What do you think?
Rate this book
Apple Black, Volume 3: Instruments of Vengeance (Volume 3)
In Apple Black, Volume 3 , young sorcerer and prophesied savior Sano continues his quest by attempting to uncover and protect the secrets behind his father’s research on the immense power known as Apple Black.
Many years ago, humans acquired “Black” fruits from a tree that descended from the skies, turning humans into sorcerers. Although all of Black is now extinct, humans still have sorcery inherited from their ancestors. Blessed with the Arodihs arm by Merlin, the god of sorcery, Sano is raised and trained in isolation and secrecy to be the world’s savior , known as the Trinity. The savior is the one who dawns the Infinite Night, an eternal night of chaos. With his newfound freedom from isolation, Sano gets a fiery start after being admitted to Black Bottom Island’s guild for young sorcerers. As his fellow gifted allies and sorcerers like Opal Wantmore accompany Sano on his quest, the treachery, betrayal, and evil that have plagued nearly all of Eden again threaten the world . Sano fears his power can either save the world or destroy it. With his visions offering him a darker path, Sano seeks to find those responsible for his loss, and walk away from revenge and toward forgiveness to find closure. Ridding Eden of the Infinite Night will require him to uncover the secrets behind his father’s research on fully rejuvenating the effects of Black in bloodlines with the immense power known as Apple Black. Black Bottom Island has become a war zone as Banburi rebels and cloaks of the country battle each other. The Lords of the country plan to counterattack, taking charge in the absence of the Dark Lords. Sano finds himself in trouble, but his allies join the fight. Symon fears their luck may have run out. Apple Black is rated T for Teen, recommended for ages 13 and up.
Saturday AM, the world’s most diverse manga-inspired comics, are now presented in a new format! Introducing Saturday AM TANKS , the new graphic novel format similar to Japanese Tankobons where we collect the global heroes and artists of Saturday AM. These handsome volumes have select color pages, revised artwork, and innovative post-credit scenes that help bring new life to our popular BIPOC, LGBTQ, and/or culturally diverse characters. Join in even more adventures with the other action-packed Saturday AM TANKS Clock Striker , Gunhild , Hammer , Henshin! , The Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts , Oblivion Rouge , Saigami , Soul Beat , Titan King , Underground , and Yellow Stringer .
Many years ago, humans acquired “Black” fruits from a tree that descended from the skies, turning humans into sorcerers. Although all of Black is now extinct, humans still have sorcery inherited from their ancestors. Blessed with the Arodihs arm by Merlin, the god of sorcery, Sano is raised and trained in isolation and secrecy to be the world’s savior , known as the Trinity. The savior is the one who dawns the Infinite Night, an eternal night of chaos. With his newfound freedom from isolation, Sano gets a fiery start after being admitted to Black Bottom Island’s guild for young sorcerers. As his fellow gifted allies and sorcerers like Opal Wantmore accompany Sano on his quest, the treachery, betrayal, and evil that have plagued nearly all of Eden again threaten the world . Sano fears his power can either save the world or destroy it. With his visions offering him a darker path, Sano seeks to find those responsible for his loss, and walk away from revenge and toward forgiveness to find closure. Ridding Eden of the Infinite Night will require him to uncover the secrets behind his father’s research on fully rejuvenating the effects of Black in bloodlines with the immense power known as Apple Black. Black Bottom Island has become a war zone as Banburi rebels and cloaks of the country battle each other. The Lords of the country plan to counterattack, taking charge in the absence of the Dark Lords. Sano finds himself in trouble, but his allies join the fight. Symon fears their luck may have run out. Apple Black is rated T for Teen, recommended for ages 13 and up.
Saturday AM, the world’s most diverse manga-inspired comics, are now presented in a new format! Introducing Saturday AM TANKS , the new graphic novel format similar to Japanese Tankobons where we collect the global heroes and artists of Saturday AM. These handsome volumes have select color pages, revised artwork, and innovative post-credit scenes that help bring new life to our popular BIPOC, LGBTQ, and/or culturally diverse characters. Join in even more adventures with the other action-packed Saturday AM TANKS Clock Striker , Gunhild , Hammer , Henshin! , The Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts , Oblivion Rouge , Saigami , Soul Beat , Titan King , Underground , and Yellow Stringer .
- GenresMangaGraphic Novels
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2023
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Odunze Oguguo
25 books64 followersNigerian artist, Odunze Oguguo, is the creator and owner of Manga/Comic series like Apple Black and Bacassi; he is also one of the co-founders of MyfutPrint Entertainment, LLC (www.saturday-am.com), publishers of the most diverse manga anthologies, Saturday AM, Saturday PM and more. Oguguo graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor's in fine arts and a minor in computer science and later graduated with a Master's in Fine Arts from the same university with a degree in Visual Communication Design. Oguguo has garnered a popular following online under the name "Whyt Manga" on social media. The "Whyt" in "Whyt Manga" is derived from his middle name Whyte. Oguguo is a huge fan of Professional Wrestling, Soccer, Hip Hop, Sequential Arts, Film, Animation, and most kinds of story-telling entertainment.
Saturday AM is a unique digital comics brand featuring an ever-growing catalog of popular, exclusive, and diverse action manga-style webcomics by independent creators from around the world. Among the nearly 50 visionary artists on the Saturday AM team. To learn more about Saturday AM, visit saturday-am.com, or find them on Instagram (@saturday_am), YouTube (youtube.com/user/MyFutprint), and Twitter (@saturday_am).
Saturday AM is a unique digital comics brand featuring an ever-growing catalog of popular, exclusive, and diverse action manga-style webcomics by independent creators from around the world. Among the nearly 50 visionary artists on the Saturday AM team. To learn more about Saturday AM, visit saturday-am.com, or find them on Instagram (@saturday_am), YouTube (youtube.com/user/MyFutprint), and Twitter (@saturday_am).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 16, 2023
Author here! I hope everyone enjoys the shonen manga series. These Rockport Editions are updated versions of the books I made almost a decade ago. Vol 1 is mostly old, with new content, improved art and story, new cover, post-credit scene teasing something of a special multiverse, and more. Glad to see it still holds up. Some of Vol 2 and a little of Vol 3 are also content from many years ago. All of Vol 4 is fresh and ultimately brand new stuff! Vol 1-4, you could say, is like the first main arc or a "Season One" of many. Enjoy!
March 17, 2023
I've been following the author for a long time, since his early YouTube days. I chose to learn how to draw from his videos because his art style is absolutely gorgeous. If you are a fan of Bleach's art style, you'll feel a similar style from this. And the way he colors his book covers is brilliant and beautiful. I find he always gives consistently good art for every page. Look at this art cover? Need I say more?
Art aside, the story and lore from this book is just fascinating. I think of it as "Naruto meets Harry Potter". The world building is one of my favorites in graphic novels as it slowly drip feeds you information and mysteries little by little. I think what drew my most to this series is the character designs. You can tell when an artist runs out of ideas to make each character unique; this is NOT the case at all for this book. Each character has unique designs that reflect well on their distinct personalities. Plus, there's some swearing in the book which gets my giddy cuz thats not something I typically see in an officially published "manga". 10/10 would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Shonen manga.
Art aside, the story and lore from this book is just fascinating. I think of it as "Naruto meets Harry Potter". The world building is one of my favorites in graphic novels as it slowly drip feeds you information and mysteries little by little. I think what drew my most to this series is the character designs. You can tell when an artist runs out of ideas to make each character unique; this is NOT the case at all for this book. Each character has unique designs that reflect well on their distinct personalities. Plus, there's some swearing in the book which gets my giddy cuz thats not something I typically see in an officially published "manga". 10/10 would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Shonen manga.
February 20, 2024
That's it, it's official, I'm never gonna shut up about this series. My friends and family are gonna hear about it from me until the end of time or until the get sick of my shit lol. Hello new Roman Empire.
December 19, 2025
I really love the characters in this story. Saturday AM claims to have the most diverse manga comics... Which is definitely true. It's very refreshing to read a comic with so many unique and diverse characters. That's the thing I love the most about the story.
I think that this big fight between the dark lords and such and the banburi rebels could have come later in the story. I think it would have been nice to read more about the individual characters, and see more of the world they live in, before jumping into this action. I'm assuming we'll see more of that later in the series.
The magic system in apple black is really cool! It's definitely very original. Also, the art is amazing! I think I'll definitely read volume 4, because apparently it is the best one yet! And I really do want to see where the story goes!
If you want a good shonen manga, Apple Black is definitely the way to go!
I think that this big fight between the dark lords and such and the banburi rebels could have come later in the story. I think it would have been nice to read more about the individual characters, and see more of the world they live in, before jumping into this action. I'm assuming we'll see more of that later in the series.
The magic system in apple black is really cool! It's definitely very original. Also, the art is amazing! I think I'll definitely read volume 4, because apparently it is the best one yet! And I really do want to see where the story goes!
If you want a good shonen manga, Apple Black is definitely the way to go!
June 14, 2023
It is hard for me to give this series a 3-star because there is much that I like, but Vol 3 is where I am starting to feel some caution going forward.
As noted, there is much that I like. The artwork. The main protagonist, Sano. How the premise of the savior is being applied. I'm not generally into school settings but in this series, I actually wish we'd get more of it. I like that Sano has already had a lot of training and education before the story starts and while he is a goofball (of sorts), it is fun when other characters start lecturing him about a point of history, he's like "Yes, I know about that." I also like Opal and definitely 'wantmore' of her. Haha, I love the pun of her last name.
However, I am feeling caution because this volume features one of my least favorite characters on the cover but also it introduces so many characters and fights and chaos (I think the chaos is narratively intended so I don't begrudge that aspect) that I was left more confused and just glad when the volume was done. I re-read Vol 1 and Vol 2 to see if I could make sense of Vol 3 but when I re-read Vol 3, nope, I was still confused.
It is a densely packed story with not much room to get to know characters or time to get to know the place before it is jammed with so many characters that I forget their names before the next new character is introduced. Then there is a smash-em-up-fight which is understandable because it is a battle manga when all is said and done, but the best battle shonens allow room to get to know characters to figure out which ones are the ones that you favorite and want to see more of. "Apple Black" has that potential if it could slow it down.
At least for me.
I will be on the look out for Vol 4 because I am going to break my rule of the "3 shows/volumes" test. If the breakneck pace continues in Vol 4, then I think I'll have to give it up.
As noted, there is much that I like. The artwork. The main protagonist, Sano. How the premise of the savior is being applied. I'm not generally into school settings but in this series, I actually wish we'd get more of it. I like that Sano has already had a lot of training and education before the story starts and while he is a goofball (of sorts), it is fun when other characters start lecturing him about a point of history, he's like "Yes, I know about that." I also like Opal and definitely 'wantmore' of her. Haha, I love the pun of her last name.
However, I am feeling caution because this volume features one of my least favorite characters on the cover but also it introduces so many characters and fights and chaos (I think the chaos is narratively intended so I don't begrudge that aspect) that I was left more confused and just glad when the volume was done. I re-read Vol 1 and Vol 2 to see if I could make sense of Vol 3 but when I re-read Vol 3, nope, I was still confused.
It is a densely packed story with not much room to get to know characters or time to get to know the place before it is jammed with so many characters that I forget their names before the next new character is introduced. Then there is a smash-em-up-fight which is understandable because it is a battle manga when all is said and done, but the best battle shonens allow room to get to know characters to figure out which ones are the ones that you favorite and want to see more of. "Apple Black" has that potential if it could slow it down.
At least for me.
I will be on the look out for Vol 4 because I am going to break my rule of the "3 shows/volumes" test. If the breakneck pace continues in Vol 4, then I think I'll have to give it up.
June 10, 2024
The third installment contains even bigger artistic improvement from the previous two volumes, and the action is dense, and pretty fun. A lot of entertaining match-ups and a lot of fun powers pit against each other. I'm particularly a fan of the character who uses his tattoos as weapons.
Where I struggled on this volume is that there are around two dozen characters duking it out in separate fights (and besides the combatants, several additional characters were also introduced or name-dropped.) Those fights seem to be the primary mechanic of letting us know who some of these new characters are, but with so many of them only just recently introduced, it's hard to really retain any of it.
I can tell there's a very cool structure and concept behind the world, these characters, the magic system, and it's all very fleshed out in the author's mind - but I don't feel properly eased into it, rather thrown to the wolves and expected to keep up as more and more characters and concepts keep getting added.
Where I struggled on this volume is that there are around two dozen characters duking it out in separate fights (and besides the combatants, several additional characters were also introduced or name-dropped.) Those fights seem to be the primary mechanic of letting us know who some of these new characters are, but with so many of them only just recently introduced, it's hard to really retain any of it.
I can tell there's a very cool structure and concept behind the world, these characters, the magic system, and it's all very fleshed out in the author's mind - but I don't feel properly eased into it, rather thrown to the wolves and expected to keep up as more and more characters and concepts keep getting added.
September 7, 2023
I like this series, but the pacing could definitely improve. The plot is moving too fast here for me. There are dramatic plot developments that need time to soak, so the transition to a new character or new fight scene feels very rough or premature.
The fighting itself is great and the moves/poses are dynamic and creative, but I feel there could be more buildup. Instead, it’s just on sight for these characters. Like, are we already getting the tournament arc?
We also have a large cast of characters to get to know, and the story would benefit from introducing them all slowly. They all have stellar designs, and I’d love to learn more. Cezar, in particular, seems like a really cool foil to Sano; they’re complete opposites in ideology. The artwork is great as usual, so no issues there.
I'm interested in seeing how volume 4/the new arc goes as the content is more recent.
The fighting itself is great and the moves/poses are dynamic and creative, but I feel there could be more buildup. Instead, it’s just on sight for these characters. Like, are we already getting the tournament arc?
We also have a large cast of characters to get to know, and the story would benefit from introducing them all slowly. They all have stellar designs, and I’d love to learn more. Cezar, in particular, seems like a really cool foil to Sano; they’re complete opposites in ideology. The artwork is great as usual, so no issues there.
I'm interested in seeing how volume 4/the new arc goes as the content is more recent.
May 7, 2023
This title is developing nicely. Volume 3 is a rollercoaster of a ride that will reach emotional lows and highs for anyone invested in these characters. It is definitely easy to get invested in these characters. Whether you like the idea of heroes trying to find their way, bad boys doing their own thing, or even the cute and cuddly being cute and cuddly, there is something for everyone. I think it’s worth getting into this series and seeing how the title and the author develops with future installments. Volume 3 is a good read (pun intended).
—Toonsi
—Toonsi
July 19, 2023
AMAZING! Beautiful art, good story telling.
Worth every dollar I spent, it’s getting so tense and it’s leading into some very interesting plots, I will definitely pick up vol 4 when it releases.
Onto the spoilers because goodness I just need to talk about it, Symon is quickly becoming one of my favorites he’s a very compelling character, his “reveal?”( Idk what to call it)
It chilled me to the bone and I can’t believe Ruby died, I’m just hoping that there’s some manga magic that brings him back :(
Incredible story and definitely worth a read.
Worth every dollar I spent, it’s getting so tense and it’s leading into some very interesting plots, I will definitely pick up vol 4 when it releases.
Onto the spoilers because goodness I just need to talk about it, Symon is quickly becoming one of my favorites he’s a very compelling character, his “reveal?”( Idk what to call it)
It chilled me to the bone and I can’t believe Ruby died, I’m just hoping that there’s some manga magic that brings him back :(
Incredible story and definitely worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2023
This volumes was action from start to finish and still managed to develop the story in unexpected ways. This series is not what it seems from volume 1, I DID NOT EXPECT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED! Nice developments and hype twists, shockers… IN A GOOD WAY! The author attempted some ballsy things. Looking forward to the 4th volumes.
May 9, 2023
Wasn't exacting this volume to get so intense so fast, I felt on edge as the good guys were being pressed, the fights felt so epic in scope, please just pick up this Shonen inspired manga you will not regret it!
September 30, 2023
Wow, this series got dark FAST. It really kicked into gear and became the chaotic battle manga I was hoping for. Honestly, this series alone makes me want to get a subscription to Saturday AM just so I can stay up to date.
March 15, 2023
Preordered.
March 22, 2023
I read this in about an hour, the details and storytelling was captivating and progressed in a natural way that's left me excited to see what comes next and the dialog was superb and was easy to read
April 1, 2023
Preorder it 😤 cuz I know it’s gonna be fire🔥
May 4, 2023
An excellent thrilling continuation, the story continues to be exciting and up the action, look forward to the next volume.
May 10, 2023
I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher
May 14, 2023
Finally, this is where the second volume of the former edition ended and you get to see what happens next, and it is really good.
August 16, 2023
I think book three was great. I can’t wait for four. I can’t say anymore if not I’ll probably drop some spoilers. But read it NOW!
November 13, 2023
The art is so cool! I love the detail and character design - it reminds me of the character design of Bleach. It is also
very action-packed which keeps the pace going 💪❤️
very action-packed which keeps the pace going 💪❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews