recommenders 9.0 · others 4.5
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 1.56
Running avg · Jun 2010 → Apr 2026
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 7 “Billy Bat isn't even close to being one of Urasawa's best works, it's a decent manga, but for the simple fact of being written by Urasawa you would expect it to be a decent work at least, but the...”
- 10 “Truly a masterpiece. I was hooked from the beginning. I have read a lot of mangas but this one was truly unique in its own way. Just like Monster, some things weren't explained like we never found...”
- 8 “I've read most of Naoki's works, and honestly, this one felt like it fell short in delivering the message it aimed for. He built a complex world with deep lore, only for it to conclude with a...”
Verbosity
Short · 44%
Medium · 34%
Long · 22%
Read Order & Related
Explore the Billy Bat universe
Cast
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Publication slate
A Manga Publication
- Format 165 × 20 ch × vol
- Total read 22h 00m approx
- Published Oct 2008 – Aug 2016
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M7388 catalog