Alive: The Final Evolution

Alive: The Final Evolution
File:Alive The Final Evolution Manga cover.png The first original volume of the series.
アライブ 最終 進化的 少年 (Alive - Saishū Shinkateki Shōnen)
Genre	Science Fiction, Supernatural, Adventure, Action
Manga
Written by	Tadashi Kawashima
Illustrated by	Adachitoka
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	Del Rey Manga
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Magazine
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	October 2003 – ongoing
Volumes	17
Anime

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Alive: The Final Evolution (アライブ -最終 進化的 少年-, Araibu - Saishū Shinkateki Shōnen) is a manga written by Tadashi Kawashima and illustrated by Adachitoka. The manga was originally published by Kodansha in Japan and is published in English by Del Rey Manga. So far, seventeen volumes have been published in Japan, six in America. The series is being made into an anime.

Plot

The story follows Taisuke Kanou, a teenage student in Japan who lives a normal life with his sister Yoko Kanou and his friends Yuichi Hirose and Megumi Ochiai until a dark being in space senses life on Earth. The sky suddenly becomes dark and mass suicides begin occurring worldwide. The dark-being, Akuro, is the result of many souls of a civilization who were granted immortality who wanted to die but could not without a body. When Akuro found Earth, it separated and entered human hosts and tempted them to commit suicide. Those who resisted were granted powers relating to their own unconscious desires. When Hirose discovered his powers, he kidnapped Megumi and headed north to the heart of Akuro. Taisuke, obtaining his own powers, follows in an attempt bring Hirose and Megumi back home. On his adventures, he learns people with powers are called Comrades and is accompanied by comrades Yuta Takizawa and Nami Kusonoki. He tracks down Hirose to a lake where he absorbs Akuro's heart. Taisuke defeats Hirose by triggering a volcanic eruption, seemingly killing them both and destroying Akuro's Heart as well

Two years later Yuta and Nami learn from Aoi Tezuka and Jun Tezuka that Taisuke is alive. They meet Taisuke who was revealed to have amnesia but he soon regains his memories. They learn from Yukie Tezuka that the Army has the Heart of Akuro and they must set out to destroy it. Their first attempt to invade the base ended in failure. Soon afterwards the army attempt to transport the Heart elswhere, but due to Katsumata's interference, the Heart is sent to the bottom of the ocean. After resting and finding their reasons for fighting, Taisuke and the Tezuka family attempt to retrieve the heart a second time resulting in failure due to Katsumata's comrades injuring Nami and Taisuke, and the Military kidnapping Aoi. Their demand is that Taisuke come alone to an oil platform to raise the heart. Taisuke complies, but Yukie arrives with a ship full of soldiers she has taken over, using them to massacre the army until her daughter is released.

Characters

Protagonist

Taisuke Kanou

Taisuke Kanou (叶 太輔, Kanō Taisuke) is the main character of the series and depicted as a loyal and bold person. He harbors guilt from his parents' death. A soda can which Taisuke had dropped as a young child, had jammed the brakes of the car and inadvertently caused the car accident that killed his parents. Afterwards, he was raised by his older sister Yoko Kanou. He is one of the few people who gain a special ability after being infected by Akuro. He sets out to find his missing friends, Hirose and Megumi, when they disappear. He meets up with Yuta and Nami, two other people with abilities. Taisuke's ability is extermination (via fire) and regeneration, things burned by his power will never heal. He has resolved to kill Hirose after regaining his memories.

Yuta Takizawa

Yuta is a young boy who gains his powers after his mother commits suicide in front of him. Taisuke meets Yuta when Yuta tried to force Ryou to stay with him as she had an uncanny resemblance to his deceased mother. After Taisuke saves Yuta from killing himself, he soon joins up with Taisuke to help him look for his friends. As they spend time together, they gain a strong friendship. His power is isolation where he can hold an object inside a small space which from the outside, seems invisible. He can cut off all signals and air supply in this small space and kill a living creature by suffocation. During the two years intermission he lived with his grandparents.

Nami Kusunoki

Nami has the power to freeze water to form any shape she chooses, usually forming it into claws to augment her martial arts. Her younger brother, Satoru, was killed by Kanon after he accidentally bumped into her. He was burned to death before Nami's eyes. She seems to be an expert fighter with a grudge against Yuta and Kanou. Satoru's death has made her hate people with powers. She accompanies Yuta and Kanou to find and kill the woman who killed her brother. She initially intended to kill them both after she finishes her quest. However, she seems to give up the idea of killing them because Taisuke's kindness changes her view of all Comrades. It's also possible that she has some feelings for Taisuke, as she names him as her reason for living in the second arc. In the 4koma she is constantly trying to confess to him only to end in failure.

