Sixteen year old Rin had been doing physical therapy for a year to try to get used to the prosthetic for her amputated leg, but she is still unable to not reply on her cane for walking. Her doctor recommends seeking a specialist who can help check the fit on her prosthetic, but when she gets there, Rin becomes inspired by the runners who are rounding the track on their athletic blades. She stumbles into the workshop of Kazami, the grumpy architect of the Blade Runners’ special equipment who has no time for teenagers who are stuck wallowing in self pity.
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Natsuo is tall, naturally athletic, and gifted in whatever she tries. As a first year high school student, she starts with volleyball, where she earned a spot away from a team senpai. One day during club recruitment, an overly positive first year tries to recruit Natsuo for their new mixed martial arts club. Having a karate background and knowing the school's prowess in their nationally ranked karate club, Natsuo thinks the MMA club is doomed before it begins, but something about the beaming pride of the club's members annoys her enough to check out one practice in the hopes that she can find something physically challenging to suck at for a while.
As a prestigious karate tournament gets underway, a white belt nobody begins summarily taking out champions from a notorious karate dojo known for its karate masters. Four-time champion Suedo decides he is the only one left from the dojo who can take down this upstart amateur, and he challenges Baki to a match. The two face off head-to-head in a somewhat ugly battle that devolves into a bit of a street fight at a certain point. It’s enough to gain Baki some notoriety and land him on the radar of several other well-known fighter champions of several different styles, including his hometown boxing champion who has been scouted for the Olympics.
Illustrated by Yusuke Nomura
School Library Journal review - part of Spring 2025 Fiction Made Simple, "8 Manga Fiction Series with Emotion, Drama, and All the Feels" Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1* Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: 9798888771754 ISBN: October 15, 2024 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, Action Adventure, Survival, Kodansha 
Adapted by Yoshio Nabeta and Hiroshi Takano, illustrated by Shin'ichi Sakamoto
Booklist review Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 10-12 Publisher: VIZ Media Publication Date: April 15, 2025 ISBN: 9781974751525 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, School Life, VIZ Media 
Illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba
Booklist review Sara's Rating: 9/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: December 24, 2024 ISBN: 9781647293871 (Hardcover) Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, Action Adventure, Kodansha 
Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Publisher: VIZ Media Publication Date: March 18, 2025 ISBN: 9781974748921 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, School Life, Family, Friendship, VIZ Media 
Illustrated by Ignacio Di Meglio, colored by Ezequiel Cataldo, lettered by Chas! Pangburn
As if being a teen boy isn’t hard enough, add being a wolf shapeshifter to the mix. Cam Banter has no idea what is happening to him. Suddenly, it is harder to control his anger. He’s struggling on and off the court. And, his aggressive dad is not helping! Instead, he encourages Cam to make people do what he wants and show people who he is - a Banter. Cam’s basketball coach notices the struggles and tries to help Cam. After all, he's a shifter too.  Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 9/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: October 15, 2024 ISBN: 9798888771754 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, Action Adventure, Survival, Kodansha 
School Library Journal review
Sara's Rating: 9/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: VIZ Media Publication Date: July 16, 2024 ISBN: 9781974747092 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, School Life, VIZ Media |
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