Versus is another gleefully over-the-top action extravaganza from the pen of Mob Psycho 100 and One-Punch Man author ONE. After the first volume's extended introduction to this complex world, the next three volumes barely let up for air in between gloriously bonkers action sequences. I sincerely hope this becomes an anime soon, because if adapted correctly, an animated Versus would be an absolute hoot. Even in manga form, it's a fast, compelling read, full of insane escalation, brutal plot twists, unexpected reversals, and good old traditional heroism.

Our nominal protagonist is Hallow, the 11th of 47 heroes sent by his kingdom to kill one of the 47 demon lords, who is only one of two heroes to survive the ordeal. He lost his right arm to demon lord Jachi in the first volume, and now wields his broken sword in his left hand. Straight-laced and self-sacrificial to a fault, his friends often have to physically prevent him from launching himself into unnecessary danger. For much of the multi-faceted story, he's left in the background, as myriad other characters find their time to shine.

Hallow's older brother, Zaybi, is a powerful sorcerer who is arguably even more valuable to the beleaguered remnant of humanity fighting off one catastrophic existential threat after another. He tends to think plans through before launching into battle, unlike his impulsive younger brother. The other surviving hero, Ario, only survived his assignment to fight demon lord Nyudo by chickening out. He's a stunning bishonen with an eye for the (sometimes bemused) ladies, who sports lush, gently waving locks that fall past his shoulders. I initially thought he was a girl. He's a compelling character who's allowed to make up for his cowardice later.

Not that cowardice is entirely unreasonable, considering the enemies facing humanity. The demons are powerful enough, but eventually our gradually shrinking band of allies is whittled down by a succession of ever more ridiculously powerful antagonists. Sudden, bloody deaths are distressingly common. From a towering kaiju to almost Dandadan-esque aliens, Mad Max-like lawless bikers to The Last of Us-style parasite zombies, the “natural enemies” are varied and interesting. They're pretty much as if ONE took all of his favorite game, movie, and book antagonists, altered them slightly to avoid copyright violations, and mashed them all together in one almighty smorgasbord of madness.

There's not a huge amount of subtlety to the storytelling; it's pretty much “wouldn't it be cool if Aliens fought Godzilla” and “robots fighting demons is an awesome idea, right?” The answers to both of these questions are an invariable “yes!” The characters are generally wafer-thin, though occasionally surprise with hidden agendas, secrets, or undisclosed abilities. I like that some of the demons, although humanity's enemies, become almost co-protagonists as the story progresses, as they're faced with overwhelmingly powerful opponents they struggle to overcome: a new concept for them. It's a concentrated overdose of “rule of cool” storytelling influenced and referenced from a huge range of other pop-culture sources, mixing them altogether into a relentlessly intoxicating brew.

Yes, it won't win any awards for nuanced examinations of the human condition, and it doesn't have the character depth of Mob Psycho 100 at its best, but it certainly beats out latter volumes of the increasingly ponderous One-Punch Man for sheer entertainment value. Kyourarou Azuma's art is excellent: highly detailed and kinetic, with a huge range of weird creatures and spectacular battles on regular display. Versus is pure high-calorie fast food entertainment. I wouldn't want to read it every day, but it satisfies a certain type of craving that other manga often don't.