Antagonists

Yuichi Hirose

Yuichi Hirose (広瀬 雄一, Hirose Yūichi) was Taisuke's best friend. He is small and timid for his age and is picked on by bullies. He lives with last living family member, his mother. His mother soon commits suicide due to the Akuro. Hirose gains the power of void; This allows him to shoot an ball that makes anything disappear. He becomes resentful Taisuke and becomes ambitious and sociopathically cruel. After fusing with the Heart of Akuro he seeks to destroy everyone in the world and be the only person alive on the planet. During his fight with Taisuke, his fusion with the "Heart of Akuro" made him invulnerable to physical attacks and greatly increasing the potency of his Void attacks. Hirose is seemingly killed after being engulfed by a volcanic eruption caused by Taisuke. Later in the series it is confirmed that Hirose is still alive, imprisoned in the solid rock known as Akuro's Heart.

Shigeki Katsumata

Inspector Katsumata is the lead investigator of Hirose's incident. At first glance he seems to be a kind person who is widely regarded but he too is one of the few who received powers. He teams up with Yura and starts recruiting other comrades. He rarely uses his powers but has used them once on Hirose to manipulate his thoughts. After his plan to control Hirose fails, he decides to retreat and capture Megumi. In the second arc, he has Megumi take care of "The Ghost" and is looking for ways to retrieve the "Heart of Akura". His powers is the ability is known of persuasion, allowing him to control others when he places his hand on their head. This power of persuasion is remarkedly similiar to the Poet's and Yukie Tezuka's powers of control, two comrades who hold fragments of the heart. Fans have speculated that Katsumata is also another comrade in possession of a heart fragment, explicating his submission to Mitana.

Akuro

Appears to be the "master" of the group creating the revolution. He seems to be in two pieces, his heart "the heart of Akuro" is in Hokkaido and his "will" was in the body of an owl which is his own "comrade". Upon the owl's death, it appears as if a new body was born from a dead mother. The baby is seen emerging from a forest similar to the one Akuro's heart was created in, the baby is Mitama.

Military

McPherson

A sergant in charge of the Akuro's heart. He is highly skilled and is able to kill comrades while possessing no abilities. He is ruthless, viewing his subordinates as expendable once he no longer needs them.

D2

A sniper working under Mcpherson whose real name is Carl Alder. He is killed by Yura.

D3

An explosive professional, he was killed and possessed by a comrade working for Katsumata and his body was later killed by McPherson

D4

A woman working under McPherson, she defeats Taisuke's group on her own in their first encounter and before Nami used her powers she never received a single wound. This heavily affected her mind causing her to develop a rivalry with Nami.

Poet

The "Poet"'s real name is Dan Friedkin. He possesses the same power as Katsumata and Yukie, since he also bears "a piece of the heart". He went under military protection in exchange for giving the military information on comrades.

Other Characters

The Tezuka Family

Yukie Tezuka

Yukie Tezuka, known as 'Mama', is the one who had saved Taisuke at the end of the First Arc. Youthful in appearance, she is the mother of the seven Tezuka children (who each have separate fathers of different nationalities). Her character is cryptic and she seems to know more about Akuro's Heart than she lets on. Yet, her purpose in the manga has yet to be elaborated upon. Yukie appears to have some restorative abilities, for she is the reason why Taisuke was able to make a full recovery after being on the brink of death. When her character is finally introduced in Chapter 39, Yukie reveals that she carries "A Piece of the Heart" (the other holders are Katsumata and Dan "Poet" Friedkin) and that her role is to " eternally seal off" the Heart of Akuro before "That Person" gains its power. In order for her to do this, she needs Taisuke to retrieve the Heart of Akuro from the U.S. Naval Base, where it lays dormant. Before " Nightmare Week" occurred, Yukie was described as a "nomadic" woman who traveled constantly. She had left her children behind to fend for themselves, only visiting on rare occasions to check on them. After she acquired "A Piece of the Heart", Yukie returned and stayed with her family taking on a more maternal role. However, she is seen to be smiling sadly and regrets that two of her children (Aoi and Jun) had become power-users. After Aoi is kidnapped, Yukie takes control of an entire ship full of soldiers and uses them to attack the navel base while Nami searches for her daughter.

