Manga Seal Hunter Sonzai

[Onix]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]A tentative title for a recent manga idea I had. It all came from a single character design that has since evolved into an (I think) interesting story.

The main character is Sonzai (meaning Existence), a mysterious amnesiac man who is covered from head to toe in tattoos. He finds himself inexplicably drawn to certain people...people baring the strange marks and kanji tattoos that he has as well. And everytime he meets one, they die. Sonzai is hunting them, not by choice, but by fate.

In addition to his strange tattoos, Sonzai stands out because of his dress. He stays covered at all times, save in battle. The marks on his skin can overwhelm him, especially the kanji for Evil (his left hand) and Blood (his mouth). If either of those is released, he can barely contain it.

Sonzai is lost, violent, and confused, seeking knowledge, a past, and a home. And he'll destroy, kill, and save anything he needs to to get there.

Other characters include Kajiya (Blacksmith), a man with the kanji for Metal and Strength on his arms; Megumi, a young woman with Sight enscribed on her eye; Akira, a genius who happens to have Bear on his hands, giving him unnatural strength; Kaida, a mysterious woman with a large dragon winding on her back, and the kanji resting in its mouth.

Comments? Criticisms? Confusion? Share, please.

-ULX[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]Sounds like a winner. It's got that slightly twisted, sinister aspect that really draws me to a manga or anime. The main character sounds original enough to sustain the story almost by himself; he doesn't seem to fit any of the usual rubber-stamp hero stereotypes, he's not a butch action hero, a reluctant ordinary guy thrust into a situation or an antihero out for himself.

The only thing I'd say is try not to define the characters too much by their respective kanjis, and give Sonzai some degree of free will over his actions, otherwise the story is just him being pulled around involuntarily by his kanjis, and he ceases to be an interesting, three-dimensional character. But from your descriptions it doesn't seem like you're in too much danger of falling into those traps.

Good luck with it!
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