A forgotten cybernetic hero awakens with no memories and is thrust into a brutal conflict between humans, robots, and a rising new species—forcing him to confront the truth of his own creation as he fights to save two kidnapped children trapped deep below a dying wasteland.

He was forgotten for fifty years. Now he’s the only one who can save them.

When two girls vanish into a deadly mine run by rogue machines, a dying old man awakens Casshan—a lost cybernetic hero with no memory and a human heart buried inside metal. But underground lies more than hostages: a hidden robot refuge, a radical new species, and the truth about Casshan’s own creation. Caught between humans, robots, and a new species called Neoroiders, Casshan must confront the past he’s forgotten before the world destroys itself again!

I requested this digital ARC from NetGalley because I thought it would be somehow related to an old anime I watched years ago but never finished (I think I watched three episodes) called Casshern Sins (2008).

I just did a Wikipedia check and it turns out this was inspired by a Casshan anime series but completely discarded its continuity. That’s probably why Casshern and Casshan are named differently, but similarly.

Anyway…

We’re in a postapocalyptic setting that looks like the Old West that takes place after what’s been referred to as The Great War. Robots had been created and advanced substantially in their development, and now robots and humans are enemies, and a new robotic species comprising man and machine together enter the fray.

We meet Casshan in an empty barn, and we see that he looks remarkably human (dressed like a superhero) but is also robotic.

Casshan reactivates and but his memories are missing…at the beginning they are only 1% reconstructed. He doesn’t know how he came to be. He doesn’t know what happened before the 50 years he was shut down in the barn.

He is “rescued” by an old man and his son who tell Casshan that he is a hero and must save two girls (one is a daughter) from the robots in the old mines. The robots guarding the mines kill on the spot, and the last group of people who tried to infiltrate died.

Casshan takes the mission seriously, and he learns as he fights just exactly how powerful he is. But he also recognizes his humanity when he realizes the emotion he feels in the mines is fear. Nonetheless, he continues on with his mission, fighting killer robots and robotic monsters like a spider and a water monster that looks kind of like a centipede.

I’m not going to share or spoil any more of the plot, but if I had a word for this first volume, it would be badass: “If violence is all you understand…then I’ll speak your language.” What a cool line!

The art is incredible with very frenzied action, detailed characters, and a variety of robot designs. It blends a nostalgic look with bits of futuristic detail to create a unique environment that was torn up by war.

Casshan’s “birth” in the barn is a huge mystery. We get a flash that someone he knew died, and that he felt pain and loneliness in the barn and wanted it all “to end.” His background is compelling and it’s interesting to see how he is easily programmed to protect human life. How much of that is programming, by the way, and how much of that is the bit of humanity inside of him?

I really enjoyed the ride this manga gave me and I desperately want to know what happens next. The art is gorgeous, the pacing is fast and not boggled down by exposition, and it’s just a really fun entry into what looks to be a captivating series.