Fire Punch: Volume 8 manga review

Fire Punch Graphic Novel Volume 8 cover image

Agni lives on a frozen Earth cursed by “the Ice Witch.”  He and his sister, Luna, are also among those known as “The Blessed,” people born with abilities to perform miracles.  Some of “The Blessed” are unfriendly, like the man called “Doma.”  He is blessed with the power of fire, which he uses to destroy Agni and Luna's village and to kill Luna.  Doma engulfs Agni, who has regenerative powers, in a flame that will never extinguish.  Now, Agni is “Fire Punch,” a walking man of flame, seeking revenge.

As Fire Punch, Vol. 8 (Chapters 72 to 83) opens, Agni's body is once again engulfed in flames.  Once again, he is Fire Punch, and now, he is burning everyone and everything in his path.  He has set off to find Judah, a Blessed with amnesia.  Agni has convinced Judah that she is his sister, Luna.

Sun, the boy with whom Agni once bonded, grew up to become an acolyte of “Lord Agni.”  Sun killed the Ice Witch and now awaits the return of Lord Agni/Fire Punch.  Sun, who is a Blessed with the power of electricity, however, may not like what Agni has become.  Will his lord be a villain or a redeeming light?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Fire Punch manga is a tough-minded, alternative world, science fiction manga.  Series creator Tatsuki Fujimoto fills the series with surprising turns of plot and fate.

Fire Punch Graphic Novel Volume 8 is the final volume of the series.  The narrative's themes of violence, revenge, extremism, and grief come to a head.  This final volume ends with both a bang and a whisper that comes across in Christine Dashiell's blunt, but sparse translation.  Letterer Snir Aharon unveils the sound and the fury and the disquiet of the emptiness that defines this setting.

Fire Punch often felt like a series full of craziness, but having reach the end, I feel differently about it.  Fire Punch is a metaphorical demise of the world told in literal truths.  In the end, humanity will see the end coming.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for unique science fiction manga will want to try VIZ Signature's Fire Punch.

A
8 out of 10