‘Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle’ Manga Is Back After 10-Month Hiatus
Battle Angel Alita creator Yukito Kishiro has been working on his manga Mars Chronicle for years now and after a 10-month hiatus, the manga is finally back! A new chapter was released today on the Comic Days app, by Kodansha, marking a return for the manga after a long wait.
Chapter 52 marks the first new release since March 2024. Earlier, in January 2024, Kishiro announced on his blog that he had completed chapters 47 to 51. Kodansha published those chapters between January and March of last year.
In November 2024, Kishiro revealed that the manga’s 56th and final chapter is now done. But there’s more—he also mentioned that the story would continue under a new name later this year.
The manga first launched in Kodansha’s Evening magazine back in 2014. The 10th compiled volume of Mars Chronicle will be released in Japan in April 2024.
The story focuses on Gally (known as Alita in English), a cyborg with a mysterious past. She travels to Mars to uncover the truth about herself. After Evening magazine ended publication in 2023, Mars Chronicle moved to Kodansha’s Comic Days app.
Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita (also known as Gunnm) has a long history. The original manga ran in Shueisha’s Business Jump from 1990 to 1995, followed by a prequel Ashen Victor in 1995-1996, and the single-volume Gunnm: Other Stories. In 2001, Last Order was released, a retelling of the story that later moved to Kodansha’s Evening magazine after a falling out with Ultra Jump.
In short, Battle Angel Alita has had quite the journey, and there’s still more to come. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!
