If you’re anything like me, you probably finished The Seven Deadly Sins and felt a weird mix of closure and "wait, that's it?" Nakaba Suzuki didn't just walk away, though. He doubled down. Honestly, the decision to read 4 knights of the apocalypse—or Mokushiroku no Yon-kishi if you’re feeling fancy—is probably the best move a shonen fan can make right now. It isn't just a simple cash-grab sequel. It’s a massive, sprawling expansion of Britannia that actually fixes some of the power-scaling headaches that plagued the original series toward the end.
Percival is the heart of this thing. He’s not Meliodas. Thank goodness for that. While Meliodas was this overpowered, centuries-old demon with a pervy streak and a heavy burden, Percival is just... a kid. A kid in a goofy bird helmet who lived on a rock in the sky called "God’s Finger." He’s naive. He’s pure. He’s basically the "Hope" of the world, quite literally, given his magic type.
What is Four Knights of the Apocalypse actually about?
The story kicks off sixteen years after the Holy War ended. Peace should be the vibe, right? Wrong. King Arthur Pendragon—who you might remember as the wide-eyed kid from the original series—has gone full antagonist. He’s built a kingdom called Camelot in a pocket dimension and decided that only humans deserve to live. It's a xenophobic, "humans-first" utopia that requires the destruction of every other race to survive. To stop the prophecy of four knights destroying his world, Arthur sends his Holy Knights to assassinate them before they even meet.
It's a classic "prevent the prophecy" trope turned on its head.
When you read 4 knights of the apocalypse, you realize the stakes feel more grounded despite the world-ending prophecy. We start with Percival, but the roster fills out with Lancelot (Ban’s son), Tristan (Meliodas’s son), and Gawain (who is... complicated). The dynamic is less about "we are the strongest" and more about "how do we not kill each other while trying to save the world?"
The shift in tone
Suzuki's art has evolved. It’s still recognizable—curvy, kinetic, and deeply influenced by old-school fantasy—but there’s a certain sharpness to the character designs in this sequel. The violence feels a bit more visceral too. When Ironside, Percival’s father and a Chaos Knight, shows up in the early chapters, the betrayal isn't sugarcoated. It’s brutal.
💡 You might also like: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
Why the manga beats the anime adaptation (so far)
Look, the anime isn't bad. Telecom Animation Film did a decent job, especially compared to the disastrous third and fourth seasons of Seven Deadly Sins. But the manga? The manga is where the soul is. Suzuki’s panelling is master-level. He knows how to use white space to make a transformation feel massive.
You’ve got to see the "Hope" magic in ink.
Basically, the anime can't quite capture the gritty textures of the environments. Britannia feels lived-in. The ruins of old kingdoms, the bustling markets of Liones, and the eerie, warped landscapes of the Chaos-affected areas just pop more on the page. Also, the pacing in the manga allows for those quiet, character-building moments that often get trimmed for TV runtimes. You get to sit with Percival’s grief. You feel Lancelot’s stoic loneliness.
A better power system?
One of the biggest gripes people had with the original series was "Power Levels." Remember the Balor’s Magical Eye? It turned everything into a math equation. 30,000 vs 60,000. It got boring.
In Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Suzuki has pivoted back to creative magic types.
📖 Related: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
- Hero Type: This is what Percival has. It’s rare. It depends on the will and faith of those around him.
- Destruction Type: Self-explanatory, but used in terrifying ways by the villains.
- Healing and Support: These aren't just secondary anymore; they are tactical necessities.
The fights feel like puzzles again. It’s not just about who can punch harder, though there is plenty of that. It’s about how these kids use their weird, specific abilities to counter knights who have decades of experience.
The Arthur Pendragon problem
Can we talk about Arthur for a second?
If you decide to read 4 knights of the apocalypse, prepare to have your feelings about the "True King" hurt. He is a fascinating villain because he’s motivated by a very human kind of trauma. He saw his world decimated by demons and goddesses. He chose a path of absolute safety at the cost of absolute morality. Seeing old favorites like Meliodas and Elizabeth deal with the fact that their former protégé is now their greatest threat adds a layer of sadness to the whole thing. It’s a tragedy dressed up as a battle manga.
Key story arcs you can't miss
- The Echoes of the Valley: This is early on. It establishes just how dark the series is willing to go. Percival's interaction with the "monsters" of the world shows the hypocrisy of Arthur’s knights.
- The Sistana Arc: This is where the team starts to gel. It’s also where we see the first real glimpse of the "Chaos" influence on regular humans.
- The Liones Wall: Seeing the "Old Guard" interact with the new generation is pure fanservice in the best way. Seeing Liones under the rule of King Meliodas is a trip.
The lore runs deep. You’ll see callbacks to the Lady of the Lake and the origins of Chaos that were only briefly touched upon in the original series' finale. It feels like this was the story Suzuki wanted to tell all along, and Seven Deadly Sins was just the prologue.
Don't ignore the side characters
Donny, Anne, and Nasiens.
👉 See also: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
These are Percival’s original companions. They aren't legendary warriors. Donny is a coward who ran away from Holy Knight training. Anne is a girl with a strict sense of justice trying to protect her home. Nasiens is a herbalist with a mysterious past. They provide the human perspective that was sometimes lost when we were dealing with literal gods in the previous series. Their growth is just as compelling as the Four Knights' themselves. Watching Donny go from a guy who hides in a barrel to someone who stands his ground against a Chaos Knight is genuinely moving.
Where to read 4 knights of the apocalypse legally
Support the creators. Please.
- Kodansha's K Manga app: They usually have the latest chapters.
- Physical volumes: They look great on a shelf. The cover art for Volume 12 is a personal favorite.
- Digital storefronts: Places like BookWalker or Amazon Kindle.
Final thoughts on the journey
This isn't a story that demands you have a PhD in Seven Deadly Sins lore, but it definitely rewards you if you do. It’s a standalone epic that happens to have the coolest cameos in manga history. The mystery of the "Seventh Constellation" and the identity of the remaining knights (early on) keeps you turning pages.
The manga is currently deep into the "fights for the fate of the world" territory, and the stakes haven't been this high in years. If you stopped keeping up with Britannia after the Demon King died, you’re missing the best part of the saga.
Actionable Next Steps
- Start at Chapter 1: Don't skip the prologue. Even if you saw the first episode of the anime, the manga’s pacing in the "God's Finger" intro is much tighter.
- Track the Prophecy: Pay attention to the specific descriptions of the Four Knights given by the King of Camelot; Suzuki loves to hide clues in plain sight about their true identities.
- Look for the "Star" Symbols: Keep an eye on the character designs of the Chaos Knights; their equipment often tells you exactly which part of the Arthurian mythos they represent.
- Read the Side Stories: Occasionally, Nakaba Suzuki releases "extra" chapters or omake that explain the time gap between the two series. These are crucial for understanding why certain characters (like Ban or King) are acting the way they are.
- Check the Release Schedule: New chapters typically drop weekly on Wednesdays in Japan (Tuesday in the US), so stay updated to avoid the massive spoilers that inevitably trend on social media.