Rooster Fighter Volume One follows a rooster named Keiji who takes on demons.

Rooster Fighter Volume One
Written by: Syu Sakuratani
Publisher: Hero’s Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 16, 2022

The main character of Rooster Fighter is a rooster who is seeking out a particular demon in order to exact revenge on it for eating his sister. He takes on every demon that he comes across, in the hopes of taking down the right one. Because of his want for revenge, he doesn’t stay in one place for very long.

Almost every story that appears in this volume shows something that the rooster goes through in each location, and he encounters a demon in every location. He’s quick and can peck at demons, but the rooster’s trump card is his loud “cock-a-doodle-doo” that seems to have enough resonance to knock down a demon. At the end of most of the stories, Keiji makes a new friend, but these new friends aren’t enough to make him give up on his quest and settle down somewhere.

There is one exception to this formula, though. Near the end of the volume, the focus of the chapter is on a man who is trying to sell chicks to pay off his debt. He gets tricked by someone in the yakuza to co-sign on his debt and then skips town, leaving the man responsible for his debt. At the same time, the man becomes friends with one of the chicks he raises and discovers a weird “zit” growing on the back of his neck. When the lender comes to collect the other man’s debut, this causes the man transform into a demon. Keiji the rooster arrives and takes care of the situation… but surprises even himself when the man doesn’t die after being defeated as a demon. The little chick wants to join up with Keiji, but it’s made clear from the very beginning of the volume that Keiji hates kids.

Personally, I appreciated getting a chapter that focuses on how the demons Keiji fights are created. From the demons’ dialogue in other chapters, it’s hinted that they’re people with grudges and axes to grind, but this chapter shows the reader the exact process of people turning into demons. However, the one thing that isn’t explained is how the weird bump appears on the neck leading up to the transformation.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but from the way Keiji is portrayed, he comes across like a ronin. Because of that, I felt like I was reading a modern day telling of a ronin story, but it stars a rooster instead of a human. But this isn’t a bad thing, though. Making the main character a rooster gives the reader a different way of looking at this kind of story.

Rooster Fighter Volume One includes a lot of fighting sequences, which helps to make it a quicker read. There are moments that slow the pace down temporarily, and they slow things down enough so the reader doesn’t feel like they’re getting whiplash from all of the action that’s going on in Keiji’s fights with the demons.

At the end of the volume, VIZ Media includes a translation note that explains how the chapter titles in this volume are derived from Japanese proverbs that reference birds, and then explains the proverb that goes with each title. I thought this was a nice touch, and I appreciate the fact that the translator included this information.

There is also a bonus chapter at the end of the volume, which follows up on something that is shown in the first chapter. I thought it was kind of “meh,” and didn’t really add much. Some readers will probably get a chuckle out of it, though.

When it comes to the art, some of the best panels are when Keiji is about to take a demon head-on. Sakuratani seems to put more emphasis on detail in these particular panels, so that helps to make them stand out. The rest of the art isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t stand out quite as much as these panels do.

Overall, I think that Rooster Fighter is off to a good start, and I’d be more than happy to read more of the series if I ever get the chance to. I think this series will be best appreciated by readers who enjoy stories of wandering ronin or who appreciate the idea of this kind of story being told with an animal as a main character.

My Thoughts:
This first volume of Rooster Fighter is an anthropomorphic look into the rooster as hero, lover, fighter, empath. He is the yakuza of poultry and the drawings are both familiar and unique in the manga world. The rage and the frustration of living in a large, congested city creates larger than life demons, but this one rooster defends his neighborhood and defends humans with his quick and spry fighting style. The demons don't stand a chance. Too bad he can't be as heroic with the ladies.

From the Publisher:
Giant demonic monsters wreak havoc and level Japanese cities! While the citizens flee in terror, it’s up to one brave rooster to stand his ground!

In a world where terrifying monsters walk the earth, one heroic rooster is destined for greatness. If anyone or anything threatens his territory, he’s going to show them who’s boss!

The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster—he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome, earth-shattering cry—cock-a-doodle-do!

Author/Illustrator: Syu Sakuratani
Publisher: Viz Media
Publication date: August 16, 2022

To be a hero, one must be strong, fearless, and determined. In short: you can’t be a chicken. That’s what I used to think, until Shū Sakuratani’s Rooster Fighter entered my life. How does one explain a premise that’s so batshit insane, yet is executed so flawlessly?