Rei Tezuka

Rei Tezuka, he is the eldest son of the family being 28 years old. Before his mother, Yukie, received " A Piece of the Heart" , Rei was responsible for the well being of his younger siblings. In the present timeline, Rei is still just as mature and thoughtful as he was back then. He helps Taisuke recall his lost memories by bringing Yuuta, Nami, and Yoko to where Taisuke was staying. Although, he is not a power user, Rei actively helps in the retrieval of Akuro's Heart. He and his younger brother Jun are the only two members that help Taisuke on his assault on the U.S. Naval Base. He is characteristically seen with a lit cigarette.

Anzu Tezuka

Anzu Tezuka is the eldest sister out of the seven Tezuka children and is 16 years old. She is also not a power user, however her skills with the computer prove to be of great use. For example she is able to hack and track down the lucrative US Naval Base that holds the Heart of Akuro. According to Yukie, Anzu is very similar to her father because she is just as tech savvy as him. After the failed attempt to retrieve the Heart from base in Japan, Anzu ends up staying with Oda and Amamiya. With the two former reporters, who have since lost their job due to their investigation of the Heart, they created a website containing information on the Comrades and the Heart of Akuro, while under the alias called "Rain".

Jun Tezuka

Jun Tezuka first appears following Nami at her school and he is the second oldest male in the Tezuka family at 27 years old. He is a soft spoken individual, and apparently he has a "mother complex" according to Rei and Anzu. He is the second child in the family to acquire powers. His power appears to be the ability to control electricity. He and Rei are the only members of the family that join Taisuke on his assault on the US Naval Base housing the Heart of Akuro. He wandered throughout Asia in search of peace of mind and learned martial arts in the process, which he taught Taisuke.

Aoi Tezuka

Aoi Tezuka is the fourth member of the Tezuka family and is 10 years old. She transfers into Yuta's class and is seated next to him, later became pen-pals with Kurumi, a girl who bullied her out of jealousy over Yuta. She has developed a strong attachment to Taisuke during the two-year timeskip. She is also a power user, which apparently allows her to run fast and be resistant from getting hurt from long falls. Growing tired of being left behind she demands to be part of the team. She is capture by the military and held hostage by the military, used to get Taisuke to raise the heart.

Katsumata's Comrades

Yura Takumi

Yura Takumi is one of the few people who've gained powers from the virus. He is a vicious man who dresses in overalls and often pokes out his tongue before a kill. He is an artist who destroys his work as soon as it's finished. He teams up with Katsumata and often talks about "The value of death" and how "humans are fossils". He kills quite freely and doesn't seem to be bothered about the consequences of his actions. During the fight at the end of the 1st arc, he loses his arm when his power goes berserk. He was shown being alive during the second arc, obsessed with the "Heart of Akura" and wanting to see it again. He felt betrayed by Katsumata after he was used during Arc 1. He has the ability to manipulate pressurized air to create bubbles that explode at his will. The intermission chapter showed he had an girlfriend for 3 months after arc 1. He travels to New York in search of the heart and meets Megu and Mitama, and later joins up with Taisuke after saving Nami. While helping Yukie rescue her daughter he battles D2 and is seemingly shot through the head. He later reveals this to have been a trick to catch D2 off guard, and he proceeds to kill him.

Morio Kenichirou

Morio Kenichirou is one of the "comrades" of Katsumata. He has the power called kamaitachi, which is the ability to use wind to slice objects. During his first meeting with Taisuke and Yuta he tries to kill them. They manage to fight back and Taisuke burns one side of Morio's face, permanently scarring it. After Hirose absorbs the "Heart of Akura", he commits suicide with his own wind blades.

Okada Gou

A fat, typical Otaku man who is part of "comrades" recruited by Katsumata. Due to his appearance, he always feels inferior to others, especially those who tease and ridicule him. His power is "Shinigami's Contract", in which the shinigami will kill anyone once that certain person has broken their "injunction" bounded to them beforehand, in which they are usually tricked or swayed by Okada to do so. He allows himself to be killed by his own "Shinigami's Contract" after Hirose's absorbs the "Heart of Akuro".

Mitachi Kanon

Kanon is the "red haired girl" who killed Nami's brother. She is a carefree, yet an insane and immature girl who kills mostly for her own amusement. Her childish nature is accentuated by her tendency to refer to herself in the third person. Her power is an "Invisible Bomb" which can destroy almost anything in her range with the control of her palm. It's revealed later that she actually needs a metallic object to detonate one of her bombs, and is easily defeated after Nami lures her to the forest with had no metallic objects nearby. She is also an egotist and tries to kill Ochiai out of jealousy after seeing how she was treated so special by Hirose and the others. She was torn apart by the power of the "Heart of Akura" after trying to absorb it.

