MANGA REVIEW | "Rooster Fighter" - Volume Eight
If you told my young self that the best-drawn fights I’ll ever see in a manga would be in a story about chickens, he’d laugh straight in your face. And yet, here we are with the eighth volume of Rooster Fighter, and the battles showcased here are some that rival the likes of Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star. You yourself may be laughing at such a claim, but I spit the truth. Whoever Shu Sakuratani is, he may be one of the best action-based manga artists around!
It was when we see Chicken Little face off against Keiji, Elizabeth, and Keisuke in a sudden battle. I know what you are thinking: how could a tiny chick fight three grown-ass chickens? Well…something deep within Chicken Little is trying to awaken, and when it does, it causes her to unleash some crazy powers! And when this tiny chick throws down, it’s some of the most impressive fight art I’ve seen in all of my years reviewing manga!
Of course, Rooster Fighter isn’t just about the combat; it’s also about the moments that hit you in the cockles of your heart. After coming to, Chicken Little believes herself to be a threat to her friends, and decides to run away. Thankfully, an old friend comes to her rescue: Morio. Now that he’s an official member of the team, the demon sets off to find Chicken Little, and rescue her in the same way she rescued him.
There’s a great moment where Chicken Little reminds herself of her duty, a word that’s literally written on her back. While it takes her a bit to start thinking straight again, the tiny chick rediscovers her purpose in life, with Morio raring to go on this new adventure. However, just one problem: Chicken Little has no idea where to go. Only the name of a train station echoes through her brain, and heading there could reawaken some other older memories.
Meanwhile, Keiji, Elizabeth, and Keisuke set off on a quest of their own. Keiji and Keisuke’s father is dying, and they must seek out the Righteous Master. It leads them to a forest near Mt. Fuji, where something wicked is in the air. Is it the true essence of the Righteous Master, or could it be another demon?
All signs point to demons, as three A-ranked ones face off to see who is the toughest. They all throw out powers that you’d see in just about any shonen manga series. However, when an S-tier demon arrives, it shows just how much of a gap there is between the two rankings. Needless to say, the next monster Keiji and the others will be facing will give them quite the challenge.
Volume Eight ends with a bonus chapter, as we see Keiji in his youth dealing with a chicken he loves. It’s where the comedy of Rooster Fighter shines the brightest here, as every ridiculous rom-com trope is showcased, only with chickens instead of roosters. But it’s near the end where we see how and why Keiji becomes a bit of a horndog, with a solid visual punchline that ends the volume on a hilarious note.
Rooster Fighter delivers some of the most badass talon-to-talon combat you’ll ever see in its eighth volume. But it also showcases a reminder of why our heroes are fighting, with Chicken Little regaining trust within herself with the aid of Morio. So much excitement and heart rests within the pages of the latest Rooster Fighter, with every new twist it delivers giving way to many great surprises. I’d say you’d never see it coming, but you really can’t call a manga about battle chickens “predictable.”
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
