After the demise of the demon king, the resulting power vacuum has broken the balance of the world. Eager to claim this power for themselves, self-proclaimed demon kings from various worlds assemble in the New Principality of Lithia to fight for it. Among them, master swordsman Soujirou Yagyuu seeks to take this coveted position for himself. Joined by Tooi Kagizume no Yuno, a young girl he saved from an army of golems that destroyed her city, Soujirou enters Lithia to battle his way to the title.
At the same time, the leaders of the Aureatia Kingdom seek to destabilize Lithia by launching bandits after the convoys of merchandise transiting through the principality. Enraged, Imashime of Taren, the founder of Lithia and defector from Aureatia, sends vicious thief Kasasagi no Dakai to investigate the origin of these attacks. With war on the brink of eruption, no one can predict what influence the contenders for the demon king's throne will have on the coming conflict.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Marinate1016
Ishura is probably the most unique action anime I’ve ever seen. A slow but rewarding burn that has one of the coolest premises you’ll find and an immense amount of worldbuilding. This was one of the best shows of Winter 2024 and it’s a shame it flew under the radar. While not an expert in the field of battle royale anime, I’ve seen a few and Ishura stands head and shoulders above the rest. What makes it so good to me is the wide range of characters with unique abilities who are all very OP and have unique fighting styles. Additionally, there’s the perfect amount ofcharacterisation for each member of the cast. By the time they’re all introduced it really feels like we’ve established a connection with them. Every character is set up with their own episode that shows us their motivations, their abilities, their backstories and just what makes them tick. While at times it may seem a little tedious because you just want to get to the big battle royale, it was definitely a great decision because it made the fights at the end of the series that much more meaningful. The other big thing for me is that every character is strong. I mean the diversity of abilities in this series was shocking. The victor in a fight is just determined by how they match up with a particular opponent which made things fun.
Ishura has no main character, at least not yet, so the story kind of goes from one viewpoint to another depending on the episode. I liked this because it developed a rather large cast in a short period of time. While a couple characters felt underbaked, most of the cast I felt a nice attachment to and liked. Also made it difficult to choose who to root for because of the various goals of the characters. In a way, this 12 episode season felt like the longest character selection screen.
The worldbuilding is also really good in this. The magic system is nuanced, the political situation is interesting and there’s a ton of fantastical elements in this that just work really well. You can tell the author put a ton of time into fleshing out the world, characters and making you feel apart of a living breathing universe. It’s a bit frustrating at times though, because while you can tell the world is vast and detailed, sometimes I felt it wasn’t being utilised to its full potential. I’m sure that’s intentional as this is just adapting the first book I believe and there’s a ton more story to go. It just can be a bit slow at times. Nevertheless it has all the makings of a cool fantasy world.
The only downside I really have is that the story really just got going at the end. Like we spent so long building these characters up for a big battle and then the battle happens in a couple episodes and that’s it(not the end of the story, just the season). I wanted more! This world is so unique and the anime was a blast to watch. This is more a testament to how much I liked the show rather than a serious complaint though. I do understand it takes time to develop characters and appreciate the author’s intent.
Animation and fight scenes are really good. There’s some cgi, but it’s not distracting and the direction during the big set pieces is more than good enough.
Ishura is a must watch if you’re a fan of action anime, battle royales or if you just want something different to watch. I watch everything every season and I really can’t think of a show that’s been quite like this one. I had a blast watching it every Wednesday and I’m looking forward to reading it now.
Ishura gets 8 out of 10.
Omarumba
Ishura - to fight to the bitter end, however who expected the ending to be just that? Meatgrinder, aka Battle royale, is a trope/genre that was popularized by Mirai Nikki and the Koushun Takami manga with the identical title in its heyday. Each author has a different take on this type of genre, but basically it's about creating a situation with a large number of characters who for some reason must survive and reduce their numbers as the story progresses. So what makes the difference between a good Battle Royale and a bad Battle Royale? Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet and takea look at two shows: Jigokuraku (aka Hell's Paradise), which got an anime adaptation in 2023, and a new show called Ishura, which we were treated to this past 2024 season.
Ishura emerged as a web novel in 2017, and was even later acquired by ASCII Media Works under the guise of "Dengeki no Shin Bungei". The author of this creation is Keiso, a man who would go on to release a couple other works such as Gekitou in the future. Ishura received a warm welcome before the anime adaptation was announced, receiving good comments from critics, and in 2023 it was finally announced as an anime, produced by Passione, directed by Takeo Takahashi, and animated by Sanzigen, a studio that specializes in CGI graphics.
Ishura is about creatures with powerful abilities that can be compared to demigods and even gods. The Demon King has been killed, but by whom - it is unknown. Now the now wandering souls of the heroes (aka Shuras) are free to do whatever they please, but the question of "who killed the Demon King" becomes cancerous for them, to the point that they decide to organize a contest like a gladiator battle to find out the true identity of the winner. Well, at least that's what Keiso, the author of the work, willed. The first season of the anime adaptation will adapt the first volume of the novel, and will focus on the story's characters and the political conflict between the Golden Capital and the self-proclaimed new principality of Lithia. There is no main character in this story, the plot focuses on all the characters, some of whom get screen time and reveal in an entire episode, as if to save their time. Accompanied by solving two major problems, solving a political dispute and finding Keiso's true hero, we are "very happy", I heartily apologize for the quotation marks, with battles as it should be.... battle royale?
So, yes, Ishura is Battle Royale, and essentially the entire plot is a subplot to keep the viewer and reader in a state of anticipation of bloody battles and unforeseen moments. Battle Royale is good in that it allows the author to introduce a huge number of different characters and intelligently pit them against each other without depriving the rights of the target audience to enjoy the plot component at the same time. I'll call it the formula for a successful Battle Royale: spectacular battles + competent plot = good Battle Royale. For a perfect battle royale it is also necessary to have a logical conclusion of battles, balance, variety of characters, sharpness of the plot, but you do not think that all this is not in Ishura? Well, I won't be ironic, half of these things are really there. Back to the formula, does Ishura have the two main elements for a good battle royale? A competent plot is in place, even if it is a bit too rushed. The author brings us up to speed and does it very quickly, as if he is in a hurry, which makes our heads muddle after the first episodes. Spectacular battles? And there it is - the Achilles' heel of this show. Good battle royale must give the consumer a lot of emotions from battles, because that is the beauty of the genre. Starting to consume the product you bet on your favorite characters, which after a while begin to collide with each other, from which the viewer's eyes literally begin to move apart. In contrasting Jigokuraku I was not mistaken about this, for this work observes two factors of the formula of "good battle royale". The heroes, having appeared on the island with the purpose of fulfillment of the task, collide with each other spectacularly showing their skills and skills of battles, though the main character, Gabimaru, was made horribly invincible. Ishura, on the other hand, leaves you anticipating the same thing - but ends up doing exactly the opposite. Instead of spectacular battles, we literally get death with a single blow. Predictable? Hell no, but how frustrating it can be. The show is able to reveal a character over the course of an entire episode, only to end up with no trace of him in a measly few minutes. Keiso may have been going for realism, but Battle Royale isn't about realism, it's about spectacle. Imagine if on a gladiatorial battlefield everything would end with one blow, would the audience like it? I doubt it. As a bottom line, Ishura has a good story, but as a source of epicness the show is very weak.
Omitting the moments with battles I want to highlight the excellent work of the previously mentioned Sanzigen and animators, the picture is colorful and CGI animation is smooth and good. Character design is done at an excellent level, for which first of all we should praise Keiso. Each character has some zest in his appearance, thanks to which he stands out so well.
The musical accompaniment in this show is worth a special attention, but the fact that such a musical potential was mercilessly drained is worth the tears shed. Throughout the episodes, there are various musical compositions that reflect the emotion of the scene well, and this is a credit to Masahiro Tokuda, the man who also wrote music for shows like Deca-Dence and Platinum End. The opening splash screen of Sajou no Hana's "Shura ni Otoshite" shows all the characters in turn, and is generally good, I especially liked the wyvern scene. Konomi Suzuki's "Hakka" was also good, but it wasn't too memorable or special.
To summarize, I'd like to say two of the most obvious things at this point about a show like Ishura. Battle Royale is a very handy tool for an author, but even with a hammer you need to know how to hammer nails so that they don't stick out crooked. I won't be pessimistic, but I don't have any hopes for a spectacular sequel, especially considering that there are already 10(!) volumes in the novel, it's scary to imagine where Keiso's imagination has gone. And the second most obvious thing is that if they would translate the rest of the volumes into English as soon as possible, it would be fun to see what would come out of it.
AeroGunz
“Ishura” is what happens when surface level writing meets a pretty solid idea. This show is the perfect example of 2 things: 1. False advertising 2. Having lots of plot and almost no story at all. Let’s start with the first point. The first episode in any show is one of, and according to some, the most important. It has a simple, yet important function: it must aim to capture the audience's attention, establish characters, locations, set the tone for the rest of the series and, if the show will have an overarching plot, present the main goal for the main character. It’s a kind of a promise between theviewer and the show itself. Simple but by no means easy. A lot of shows struggle with this, not only anime.
In the case of “Ishura” the first episode lies to You in a big way. I will try to avoid spoilers for the episode but I need to talk about some things within it. If You were to trust the first episode as Your gateway into this anime You would think that it’s some kind of isekai powertrip focused on grand “Shadow Of The Colossus” type fights with a cringy, edgelord as a protagonist or at least one of them. The episode clearly shows the dangers of the world and introduces cringe personified as a character. I’m not even joking. Remember Shadow from “Eminence in Shadow” or Sasha from “Seikon no Qwaser”? Yeah. That kind of garbage character we’re talking about. The type that makes You feel secondhand embarrassment when he speaks and makes You question Your decision to watch the series. We see him destroy the golems that just slaughtered an entire city and I guess that was supposed to be a demonstration of the power scales but it makes no sense. A town full of scholarly type wizards, who have to spend a lot of time changing before the spell takes effect, being massacred because of a surprise attack by automatons who are rather resistant and strong doesn’t really showcase the difference between normal people and our edge lord. It’s like forcing high school teachers to fight against a well trained SWAT unit. Yes the show builds the power scales a bit later but a lot of it is done in the last 3 episodes so it makes even more sense.
After the first episode the show changes entirely. It’s no longer a show about grand fights, to be honest most of the fights are pretty badly choreographed and cut. It becomes a war tale between two nations. Both run by assholes. To be honest the change was weird but I welcomed it. Anything to not have to deal with the edge lord from episode one. For the next few episodes you spend time learning the inner workings of the conflict and meet characters who will inevitably clash with one another. I would call it interesting but it goes for 5 episodes. Yes, You learn, more or less, what’s the deal with the incoming war and the sides but to be honest it’s pretty bad. I think the show uses the war arc as an excuse to play around more with power scales. You get to see some badasses at work so when they finally fight You would get a scene of their power. You don’t. The introductions to the characters last half an episode during which most of them do jack shit to demonstrate their power. Some are feared but You don’t see why. You are just told they are badasses and as proof You get some lazy scene with them winning over some weaklings. There is one exception with the dragon. That introduction shows us two characters and their solid (for this trainwreck of writing level) interactions. The rest are just bad. You only learn that everyone has just one trait that is masquerading as full character. A lot of things happen but they change nothing in how you see the world or the characters.
Before I get to the second point I would like to give definitions for clarity. I use the definitions for “plot” and “Story” as Lisa Cron describes them:
“What happens in the story is the PLOT, the surface events.”
“STORY is about how the things that happen in the plot affect the protagonist, and how he or she changes internally as a result.”.
I decided to add those definitions so that we are all on the same page because some people have different understanding of those terms and I like to make myself clear.
