Apocalypse Zero is a 1994 manga by Takayuki Yamaguchi. You might recognise that name, as he’s also the creator of Shigurui (Death Frenzy), a highly acclaimed, highly violent historical action drama about two swordsman in Edo period Japan. Apocalypse was his first big break and his first work that achieved popularity. It’s interesting to observe the sheer difference in opinions on Apocalypse Zero in the West and Japan. Apocalypse (or more accurately it’s animated adaption) is widely reviled in the anime community, with those that have seen it often have little positive to say about it. In Japan, the series was acclaimed enough to be a nominated finalist for the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize (which is basically the manga equivalent of the oscars). Hell, most people in English speaking territories aren’t even aware Apocalypse started as a manga. In fairness, the hate is somewhat justified. The OVA adaption of Apocalypse Zero ran for just two episodes out of a planned ten before it was abruptly cancelled, so all that was really showcased of the story was the absolutely psychotic first three volumes, which is where the series gets most of its infamy from.
Let’s start from the top. Apocalypse Zero is known for its absolutely nutty imagery, but the story is equally deranged. In WW2, an imperial scientist named Shiro Hagakure became development on a project that would surely win the war for Japan. Using various human experiments, he developed the Fortified Armor Shells, pieces of combat armor that increase strength, speed and foresight into the wearer as well as protecting them to an absurd degree. As it turns out, the armors have been encased with the 3000 souls of those used in the experiments, powering the armors themselves. The war was lost however, and Shiro died a war criminal. The armors lived on though, passed down from generation to generation until they land in the hands of Kakugo Hagekure and his brother Harara. Instead of using the armors to bring about pain, misery and domination as intended, their father trains them both in the school of Zero Form Defense (also developed by Shiro), a special type of martial arts training that strengthens their bodies to extreme levels, in the hope they will use the armors and strength to protect the weak. Eventually, the world gets destroyed by a series of disasters that leave everything in ruins. Mutated monsters start springing up all over the place and living is pretty hard for the surviving populace. Kakugo vows to protect the innocent from the horrors of the new world, whereas Harara betrays his father’s teachings and intends to wipe out humanity, using an army of mutated monsters and warlords as his source. The two come into conflict with each other and… things start getting weird. Eventually Kakugo winds up in Neo Tokyo, coincidentally the same place where Harara’s castle base is, where he enrols in a school. There he makes friends, fights off monsters sent by Harara and wracks up an extremely impressive body count, all while donning the Zero armor and frequently interacting with the hive mind of POW war experiments housed within. It’s pretty kooky.
As it stands in its unfinished state, Apocalypse Zero is a mishmash of utter chaos, full of extreme gore and repulsive imagery and heavy on shock factor. Unfortunately, it never got the chance to be more than that. The original manga begins similarly, with the first several chapters being little more than increasingly bizarre and violent fights against an array of disgusting looking monsters. Around the 4th volume though, the series takes a sudden turn and begins weirdly engaging and enjoyable. The focus on shocking imagery and bizarre scenarios slowly fades away, until we’re left with an oddly gripping and rather tender plot. Granted, it’s an extremely basic good vs evil story, and the horrific designs and boatloads of gore never go away, but an actual tenable plot is established, and the once flat and one note characters have a chance to grow and develop. Kakugo is little more than a stoic killing machine in the anime, but in the pages of the manga, his character is much more than that, and his struggle to balance his duty as the wearer of the Zero armor and his love for the friends he makes becomes a massive conflict he must overcome. Horie, the series’ main girl is little more than a ray of sunshine who swoons after Kakugo in the anime, whereas in the manga, she struggles with her own self image and dependence on herself. They’re not massively complex motivations and backgrounds, but they’re still there and they’re still appreciated. But Apocalypse Zero the anime never tackles the scenes that make Apocalypse Zero the manga such an enjoyable and surprisingly good read. So what we get is a combined 90 minutes of sheer chaos with some of the most vile imagery you’ll likely ever find in an animated release. But really, that’s what makes it so fun. The anime and manga couldn’t be further apart. One balances surrealism, carnage and character into an enjoyable and supremely well drawn story. The anime revels in its own filth and is content in being appropriately foul. And that’s okay. It’s batshit insane and it knows it, barely holding together a plot amidst the background of gore, sex and death. It’s perfect ‘turn off your brain and just marvel at the chaos’ material, though you’ll probably need a barf bag or two just to get through most of it. Nowhere else can you witness a woman hickey a man’s face off and then use it as a nipple pastie. You won’t find another anime that has a decrepit old man use his own fortified spit as ammunition and then turn his penis into a sentient dragon that shoots weaponised jizz. No other anime displays mutant nurses that use their massive Z cup boobs as missiles. You will never EVER see another show that has the main character fist fight a mutant bear with six massive titties and acidic blood in the first MINUTE. It’s Kamen Rider, Fist of the North Star, Parasyte, Berserk, Riki-Oh, Urotsukidoji and Kekko Kamen all rolled into one horrifying psychotic package that crosses the line so many times; it should win an award. Good taste and decency are foreign concepts to Apocalypse Zero, and you will know true horror when you witness its putrid depths. It’s a masterpiece of unashamed, all knowing filth that just so happens to be the first part of a much larger and much more engrossing plot. Turn off your mind and behold its madness, you’ll never seen anything else like it.