The story of Rooster Fighter begins with a flashback, with our poultry hero Keiji witnessing his sister being consumed by a demon. After a quick clucking with a hen, Keiji sets out to find that demon and slaughter it. Thus begins a tale of revenge and life-changing experiences, as Keiji takes on one demon after another to save every man, child, bird, and other living creature.

At first, the appearance of the demons seems hilarious, as they spout out raging jealousy at everything & everyone they come across. Their looks are hideous, like their elderly folks who’ve become a victim of Junji Ito’s mighty pen. How Keiji deals with them is just as ridiculous, with his powerful beak, claws, and “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” dealing all sorts of damage. But then, as one sees in the final chapter of Rooster Fighter’s first volume, there’s tragedy behind the creation of every demon Keiji fights. Thankfully, not every demon is a lost cause.

Presentation makes for a good chunk of this manga’s sense of humor. For starters, the great amount of detail placed in Sakuratani’s story is both gorgeous and hideous. The animals, people, and places all have painstakingly good attributes in every frame of this manga. As for the demons, their appearance goes to fantastic lengths to make them as ugly as a Fox News morning show host. It brings to mind the works of Yusuke Murata, especially the stuff he does for One-Punch Man.

It’s in the story where Rooster Fighter shines the brightest. Keiji’s dialogue about his life and need for revenge makes him seem like Kenshiro stuck in a bird’s body. Every person, bird, and sea turtle he comes across gives him reason enough to keep on fighting and moving towards his goal to avenge his dead sister. With each encounter comes a new lease and lesson on life, be it from a toucan who has great appreciation for his family or an old man who works hard to keep his late wife’s happiness alive.

And yet, even when things are at their most serious, I cannot help but laugh my ass off! The fact that this epic tale is focused on a farm animal of all things aids in making Sakuratani’s manga one of the most memorable series in years! It knows how to deliver phenomenal action, while at the same time fill that badassery with so much silliness. (Whoever gets the anime rights to this will no doubt score a major victory within the fandom!)

On paper, Rooster Fighter could have been easily cast aside as being too dumb. Thankfully, it’s one of the most delightfully original and surreal manga experiences to read today. Filled with amazing fights and some memorable dialogue, Sakuratani delivers us a new hero that won’t find itself in the pecking order anytime soon. If anything, Rooster Fighter shows that it takes a strong cock to thrust itself into the dangers of heroism!

Rooster Fighter is one of those rare books that delivers exactly what you would expect from the title. I had every hope this book would not simply be about a rooster who fights other roosters, but instead people. Shu Sakuratani does one better as this rooster is out there fighting demons. Gigantic, building wrecking demons that are suddenly spawning all over the place. In the vein of something like Kaiju No. 8 or One-Punch Man, someone has to stop the demons from destroying towns and the lone wandering hero of this tale happens to be a rooster.
Told like an epic samurai saga, it opens with the line "This is the story of how one rooster saved humanity." With that level of investment, we see a tale unfold of a wandering rooster who is righting wrongs where he finds them and hunting demons. It is not until very late in the story we learn his name is Keiji, which means “the Rooster’s Will” in Japanese. His brother was killed by a demon, thus his quest for vengeance drives him on, searching for the demon with a spiral mark behind its ear. Demons are people whose hearts are infected and they mutate into gigantic monsters fixated on what vexed them in their human lives. We do not learn why this happens, but late in the story, we see it happen. There is still plenty to be explored by the author in future volumes on how or why this all began, but in this first volume, we get a sense of how big this problem is.
Along the way Keiji will make some animal friends who provide aid and lessons. There will be victories that increase his fame and there will be losses that affect communities. Throughout it all you can feel the influence of books like Usagi Yojimbo and Lone Wolf and Cub, but in a modern setting. There are panels that look like they are from epic sweeping samurai films, but again, with a rooster as the hero standing in front of a blazing sun. There are running themes, like a new food discovery in almost every chapter like stink bugs, Brazilian grasshoppers and sea urchin. He doesn’t like children, human or animal, but he protects everyone equally. He has a strict moral code, like any good samurai, and he lives on his terms.
Obviously, this is a very silly conceit, but it manages to pull it off by taking itself seriously enough and drawing from such recognizable sources. The art is fantastic and while some of the demons are not quite as clean and crisp as other characters, they are certainly impressive in scale and work for the story. This isn’t going to win any awards for dialogue, but the fun isn’t in how well-constructed each exchange is, it’s in lines like “My comb is burning with rage!” The scope of battles and design of the fights makes me think of a book I’ve already mentioned in One-Punch Man, and much like that book this one has signature moves with their names emblazoned across multiple panels.
This is published by Viz Media who rates it Teen+, for older teens. There is no bad language in this book and the violence is a rooster fighting demons, so it is hard to say that it is inappropriate for anyone in particular because it can’t be replicated in real life. The only awkward moment reading this for me was on page 8 Keiji was mating with a hen (for a single panel) because he was “in heat.” While I get what the author was going for as a story device several pages later, it did make me think this might rule it out for younger readers who would have had no other problems with this book. This is a quick, funny, light read that is an easy recommendation for anyone who likes off-beat manga. It feels very familiar while also being unlike anything I have read recently. I think it is a good investment for libraries looking to diversify the types of manga they offer with something that I think spans a good age range of readers.

