Comics / Manga

Hero Tales Volume 3

By Chris Zimmerman
August 15, 2010 - 15:09

Taitou is a kind hearted but brash young man destined to save the world as he completes his destiny to transform into the legendary warrior, Hagun. Aided by a slew of other highly skilled warriors, Taitou must first defeat his rival Keirou, Hagun’s ultimate opponent and retrieve a legendary sword his predecessors once wielded.

In volume 3 Taitou’s quest to save the country from the merciless Keirou hits a snag when he is forced to battle the man himself without the use of his sword. Lacking proper training, the young warrior is helpless as he watches his friends fall effortlessly before his rival. Meanwhile Shimei has plans of his own to turn Taitou’s adopted sister against him. The situation takes a dire turn when Taitou’s friend and master Ryuukou, turns on him, siding with Keirou.

Volume 3 of Hero Tales sees a major turning point in the series as the story finally begins picking up steam. Hiromu Arakawa of Fullmetal Alchemist fame is known for mixing fast paced action and political drama and while the previous two volumes featured healthy doses of both, they lacked the dynamic characters that made the former such a massive success. This is not indicative of her skill however as Hero Tales is a retelling and most likely influences the original author’s direction and technique.

As previously stated, much of the series’ development up to this point takes place within this volume. Major characters die, others switch sides, and major revelations are made as Taitou must come to terms with the fact that perhaps Keirou is the rightful ruler of the empire.

As one would expect, Arakawa’s art style is clean and dynamic. Despite a couple of the characters featuring recycled designs from Fullmetal Alchemist, Keirou being a prime example, most are creative and in line with the character’s personalities.

Despite a slow start, Hero Tales is finally shaping up to be a stellar series. While the series probably will never reach the success or acclaim of Arakawa’s previous work, the series is starting to deliver on the promise shown in the first two volumes.

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12