He was created to inflict terror and bring destruction upon humanity, but humanity—especially their sweets—changed his destiny. Now, No. 28, with the human name Hachiro Futami, wants to live among humans and experience everything they have to offer. Even if it means going against his own kind in Tokyo Fears Rhapsody.
Content warnings: mild gore and nudity. Very minor spoilers for Volume 1.
In this world, monsters called Fears attack humans and feed off their terror. Meaning, the more scared people are of them, the more powerful they are. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Chainsaw Man’s devils, which essentially work the same way. There is also a special police mecha-unit called the Unbelievables specifically tasked with fighting Fears. Obviously, Hachiro becomes a huge fan of them and wants to join them in protecting humans.
To be honest, every single aspect of the story so far feels quite unoriginal.
Following the most basic tropes found in battle shounen: a mad scientist (called Rodolphe Frankenstein, super creative), his child/creation having daddy issues, not being accepted by either group, etc. The only point I find semi-interesting is Hachiro’s chance encounter with Unbelievable 1, and what might come out of that relationship.
This feels more like a comedy disguised as an action manga, because it feels like the plot comes secondary to the humor. Hachiro is meant to be a child or teenager since he was only created a few years ago. Which must be why the entire tone of the story is so childish. It can be funny and silly sometimes, but overall, it was too immature for my liking. However, the art is really good, and so are the action sequences; it is also the only part I found consistently funny. I’m not sure how I feel about some of the character designs, but it is certainly visually entertaining.
If anything here resonates with you, especially the slapstick comedy, then you could give this a shot. Otherwise, there is nothing new or particularly exciting to me in this first part of the story.
VIZ Media released Tokyo Fears Rhapsody Volume 1 on July 15th, 2025. Volume 2 is set to release on November 20th, 2025.