Now… Almost all characters we are introduced to are either edge lords or have the brooding tough guy act to the point You would think they are trying to get published by DC Entertainment. An interesting choice is that there is only one character who could be called morally good and even that is the fault of her being young and idealistic. Everyother character is a sociopath or an asshole in one way or the other. Among there we have: A treasure hunter who wields magical items like some kind of fantasy batman and cares mostly for himself, a depressing lookin guy who likes to play the good guy but does jack shit when his angel starts the killing spree (expect quietly telling her to not kill) one edge lord who likes to fight, another edgelord who’s a mercenary that oversells his skills, A naked girl in a giant mech spider who likes to kill but plays victim of her fate and others. Yes. This show introduces a lot of characters and that’s a problem in itself. The first 6 episodes of a 12 episode season are just introductory, short plots for them. You waste, and yes I will call it a waste because the shorts are pretty bad and tell you nothing that couldn't be shown during some kind of main plot event. The show sets up a damn tournament arc so why not use that? Oh yeah… that would require actual writing skills.
To be honest the fact that the characters are assholes with no, or weak goals allows me to not give a damn when they are killed. Yes You showed me a naked chick in a robot spider. So what? You want me to care about her goal, that was stated in a conversation just once? Why would I? I haven’t seen how bad she wants it. For all I know she wants to be integrated into society because she’s bored, wants to freely walk and kill people or some other not very people friendly reason. Why should I care about her? The show gives You a throwaway line about everyone's motives and wants me to care. Yeah… Eff off.
The most interesting part of the plot for me were the political intrigues. The true reason for the war was pretty interesting and solidifies the rulers as pieces of shit for sacrificing so many non combatants to reach their goals… or goal… there is an interesting twist towards the end of the arc.
Some characters have their own agenda while pretending to work for someone else, I can appreciate that sort of thing. The execution of this is subpar at best but it’s still better than most of the other things.
Now for the sad part. There is very little story here. The scraps of which could be attributed to just two characters who actually change a little and have actual reactions to what happens in the world. Those are the “normal” girl from episode one and the young elfish, seemingly all powerful, young girl that can bend the laws of the world. One learns that sometimes You need a powerful asshole to defeat another powerful asshole and the other, through her experience during the war, is determined to use her powers to bring happiness. Everyone else starts and ends as the same character. Nothing is learned, nothing is earned and nothing is lost.
I think one of the most annoying things that is 99% useless is the narrator that verbalises a lot of things that were shown just a moment ago. Some of his narrations give new info about the situation and a little bit of context but most are just useless. I have eyes for effs sake. Above that the narrations strip almost everything of their mystery and prevent, at least for the viewer, solid twists in the future.
I know I don’t have many positive things to say about the writing and yes, I do think the writers are incompetent but there might be a saving grace. Those 12 episodes with their structure, introductions and short plots could work as a prologue to something. The building stones are there. Covered in all the incompetent decision dust. The fact that this show has 12 episodes works to its detriment. If it had 24 I think it could grow to be something… I don’t want to say competent, I’m not that hopeful but solid. As it is, it’s just a waste of time that sets up a lot of things that don’t have a payoff.
whiteflame55
The series gets off to a great start that really showcases the power and skill of a champion against a giant golem and placing them in the context of a world that is composed of fragile beings. Given the promise of a tournament featuring a set of characters like this one, it certainly set itself up for success. …but it’s mostly downhill from there. There are some really good fights later into the series run as various otherworldly characters come into conflict with other powerful beings (many of whom would be participants in a future tournament that would necessarily pit them against one another anyway), wherethey really get to strut their stuff against calamities, sometimes in epic fashion.
However, that’s not the focus of most of this season. Instead, we focus in on a conflict between the Aureatia Kingdom and the New Principality of Lethia, which… is not what I came here for. I love a good war story, but you’ve introduced characters whose functions in the story render most militaries moot. You’ve established that most of this world is made of soggy cardboard compared with these fighters and introduced them with the promise that there will be a tournament used to determine who is the strongest. Telling your audience to care about the normal humans at this point just seems like an attempt to get us to care about doomed characters so their deaths can hit us that much harder, but what it does for me is make most of the deaths ring hollow. Even deaths of named characters just don’t matter much. The series does scant little to get us to care about its relationships, mainly just showing us “backstory” through brief glimpses into the past that barely help us connect with them, and that’s the best-case scenario.
But then there’s all the other elements. When a series leaves me with this many questions and only the barest of hints at the answers, I start to wonder why I should stay invested. This is a world in which the Demon King, widely agreed to be the most powerful and terrible being on the planet, was killed. Everyone assumes it’s one of these champions who did it. Fine. Now they want to hold a tournament to determine who the hero was that killed the Demon King. I guess they assume that whoever is the strongest must have done it and they want to reward them, but a) this seems far more likely to kill whoever the actual hero was, especially since just announcing the tournament guaranteed the kind of free-for-all kill fest that has resulted beforehand (especially considering just how diverse the sets of powers are), b) the fact that said hero hasn’t come forward means they’re pretty unlikely to take part in a tournament meant to uncover their identity, and c) that’s compounded by these characters requiring some national representation, which may just leave out the hero even if they wish to compete. Maybe they just don't care who killed the Demon King and just want a tournament for the sake of eliminating a bunch of these powerful beings and posting a figurehead - that's true for at least some of the stakeholders - but if that's the case, that just raises further questions about why they're doing it this way. Why couch any of this in the Demon King if you don't even care who killed him? Wouldn't this just result in a single powerful individual (or a small group of them) that no one can possibly defeat and that can take over by default?
Who these champions really are, where they came from (it’s only lightly hinted at), and why they arrived in this place are all up in the air. Much of the reveals deal in the warfare between the two countries instead, but even so, there’s so much we don’t know and this enigma is the kind that only serves to frustrate rather than intrigue. If you’re going to dedicate so much of your plot to these elements, the lack of a reason for them only serves to disengage your audience.
