It’s a great time to be a Choujin X fan as we are in one of the most important arcs of the manga. Yamato Mori has finally taken the battle to Zora after meticulously executing a plan to weaken her.
War arcs are never easy to read, as there is always a sense of foreboding when it comes to your favorite characters. Choujin X chapter 53.1 perfectly encapsulated that.
The previous chapter ended in a cliffhanger where Bador Vlad struck right at the heart of Azuma’s team (sorry bad pun).
If there were any hopes of BB surviving, it was all crushed away the moment Bador chomped on her heart in this chapter.
Well, I would still keep a slight possibility of her returning thanks to choujins being able to use Raise.
Though BB was not a main character, her apparent death still had an impact.
Just when she had praised Azuma… just when we started getting an idea about what kind of a person and a leader BB was… Bador Vlad sneaked up and took her heart away in a single move. He had too much rizz (ok this was the last one, I promise).
Vlad’s attack indeed came as a shock for BB’s team, which included Azuma, Tagawa & Denku. While the latter two were quick to react and attack Vlad, it didn’t make any difference to be honest. Denku was last seen stuck in a rubble comically.
Out of the four groups, I think Azuma’s was the most hard done by. I mean he has terribly poor luck, as confirmed in the volume 10 omake. But there is always a silver lining.
Choujin X chapter 53.1 sets up Azuma to shine:
Bador Vlad is not a choujin who is to be taken lightly. This was highlighted by Mado too before Yamato Mori forces launched an attack on the Tower.
And judging by what we saw in Choujin X chapter 53.1, I am pretty sure that he is well above the paygrade of Azuma’s group.
Revealed to be the Bloodbath Choujin, he has the ability to control blood. It is very similar to Blood Manipulation from JJK from the looks of how he managed to create a sword by hardening his blood. The weapon also reminded me of Tsukiyama’s Kagune from Tokyo Ghoul.
On top of that, Vlad is a battle crazed veteran, who has lived through some of the bloodiest wars. And he is known for leaving nothing but death and destruction in his wake. He has set out to do the same here. His ominous dialogues don’t spare any doubts either.
I was hoping to see Denku shine in this chapter, since he seemed very unique even among the choujins at Yamato Mori – thanks to multiple skills he possessed. However, he was brushed aside, along with Tagawa, with much ease by the elder.
Now, before the raid on the Tower began, there were a lot of death flags surrounding Ely. But right now, I feel we readers should be praying for Azuma to come out unscathed from this situation.
Because, without a timely interference, things might go south for him. Bador, though a heartthrob in his early days, goes by the name The Fiend of War (a Chainsaw Man reference?).
For Vlad, everyone in the group is probably fodder.
Despite the obvious downsides, this fight can also be seen as the perfect opportunity for Azuma to showcase his skills. After his awakening and his fight with Tokio, we really haven’t seen Azuma go all out.
His chaosified battle with Yubiko at the Beast Isles took place off-screen too. So I am actually looking forward to his showdown with Bador at this moment.
Though Azuma looks shaken right now – he is not someone to shy away from a fight based on his intrinsic nature. If he lets loose it will be a generational conflict.
On top of that, we have some interesting information from the previous chapter that might help us theorize how this battle will go.
According to me, Azuma will most likely try to hold off Bador, while he lets the non-choujin troops secure an escape route.
As he mentioned to BB in the previous chapter, he still has close to 89% of his powers left and he is not someone who will tire out fast. He can fight a long battle without issue.
I am assuming that can keep Bador occupied for quite some time, that is until help arrives. It won’t be Sandek who arrives probably – because he will mostly be fighting Batista again. But Arthur Sand could shown up to save Azuma’s neck if things don’t look good.
Bador Vlad’s lore drop:
The most important part of the chapter arguably has to be the lore drop surrounding Bador Vlad.
He is none other than Zora’s trusted lieutenant who we saw in a chapter cover first, and then in a flashback during the subjugation of the Daizo island Poppy fields, and hails from the country of Iratis.
I have to say this – the lore drops from Ishida are just perfect. They not only serve to give us additional information about the character, but also fill in the gaps in the history of the series that we are not aware of yet.
Ever since the Old Market raid began, we have gotten a lot of information regarding the Great Choujin War and the subsequent conflicts involving Zora. The lore drop revolving around Vlad does the same.
Bador’s country Iratis was one of the first nations that was attacked and annexed by Queem. After the loss he moved away from the frontlines and joined Sora’s forces.
This suggests that Sora’s alliance featured prominent choujin warriors from other countries – just like Antitise. It helps expand the worldview of Choujin X.
Even since the war, Bador has been a trusted aide to Sora, choosing to stay by her side even when she was cast away from Yamato Mori. From what I have seen till now, he seems to be a very loyal follower of Zora, and is not in the Tower Faction for his own personal reasons unlike Batista.
We first see a young Bador in Cabirol’s flashback. From that time there were active theories running around that Sora’s aide was probably the black swordsman.
However, Ishida had already given us a hint regarding Bador’s identity and his loyalty back in chapter 51.1 when it was revealed that Elder Vlad was someone who tried to take the mark directly from Sora, to help with her search of finding the Beast of Prophecy.
Now, the fight between Azuma and Bador also has some thematic importance. Remember how Queem and Bador once faced off in the past? Azuma is the closest choujin in the the current era to Queem. So this is essentially a rematch between the two.
Will Azuma come out on top? Or will Bador shine this time around? Well, only the upcoming chapters will let us know.
What are your thoughts on Choujin X chapter 53.1? Let me know them in the comments below!