In the utopian nation of Ryujinkyo, Kamuna—a boy born with the form of a human and the left hand of a dragon—grapples with his identity in a society that both questions and fears his existence. As he begins his training in the ancient art of ryuken, his determination to prove himself fuels a growing rivalry with the fierce demi-dragon Gindu. Meanwhile, tensions simmer beneath the surface as factions outside Ryujinkyo grow restless, seeking to control the divine pulse that sustains the land...

Kamudo has art and story by Akira Himekawa. English translation is done by David Evelyn and lettering by Sara Linsley. Published by Viz Media (October 7, 2025). Rated T.

Lauren Orsini
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Have you heard about the new original manga from the creators of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom manga? It takes place in a high fantasy setting and stars a human swordsman who has one beast-like arm. No, it's not Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a second time, but I wouldn't blame you if that familiar description made you think so. Kamudo is an epic fantasy about eight demi-races and how they react to the first human. It's clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda, but its inventive character designs and forthright heroic narrative make it a must-try for fantasy fans.

Eight nations make up the world of Kamudo, and each is populated by a different type of demi-creature. There are demideer, demiwolves, demileopards and more, but the manga begins in the Kingdom of Wa, which is populated by demidragons. This story is instantly alluring because of its beautiful, detailed furry art. In Wa alone, there are so many different dragon forms that have different shapes and sizes of snouts, scales, talons, and horns. Each character is instantly and easily identified by their distinct physical traits. The manga begins with Kamudo's creation story, as it is told to dragon children, while the kingdom prepares for the Festival of Birthing Winds. Creatures from all of Wa's peaceful allies partake in the festivities as the demidragons await this year's clutch of eggs to hatch in one fell swoop.

From one of the dragon eggs, however, hatches a very unusual dragon—apart from one scaly arm and stumpy tail, he has a round, cherubic face and smooth skin all over. The dragons name him Kamuna, “Child of God,” and hope this unusual baby is a good omen. Because already at this point in the story, there's a dawning awareness that this peaceful and logical world governed by god-given rules isn't quite as perfect as the elders make it seem. For one thing, there's the “nationless,” a race of demimonkeys who don't have a kingdom of their own. For another, the dragon elder has received an omen that the entire world may be in grave danger.

By the end of the book, Kamuna is not yet grown. But his unique strength, which at first presents as weakness, is beginning to become apparent. Sure, he's not as big or strong as a dragon, but it's only time until he wields the sword that is shown in the prologue. As the cracks in Kamuna's world begin to show, this hero's story is only gathering momentum—revealing the potential for a fantasy epic reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda or The Lord of the Rings. With exquisite, imaginative demihuman designs and a hero's journey plot on a global scale, this story has potential. I can easily see this manga blowing up. But at this point in Kamuna's story, when he's still a child and not yet a master of his own fate, I'm hesitant to call it the next big thing.

Rebecca Silverman
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Someone I know commented that manga creators Akira Himekawa's take on Link in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was “weirdly hot.” I wonder what their take will be on Himekawa's dragonpeople in Kamudo, because honestly, even if you're not into scalies, the designs are pretty wonderful. Art and worldbuilding are the main draws for this first volume, which barely scratches the surface of the story itself, but still manages to be engaging based on the setting alone.

The story takes place in a time before humans, when “demibeings” peopled the world. I really like that the text doesn't call them “demihumans,” because this is a world where humans don't yet exist – there are wolf people and leopard people and dragon people, but no human people, so “human” isn't part of the lexicon. Perhaps that's also why it's a remarkably peaceful world as well, at least as far as most interracial relationships go. While it appears that everyone lives in specific areas based on their animal type, there's also clearly a lot of interaction between the groups, and in fact the book opens with multiple cultures all coming together for a dragonbeing celebration.

We don't have long to wait to see how furless, scaleless creatures will tip this balance. Kamuna's birth is the obvious inciting incident when he hatches from his egg with a stubby tail, no horns, and only one dragon arm; at first the reaction is to kill him, because there's no way he can survive. But that they don't speaks to the true start of the story: a vision a dragonbeing elder has of the founding goddess of their world. Her power is about done, and she specifically says that she is almost out of scales, which is particularly interesting in context with Kamuna's appearance. Are the goddess' scales a metaphor for demibeings' reign? Does their loss indicate the advent of humanity? The symbolism may be a bit unsubtle if that's the case, but it's still an interesting idea, especially since Kamuna's few dragon pieces basically make him the bridge between the two types of beings.

There are issues, of course. The plot is so enamored of its worldbuilding that it can be slow or confusing at points, and it's a little weird that they're “demi” beings when humans don't exist to make it clear what they're “demi” (half) of. But the art more than makes up for some of these issues and the world is clearly something Himekawa spent a lot of time on. It's too soon to call this great, but it definitely has that potential.

Kevin Cormack
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So Kamudo is what I'd call “proper” fantasy. None of this boringly derivative “reincarnated into another world with videogame RPG mechanics” that infests the world of manga, anime, and light novels. No, Kamudo is classic high fantasy in the vein of The Dark Crystal, set in a fascinating world far different to our own, populated with various races of sentient animal people. With its own complex cosmology and creation myths, it's a richly detailed backdrop for the beginning of what looks to be an epic tale.

Creators A. Honda and S. Nagano (under the combined pen name of Akira Himekawa) are no stranger to the epic fantasy genre, having previously produced multiple highly-regarded manga adaptations of various Legend of Zelda games. Their storytelling chops are evident as they meticulously build a complex fictional society filled with all manner of fascinating characters, all with beautiful designs and distinctive style.

From elder dragons with wispy hair, to formidable wolf warriors and cute dragon girls, the variety of creatures and peoples depicted make every page a joy to admire. While the central coming-of-age story itself isn't anything overly new, it's a gorgeous version of the start of the archetypal Hero's Journey, as we follow protagonist Kamuna from even before his birth from his mother's egg, through his early childhood tribulations, and witness his determination to become a powerful warrior.

Kamuna's not like the other demi-dragons, in that his appearance is more overtly human. With only one (very powerful) dragon arm, and a much smaller tail than his contemporaries, the rest of his body is soft and fleshy, making him vulnerable – though not necessarily weak. A growing rivalry with childhood bully Gindu looks likely to evolve in interesting ways by the end of this excellent first volume.

With gorgeous, detailed art, an engagingly mystical setting, and hints of an epic scope to come in later volumes, Kamudo comes highly recommended for fans of well-written, imaginative fantasy that doesn't lazily emulate current trends. Despite its construction from fairly familiar plot elements, this first volume sets a strong foundation for future installments, of which I hope to read many more.