Arpeggio of Blue Steel (蒼き鋼のアルペジオ, Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio) is a Japanese manga series produced by author/artist duo, Ark Performance, which has been serialized in Shōnen Gahosha's Young King Ours since September 30, 2009.
20 volumes have been completed so far, with 17 having been officially released in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.
Plot[1][]
Due to global warming and rising sea levels in the early 21st century, much of Earth's landmass has been lost. In 2039, fleets of powerful sentient warships, modeled after WWII-era vessels and armed with advanced technology and possibly 'alien' weaponry, mysteriously appear and devastate the world's naval forces. These ships, collectively known as 'The Fleet of Fog', impose a worldwide naval and aerial blockade, preventing humanity from both traveling the oceans and to other nations. During the blockade, the Fleet of Fog created Mental Models, humanoid avatars containing a ship's Union core, as a means to develop self cultivation and to overcome their lack of creative thinking of tactics that humans possessed, which at the same time made the Mental Models develop their own unique personality.
In 2056, 17 years after the blockade began, Chihaya Gunzou, a former student of the Japanese National Marine Academy, is the captain of a small group of privateers called the 'Blue Steel'. The Blue Steel are infamous for possessing a Fog submarine, the I-401, along with its Mental Model Iona, who defected to the human side. Due to I-401's technology and Gunzou's tactical skills, the Blue Steel have not only survived several encounters with the Fleet of Fog but managed to sink one of their most powerful warships.
Gunzou and his crew are hired by a faction of the Japanese government to deliver the prototype of the vibration warhead, a powerful weapon that may finally allow mankind to fight back against the Fog, to the United States. The United States is the only country with the resources and capability to mass-produce the weapon system. However, the Blue Steel will face obstacles on their journey not only from the Fleet of Fog and their human allies, but from other governments and factions with their own agendas. Along the way they will also gain allies of their own from both sides, increasing their chances against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Volume List[]
Part I[]
Volume 01 Chapters 1-5 |
Volume 02 Chapters 6-11 |
Volume 03 Chapters 12-17 |
Volume 04 Chapters 18-24 |
Volume 05 Chapters 25-30 |
Volume 06 Chapters 31-36 |
Volume 07 Chapters 37-42 |
Volume 08 Chapters 43-47 |
Volume 09 Chapters 48-53 |
Volume 10 Chapters 54-60 |
Volume 11 Chapters 61-66 |
Volume 12 Chapters 67-79 |
Part II[]
Volume 13 Chapters 73-79 |
Volume 14 Chapters 80-85 |
Volume 15 Chapters 86-91 | |||
Volume 16 Chapters 92-97 |
Volume 17 Chapters 98-103 |
Volume 18 Chapters 104-110 | |||
Volume 19 Chapters 111-116 |
Volume 20 Chapters 117-121 |
Volume 21 Chapters 122-126 | |||
Volume 22 Chapters 127-131 |
Volume 23 Chapters 132-136 |
Volume 24 Chapters 137-141 | |||
Volume 25 Chapters 142-147 |
Volume 26 Chapters 148-151 |
File:Volume 27 Cover - JP.jpg Volume 27 Chapters TBD |