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Ratman #3
Ratman, Vol. 3
His battle with top-class hero Ankaiser taking a turn for the worse, Shooto quickly winds up beaten and knocked unconscious. But that isn't the end of the fight, as the latent animal instincts of Ratman wake and beat Ankaiser to a pulp! However, Shooto becomes depressed that the world of heroism that he has always admired is 'just another business'. What new heroic decisions will Shooto have to make?
- GenresMangaComedyYoung Adult
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 12, 2020
On an alternate Earth, methods have been found to give ordinary humans superpowers, and “superhero” is a profession. However, the processes involved are very expensive and out of range for the average working person. So most superheroes are sponsored by businesses and act as mascots for them. Of course, the bigger the business, the more powerful ability they can afford to give their hero. A major national corporation might have a A-Rank hero who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, while a small restaurant chain can only afford a E-Rank hero with a wimpy-sounding power.
Shuto Katsuragi has been a hero-worshipper since he was saved by Shiningman as a child, and his career ambition is to become a superhero. Unfortunately, he’s less than five feet tall at age fifteen, skinny and a wimp–not what any self-respecting corporation would be looking for in a mascot hero. But then Shuto and his classmate Mirea Mizushima are kidnapped. The hero who comes to rescue them is overcome, and gives Shuto his Append Gear transformation device. Shuto signs an agreement and uses the device to gain superpowers, rescuing Mirea.
Plot twist! It was all a trick, and Mirea was in on it the whole time. Shuto is now contractually obligated to work for the evil organization Jackal as the supervillain Ratman. This isn’t a career move Shuto wanted at all, but he’s trapped. And for an evil organization, Jackal’s members are awfully nice, while some of the professional heroes who belong to the Hero Association are jerks.
This superhero parody manga pokes fun at both American comic book and Japanese tokusatsu tropes. It was initially imported to the U.S. by Tokyopop, but left unfinished when that company collapsed. It appears that Viz has picked up the license.
At the start of this volume, Ratman is facing arrogant superhero ANKaiser in a burning building. ANKaiser is not heroically motivated, being in the business for fame, money and the chance to beat people up. In fact, he purposely sabotaged the skyscraper’s sprinkler system (after the fire started) so that it will be too dangerous for other heroes to enter and he can get solo credit for defeating Ratman.
In addition to his powers, ANKaiser is a skilled boxer which gives him an edge over the strong but untrained Ratman. After flooring the villain, ANKaiser takes a phone call and blows off looking for civilians who might still be trapped in the building. This unheroic behavior triggers Ratman’s berserk state, in which he becomes far more powerful at the cost of losing his conscious mind. He badly beats ANKaiser, then runs out of energy and reverts to his unconscious Shuto form just before they’re found and rescued.
Shuto wakes up in the hospital. Also there is Rio Kazaki, the daughter of the head of the Hero Association and Shuto’s sempai (upperclassman). She too wants to become a superhero but her strict father will not allow it, which doesn’t stop her rushing into danger to help people. She was the one who found Shuto. Mirea also stops by and is introduced to Rio; it’s clear she has a jealous reaction but Shuto is oblivious to this.
Based on ANKaiser’s fate, the Hero Association rescinds the “attack on sight” order against Ratman; they’re going to call in the big guns.
Shuto goes to Akihabara, a section of Tokyo known for stores selling tech and all things geeky, to get a thank-you gift for Rio. He finally succeeds in finding the thing he wants, a superhero movie collectible. Unfortunately, it is stolen by a gang of bag-snatchers. Shuto is aided by the local heroes, the “Akiba Holy Girls”, rollerblading maid cafe employees. At first the team seems a little too hung up on law and order, but they sincerely want to help people harmed by crime.
Then Ratman is chasing a bank robber’s car when he runs out of energy and collapses. He’s rescued by Fatman, an E-list hero who works for his family restaurant, Pizza Fat, who feeds Shuto. Fatman’s younger sister Anzu, who’s worked hard to lose weight, is embarrassed by her brother. But she reconciles with her brother when the bank robber attacks the store and Fatman uses his fat control power to save her life.
The volume concludes with a chapter in which Rio catches Ratman at her school (Shuto accidentally transformed) but there’s an alert of danger to civilians nearby and Ratman rushes her to the scene. Rio begins to wonder just what kind of villain Ratman is. But the Hero Association’s newest attack is about to begin.
Despite some cynicism in the setup, this manga series is at heart idealistic. The superhero world is not as corrupt as it first appears, and some people who seem terrible at first get character development and get better. While the comedy elements remain throughout, the narrative shifts to a more standard superhero story as the series continues.
The art is decent, and there are interesting characters. There’s light fanservice, but junior high readers on up should be able to handle this. Recommended to superhero fans.
Shuto Katsuragi has been a hero-worshipper since he was saved by Shiningman as a child, and his career ambition is to become a superhero. Unfortunately, he’s less than five feet tall at age fifteen, skinny and a wimp–not what any self-respecting corporation would be looking for in a mascot hero. But then Shuto and his classmate Mirea Mizushima are kidnapped. The hero who comes to rescue them is overcome, and gives Shuto his Append Gear transformation device. Shuto signs an agreement and uses the device to gain superpowers, rescuing Mirea.
Plot twist! It was all a trick, and Mirea was in on it the whole time. Shuto is now contractually obligated to work for the evil organization Jackal as the supervillain Ratman. This isn’t a career move Shuto wanted at all, but he’s trapped. And for an evil organization, Jackal’s members are awfully nice, while some of the professional heroes who belong to the Hero Association are jerks.
This superhero parody manga pokes fun at both American comic book and Japanese tokusatsu tropes. It was initially imported to the U.S. by Tokyopop, but left unfinished when that company collapsed. It appears that Viz has picked up the license.
At the start of this volume, Ratman is facing arrogant superhero ANKaiser in a burning building. ANKaiser is not heroically motivated, being in the business for fame, money and the chance to beat people up. In fact, he purposely sabotaged the skyscraper’s sprinkler system (after the fire started) so that it will be too dangerous for other heroes to enter and he can get solo credit for defeating Ratman.
In addition to his powers, ANKaiser is a skilled boxer which gives him an edge over the strong but untrained Ratman. After flooring the villain, ANKaiser takes a phone call and blows off looking for civilians who might still be trapped in the building. This unheroic behavior triggers Ratman’s berserk state, in which he becomes far more powerful at the cost of losing his conscious mind. He badly beats ANKaiser, then runs out of energy and reverts to his unconscious Shuto form just before they’re found and rescued.
Shuto wakes up in the hospital. Also there is Rio Kazaki, the daughter of the head of the Hero Association and Shuto’s sempai (upperclassman). She too wants to become a superhero but her strict father will not allow it, which doesn’t stop her rushing into danger to help people. She was the one who found Shuto. Mirea also stops by and is introduced to Rio; it’s clear she has a jealous reaction but Shuto is oblivious to this.
Based on ANKaiser’s fate, the Hero Association rescinds the “attack on sight” order against Ratman; they’re going to call in the big guns.
Shuto goes to Akihabara, a section of Tokyo known for stores selling tech and all things geeky, to get a thank-you gift for Rio. He finally succeeds in finding the thing he wants, a superhero movie collectible. Unfortunately, it is stolen by a gang of bag-snatchers. Shuto is aided by the local heroes, the “Akiba Holy Girls”, rollerblading maid cafe employees. At first the team seems a little too hung up on law and order, but they sincerely want to help people harmed by crime.
Then Ratman is chasing a bank robber’s car when he runs out of energy and collapses. He’s rescued by Fatman, an E-list hero who works for his family restaurant, Pizza Fat, who feeds Shuto. Fatman’s younger sister Anzu, who’s worked hard to lose weight, is embarrassed by her brother. But she reconciles with her brother when the bank robber attacks the store and Fatman uses his fat control power to save her life.
The volume concludes with a chapter in which Rio catches Ratman at her school (Shuto accidentally transformed) but there’s an alert of danger to civilians nearby and Ratman rushes her to the scene. Rio begins to wonder just what kind of villain Ratman is. But the Hero Association’s newest attack is about to begin.
Despite some cynicism in the setup, this manga series is at heart idealistic. The superhero world is not as corrupt as it first appears, and some people who seem terrible at first get character development and get better. While the comedy elements remain throughout, the narrative shifts to a more standard superhero story as the series continues.
The art is decent, and there are interesting characters. There’s light fanservice, but junior high readers on up should be able to handle this. Recommended to superhero fans.
November 11, 2022
This volume dials things back a bit after the resolution to Ratman's fight with Ankaiser. And given the developments to Ratman's abilities we discover during that fight, that isn't a bad thing. It introduces a dangerous element that will probably come into play later, and giving the reader a breather after a reveal like that is a good narrative choice. Unfortunately, the rest of this volume feels mostly like filler. It's not exactly bad, but it seems inconsequential; I can't imagine Fatman will come back to play an important part later on, for example. This volume is also lacking in Jackies. I hadn't realized just how much of the comedic soul of this series these silent minions provided until they were absent for so long.
All in all, volume three is okay. Its focus on slower character development is fine, if not as immediately gripping as the events in the last two volumes. It would be a fine addition to the story if this wasn't more or less the last of it that's been translated. (Note: I've since learned that Tokyo Pop did release one more volume of this series, but it's not exactly easy to find.) There's a lot to like, here, and it's a shame that there's no legitimate way to read the rest in English.
All in all, volume three is okay. Its focus on slower character development is fine, if not as immediately gripping as the events in the last two volumes. It would be a fine addition to the story if this wasn't more or less the last of it that's been translated. (Note: I've since learned that Tokyo Pop did release one more volume of this series, but it's not exactly easy to find.) There's a lot to like, here, and it's a shame that there's no legitimate way to read the rest in English.
June 1, 2025
I came across this manga earlier in the year. In a world where super heroes keep the world safe, young Shooto Katsugari dreams of becoming one. When he is offered the chance by a mysterious stranger he accepts without hesitation - only to realise that he has just been signed up by the super villain team and not the super heroes. As the newly minted supervillain Ratman he is obliged to obey his villain overlords - but still finds a way to use his evil powers to the greater good.
This is an amusing twist on the regular superhero fare, and one I quite enjoyed.
This is an amusing twist on the regular superhero fare, and one I quite enjoyed.
June 17, 2022
I really like this series! I wish I had more volumes but I don't even think they are available. I might even be willing to break my Amazon fast to get more.
For people who might want to know, this series is part adventure story, part harem manga, part coming-of-age story and part comedy. And, it's great!
For people who might want to know, this series is part adventure story, part harem manga, part coming-of-age story and part comedy. And, it's great!
February 27, 2016
Quick thoughts: A fair amount of silliness this time, but it fits the atmosphere of the series. Still a little slow, but some good character development is gradually building. Solid, if unspectacular, volume.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews