Asato's catchphrase:
"Those who live in darkness, wander aimlessly"
Series introduction:
"In matters related to the world of the dead, there is an institution that judges the sins of the deceased; The Ministry of Hades, the Summon Section of the Judgement Bureau comprises of groups supporting the ministry's operating functions by guiding the lost souls that wander the mortal world. They are also known as the Guardians of Death."
Asato Tsuzuki has been a 'Guardian of Death' for over 70 years. He has the power to call upon twelve shikigami , mythical creatures that aid him in battle. The manga portrays Tsuzuki's relationship with the shinigami in much more detail. Tsuzuki is the senior partner of the Second Division, which watches over the region of Kyūshū.
In the anime, the story begins when Chief Konoe, the boss, and the other main characters discussing recent murders in Nagasaki. The victims all have bite marks and a shortage of blood, which leads to the case being known as "The Vampire Case."
After some food troubles, Tsuzuki travels to Nagasaki with Gushoshin, a flying creature/helper who can speak, and together they do a bit of investigating. The rule is that Guardian of Death are supposed to work in pairs, and until Tsuzuki meets up with his new partner, he needs someone to watch him. However, Gushoshin gets held back by groceries, and Tsuzuki is on his own.
While exploring Nagasaki, Tsuzuki hears a scream and has a run-in with a strange white-haired woman with red eyes, who leaves blood on his collar. Taking this as is a sign that the woman might be the vampire, Tsuzuki tries to follow her. He comes to a church called Oura Cathedral, where he meets the story's primary antagonist, Muraki.
Doctor Kazutaka Muraki is initially portrayed as a pure figure, with much religious and color symbolism. He meets Tsuzuki with tears in his eyes and Tsuzuki, thrown off, asks if Muraki has seen a woman recently. Muraki says no body has been in the church, and Tsuzuki leaves. Tsuzuki later learns that the woman that he encountered is Maria Won, a famous singer from China.
From there Tsuzuki continues through Nagasaki into the area of the city known as Glover Garden, where he is held at gunpoint from behind. His attacker tells him to turn around, and when he does, he discovers a young man glaring at him. He suspects this man is the vampire. Tsuzuki is then saved by Gushoshin. [6] Afterwards Tsuzuki learns that the boy is Hisoka Kurosaki, his new partner, and the rest of the story is heavily based on character development and the relationships between characters.
Later in the Nagasaki Arc (the first fourth of the anime series, and the first collection of the manga), Hisoka is kidnapped by Muraki, and the truth about his death is revealed. Tsuzuki rescues him after his "date" with Muraki, [7] and the series follows the relationship between these three characters, supported and embellished by the rest of the cast.
Media
Manga
The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's semi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Hana to Yume from the 14th issue of 1996 until the author decided to put the story on hiatus in the 2nd issue of 2003. The published chapters have been collected in 12 volumes with the 12th volume published on January 19, 2010 [8] with revisions that differ from the chapters originally serialized in the magazine. [9] [10] The series resumed serialization in Hana to Yume magazine in the September 2011 issue. [11] The English-language version is published by Viz Media that originally released the first volume on September 14, 2004, [12] and the eleventh on May 2, 2006. [13] From volume 10 onwards the English edition adjusts the chapter enumeration, giving the Japanese and English editions different chapter numbers.
| Descendants of Darkness | |
 Cover of the first volume | |
| 闇の末裔 (Yami no Matsuei) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 September 1997 [14] | 4592124464 | September 14, 2004 [12] | 1591165075 | ||
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| 2 | 12 December 1997 [15] | 459217402X | November 8, 2004 [16] | 1591165970 | ||
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| 3 | 19 March 1998 [17] | 4592174038 | January 11, 2005 [18] | 1591164605 | ||
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| 4 | 17 July 1998 [19] | 4592174046 | March 15, 2005 [20] | 1591167027 | ||
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| 5 | 19 October 1998 [21] | 4592174054 | May 17, 2005 [22] | 1591167787 | ||
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| 6 | 19 February 1999 [23] | 4592174062 | July 12, 2005 [24] | 1591168422 | ||
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| 7 | 19 May 1999 [25] | 4592174070 | September 8, 2005 [26] | 1591169836 | ||
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| 8 | 14 December 1999 [27] | 4592174089 | November 8, 2005 [28] | 1421501155 | ||
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| 9 | 19 July 2000 [29] | 4592174097 | January 10, 2006 [30] | 1421501716 | ||
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| 10 | 14 December 2000 [31] | 4592174100 | March 14, 2006 [32] | 1421503212 | ||
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| 11 | December 14, 2001 [33] | 4592174119 | May 2, 2006 [13] | 1421505363 | ||
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| 12 | January 19, 2010 [34] | 9784592174165 | — | — | ||
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| 13 | July 20, 2017 [35] | 9784592194170 | — | — | ||
