When Doc Ido, a talented cyberphysician, finds Alita's head in a junk heap, she has lost all memory of her past life. But when he reconstructs her, she discovers her body still instinctively remembers the Panzer Kunst, the most powerful cyborg fighting technique ever known. In the postapocalyptic world of the Scrapyard, as the secrets of Alita's past unfold, each day is a struggle for survival.

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The story opens with Ido Daisake, part time hunter-warrior, part time humble repairman, pawing through piles of technological super junk for robot parts. Unexpectedly, he finds the head and torso of an attractive cyborg and sets out to rebuild her. After some work collecting what he needs, Alita (named for his dead cat) is up, about, and in trouble. Alita, it turns out, has surprising battle skills, and sets out to become a hunter-warrior herself. The second half of the manga tells the story of Alita's first major conflict - with Makaku, another cyborg who is all head and tail (except when he is 'borrowing' what parts he pleases).

All of this takes place in the ground level (and sewer) of a Bladerunner-esque under-city called the Scrap Yard. It is the industrial plant and trash can for Tiphares, the upscale city in the clouds where jury-built cyborgs never get to go. Most residents are at least partly artificial and many are like Alita, a brain and central nervous system inside a mechanical contrivance. Despite all this dehumanization, Alita manages to be more than a machine operator. Somehow, her ethics and humanity have survived the fall to make this series much more than a choreographed hack and disassemble story. This is a manga with exceptional artistic and narrative values.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!Jan 10, 2000
By Jason Barone
From the moment I picked this up, to the end, I was totally enthralled. This is definetly #2 on my list of Good Manga, #1 being the Nausicaa series. This manga tells the story of Alita, a 300 year old cyborg, and the man who "raised" her, Ido. Ido is a bounty hunter, and Alita decides to follow Ido, and registers as a hunter. This volume tells of Alita's bouts with Makaku, a horrid brain-eating monster. YOU MUST READ THIS! The art was incredible, and the story engrossing, and amazingly emotional. This is a definite must-read.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

MovingSep 08, 2005
By Collector "fan"
This manga was one of the few series that were able to cut to the core of me. The world our main character Gally lives in is a cold and dangerous place where anyone you care for could die at anytime. Fighting loneliness and fear she struggles to find meaning in her life. I think anybody that reads this book will understand what it feels to live in a bleak world full of terrible things that you just can't understand. We've all been there...where the world seems to loom over you and you just want to give up. Gally is an android but just as human as you and me. At times she wants to give up...but she will inspire her readers by getting up once again to face the dark world she lives in. The art is a bit grimy and messier than the newer mangas, but it fits the atmosphere of the story perfectly. You can even see it improving with each volume. This is the best manga I have read to date. And I highly recommend it to anyone that is willing to look at the world in a honest light.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Good storyline and even better artSep 18, 2002
By Bob K.
After reading the first book in the Battle Angel Alita series all I can say is WOW! From the moment it starts you are drawn into the futuristic trash heap of a city known as the Scrap Yard. It is located under the floating city of Tiphares, and is an opposite of the gleaming, floating structure, full of brothels and endorphine junkies (you'll find out about that later on in the series), where there is no police force and crime is enforced by bounties placed on criminals. The book opens as Dr. Ido, a loveable scientist with a dark side, stumbles upon the remains of a cyborg while digging through trash for parts. She remembers nothing of her past, so he takes her under his wing, naming her Alita.
There's not many bad things to be said about this book. It draws you into to its futuristic yet strangely realistic world with its dark, grungy atmosphere and keeps you convinced in its realism with characters that are so well developed you'll be questioning who are the real heroes and villains. It does rely a lot on the battle scenes(pointed out by the title and by the fact that the chapters are called battles) which leads me to think that anime might be the better medium for this story, and it also is extremely gory, featuring decapitation, blood, and sadistic villains. These drawbacks aside, Battle Angel Alita is one of the best manga i've read and I would strongly recommend going out and buying it.

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Majestic and moving: must buy!May 24, 2000
By Gremio
"Life itself remains undefined to me. Whether its ugly, or beautiful, a sin or a great gift to cherish-- I don't know. But I'll find out! I need a sense of purpose; being a bounty hunter lets me search for myself through battle. The money you speak of is meaningless to me! I walk in faith. The faith that we choose who we want to be...... and grow into that identity, ugly or beautiful!"

The previous was a ingenius quote from Yukito Kishiro's futuristic masterpiece, "Battle Angel Alita", also called Gunnm (gun dreams), which is aruably one of the greatest manga's of all time. Not only is the art exquisite, but the characters are incredable, and the manga is truly exceptional enough in itself that it can be deemed the greatest manga ever. The plot is also of literary quality.

"Battle Angel Alita" tells the dark tale of Alita (her name was changed to Gally for the anime for pronoucetional reasons). One day, Dr. Daisuke Ido finds the remnants of a young cyborg girl in a scrap heap, with her brain still intact. A find such as this is a true gem, like buried treasure, and so Ido takes her to his home and repairs her. Like a father, Ido loves his "daughter" more than he loves himself. Ido is fascinated with Alita.

Unfortunatly, Alita has amnesia, and cannot recall anything about her previous life. Being fairly low on money, Alita is suspicious of Ido and how he has aquired enough money to buy her an expensive body. One night, Alita follows him while he goes to his "work" and sees him fighting a fugitive mutant. Alita is forced into battle, and somehow is able to pull of the powerful "Panzer Kurst" fighting technique, used by formitable humaniods, also called "Armored Arts". Alita's supprising skill in combat leads to the gruesome death of the mutant.

After the battle, Alita begins her mysterious past. How could she, a inexperenced cyborg, use the lengendary "Panzer Kurst", a tenchnique that only the strongest of cyborgs know? Alita makes the difficult descion to become a bounty hunter, like Ido. Alita runs away home and registers for the job, against Ido's will. And so the young angels journey into self-discovery begins.

Yukito Kishiro's story telling is brilliant and beautiful. Without hesitation, I would label it masterful. The plot for this is of epic quality, unlike anything your ever going to discover in a fantasy novel. Tiphares is often portrayed as utopia, the ultimate solution for the poor surface dwellers, a sort of heaven on earth. It floats in the sky, almost mocking the poor, as the very high in class dwell in Tiphares. The condition for the Scrap City is, unfortunatly, horric and horrendous. Man eating cyborgs stak the streets, consuming human flesh.

Each character in this drama is incredibly deep, and not as they seem at first. Alita's first criminal to go after is the malicous Makaku. Makuku is easily, estimated, ten times bigger than Alita. Makuku steals and then consumes human brains. Sounds pretty evil, huh? At first, you will hate him. But after reading the final chapter, you will understand his pain. When people choose a baddie from now on, they should model it after Makuku. He has an amazing amount of depth and sensitivity. Even Ido, who serves as the father figure in Alita's life, is far from perfect. "I kill for the rush, this moment was ecstasy", Ido remarks as he skillfully slides behind a wanted criminal and smashes his mallet-esqe weapon against the criminals head.

Also excellent is the artwork. Every panel is exquistetly drawn. I've read many manga's, and this is some of the most lavish artwork I've ever seen.

For me, however, the greatest aspect of the manga its sentimental value. Dispite its often unbearable, belevolent violence portrayed in this manga, it is still very rewarding. Even in translation, it remains so emotionaly powerful and majestic that one cannot finish the book without a tear in their eye. The following is a except from a quote made by Alita, but my poor words cannot fully capture the raw emotional value this manga offers.

"I don't know if it's a sin or something to be proud of, if it is hatred or saddness, but I am moved by tears, something I can't exactly explain..."

It is rare to find such a touching presence in a novel of any sort; those not particulary familar with Manga with be pleasantly suprised.

"Battle Angel Alita" is truly majestic. After finishing this wonderful manga, you will feel strangely refreshed, like you have just woken up from some beautiful dream.I give this manga my highest recommendation.

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