Beyond that, there are several other characters who have their own machinations in play, so there are all kinds of political power games going on that have little to nothing to do with the broader plot. Combine all that with a magic system that somehow gets specifically defined while simultaneously feeling almost entirely useless and a world that feels surprisingly small despite a broad variety of characters and environments, and what you get is a good seed of an idea that both feels like it’s been dramatically overcomplicated in many ways and overly simplified in others. And I haven’t even mentioned the CGI, which does look pretty bad in places. It’s not awful, but it does detract from opportunities to make the most of this series’ sakuga.
I don’t mean to make this series come off like a complete mess, it’s just a lot of interesting ideas that are thrown together haphazardly and result in a product that is less than the sum of its disparate parts. It does not help that the last episode suggests a lot of plots at play that just seem to make less sense the more you think about them. It’s the kind of show that prefers to use much of this season as setup for interesting stuff down the line, and while it might eventually get there, I don’t think that’s a substitute for engaging your audience early and often. Whether they’re talking about the period before the story where someone fought the all-powerful Demon King or the period after this season where an actual tournament is set to happen, everything sounds more interesting and narratively satisfying than this. As someone who is not a fan of series that seem to put off the good stuff in hopes that you'll be just hooked enough to see it through to the end, I can't recommend this one.
fverayo
Quick questionnaire: - Do you like good action regardless of story? - Do you like watching content like Rooster Teeth's Death Battle? - Do you love polished, high-speed, bad-ass action cutscenes w/ sword and gunplay such as the ones from Devil May Cry? If your answer is yes to all, then Ishura is an anime for you! Definitely a MUST WATCH for action-enjoyers! Ishura is set in a world where the "True Demon King" was defeated. This common enemy united everyone for a common cause, but now that the Demon King is gone, nothing is keeping all the battle crazed-warriors and other dangerous creatures preoccupied. To maintain peace, Aureatia, thelargest country in the world of Ishura, answers this problem by politically creating the perfect battlefield to have these national threats kill each other.
Ishura Season 1 has a MOBA-ish setting with 2 factions and their respective heroes/champions battling each other, similar to Fate/Apocrypha, with the distinctive difference that Ishura has heroes of different species, not just humanoid ones, and that Ishura introduces their fighters with well defined characteristics, personalities, skills and arsenals, similar to MOBA games with their character spotlights and Rooster Teeth's Death Battle.
Ishura does not have good storytelling nor well-written characters, but it features a lot of well set up, and well matched battles; high-mechanic battles that show each fighter's abilities, speed, range, physiology, limitations, and how they fare against each other. They have well directed action storyboards paired with good action animation that are presented similarly to Hunter x Hunter Chimera Ant Arc and Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, where battles are monologued or narrated strategically so that viewers will be able to follow and appreciate what is happening. All these, with good voice acting and decent battle music, and even trash talk! It's a toxic PVP gamer's paradise!
Things you can expect in the anime that I would like to highlight:
- 20sec of immersive, epic voice acting from Koichi, Makoto which delivers escalating levels of horrific pain; from groans, whimpers to screeches
- super strategic battle between a wyvern leader and his swarm vs their 6 core-item locked wyvern deserter
- ultra instinct sinbad/alibaba vs ghost in the shell spider waifu
tl;dr: very good action anime! go watch! enjoy!
KANLen09
Ishura - A pseudo-Juuni Taisen, or a much closer reference, Record of Ragnarok? At first glance, novelist Keiso's Ishura sounds exactly like what many of you would be similarly comparing this to: mangakas Shinya Umemura and Takummi Fukui's Shuumatsu no Walküre a.k.a Record of Ragnarok, and you would be right in the broad sense: fighters from all walks of life gathering together for a fated battle that would redeem the last man standing as the triumphant winner regarded as a Hero. But, where the action-fantasy elements are what make both Record of Ragnarok and Ishura regarded similarly, Ishura has a finite twist to the series thatat least makes the foundation for a traditional battle royale and turning it into a high-stakes fight to the death...albeit with some hits and misses.
(Cue the intro narration and music)
"The True Demon King has died. The enemy of the fear that filled the world with horizons of fear, it was defeated by a lone Hero. To this very day, that lone Hero remains unknown, both in name and existence. With the age of fear coming to an end, that person has to be chosen. But even then, the powers left behind writhe in multitude, and they cannot be subdued by ordinary strength...the strength of 100 Shura-like demons."
These Shuras are basically demigod-like people who have the capability to bring down kingdoms and nations, and yet, they wander free to do whatever life takes them to. But with the lone Hero being an unknown figure, the Shuras now go head-to-head in a battle royale to determine who's the strongest and be given the Hero title. "All the world's a stage, and the men and women merely players" of Shakespeare's quote resides in the largest nation of Aureatia, governed by 29 Generals who are tasked to select that Hero, but its supposed ally of the independent city of the New Principality of Lithia has a different plan in mind, to be ruled by fear and terror, separate from Aureatia's democracy. And that's where the plot of the Hero takes shape in a bloody mess of a fight.
Here are your candidates for the Hero title:
- Soujirou the Willow-Sword, the one who is Isekai-ed from his own Distant World, who can defeat golems with his sword, and exercises excellent swordsmanship that reduces widespread legends into mere truths: the last swordsman, the minia a.k.a human Blade. Accompanied by a fellow minia, Yuno the Distant Talon, who've lost everything from her previous inhabitant Nagan, to seek out revenge for those who've tormented her life with golems wrecking the Labyrinth City.
- Alus the Star Runner, the one who can handle weapons with exceptional aptitude, and possess unusual magic items, whatever the challenge is from labyrinths to enemies, he has conquered them all, surpassing all dragons: the Rogue wyvern. He has a close but strained relationship with the Hargent the Silencer, the 6th General of Aureatia, who saved him in his young self, but grew to the rebellious in the later stages.
