Ayashimon: [SPOILER] Is Out for Revenge – and Not Without Reason

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Ayashimon Chapter 2, "This Monster Battle Stuff Is Insane!," by Yuji Kaku, available in English from VIZ Media. 

In the opener of Hell's Paradise creator Yuji Kaku's Shonen Jump debut, Ayashimon, Maruo Kaido finds himself drawn into the underground world of yokai yakuza after failing to get a job. While moping about his bad luck, he finds a girl running away from a group of men in suits. Inspired by his favorite manga, he knocks out several members of the group and helps her escape. In return for helping her, Urara offers Maruo a place in her gang. Initially he declines, saying his dream is to be a manga protagonist, but after learning that Urara and the gang after her are actually monsters, he accepts, fueled by the thrill of fighting something that can match his own unfathomable strength.

Chapter 2 picks up after the second fight and Maruo accepts the position, with Urara explaining how the former Oyabun, a man named Kioh, ruled over Shinjuku's underworld. However, since his death, everything has been turned upside down with different gangs vying for control. She also explains that currently, her gang only consists of Maruo and herself. But Urara isn't worried about their lack of numbers, as only having two will make things less complicated, especially given Maruo's super-strength.

Their first goal is to defeat the border guard in Shinjuku, Hashihime. At first, Maruo underestimates "Chopstick Princess" as he calls her, but quickly realizes that there's a real fight to be had once he sees her. However, she smacks him hard, sending him flying into the nearby river. ]Hashihime then returns to her human form, a beautiful woman, and mocks Maruo, saying a fly would give her more trouble. She then kneels before Urara, asking her to turn back and not go to Shinjuku.

It's then that Urara is revealed to be the illegitimate child of Kioh. Hashihime took her out of Shinjuku to protect her from other Ayashimon who would want to kill her, but now, she has returned. Urara doesn't believe that her father died naturally -- he was killed. She hopes to find the murderers, get her revenge and take back the family crest, the only thing her father left her. She also wants to dismantle the empire her father built from the inside out.

Maruo then resurfaces, excited that this is the type of fight Shinjuku has to offer. Hashihime then readies herself for another round, determined to keep Urara from returning to Shinjuku. Maruo charges at her, but she knocks him back with several punches, explaining that her armor is stronger than steel. Despite this, Maruo shatters one of her arms, shocking her. She's amazed at his strength and speed, and the fight continues as Urara watches on.

She muses that she knew Maruo is different from other humans and even Ayashimon. It's because he's so different that others are caught off-guard, and if he ever gets to be too much to handle, she'll just get rid of him. To her, he's only a pawn in her plot for revenge. After the fight ends, she approaches the fallen Hashihime, who knows that Maruo is nothing more than a pawn to Urara. She says she's proud of how strong Urara has become. She then lists the groups to watch out for in Shinjuku to Maruo: the New Enma Syndicate led by the Second Chairman, the biker gang collective known as the Todoroki Alliance, the Ayakashi ☆ B-Stars who control the nightclubs and cabarets, and finally the Kori Hotel Group who are an external faction.

katarina extending a hand
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