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Volume one of Black God begins by introducing us to Keita Ibuki, a struggling freelance computer programmer who’s haunted by his mother’s death during his childhood, due to the mother seeing her double before death. While Keita is eating ramen in the streets of Tokyo, he meets a girl named Kuro, a Mototsumitama, or a god-like being who is in charge of protecting the balance of existence, who provides Keita with startling information regarding his mother’s death. Shortly after, the two are attacked by an unknown Tera guardian, resulting in Keita to have his arm blown off. Kuro then replaces his arm with hers, resulting in a contract between the two, making her more powerful than before, but only when the two (Keita and Kuro) are together. The duo is then targeted by the Shishigami clan, a group of Tera Guardians bent on destroying the co existence balance of the world.

The characters are engrossing, with Keita being arrogant, hypocritical and unlikable at times, a big contrast to most shonen characters. Kuro displays many childlike traits and seems to have a hard time fitting into society, resulting in some hilarious scenarios and an interesting relationship between the two. Kuro also utilizes boxing to fight enemies, making for some interesting fight scenes. Other characters include Akane Sano, a childhood friend of Keita. Unknown to him, Akane holds romantic feelings for him, which is evident due to her constant blushing in Keita’s presence and the odd delusions she has.

The art is solid, with good looking characters and a dark art style to accompany it. The backgrounds are detailed, but could have been given more polish. The same can be said for the character models, but that can be improved in later volumes.

Volume one of Black God successfully pulls me into the series, as I will definitely be purchasing the second volume as soon as possible. Those looking for a blend of action, comedy and mystery will find Black God to be a very enjoyable experience.