- Regnejee the Sunset Wings, the one who possesses a genius intellect and a sharp battlefield acumen, rooting himself within the core of a nition, and commands a fleet of wyverns who are obedient to him: the Command wyvern. He is frustrated at Alus for leaving the wyvern army, and seeks revenge for going rogue, who is close with Curte the Clear Sky, Taren's blind adoptive daughter.
- Dakai the Magpie, the one like Soujirou, is a Visitor relative of the Distant World, and one who can stop bullets at the speed of sound with his remarkable eyesight and enchanted sword. And that's not all: his insight makes him valuable, as well as being a rebel in the most devious way: the minia bandit. He serves Taren the Guarded, once the 23rd General of Aureatia, and defected her way to form Lithia, seeking powerful Shuras to her rule.
- Nihilo the Vortical Stampede, a girl enough to defeat an entire army, and kept under bars in Aureatia because she is a bioweapon of mass destruction: the revenant tarantula.
- Kia the World Word, a young girl whose power perverts all laws of justice, who can dominate the world with a single word, but with her potential yet untapped: the wizard elf. She is taken care of by the 17th General of Aureatia, Elea the Red Tag, as a mentor of the kingdom's spy network, who proceeds like Taren to expand with greater allies, just like Lana the Moon Tempest which they would eventually meet for the same political agenda, but for Lithia instead.
- Higuare the Pelagic, the one who has dealt through duels with poison that no ordinary human being can stop, and his bizarre physique doesn't stop his infinite brillant swordsplay, yet obeys all and ruled by none like a free slave: the Gladiator mandrake. He is accompanied by another Shura, Shalk the Sound Slicer, who is an undead skeleton mercenary hired under Lana's recruitment to serve Lithia.
- Kuze the Passing Disaster and Nastique the Quiet Singer, the paladin assassin who works in tandem alongside the real Shura, who is an angel undetected and immune to interference to all but one, taking everything unseen as the embodiment of one: the Stabber angel.
Feel overwhelmed at the number of characters? Well, too bad, because that's the definition of a battle royale to showcase as many characters as possible to show that anyone could easily achieve Hero status, no matter their origins or achievements thus far. It's one for the taking as Aureatia and Lithia experience turmoil of their own as they grasp getting as many Shuras as possible over to each's side, which unwillingly sparks a war on the outset against the respective democratic and authoritative leads of the two cities. It certainly is a battle royale at the heart of it, and a bloody mess Ishura is one that I'm legitimately surprised at how it's able to capture the tension of a high-stakes death match scene, anytime, anywhere...that's if you can stomach through learning all of the Shuras involved, backstories included.
In terms of production quality, studio Passione is definitely not one of the studios coming to mind when it comes to action-fantasy shows. That's only when you take into account of the studio's chief managing director of Takeo Takahashi's directorial role from Summer 2015's Rokka no Yuusha a.k.a Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, alongside director Yuki Ogawa of Winter 2020's Interspecies Reviewers and Fall 2021's Mieruko-chan fame, then everything aligns together like cakework. The anime also having to integrate 3DCG animation from outsourcing to collab studio Sanzigen (i.e. BanG Dream! franchise), it's not the best, but it's certainly better than a studio trying to incorporate 3DCG by themselves, and then looking pretty bad. Sure, Keiso's LN may not be the best in the storytelling sense of having to put the characters first before the war showcase, but both directors took cues as much as possible to streamline the anime adaptation as it is, covering the characters for the 1st half, and then the rest of the story and plot for the 2nd half. It is what it is, so take it as you will about endurance when watching this show.
The show's OST is decent, though it does give off a sense of unnervingness, given its dystopian setting with the typical fantasy that relates as such. Sajou no Hana's OP song, definitely fits the show's vibes for a rather dark and gruesome show and is terrifying good to listen to. On the other side of the spectrum, Konomi Suzuki's ED song certainly paints a path of a sliver of hope, but otherwise, just decent and fine.
Sadly, Ishura as a show, being the way it's produced, it does not give and inspire confidence that its unorthodox way of storytelling is able to reel in people watching this show from its half-and-half character-plot methodology. However, that being said, if you can truncate through the character backstories, the plot will burst into a single colour: red, the colour of death, and make this show interesting from its own standpoint.
Still though, give Ishura a chance if the plotline of the show doesn't deter you from watching an underappreciated show.
AmirKazeXD
what every anime season have in common, Isekai's. but what if I tell you that Ishura is one of the most unique and interesting Isekai's I ever watched, but why I did not rated it a 10/10, you may ask? let's start with the positives: - character designs: every single one of the characters, have a very good design that goes well with their morals, we have different races (like Human, Wyvern, Dragon and more...) but each of them look well. - animation: studio Passione is one of the studios that I think have a lot of potential to become one of the best studios. the animationlooked so fluid and high-detailed at the same time. and enjoyed the one-on-one fight scenes really.
- OST: it was good and really goes well with this show.
- Voice acting: Japanese VA's are amazing, they really worked awesome in this series.
and now let's go with the story, which I have mixed feelings about: most of the characters are not well developed and they feel shallow even tho they have good designs, but some story-line are really better and have a very good depth, it is like the author liked some of the characters more than the others, so it causes another problem, making some of the fights, shallow, pointless and boring.
but overall I can say that I enjoyed watching this anime fully, hope it gets better in the second season.
Final score: 7
shao12138
Warning: very minor spoiler A fantasy world with stellar worldbuilding. Every character is oozing with unique flavour, from their distinctive appearance and power, to the sometimes explained backstories. There are no background characters in this show, every single person has the potential to be the main character in their own right. The animation style and fight scenes are passable but nothing noteworthy, but the voice acting is absolutely phenomenal. This helps bring even more to life the uniqueness of each character. The additional design choices such as second names, or the way they chant spells, are also super cool to watch. This is one of the best animein terms of character designs and uniqueness. It reminds me of overlord, where everyone has a distinct character rather than fitting a generic isekai role. However, Ishura's storytelling does not compete up to the standard of overlord. Essentially, the stories in Ishura are mini events to help portray the character. There was only one storyline involving the main world, but that only really got 3 episodes of air time. The big tournament doesn't happen this season, which is a major dissapointment. There is so much hype buildup for the tournament in this season, so much, infact, that there was not enough time to actually show the tournament.
