GANTZ is a sci-fi manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. The manga was serialized from June 2000 in seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump by Shueisha. In June 2013, the manga series ended with a total of 37 volumes.

In 2000, during the rising of survival/thriller manga, GANTZ took charge as one of the leading series of this genre. The story follows a group of young people who died and were brought back to life as part of a mysterious hunting game, where they have to hunt down aliens using unknown technologies and weaponries.

As of June 2013, GANTZ sold over 20 million copies and had several of its volumes be featured in list of Japan’s best-selling manga volumes. In America, GANTZ sold 175,000 copies in 2008 and was listed as one of the best seinen manga of 2008.

GANTZ is well known for its mature theme, futuristic elements and action-packed fight scenes. The series have inspired numerous adaptations, ranging from an anime TV series, two live-action films and a CGI anime film.

Kurono Kei, a first-year high school student, was reading a gravure magazine at the train station. He was not your typical role model student. When an old lady asked him for direction, Kei didn’t bother to move his eyes away from the magazine and just answered randomly. He was cynical, and looked down upon everyone around him.

Another student wearing the same school uniform arrived beside Kei. He vaguely remembered the tall guy’s name as Kato Masaru. They used to play together a lot when both of them were kids. Kei even once considered Masaru as his best friend. But now standing next to each other, Masaru was just another stranger that Kei looked down upon.

While Kei was lost in his thoughts, a drunk homeless man lost his footing and fell onto the train track. Everyone around was indifferent about the situation. Some asked if the man were okay, some called the station staffs, but nobody came down to help him get up.

The sound of an incoming train approached and still no help seemed to be coming from the people of the platform. Kei’s only thought at that moment was if the situation continued, he might get to see something memorable that day after all.

Masaru, who was still standing close to Kei, was sweating heavily. His entire body was shaking like a leaf but he gritted his teeth and uttered out a few words, “I’ll do it”.

Masaru then jumped down onto the train track to help the homeless man. However, the man was too drunk to pick himself up and Masaru had trouble moving him. He looked up and saw that there was no one willing to help from the crowd above.

Masaru looked at them pledging for assistance and he met with Kei’s eyes. Recognizing his old friend, Masaru shouted Kei’s name. Pressured by the stares from the crowd, Kei had no choice but to come down to help Masaru and the homeless man.

With the two combining their strength, they finally got the homeless man back up onto the platform. But the train was getting closer and there was no time for them to get up.

Kei and Masaru started to run away from the incoming sound. They both thought that the train would gradually slow down and stop at the station, giving them a chance to escape.

However, little did they know that it was an express train, which would go full-speed passing that station. Someone franticly shouted from the crowd and in that moment, Kei and Masaru’s hearts just stopped as they turned to look at their inevitable doom.

One moment Kei was staring at a swimsuit model, and the next moment he was staring death in the face.

When the train ran through at a terrifying speed, the impact tore Kei and Masaru’s bodies into pieces. Their heads flew onto the platform amidst the screaming crowd.

“At least everything is finally over......” was the final thought that went through Kei’s head as his vision went black, signaling the end of his life.

In an unknown and empty apartment room, Kei and Masaru landed their feet on the ground with a pose like they were just running away from the train. The duo found themselves very much alive, their bodies were intact and they were trying to catch their breath.

In front of Kei and Masaru was a dog and a group of people wearing different attires, sitting on the ground like they were waiting for something. In front of them was a strange black sphere.

A young man from the group asked Kei and Masaru if they were about to die before ending up in this room, just like he did. Kei could tell that this was probably his one-way trip to hell......

What exactly had happened to Kei and Masaru? How are they and the people in the strange room related? Uncover one mystery at a time on the next chapters of GANTZ!