Most zombie stories start with a bang. You get the screaming, the sirens, and the immediate collapse of society within the first five pages. But Kengo Hanazawa’s I Am a Hero isn’t most stories. It spends dozens of pages just watching a man talk to himself.
Hideo Suzuki is a loser. Honestly, there's no nicer way to put it. He's a 35-year-old manga assistant who talks to imaginary hallucinations because he’s too anxious to deal with real people. He carries a legally registered shotgun that he refuses to use because he’s terrified of breaking the law, even when the world is clearly ending. This isn't your typical power fantasy. It's a slow-motion car crash of a psychological breakdown that just happens to coincide with a global apocalypse.
What makes the ZQN zombies different?
The monsters in I Am a Hero, called ZQN, are deeply unsettling because they aren't just mindless eaters. They're echoes. Hanazawa leans into a concept where the infected retain a "soul-stain" of their former lives. They repeat the mundane actions they did while alive. A salaryman ZQN might stand at a train station for eternity; a mother might mimic rocking a baby.
It’s body horror at its peak. Their limbs twist into impossible shapes. Their faces distort into terrifying, wide-eyed grins. Unlike the generic "walkers" in Western media, a single ZQN is a distinct, horrifying individual. This makes the threat feel intimate. You aren't just fighting a monster; you're fighting a distorted memory of a person.
The infection spreads through bites, sure, but the manga suggests something much more cosmic and hive-mind-oriented as the plot progresses. It’s less Dawn of the Dead and more Junji Ito-meets-George Romero.
Hideo Suzuki is the hero we actually deserve
We often think we’d be the guy swinging the bat in a crisis. We wouldn't. Most of us would be Hideo—clutching our permits, worrying about our jobs, and trying to ignore the person eating a dog on the sidewalk because we don't want to make a scene.
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Hideo’s name literally means "hero," but he spends the first third of the series being anything but. His growth is agonizingly slow. He’s obsessed with his own mediocrity. Yet, it’s his obsession with "being a good citizen" that keeps him alive. That shotgun? He doesn't fire it for a long time. Why? Because he doesn't have a license to discharge it in a residential area. It's funny, until it's tragic.
By the time he meets Hiromi, a high schooler who becomes a half-ZQN hybrid, Hideo has to choose between his delusions and the reality of a dead world. This relationship is the emotional core of the series. Hiromi isn't a damsel; she's a ticking time bomb and Hideo’s only link to his fading humanity.
The art is terrifyingly detailed
Hanazawa’s art style is hyper-realistic. He uses photography references to ground the backgrounds in a way that makes the supernatural elements pop. When the ZQN appear, the contrast between the mundane Japanese suburbs and the fleshy, distorted monsters is jarring.
Look at the "Tall Man" ZQN or the massive hive-mind structures that appear later in the series. The scale shifts from claustrophobic apartment hallways to massive, sprawling cityscapes of flesh. It’s a visual feast of the grotesque.
Why the ending of I Am a Hero remains controversial
If you’re looking for a neat bow, you won't find it here. The finale of I Am a Hero divided the fanbase. Some felt it was too abrupt, others thought it was the only logical conclusion for a man like Hideo.
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Without spoiling the specifics, the story eventually zooms out. It stops being about one man and starts being about the evolution of the human species. The ZQN aren't just a virus; they are a collective consciousness. They represent the end of individuality. For a guy like Hideo, who spent his whole life trying to fit in while being an outcast, the choice to remain "himself" in a world that has literally merged into one giant organism is a powerful statement.
Some call it a "non-ending." I'd argue it's a testament to Hideo’s character. He remains the protagonist of his own tiny, lonely story, even when the rest of the world has moved on to something else.
Where to start with the franchise
If you’re new to the series, the manga is the definitive version. Dark Horse has released it in "Omnibus" formats, which are chunky volumes that look great on a shelf.
There is also a live-action film directed by Shinsuke Sato. It’s surprisingly good. Usually, manga-to-film adaptations are a disaster, but the 2016 movie captures the tension of the "ZQN outbreak" perfectly, specifically the chaotic escape from the city and the high-stakes showdown at the shopping mall.
There are also several spin-offs:
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- I Am a Hero in Osaka
- I Am a Hero in Ibaraki
- I Am a Hero in Nagasaki
These short series show how the ZQN virus hit different parts of Japan. They’re great for world-building, but Hideo’s journey in the main series is the meat of the experience.
Real-world impact and survivalism
The series is a fascinating look at Japanese gun laws. In many American zombie stories, everyone has a rifle by page ten. In Japan, Hideo’s possession of a shotgun is a massive plot point. It makes him one of the most powerful people in the country, simply because he went through the bureaucratic nightmare of getting a license.
It makes you think about the "tools" of survival. It’s not just about weapons; it’s about the mental fortitude to use them. Hideo’s struggle with the "moral" implications of killing things that used to be people is much more realistic than the instant-warrior tropes we see in The Walking Dead.
Actionable ways to experience the series
- Read the first three volumes back-to-back. The first volume is a "slow burn." It’s supposed to be. Don't quit until you get to the taxi scene. That’s where the world breaks.
- Watch the 2016 film for the visuals. The ZQN effects are practical and digital hybrids that still hold up. It’s one of the best "zombie" movies of the last decade, regardless of its manga roots.
- Pay attention to the background characters. Hanazawa loves to hide tiny details in the panels—news reports, internet forum posts, and subtle changes in the environment that hint at the collapse before it happens.
- Analyze the "Hideo" archetype. Compare him to other horror protagonists. He’s an "everyman" taken to its most pathetic and relatable extreme.
I Am a Hero isn't just about surviving monsters. It’s about a man trying to convince himself he’s the main character of a life that has ignored him for decades. Whether he succeeds or not is up for debate, but the journey through the ZQN-infested ruins of Japan is a masterpiece of the genre.