You could say this season was a bit of a nothing burger in terms of progressing the content, but it laid a sound foundation for an exciting tournament, using solid worldbuilding and enriching characters. Was it necessary to spend the whole season laying the foundation? Debatable. Was watching the anime introduce these characters and their power portrayed in various events fun and engaging to watch? Absolutely, give it a try.
Pizzamorg
Ishura has this sprawling cast of characters, and is the rare example of a show that could have done with a little more exposition, to be honest. Despite dedicating a good half of the series just on establishing our characters, by the time the show was actually starting to move forwards in the back half of the season, I have to be honest I was pretty lost. They kept talking about some tournament or something, but in the end it ends up being more a political anime... I think? Just, keeping track of who was who, who was on whose side, what the motivations ofeach side were - let alone the basic rules of how this world even worked. Yeah I was barely clinging on, to be honest.
However, while that probably makes the show sound terrible, I want to make it clear, this complaint comes from a positive place, rather than a negative. It wasn’t like this world is alienating so I’m just gonna switch off and zone out. This is a world full of intrigue and the complaint comes from the fact that I wanted to learn more and understand better.
Even if you don’t end up at that point, every episode would deliver at least one well animated, well produced and directed - and just straight up kick ass - action scene. Almost every character here is imaginative in concept either/and/or has some kind of imaginative ability set, so whenever characters clashed it always felt like a treat. I also appreciated that generally whenever characters seriously clashed, there was a definitive outcome. Like I’m genuinely surprised by how few characters ultimately made it out of this first season and it makes me wonder what they’ll do if they make more of this.
So yeah, overall, kind of mixed on this. It is a very bingeable series because of its action, but with so much anime fighting your time always, it is kinda hard to give this a true recommendation.
AudibleSilence
Ishura was a nice surprise in Winter 2024, with a bunch of heavy hitters, I really thought Ishura was gonna be another generic fantasy action show. but I was proven wrong. The true demon king is dead, as they mention a 100 times, and now there's a bunch of people fighting for the title of "True Hero". the list of characters range from a isekai protagonist samurai, to a skeleton spearman, to a wyvern that can use guns and swords, and that doesn't even scratch the surface. There is no main character here, anyone can and will die. as far as the animation goes, it's pretty good,the fights are choreographed well, there's clearly a nice animation budget. Which to be honest, I didn't expect from studio Passione, especially considering what types of shows they usually do. Their trademark fanservice still shows up every now and then however.
Was I a bit disappointed that there was no tournament arc that happened between everyone? certainly. But I'd say what we got, still serves justice for those who enjoy action. Was this show great? no. I would just say it's a good show to binge and then ultimately forget about down the line, but regardless I still recommend Ishura to anyone who likes battle royale anime, or just wants a show you don't really need to think as you're watching it.
CielIsAWeeb
Ishura plunges viewers into a vibrantly chaotic world, freshly rid of its demon king, yet shrouded in mystery over the victor's identity. This premise sets the stage for a thrilling narrative, where candidates from different lands and realms vie for the coveted title of the true hero. The allure of Ishura lies in its adept fusion of myriad skills and the philosophical diversity it brings through its characters, blurring the lines between heroes and villains in an intriguing moral play. Its presentation of main characters, deftly weaving their unique backgrounds and motivations into the fabric of its story. Despite the vast array of personalities, almost eachcharacter has been given enough depth and development to stand out, contributing significantly to the narrative's complexity and allure. There were certain characters that lacked backstories, sidelined, receiving minimal screen time and depth which disappointed.
The show's ability to blur the lines between heroes and villains enriches its storytelling, allowing viewers to connect with characters on various moral spectrums. This nuanced portrayal ensures that the protagonists are not just participants in the battle for recognition but are compelling individuals whose journeys and conflicts drive the narrative forward, making them memorable. Ambitiously, The City of Aureatia presents a board with 29 officials, a choice that admittedly can overwhelm. While each character adds their unique flavor to the story, the sheer number feels like a daunting catalog to keep track of.
The voice acting is commendable, breathing life into the extensive roster of characters, each introduced with enough intrigue that has kept me hooked. The soundtrack effectively matches the series' mood, with sound effects that align well with on-screen events. The audio contrasts between calm and intense scenes, supporting the narrative without overwhelming it.
The animation stands out as a mixed bag. On one hand, the overall quality and settings captivate. However, the CGI on the wyverns, while understandable from a production standpoint, is slightly jarring against the backdrop of otherwise sleek animation. This does little to detract from the engrossing fight scenes, which are a spectacle of choreography and gore.
Don't be daunted by the first 5 episodes! While they might seem overwhelming, they're essential in laying the groundwork for the world and its characters. These initial episodes are packed with information to immerse you fully. So, stay patient and keep watching. The setup is crucial for understanding the complexities of the diverse cast you're about to get deeply invested in. The narrative depth and thrilling developments awaiting beyond these introductory episodes are well worth it.
ArchangelEST
Ishura is a greatly underrated isekai themed gore filled battle anime that surprises with amazing visuals. Animation / Art / General Visuals - 9/10 ----------------------------------------------- Ishura employs a slight 3D effect to its art, creating at times slightly unnatural visuals, but ultimately provides a superior visual quality to most other anime. The animations and visual effects are great, leading to some amazing combat scenes. From magical cannons that evaporate entire city districts, to swordplay between masters of the art.It is quite impressive.
Furthermore, Ishura employs a large amount of gruesome gore. If you've ever wondered how it would look if someone melted from the inside out, as their eyeballs popped out, you're in luck. That and many other gruesome scenes will be aplenty.
Sound / Music / Voice Acting - 7/10
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I wasn't overly impressed by anything in the sound or music department. Everything seemed to be solid.
