Originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump after being published as a one-shot, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood combines classic monster fantasy elements with fairytale elements. The first collected volume of the series will be published soon, making it a good time for manga fans to try out the series. While it isn't likely to become a global phenomenon as it currently stands, fans of shonen hero manga tropes and fairytale adaptations will find this story thrilling.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Vol. 1 is the collected work of Yuki Kawaguchi. It collects the first seven chapters of the eighteen-chapter fantasy/horror series. The manga was serialized from June 2021 to November 2021. Collected volumes of the series have already released in Japan, but now Viz Media is making the translated collection available to North American readers. Kawaguchi previously served as an assistant to Yusei Matsui, working on My Hero Academia. He has published a few one-shots, including Red Hood, which won the 14th Gold Future Cup Award in 2020. The Hunters Guild: Red Hood is his first serialized series.

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The debut volume of The Hunters Guild: Red Hood introduces Velou, a young man living in a village that has a werewolf problem. The village has run out of fighters and needs help, causing them to hire someone from the titular Hunters Guild. A seemingly young girl arrives, and with the aid of Velou, begins to address the problem. These first seven chapters set up the manga's world, put some new twists on vampires, and present a young hero with a seemingly long journey ahead of him. The story is fun, even if aspects of it are very familiar and similar to other series.

Fresh Werewolf Take, Same Shonen Action

the hunters guild red hood volume 1

Like many Shonen manga, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood presents a young hero who is underestimated by everyone around him until he plays a crucial role in solving the initial posed problem. Despite this, the hero's goal is to protect the people of their village as a warrior. This is very similar to other shonen manga series, including Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter, which has the creative team of Keiichi Hikami and Shin Yamamoto. In that series, the main character - Raiga - had a similar goal and sought to own his skills against monsters who threaten many villages in his world. Many other series share similar plotlines, including Naruto. The main difference here is that there is a fairytale coating layered atop it and a stronger focus on a normal, human hero with no abilities. The series uses werewolves over vampires and demons or other monsters, giving them some appearance differences and ability enhancements from typical werewolf stories. Yet the first volume concludes with the introduction of what will likely be a brief training arc.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Vol. 1 is a fun introduction to a new world and is a promising independent start for Yuki Kawaguchi. The main characters are rather typical of shonen manga in terms of goals, but they divert in terms of power, base humanity, and primary opponent. This manga may not become the next top best-selling series, but fans of adventure with beginning heroes will find a sense of familiar comfort with it. The series has a lot of potential, and it'll be great to see what Kawaguchi comes up with next, as the big bad wolf/Little Red Riding Hood twist is a delightful way of making cozy manga tropes fresh. Manga fans can add The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Vol. 1 to their collection when it releases from Viz Media on December 13.

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