One Punch Man showed me how perfect action sequences can be in a shonen manga. It’s with this mindset that I went into reading Rooster Fighter, and I’m glad I did. A pastiche of gritty 90s action manga, this is one series that’s the surprising hit of the summer.

In the world of Rooster Fighter, human demons run rampant. However, there is a wandering rooster exacting justice in the only way he knows how: by fighting. Keiji is on a quest to avenge his sister, who was devoured by a demon in the past. On the way, he embarks on a perilous journey with colorful friends and foes. A hardened soul, he leaves a place after his work is done, but still fights for justice in the land.

Don’t let the odd premise fool you, this is a solid action series. The art is fluid and fast-paced, and the action sequences are amazing. Keiji being a rooster makes the ensuing battles humorous and unique. While the fights in this volume end in a similar fashion, I have no doubt the enemies will be different in the future.

What I appreciate about Rooster Fighter is that while Keiji is a powerful character, he’s still just a rooster at heart. He isn’t above debasing himself to eat more sea mollusks, and even thinks children are annoying. (He still saves multiple kids in the volume, however.) The fact that he’s envious of a one night stand who gets over his departure instantly was amusing as well.

This first volume delves into the mechanics of humans turning into demons, and also goes into Keiji’s backstory. I’m excited to see where the next chapters bring our hero, and I will definitely read the next volume of this series!

This is a pretty hilarious premise - giant kaiju are all over the place, and the only savior is a tiny rooster with super abilities! The outlandishness is enjoyable, as there were several parts where I laughed out loud.

A feisty rooster does his best to protect humanity from evil. Great artwork supports the story beautifully.

This was...unusual. Imagine Jack Reacher as a rooster. He is a loner, a drifter, and loves the ladies. He's rough and jumps into fights with people who provoke him. BUT he also has a heart. I don't think I will continue the series, but it was a fun and ridiculous read.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Rooster Fighter vol. 1 but oh man, I did not expect something that went all out. Yes, it's absurd, but the best kind of absurd. The art is amazingly detailed. The satire/tropes are masterfully executed. The characters make you want to cheer for them, even the side characters you only see in one chapter (so far). The last chapter in the volume leaves you breathlessly wanting more. Why did they have to introduce an amazing new character in the last few pages like that? It's one of the best first-volume cliffhangers I've seen in a while. Rooster Fighter is for: fans of demon-fighting tales, fans of chickens, anyone who was ever involved in the Future Farmers of America, fans of detailed manga art, fans of turtles, fans of yakuza films, fans of toucans, and fans of hero stories. (I received a free ARC of Rooster Fighter vol. 1 from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Interesting premise…gross demons…great side characters…did not appreciate the scenes with the hen- they were a distraction from the story and seemed gratuitous, i.e. we know he’s cocky, do you really need to make a bird seem manly? Eye-roll. 🙄🤣

This is easily the best Rooster hero manga I have ever read. It's amazing. It's fantastic. It's hilarious, and the wait for Volume 2 will be interminable.

This was my first manga book, and I enjoyed it. I found myself laughing at Rooster. Rooster had a heart and fought for what was right.

