Title: Astro Royale Vol. 3
Author: Ken Wakui
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 193
Genre: Action, Supernatural
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
The Story
We conclude the battle against Shio, and, as expected, nothing was settled; however, what we received at the battle’s end raised more questions. Apparently, those same questions were asked by the characters, who, too, wondered what Shio meant when he said the disaster and the Yotsurugi family are connected. After Satsuki Yotsurugi arrives to retrieve Shio for his escape, Hibaru and the gang head back to the police station to pick up Nono; however, there they run into a new character: Hyoga Himuro. Hyoga is a detective who used to be with the Organized Crime Division, but now, he’s been promoted to a top-secret investigative division known simply as Unit 6. He has a hatred for the yakuza and arrests Tora on the spot for the incident with Shio, despite it being all Shio’s fault.
This leads our team to enlist another adopted family member in Reri Zenmyoji, the family’s lawyer. Despite her cold and brash attitude, she is willing to help with the investigation once learning of Shio’s plans. This leads them to an abandoned offshore oil rig owned by the Yotsurugi family. The oil rig used to serve as a research facility… a facility that Kinpa knows a bit too well. After we learn a bit about Kinpa’s past, Hyoga and two members of Unit 6 pay them an unexpected visit. Hyoga, who can fire ice from a pistol, along with his team’s water and wind techniques, creates an impressive combo attack that Hibaru and others need to find a way to survive!
Characters
Not a lot of new characters this time around, but we do have Reri Zenmyoji, an adopted daughter of the Yotsurugi family. She serves as the family’s lawyer, and her Astro is to conjure missiles that blow apart space and time. While you would think this would be ultra-destructive, they’re not. They can open up visions into the past if she knows the exact date and time, revealing events to help her with her investigations. It’s a pretty handy Astro for a lawyer! Her attitude, at first, is very cold… as if she didn’t want to be bothered by Hibaru, but the more she learns, the more she softens and wants to help them… just don’t call her a stupid woman because that’s her biggest trigger!
Next, we have Hyoga Hibaru. We learn a bit about his past when we take a look at Kinpa’s past. After an incident caused by him that shaped Kinpa’s life forever, he went a bit off the deep end and became an extremist. He has an unmatched hatred for the yakuza and wishes to put them all behind bars; however, before this, he was just a government lapdog in the police force. He was sent to the oil rig on behalf of the government over a secret project involving people’s wishes. If you know anything about governments and secret projects in the world of fiction, then it’s not too hard to realize that the project was for something more… forceful… than helpful. Now, Hyoga is just a crazed lunatic hiding behind a shield of justice to commit murder.
Lastly, Kinpa received some development as we delve into her past. We learn who her real parents were, and why their research at the oil rig was something important to them, so when they learned that their research was for nefarious purposes by the government, Kinpa’s mother tried to preserve it as much as possible until Hyoga stepped in. The events that followed were the reasons behind Kinpa’s wish and how she received her powers. While her backstory wasn’t anything we haven’t seen before, you still had to feel for her as it was well told.
Final Thoughts
Volume 2 ended on a cliffhanger in the middle of a battle, and Volume 3 follows suit as we end things with Hibaru looking to fight Hyoga one-on-one. One thing I will say is that some of the plot points in this volume feel a little bit forced… especially with Kinpa. Kinpa’s backstory felt more like a forced plot device, more so than an emotional backstory. When I realized that this series is only six volumes long and we are, effectively, at the halfway point, some rushed aspects were to be expected. I think that if there had been time for a bigger and better build-up, it would have felt a bit more natural. Perhaps they could have teased Kinpa about having this secret that she kept close to her chest, only to reveal it when she felt the time was right, or if it was something crucial for all of them to know. Plus, she could have been a little more emotional that way. There was some emotion here, but I think if it were drawn out, that emotion would have hit just a tad bit harder.
Reri changed her tune rather quickly. She went from brash, cold, and pig-headed to someone who seemed loyal and protective pretty quickly. Then, she became unhinged when she was called a stupid woman, but when she did, her attack wasn’t all that much different than what she did normally. I was expecting a bit grander fanfare for that moment, but instead, it just felt a bit off. Nevertheless, she’s a fun character with an interesting power, but I can’t see her sticking around after this battle. We’ll see, though.
Now that we have a little more depth to Shio’s ambitions, it’ll be interesting to see where it all goes. Even though we gleaned some new information, we still don’t know much about what his true goals are, and that’s a good thing. I was scared that this volume would write him off as the main antagonist and shift focus elsewhere, but it didn’t, and the most predictable scenario played out where the battle remained inconclusive, preserving him as the main antagonist with a grander scheme. Although his ominous words do lend some caution to the true final battle to come. We’ll just have to see how thick the plot armor is when that time arrives!
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media.
