Choujin X Review: By the Creator of Tokyo Ghoul — Ordinary Boys Become Something Beyond Human
by Sui Ishida
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Quick Take
- Ishida applies everything he learned from Tokyo Ghoul to a new premise — the visual language is more experimental, the character psychology is more developed, and the worldbuilding is more carefully constructed
- The Tokio/Azuma friendship-rivalry dynamic develops with the patience Ishida brings to long-form character work
- Ongoing; for readers who appreciated Tokyo Ghoul and want to follow Ishida's current project
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who appreciated Tokyo Ghoul and want Ishida's current work
- Anyone interested in action manga where the protagonist's power is unstable and the development uncertain
- Fans of dark action with genuine philosophical content about what it means to be human
- Readers who can engage with ongoing experimental series
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T+ (Older Teen) Content Warnings: Violence; body horror including transformation sequences; dark psychological themes similar to Tokyo Ghoul; trauma as a trigger for power development
The T+ rating is accurate.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★★ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★★ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
Choujin are humans who have developed extraordinary abilities — not through training or inheritance, but through intensity of desire or experience of trauma. They exist in an alternate Japan that has developed infrastructure around Choujin, some of whom work within law enforcement and others who operate as threats.
Tokio Kurohara is an ordinary boy — honest, somewhat passive, without the drive of his childhood friend Azuma Higashi, who is determined and talented. When they encounter a rogue Choujin, both are transformed. Azuma immediately manifests powerful abilities. Tokio's transformation is incomplete — his form is unstable, his power erratic, his understanding of what he is becoming unclear.
The series follows their diverging paths as Azuma's talent takes him to one place and Tokio's instability takes him somewhere stranger.
Characters
Tokio Kurohara — His quality is the specific difficulty of someone who is not immediately good at something important. His Choujin form is literally incomplete; what it eventually becomes is the series' central question. His perspective is grounded and honest in ways that Azuma's confidence cannot be.
Azuma Higashi — His talent is real and his drive is genuine, but the series is not simply celebrating his competence — the cost of Azuma's certainty becomes increasingly visible as the story progresses.
Art Style
Ishida's art has evolved significantly since Tokyo Ghoul — the experimental panel compositions, the integration of text and image, the visual representation of psychological states have all become more developed. Choujin X is visually dense and rewards rereading for what is visible in earlier pages with the knowledge of later developments.
Cultural Context
Choujin X draws on the tradition of Japanese superhero fiction that examines what extraordinary ability costs its possessors — the obligation it creates, the isolation it produces, and the question of whether extraordinary humans remain human. Ishida's approach is more psychologically focused than most action manga.
What I Love About It
The chapters that explore the specific nature of each Choujin's ability — what desire or trauma generated it, what form it takes, what it cannot do — are the series' most interesting content. The abilities are not arbitrary; they are character revelations.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers who came from Tokyo Ghoul describe Choujin X as demonstrating Ishida's growth as a creator — more controlled, more ambitious, more confident in his visual language. New readers describe the art as immediately distinctive and worth engaging with even before the story establishes its full depth.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The sequence revealing the full nature of Tokio's Choujin form — what it is, what generating it required, and what it allows him to do — is the series' most complete character revelation and the moment that makes his development from the beginning retroactively meaningful.
Similar Manga
- Tokyo Ghoul — Ishida's previous work; similar themes and visual approach
- My Hero Academia — Hero society, more optimistic register
- Vinland Saga — Character-focused action with philosophical content
- Dorohedoro — Transformation and identity in a strange world
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — Tokio's ordinary life and the encounter that changes it.
Official English Translation Status
VIZ Media publishes the English edition. Ongoing; check current volume count.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Ishida's most mature work — the visual language and character psychology exceed Tokyo Ghoul
- The Tokio/Azuma dynamic is genuinely interesting
- Art that rewards careful reading
- The premise develops with patient complexity
Cons
- Ongoing — no complete ending
- The experimental art may not suit all readers
- Slower development than action manga readers accustomed to faster escalation may expect
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | VIZ Media; ongoing |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Choujin X Vol. 1 on Amazon →
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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.