Story - 8/10
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The story of Ishura is very interesting, though its short run-time really hurts it, as it spends an extreme amount of time fleshing out numerous characters, which reduces overall plot coherency and world building.
This may be one of the reasons for the low ratings here on MAL. The first half of the show is all but completely spent on fleshing out characters one by one, or in pairs. Meaning that the characters you see introduced in each episode, won't really show up again until everyone's introductions are done. This can make it harder to follow the story and get attached to the characters, as it's unclear who is the main character and who you're supposed to be cheering for.
Nonetheless, I find the story to be very intriguing. Ishura features a fantasy world that is apparently open to "visitors". Basically super powerful individuals from our world that get isekaid into this one. The method of how it happens is unclear and the whole isekai aspect is largely ignored in the story beyond that.
These visitors care little for the world of Ishura beyond seeking out powerful enemies to fight, so that's largely what we'll see happen in the show.
There are hints of many greater storylines and worldbuilding yet to come, so it's clear that this first season is only a rudimentary introduction.
Characters - 7/10
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It is a little hard to get a good handle on the various characters, since we are introduced to so many different important ones. Some of them get more backstory and screen time than others, but the show also isn't afraid to kill off characters they spend a lot of time on introducing.
As a whole, the characters do seem to be well written and interesting. But one can only hope that future seasons limit the flow of new characters and instead spend more time fleshing out those who are intended to be there for the long run.
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Total - 8/10
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I find Ishura to be an underrated gem in the isekai category. Doing away with most of the isekai tropes, and instead focusing on great visuals with tons of gore.
The first half of the season can be hard to follow, but the second half should hit all the buttons that any fan of the isekai battle genre would want.
Reviewholic
Ishura has a few weird things. First thing, certain fights did not last long. It's one of the weird tropes where victory is decided in one or two exchanges. The excuses being, when there is a clear gap between two fighters' strengths, the fight would be settled quickly; and realistic fights, where both fighters go for the kill, don't go on for more than two or three exchanges. It's a very unpopular trope, obviously because we're all here to watch cool action of strong characters trading blows. Like imagine every boxing or MMA match always ends with a knockout in one exchange, no wrestle, nododges, no guard, people would be bored of it quickly. Two characters we've spent multiple episodes being hyped up finally met, and their session ended in two blows. It's quite shocking ngl, because other fights lasted a little longer. The shock value is nice, but it also feels like a waste of time and buildup.
Second thing, Ishura avoids writing likeable characters. Now, we all know likeable characters does not equal good character. I personally enjoy watching flawed, realistic characters, and I think Ishura did pretty well on that front. The main girl is absolutely pathetic and insufferable, but she represents the toxic POV of normal people in contrast to the superhumans, which is important to the plot's theme. Almost every core character in this show is an asshole and it makes sense because in a battle royale, the participants have to desire killing each other. Due to the large number of characters introduced, there aren't any complex or deeply developed characters, but that's not the focus of the show.
Third thing, Ishura has an otherworldly theme that is not introduced properly. "The True Demon King has died. The enemy of the world was defeated by somebody..." Every episode starts with this line, but most of the time is spent on introducing core characters, rather than exploring the lore and implications behind this line. However, that does not directly degrade the viewing experience, it's kind of like a magic trick. There is no urgency to learn the lore because we're busy knowing the current characters and their situation. I think it's an interesting focus of the story.
So far, despite several flops, I still feel Ishura is worth watching out for as it hasn't reached its full potential. Its fights are strategic and engaging. The characters are slightly deranged and interesting to follow. Whether Ishura is worth your time could depend on the next season and if you enjoy the slow burn.
A_Madao
Ishura is an example of when you have a unique, fantastic idea, you started to draft it... and then... that's it... you started... Same with this anime. Again, the idea is unique, but there is no clear plot, there is no clear end goal, the timeline of the story is chaotic, the characters' motives are shallow, and all of this ofc stops the story from going anywhere... It is as if the author had this idea of 'what if we put a bunch of overpowered demon kings and heroes in one place and made them fight each other...' and then the idea stopped at that. Anyway, the animeisn't bad; it could have actually been one of the best anime series if there was an actual plot. The visuals are stunning, the animation is so good, the music, the character design, etc., but... in simple words, the anime doesn't have a clear direction.
JoexySun
Short review: Ishura is a good-solid show featuring a fun and compelling battle royale between Dark Souls style bosses and characters. What made it work for me aside from the great production is the substantial story progression and thematic development. I am giving it a 7.5/10. It could have been an easy 8/10 if not for the sparse middle section. Expectation before watching: I knew nothing about the show or the light novel before watching the anime. I only had a vague sense about its generic isekai/fantasy setting which is the equivalent of toilet paper these days unless meaningfully differentiated from the run-of-the-mill stuff. Ithink it's fair to say that I had little expectations for it.
Actual experience: The 1st episode took me by surprise and hyped me for the rest of the show. As a huge fan of From Software games (the so-called "Soulsborne" games), the death-defying "human player" characters, the giant bosses whose every move is deadly, the tone of the world and the expectations for hidden bosses just clicked immediately with me. The middle section of the show can drag a little and come off as sparse, but the climax of Season 1, especially the more thoughtful final episode solidified the show as something for me to follow in the long-run.
Recommended to: fans of the dark fantasy/action genre (e.g. Claymore, Berserk, etc.). Fans of Dark Souls games.
What worked for me:
++ Great and captivating pilot episode and 2nd episode. The fantasy battles are not only visually striking with lots of details, but also impactful, suspenseful and white-knuckled. The fundamental tone set by the initial episodes is dark but captivating. It's easy to brush it off as another generic fantasy battle royale with little substance, but I'd encourage fans of action/medieval fantasy to give it a try.
