A quietly influential manga continues its reflections on AI as Battle Angel AlitaMangaka Yukito Kishiro confirms a new series premiering in 2025. Emerging from the growing fascination with cybernetics and the future of AI during the 1980s and 1990sBattle Angel Alita is a dystopian journey into the distant future about an amnesiac cyborg who wakes up only instinctively remembering a form of martial arts called Panzer Künst. Alita becomes a bounty hunter and joins several allies on a mission to discover her past.
Best described as a work of cyberpunk existentialism, Battle Angel Alita may ring truer for fans of Nier: Automata and its anime adaptation. Considered one of the best manga about AI, Battle Angel Alita in fact, it was quite short, with only 124 chapters. However, it spawned a franchise set in the same universe that has been running strong (albeit with some hiatuses) since the original series launched in 1990. AlitaThe next iteration of has been officially announced, but there are many questions about what to expect.
Battle Angel Alita gets new manga with the end of the current series
Approaching 40 years old, Battle Angel Alita’s premise is still ripe for new stories
Alitacurrent series, Mars Chronicleis coming to an end with the conclusion of chapter #56. The series’ last airing follows a 2-year hiatus, from 2022 to 2024. According to Anime News Networkthe same post on Kishiro’s blog announcing Mars ChronicleThe conclusion also brought the announcement of a new series scheduled for 2025.
The new entry will be the sixth in the series (including spin-offs). It can be assumed that the entry will be connected to the main story rather than a spin-off. Other than these small details, nothing is known yet about the story of the upcoming series. The history of the series leaves room for speculation.
What will the new Battle Angel Alita series be about?
Alita Mangaka Gives an Important Clue
Given the relative brevity of the original series, it is interesting that Kishiro effectively retcons its ending in Battle Angel Alita: Last Order. The revival, six years after the original’s conclusion, reflects Alita herself. The final change allowed for a direct sequel, and Battle Angel AlitaThe continuity has continued since then – an opportunity to create a more distinct identity for the titular character and the manga out of the certainty of death. All over Last order and Mars Chronicleand with the help of flashbacks from the original manga, a complex picture of Alita’s story is pieced together.
Her name is Yoko, and much information about her life before her rebirth is revealed. It is established that she once worked alongside a girl named Erica, with whom she had a violent disagreement, leaving Alita in serious condition and mortally wounding Erica. Erica is revived as a Necro Soldier, and the two meet again years later in Mars Chronicle. Erica and Alita are very old, and based on the original blog post from the author, “Yoko and Erika’s journey continues”, it seems that the coded message Erica once left for Alita – “so much hope” – is true.
Battle Angel AlitaThe version of the future is oppressive, exciting, and tantalizingly foreboding. However, the soul of the series is seeing Alita’s identity being constructed from traces of the past, revealing all her complications with the scenario. Her relationship with Erica is one of the highlights in this regard. As it seems to deal strongly with it, Battle Angel AlitaThe next series could be the best yet.
Source: Anime News Network, Yukito Kushiro’s Blog