World Trigger Manga: Review | Why It's Still Great Even Unfinished

Preface

This article is a review of the unfinished manga "World Trigger" (21 volumes published as of January 2020), written while avoiding specific spoilers.
When introducing the game, I will inevitably mention things like "this is how the story unfolds," so please be aware of this if you want to enjoy it without any prior knowledge.

I'd known about the manga "World Trigger" for a while, but I didn't know anything about its content until recently when I read all the way up to the latest volume in one go.
The reason I started reading it was because I came across the following article on Twitter.
The first half of the article explains very clearly what kind of manga "World Trigger" is.

The plot point of "enemies becoming allies" is a common trope in stories.
The plot of teaming up with a former formidable enemy is simple yet exciting, and undoubtedly effective in building anticipation.
Usually, it seems that the reason for joining forces and fighting together is often that a more powerful enemy appears.
And as they fight together, they gradually become friends and eventually become true comrades—that's a classic plot development.
I was curious to see if the reason was different from those "common reasons," so I read this article.

To put it simply, the reason isn't all that unusual.
However, I realized that they weren't simply becoming allies; rather, they were temporarily joining forces as a result of various circumstances.
And the process of them becoming allies involves a meticulous accumulation of reasons, suggesting that they don't simply join the group without careful consideration.

This article serves as a very clear introduction to explaining what kind of manga "World Trigger" is, which is a great prelude to the explanation given here.
The main reason I decided to try reading World Trigger was actually because I read this explanation in the first half.
The fact that I had a significant amount of free time during the New Year's holiday period, and that volumes 1 through 9 were available for free as ebooks, were also major factors.

What part did you find interesting?

The protagonist is an ordinary person.

First of all, what I found enjoyable was that the protagonist, Osamu Mikumo, is an "ordinary person."
The characters surrounding the protagonist include many with top-class combat abilities, as well as members who, though rough around the edges, possess tremendous talent.
but,Osamu doesn't have any outstanding physical abilities, and he's the type who gets by through strategy and ingenuity.
And it wasn't a brilliant or acrobatic idea either.A well-thought-out approach to what can be done while understanding that one is not special.I find that appealing.
Perhaps it's relatable because it shows that even ordinary people like us can strike back in some way.

If there's one thing I can't sympathize with, it's his sense of justice.
From my perspective, Osamu's sense of justice is excessive, and I find it unsettling.
However, I get the feeling that he wasn't born with that sense of justice, but rather that something happened in his past that made him strive to be that way.
I wouldn't go so far as to say he's bound by a curse that compels him to be a hero of justice, like Shirou Emiya, the protagonist of "Fate," but there's something undeniably dangerous about him.
However, the scene where he confidently and unhesitatingly declares, "Because that's what I think I should do!" is undeniably cool.

Game-like battle system

In World Trigger, there is a system of individual and team battles where players compete for rankings within their own organization.
This is exactlyIt's like a player-versus-player online game, which is very much in line with the times.That's what I felt.
The system where you progress from C rank to B rank to A rank by accumulating points is easy to understand and exciting.

Another game-like element is that even if you are defeated in battle, you can perform an "emergency escape (bailout)" and be transported to a safe zone in your human form.
Combat will be impossible for a while, but to use a game analogy, it's like getting a game over and being sent back to the starting point.
You might think this would make the battle less tense, but the protagonist's team has a reason they can't afford to lose, so the tension is maintained in ways other than life and death.
If your head is severed, you'll obviously need to make an emergency escape, but if your arms and legs are slightly cut, you won't be immediately eliminated.
I personally appreciate that the tension isn't conveyed through the medium of "death."

While some of the equipment used includes one-off weapons with special specifications, the majority of the equipment is mass-produced.
Therefore,Each player has countless tactical approaches, depending on how they combine and use mass-produced items.I think that's interesting.
As the series progresses, new uses are introduced, so I imagine it must be quite challenging for the author to come up with new ideas.

The story unfolds as you defend against the enemy.

The main characters are focused on "rank battles" within their organization for a certain purpose, and a considerable number of pages in the story are dedicated to these rank battles.
Because there's a reason why we can't afford to lose, even though it's a battle between teammates, there's a certain level of tension.
However, there are regular, real invasions by external invaders.
In these battles, although there are emergency escapes by combatants (Border members), defeats often result in the collapse of the organization or loss of life, creating a different kind of tension compared to rank battles.
It's similar to the arena battles in the game "Armored Core," where ranked matches are like the arena battles and missions are like enemy invasions.
The rivals I fought against as formidable opponents in ranked matches have transformed into incredibly reliable allies on the defensive line against enemy invasions, which is very reassuring.

Ranked battles are one of the game's appealing aspects, and the main characters grow significantly through them, but the story doesn't really move forward in any major way.
The process of gradually unraveling mysteries as various pieces of information are gathered through the enemy invasion is very interesting.
There are still many mysteries that remain unsolved, so I think this is a work that will continue to captivate viewers.

In conclusion

The story seems to progress rather slowly, so I think it will be quite a while before it's finished.
However, with its grounded portrayal and carefully laid out plot points, it's easy to see why this work is so popular.
There are a huge number of characters, and some are difficult to distinguish from one another, perhaps due to their art style.
Nevertheless, each character has their own unique personality, and there are many scenes depicting them in which they play an active role.
If this article has piqued your interest even a little, I think it's worth reading.

World Trigger Vol. 1 (Jump Comics DIGITAL)(Amazon)

Rakuten Market: ワールドトリガー