++ Great climax and surprisingly substantial conclusion. EP7-12 feature great battle sequences, generally good character conclusions and developments for the major players/stars of Season 1. What elevated the show above other suspenseful battle royale shows for me is EP12 which not only reframed the subtext and meaning of the main battles in Season 1, but also tie up all the seemingly sparse clues and character themes together in a captivating way. The new premise after EP12 differentiated the show from the generic isekai/fantasy battle royales which are essentially cynical cockfights on inflated power scales. In any case, I am looking forward to Season 2 with renewed interest.
+ Generally solid VA performances and likeable star characters. The show casted many star VAs for the roster of characters in Season 1. Alus the 3-armed wyvern is a highlight for me. Supporting characters are not bad either.
+ Great Ending theme song which is a good fit for Reina Ueda's Yuno, the tragic connecting character who opens and closes the show with strong emotions.
What did not quite work for me:
- Somewhat uneven production value between the start, the middle and the climax sections of the show. The middle section suffers from reduced budget, and it shows in some sequences.
- Sparse character intros in the middle section without much story progression (EP3-6) can wear some audience's patience out, but those who sticked it out until EP12 are in for a treat.
Conclusion: overall a solid show for what it is.
Estagon
A slow burner. First a set-up, then the action. But oh, what action! And the worldbuilding is awesome, this is an ACTUAL fantasy. Just be aware that the first half of the anime is about the set-up and you'll be good to enjoy one of the best fantasy anime I've watched! Plot: 9/10 (multiple POWs and deeply intricate under the surface) Characters: 10/10 (it's all about the characters. Not one of them is lame) Pacing: 4/10 (I won't lie, I was about to drop it due to the super slow start I was unprepared for) Execution: 10/10 (damn, it got me invested in the bond between a wivern and ablind girl... That's some good stuff)
Overall score: 9/10 - Must watch
Skyregalia01
Disclaimer: I have not read the light novel so I do not know how faithful the anime adaptation is to the original work. Therefore, my comment will genuinely be reviewing the anime and I will be interpreting it as how I see it. Story: The anime leaves a huge impression on what the story will be about in the very first episode as well as immediately highlighting what Ishura means in the context of the anime. The anime starts introducing multiple characters in quick succession and tells the viewer (via a narrator) who and what they represent in the story. In the first few episodes,despite providing a lot of information to the viewer, it does not infodump anything on them. Since, by halfway through season 1, the anime will then only focus on the characters and geography that you have been informed about. From there the story will only use those characters and geography to slowly unravel the relationship between the characters, the political structure of the world, the geography of the world, etc. Throughout season 1 the anime segregates characters into two categories: powerful and normal. The powerful characters are labelled as "Ishura" (defined by the narrator) and the normal characters are then introduced for the sake of story progression.
The story is really interesting since it acknowledges the difference in mentality between those who are strong to those who are weak. This is seen immediately in episode 1 and continues throughout to the end of season 1 in which we see a common pattern. The strong do what they wish and demonstrate it through their abilities whereas the weak will do anything to get what they want. This is then reflected in the difference in societal status between these characters where the majority of the "weak" characters are linked to government and political roles and the "strong" are like mercenaries. In addition, what makes Ishura iconic from the other animes similar to it, is that the "strong" characters gathered naturally. Every character's interaction is (surprisingly) influenced by the political nature of Ishura, thus many of the interactions between the strong characters feel like they came to each other just by circumstance. Moreover, it is interesting to see that despite the title being called "Ishura" the ones that run the show are not them, but all the other characters that are not described as such.
To summarise, season 1 explains the meaning of "Ishura" and what it represents in its world and then demonstrates the strength of the characters (that are considered "Ishura") without feeling the information is being dumped onto you. In addition, it provides the viewer a clear understanding that not all Ishura are equals then leaves a cliffhanger saying there are more Ishura yet to appear.
Characters: The characters that have appeared in the anime are easy to understand. As I have mentioned earlier, the anime tells you which characters are important for the season and will only show these characters for the whole season. Therefore, by the time the action starts, you are already familiar with all the characters presented. This season presents more than 10 characters and the anime does it well by providing each character the same amount of screen time. This enables the viewer to understand how each character behaves and where their morality lies in the world of Ishura. What makes this interesting is that the world of Ishura does not shy away from the fact that Isekaiers (people who travel to other worlds) exist and yet it does not see them as any more special than their already powerful characters.
So far, season 1 has only shown one event with all the presented characters involved in it. This event does not entirely flesh out their characters since season 1 acts something like a prelude before any of the major events start to unfold - I presume season 2 may be the same. Therefore, it will be probably further down the line to see how these characters develop. For now, it is clear that the "strong" characters do not entirely run the show but it is the "weak" characters, and said characters have demonstrated that they will do anything to achieve their ambitions.
Art and Sound: The animation done by the studio is high in quality, especially in the action scenes. Despite, some CG being used for some of the characters it adds more to it rather than detracting from it. The music for both the ending and opening are very nice to listen to and the lyrics for the opening somehow (I believe) fit to the theme of Ishura.
Overall: Ishura is one of those animes in which (I believe) acknowledges the requirements for "weak" and "strong" characters together. The strong characters are the main attraction but the story can only progress because of the weak characters making use of their surroundings. Moreover, season 1 tries to convey the idea of "strength" to the viewer by introducing multiple characters that are "strong" in their area and then letting them interact with each for the viewer to compare their strengths. The end of season 1 gave the impression that there are more "strong" characters - Ishura - in the world of Ishura making me want to watch season 2 and hope that season 2 leaves just as an impression that season 1 did.
freyikari
To be honest the beginning was actually really good till about half of episodes. Other half was fast downhill. I dont mind how heros were shown but the story is bad. Author decided to pit one country against other and both of them have their champions but since the author decided outcome before anything started it become worse and worse. The difference between each country heros is GIGANTIC. Its like fight between big dog and small one. The scope of abilities makes watching it irritating. Im surprised in era of anime like Fate series you can actually made it this bad. Its just way toone-sided, not to tell that characters appear out of nowhere, few times i was wondering how the hell did he/they got there?