OMG! is really the best review I can give of Rooster Fighter. The beginning is hilarious. It is exactly what you would expect for an adventure story. Boy meets girl, but he has to go. He is just too much man to be tied down. Only substitute man with chicken. I could not stop laughing. It was very silly and I cannot wait to see where this story is going.

5 stars.

Absolutely not for me. It was too graphic, violent. I didn't like the plot or characters. I wouldn't choose this for any library other than a public one, since it's for adults for sure.

This manga is fun. It is so much fun. From page one to one-hundred-eighty-nine, I was laughing. It may sound ludicrous - an overpowered rooster fighting colossal stress monsters with a screeching “cock-a-doodle-doo” - though when you have a work that plays it straight like a yakuza flick or a western AND looks beautiful, and I mean frame-worthy art, you know you found a diamond-in-the-rough.

Keiji the rooster is a no-nonsense character that is as standard as they come: fights for justice as well as seeks revenge on the one monster that killed his little sister. Even then, I love this simply because of the premise. These played-out tropes are ridiculous on their own and become hysterical simply because these are animals playing it stupidly straight - no BS, just taking it as any hero would.

The action scenes are dynamic - thick detailed lines that make you feel the impact of a screech, scratch, or bullet-like peck. The mangaka, Shu Sakuratani displays the might and weight of such attacks with clear targeted accuracy that one can not only follow, they can feel the power.

And the stories are engaging to boot. One that particularly stands out is of an adversarial sea turtle. After a skirmish, the sea turtle comes to respect Keiji and explains his prejudice against birds - the very creatures that have eaten his brothers as they try to crawl to sea as younglings; a typical feeding frenzy that plays out like a massacre. Now older, he takes revenge the way a sea turtle would normally do - charging, slapping, and biting their throats. It may sound dumb and cliche, yet there is a believable and engaging tension. In short it is sentimentally silly, in a good way.

I will admit, as much as I love this work, I see this working for a rather niche audience. Granted anime and manga have its fair share of ridiculous plot lines, this may be too silly for others to latch onto. I can see this working for those who love comedic movies like “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist,” The Naked Gun Trilogy, or Steven Chow movies. It’s expertly crafted comedy that appeals to a certain comedic demographic.

Shu Sakuratani blends action, drama, and comedy with enviable precision. It has convinced me that those who do not enjoy this truly do not like having fun.

This reminds me of One Punch Man and Way of the House Husband. It has both the seriousness but humor that a lot of manga series such as One Punch Man and Way of the House Husband sort of thrive in. It reads as being self aware, which I think allows readers to sort of base in the ridiculousness of it all- and that "all" being a rooster who fights demons and monsters with his powerful beak and strong feet. This first volume does well to set the atmosphere for the sort of chaos that is to be expected. That being said, I don't know if I would recommend it to younger audiences. The Rooster is an adult male, with certain opinions and pleasures that he does indulge in.

When monsters known as "Kiju" starting appearing all over Japan, a lone rooster is their only defense. This action-packed battle manga reads like a combination of One-Punch Man and Dragon Ball with a serious comedy sucker punch. Our rooster hero is fighting monsters all over Japan, searching for the one who murdered his wife. He'll encounter plenty of other colorful characters while on his journey for vengeance.
It does get a little repetitive with the monster fights and sometimes the humor run a bit on the mature side. The artwork is well-done and the monsters are downright creepy.

This was an interesting title that wasn't quite for me; however, I can see its appeal. If you're looking for an action-packed story about a macho rooster with a lot on his mind, this could be the book for you. It's also interesting to note that each chapter title is derived from a different Japanese proverb that reference birds. I was glad to see a translation note about this at the back of the book.

This review copy did not include a credits page.

This was something. I'm not 100% sure that I really enjoyed it but it was definitely entertaining. We follow a regular sized rooster around as he fights huge demons. That's pretty much it. I honestly don't know if I'll read more of this series. It was just kind of boring.

Picture the prototypical testosterone-filled action-adventure but starring a rooster and you get Rooster Fighter. In this initial volume we follow our protagonist as he defeats middle-aged demon men to protect the world and seek vengeance for his sister who was slain by a demon. He also interacts with other animals - mentors, rivals, and love(?) interests (this one is debatable). This is a parody work drawn with impressive detail and will make for a fun read for anyone with a taste for the ridiculous.