Michele

A comrade who fairly large in size, he's a simple idiot who at the request of Megumi searches out Taisuke. He later reappears under Katsumata's control to bring Taisuke to Megumi. If he meets another comrade he tries to recruit them. He controls gravity.

Ludger

A comrade searching for the meaning of being Alive, he copies other comrades powers.

Other Comrades

Kiyomitsu Misaki

Kiyomitsu Misaki is an elderly man, born blind; he is not a part of the group following Kanou. He is wise and kind and knows Kanou's future and knows the weight Kanou must bear. His power is "senrigen" or "thousand mile eye". When people touch him he can see their past and future. He tells Kanou that he must choose between a difficult life or death. He sees his power as a curse, never to be used. After Hirose absorbs the "Heart of Akura", he commits suicide by falling down a long flight of stairs, urging Taisuke not to live.

Utsunomiya Yoshikatsu

He has the power of "Illusions". He can see a person's thoughts and memories and uses them in his illusions. Utsunomiya can create them in any space, including Yuta's barrier. He was friends with Katsumata at the police academy and knows much of their goals for revolution. Utsunomiya kills his wife and has the intent of killing his kids too. In killing them, he sees this as protecting them from the future of suffering and pain. However, in the end he can't go through with it and erases their memories and replaces them with false ones right before he jumps off of a bridge.

Asou

Asou is a pastor who is known to be traveling with Ron-kun. Asou seemed to have been affected by the virus when it was "Nightmare Week" and he, Ron and another child were hit together by the virus. Unfortunately the child tries to hang himself. When Asou tries to save him he turns the child into stone. When the other people see this they become afraid of him and lock him inside the church. He says he "Cursed" himself. Then he meets Katsumata and tells Katsumata to kill him. Katsumata uses his power and alters Asou's mind into thinking that he "Saved" him. When they met again, this time with Taisuke he tells Katsumata that he doesn't want to fight. However Katsumata alters his mind again to make him fight Taisuke. After Hirose absorbs the "Heart of Akura", he turns himself into stone, believing he is returning to his parents. His power is petrification and is skilled at martial arts.

Ron Hasegawa

One of the children of Asou's church who became a comrade, after survivng the heart's influence, he is currently staying at an orphanage but visits Amamiya and Oda. His power is to liquefy himself into a slime-like creature.

Other

Yoko Kanou

Yoko Kanō (叶 陽子, Kanō Yōko) is Taisuke's older sister. She works at his school as the nurse and often treats her brother, mostly because of his fights. After the death of their parents, Yoko has to take care of her brother. She earns the money and pays for her brother's schooling. She makes Taisuke clean and cook for her as she says that she gets the money so he has to do chores. She is a very confident older sister that trusts her younger brother.

Megumi Ochiai

Megumi Ochiai (落合 恵, Ochiai Megumi) is Taisuke's childhood friend. She has known him since his parent's death and has always been there for him. Megumi is quite loud and is easily angered. She has always looked out for Hirose and Taisuke since an early age and sometimes comes to asks Taisuke's sister for help. Megumi seems to like Taisuke. She is later kidnapped and loses her memory. She manages to recover them her memory one by one after seeing Taisuke again yet is later captured by Katsumata once more. Two years after the battle of Hirose and Taisuke, she is living with Katsumata and is the one responsible for Mitama. She believes that Mitama is a child and escorts her to the "heart" which she thinks is "medicine".

Ryou

Ryou is a truck driver that Taisuke encounters after just leaving his home in search for his friends.She leaves Yuta with her phone number so he can call her if he gets lonely. She has a husband and a daughter that she adores. She visits Taisuke's sister every year on his birthday.

Amamiya and Oda

Reporters chasing after Taisuke in order to investigate the strange happenings surrounding him. Amamiya is eager to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Taisuke, whilst Oda is far more reluctant. Their interaction creates comic relief. Amamiya under the appearance of "Rain" and gets more information only to stabbed and left for dead by Mc Phearson. She survives and is currently living with Oda and Anzu.

Reception

About.com praised the series for its plot but criticized the over used character personalities. They gave the first volume a seven out of ten. Mangalife said the same but also commented on Adachitoka's art fitting with the story.

External links

• Official website
• Alive: The Final Evolution Manga Profile on About.com
• Alive: The Final Evolution ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia