Air Gear Review: Motorized Roller Blades, Storm Riders, and Extremely Fast Aerial Combat
by Oh! Great
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Quick Take
- Motorized inline skates allow superhuman aerial combat in a world of teams called Storm Rider crews; a delinquent becomes obsessed with the legendary Sky King title
- Air Gear's art for speed and aerial combat is unmatched — Oh! Great draws motion better than almost anyone; the story becomes increasingly strange
- 37 volumes, complete
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want the most visually spectacular skating/aerial action in manga
- Fans of Oh! Great's art style from Tenjho Tenge
- Anyone who can accept increasing narrative eccentricity in exchange for exceptional kinetic art
- Readers who want a complete series from the early 2000s action era
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: M (Mature) Content Warnings: Significant fanservice (frequent), violent action, increasingly mature content as the manga progresses
The mature content is significant and increases across the run. This is not for younger readers.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★☆☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★☆☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★☆☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★☆☆ |
Story Overview
Ikki Minami lives with the Noyamano sisters, who are secretly members of a Storm Rider crew — a team that uses Air Trecks (motorized inline skates with small engines) to perform aerial stunts and engage in territorial battles.
After discovering the sisters' equipment and learning to skate, Ikki becomes obsessed with Air Trecks and the hierarchical world of Storm Rider teams. The top of that hierarchy is the Sky King — a legendary title held by the greatest AT rider.
The manga follows Ikki's rise through Storm Rider ranks, with increasingly physics-defying aerial combat and an expanding mythology about what Air Trecks actually are and what they connect to.
Characters
Ikki Minami — Loud, aggressive, talented, driven by desire for freedom and height. His relationship with the Noyamano sisters — particularly Ringo, who loves him and cannot say so — is the manga's emotional throughline.
Ringo Noyamano — The most developed character in the manga; her position between her role as Ikki's guardian and her feelings for him generates the manga's most affecting moments.
Art Style
Oh! Great's art is the reason to read Air Gear. His rendering of motion — the way bodies move through air, the visual language for speed — is exceptional. The aerial combat sequences are some of the most kinetically impressive in action manga. His character designs are detailed and fashionable in a specific early 2000s way.
What I Love About It
The early skating sequences. The first arc, when Ikki is learning Air Trecks and the mechanics of Storm Rider battles are being established, has an energy and joy that the later cosmic mythology cannot match but the art throughout maintains. Watching Oh! Great draw someone moving fast through air is consistently satisfying regardless of what the story is doing.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Air Gear has a nostalgic Western following from the anime adaptation (which covers the early manga) and from readers who appreciated Oh! Great's art. Western readers consistently separate the art praise from the story criticism — the consensus is that the art is exceptional and the later story becomes very strange. The ending is considered divisive.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The first time Ikki achieves genuine aerial freedom — using Air Trecks to feel what the title of "Sky King" might actually mean — is the manga at its most pure and joyful. Before the mythology complicates everything.
Similar Manga
- Eyeshield 21 — Sports action, similar kinetic energy
- Tenjho Tenge — Same author's earlier work, similar aesthetic
- Prince of Tennis — Sports with supernatural escalation
- Beelzebub — Delinquent protagonist, different setting
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1. The first 10 volumes are the strongest. Readers interested primarily in the art may enjoy browsing across the full run.
Official English Translation Status
Del Rey published early volumes; Kodansha USA continued. All 37 volumes available in English.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Oh! Great's art for motion and aerial combat is exceptional
- 37 volumes, complete
- Early volumes have genuine energy and joy
Cons
- Significant mature content limits the audience
- Later story becomes very strange
- The ending is divisive
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Del Rey (early) and Kodansha USA (later) |
| Digital | Works well |
| Physical | Recommended for the art quality |
Where to Buy
Get Air Gear Vol. 1 on Amazon →
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.