Black God (manga)

Lore & Background

Black God was written by Dall-Young Lim and illustrated by Park Sung-woo, both part of a South Korean manhwa team. The manga was created entirely in Korean first, then translated into Japanese for serialization in Japan's bi-monthly seinen magazine Young Gangan, as it was intended for the Japanese market rather than South Korea. The team occasionally made fun of their lack of Japanese fluency in omake segments at the end of each volume. The manga was among four titles licensed by Yen Press, announced at the 2007 New York Comic Convention, and nineteen volumes have been released in North America.

Reader's Guide

Black God is significant as a cross-cultural collaboration between South Korean creators and a Japanese publisher, reflecting the growing internationalization of manga production in the 2000s. The series explores themes of doppelgangers, superhuman guardians, and contracts between humans and Tera Guardians. Its adaptation into an anime by Sunrise, which aired simultaneously in Japan and the United States on January 8, 2009, and in South Korea on January 9, 2009, underscores its transnational appeal. The manga's plot, centered on Keita Ibuki's encounter with Kuro and the ensuing conflict with the Shishigam Clan, offers a blend of action and supernatural elements. The work's legacy includes its role in Yen Press's early expansion into manga licensing and its demonstration of how non-Japanese creators can succeed in the Japanese manga industry.

Did You Know?

• The manga was created entirely in Korean first, then translated into Japanese for the Japanese market.
• The creators occasionally made fun of their lack of Japanese fluency in omake segments.
• Black God was among four manga titles licensed by Yen Press at the 2007 New York Comic Convention.
• The anime adaptation aired in Japan and the United States on the same day, January 8, 2009.