is a shōnen

Shonen

The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...

manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima

Hiro Mashima

is a Japanese manga artist. He is most known for his fantasy manga Groove Adventure Rave, published by Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, from 1999 to 2005. The series was later adapted into an anime. However, the anime adaption was cancelled before it could complete the series.In 2003, he...

. Loosely based on the Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...

series of video games by Capcom

Capcom

is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

, Monster Hunter Orage premiered in Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Shōnen Rival in April 2008.

Plot

The story takes place in a fictional world full of monsters and adventurers called Monster Hunters, who, as their name implies, hunt the monsters. The plot revolves around a young Monster Hunter, Shiki, who was taken in as an apprentice to a Monster Hunter named Greylee as a child. A few years after Greylee's death, which was due to a gunpowder incident, he returns to his master's residence, Akamaaya Town, to join the guild there. In that guild, he meets a girl called Irie and after a series of events, he finds that she is the daughter of his master. From this point onwards, they form a party to find the legendary Miogaruna, which was Greylee's life-long ambition.

Characters

• Shiki Ryuuhou (シキ・リュウホウ)

The main protagonist of the story. He is very cheerful and always puts his friends' well-being before his own. He has the 'Mark of the Forbidden/Sealed Hunter' which he presumably received from Greylee. This seal allows him access to all hunting grounds. Even after his master's death, he often talks to him as if speaking to his spirit, and it is evident that he truly cared for and respected his master. His dream is to hunt down the legendary Miogaruna. He wields the twin wind swords Sou Kaze Ha / Sou Fuu Jin (Arashi) which are said to be made from the materials of Miogaruna. He also has a pact with the ancient steel dragon Kushala that they would fight. This was made when Greylee had just met him.

• Irie Jescar (アイリィ Airii)

The female protagonist of the story and daughter of Greylee (Shiki's master). She forms a party with Shiki to find the legendary Miogaruna. She believes that she doesn't need any friends because of what happened to her and a group of her "friends", who were illegally hunting monsters. As a result, she had confessed to the authorities and had suffered punishment as well, since they were all comrades. Part of her punishment was a lifetime ban from taking the Forbidden Hunter exam. In chapter 6, a man named Gordon, from the Guild's poaching counter-measure department, tests Irie by asking Shiki and Sakya to help him with illegal selling. Irie slapped him and shouted "Don't involve my partners into a crime!". He later reports to the guild, and says that he has no objection with Irie traveling with those forbidden hunters. She wields the long sword Iron Katana Gospel then Sakya improved it to The "Eager Cleaver" then later on to "The Devil Slicer" and her armor is said to be made from materials from Derumaiosu. It is apparent that she is jealous of Sakya's larger bust size

• Sakya (サクヤ)

Sakya is the daughter to a blacksmith that crossed paths with Irie's father long ago and just like Irie she too lost her father at a young age. She thought that he had left her and her mother to live in some big city away from their swamp home, but he had been crystalized by a derumaisou that had plagued their home for a long time. Shiki and Irie helped Sakya kill the derumaisou and afterwards she built Shiki and Irie their new weapons "Arashi" and "Eager Cleaver" and joined them in their quest to find the Miogaruna while also pursuing her father's dream of building the best weapon that could be built. She wields a light bowgun, the Beltines. She is uncomfortable with any exposure of her body. She develops apparent feelings for Shiki

• Greylee Jescar (グレリィ Gurerii)

The master of Shiki and father to Irie. Currently deceased due to a suspected incident with gunpowder, but has been hinted to not actually be the case. His life-long ambition was to hunt the legendary Miogaruna. He had a 'Mark of the Sealed Hunter' and is said to be able to equip most weapons. His main weapon of choice was however, the Great Sword Tsukai Teda.

• Curlon Beluusas (クーロン Kūron)

His weapon is Ganransu (gunlance) of the 'Guild Knight Series', and he is the leader of the Hunter group Hell Hounds. His nickname is 'The Prince' and he frequently gets his grammar and use of words wrong. He does not like Shiki and considers him a rival and he also thinks Shiki took away the woman he loves, which is Irie (although it is only one-sided love). As such, he wishes to become a Forbidden Hunter. He allies with Shadow in order to do so. In chapter 9, he finally became a forbidden hunter. He uses a Steel Gunlance as his weapon of choice.

• Shadow (シャドウ Shadō)

Shadow possesses an unusual weapon not shown in the Monster Hunter Series, the whip. He's quite a mysterious character who is willing to help Curlon become a Forbidden Hunter just like Shiki, but he must help Shadow get a hold of Shiki's rare Wind Element Dual Swords. It was revealed he is a weapon creator studying to make Wind Element weapons, however Shiki beat him to it earning him Shadow's undying hatred. We were first introduced at the end of Chapter 3 of the manga talking to Curlon. Curlon later betrays him and has him arrested for ruining Irie's life when she was younger.

• Gordon

A man Shiki, Irie and Sakya met in chapter 6. He is from the Guild's poaching counter-measure department, and was sent to test if Irie was involved with illegal selling that had already resulted in her being banned from taking the Forbidden Hunter exam. He later goes back to report that Ailee wasn't found guilty and said that she has met some good friends. He also has no objection with her traveling with those forbidden hunters.

Chapters

External links

• Monthly Shōnen Rival website