Highlights from the Battle Angel Alita Universe
- The final installment of Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle has been released, with a new series set to launch in 2025, much to the excitement of its dedicated fan base.
- This cyberpunk narrative has captivated audiences for over three decades, set in a dystopian future that continues to resonate with readers and viewers alike.
- Despite the success of a live-action adaptation, there are currently no plans for further anime projects, though the manga remains accessible for fans.
In This Article
The 56th and concluding chapter of Gunnm: Kasei Senki, known in English as Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle, has been successfully completed. Author Yukito Kishiro took to his blog on Monday to share this significant milestone, announcing that the beloved series will continue with a new narrative beginning in 2025. Following the journey of the protagonist Gally (or Alita in English), this chapter traced her origins back to Mars, after a hiatus that spanned from October 2022 to January 2024.
Fans of this iconic cyberpunk saga, along with those who enjoyed its live-action film adaptation in 2019, are sure to be thrilled at the prospect of new content over 30 years after its initial serialization.
Plot Overview of Battle Angel Alita
Exploring a Cyberpunk Classic
The Battle Angel Alita franchise, crafted by Yukito Kishiro, first appeared in Shueisha’s Business Jump magazine from 1990 to 1995. The series is set against a backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world, located in a grim area known as the Scrapyard, which serves as a dumping ground for the inhabitants of the airborne city of Zalem. The narrative kicks off when a scientist discovers an unrecognizable cyborg in the junkyard, whom he decides to salvage. This cyborg, named Gally/Alita, awakens with fragmented memories and a peculiar martial art technique known as Panzer Kunst, leading her to partner with Dr. Daisuke Ido as a bounty hunter.
Initially, only Alita’s head and torso are salvageable, yet once given a new body, she rises to prominence as a skilled bounty hunter, navigating the dangers of Scrapyard while grappling with personal tragedy and the quest for her true identity.
Titles within the Gunnm Franchise | ||
Title | Publisher | Released |
Battle Angel Alita | Shueisha | 1990–1995 |
Last Order | Kodansha | 2000–2014 |
Mars Chronicle | Kodansha | 2014–2024 |
Unknown | Unknown | 2025– |
Franchise Background
Business Jump’s Impact
The original manga series was serialized over nine volumes from 1990 to 1995. Its sequel, Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, extended the saga by 19 volumes between 2000 and 2014, starting its run in Shueisha’s Ultra Jump before shifting to Kodansha’s Evening. The third installment, Mars Chronicle, published in Evening, took a hiatus from 2022 before finishing its run in 2024.
In the early years, a spin-off named Ashen Victor was also produced from September 1995 to July 1996, alongside a two-episode OVA titled Battle Angel released in 1993, featuring production teams like KSS Inc., Movic, Animate, and Madhouse. Author Kishiro, however, was too consumed by his manga work to focus seriously on anime adaptations at the time.
Despite numerous adaptations, there are currently no announced plans for another anime series. The franchise saw a resurgence in popularity with the 2019 live-action film helmed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, starring Rosa Salazar. Widely regarded as a hallmark of the sci-fi genre, Battle Angel Alita shows clear influences from literary greats like Isaac Asimov. Kishiro’s intricate artwork, world-building, and character development played a significant role in elevating Business Jump‘s sales to impressive heights — peaking with monthly sales of over 760,000 from 1990 to 1995. Overall, the magazine sold over 50 million copies, generating an estimated ¥10.74 billion (around $135 million USD).
Looking ahead, while details about the upcoming installment remain under wraps, fans eagerly await the continuation of Alita’s saga in 2025.
For more information, refer to the original source: ANN
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