D.Gray-man
D.Gray-man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order. They use an ancient substance, Innocence, to combat a man known as the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of Akuma who intend to destroy humanity. Many characters are adapted from Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone. The series is noted for its dark narrative; Hoshino once rewrote a scene she thought too violent for her young readers.
The manga started serialization in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004. Production of the series was suspended several times due to Hoshino's health problems. D.Gray-man made the transition from a weekly to a monthly series in November 2009, when it began serialization in Jump Square. In January 2013, the series went on indefinite hiatus. It resumed serialization in July 2015 after the release of Jump SQ.Crown, a spin-off from the magazine Jump SQ. After Jump SQ.Crown ceased publication, the series was switched to Jump SQ.Rise, starting in April 2018. The manga's chapters have been collected in 29 volumes as of July 2025. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media, which has released 28 volumes by November 2023.
A spin-off novel series, D.Gray-man: Reverse by Kaya Kizaki, explores the history of a number of characters. A 103-episode anime television series adaptation by TMS Entertainment aired from October 2006 to September 2008. A 13-episode sequel anime series, D.Gray-man Hallow, also produced by TMS Entertainment aired from July to September 2016. Several items of merchandise have been produced, including two video games about the series.
The manga has become one of Shueisha's bestsellers, with over 27 million copies in circulation. In Japan and North America, several individual volumes have appeared in weekly top-ten lists of best-selling manga. Although most reviewers found it similar to other manga, they compared its moments of originality and well-developed characters favorably to other series of the same demographic. Hoshino's artwork has received mostly positive reviews; most critics have commented that her characters are visually appealing and that the Gothic elements in her art are pleasant to look at. However, one critic of her artwork has said that Hoshino's fight sequences can be difficult to follow.
Synopsis
Setting
Set in an alternate 19th century, the story focuses on an organization of exorcists, named the Black Order, as they defend humanity against the Noah Family, reincarnations of Noah and his twelve apostles whom bear hatred towards humanity and God led by a man known as the Millennium Earl. The exorcists' main weapon against the Noah Family is sentient holy artifacts called Innocence. Innocence comes in a variety of forms, varying from everyday objects such as boots to grandfather clocks, to weapons such as swords and guns; regardless of their form, each Innocence possesses unique offensive and supportive abilities and will only work for the wielder of their choosing. Out of the 109 Innocence hidden and scattered throughout the world, one of them is the master Innocence; whichever side obtains this Innocence first will win the war. In contrast to the Innocence, the Noah Family's weapons are derived from a power source known as Dark Matter. Dark Matter grants the Noah superpowers, along with the ability to create and control demons.Plot
The central character is Allen Walker, a new recruit to the Black Order who started training to control his Innocence after it destroyed the Akuma of his late guardian, Mana. The story begins in a villain of the week fashion, where Allen teams up with various members of the Black Order to search for Innocence while battling Noah's demons on the way. Later, Allen and his friends are ordered to track down exorcist General Cross Marian, Allen's missing teacher. Their search concludes with them stealing one of the Noah's transportation device, referred to as the Noah's Ark; this was made possible since Allen has been instilled the consciousness of Nea D. Campbell, the brother of Mana, and the exiled 14th member of the Noah Family, who the Earl wishes to have back. Cross reveals that Nea plans to use Allen as host upon reincarnating, effectively erasing Allen eventually. During the Third Exorcists insurrection story arc, Nea's consciousness begins superseding Allen's body. Now hunted by the Black Order, the Noah Family, and a humanoid Innocence called Apocryphos, Allen goes into hiding as he searches for a way to end Nea's resurrection. During his journey, he realises that his late guardian, Mana, alongside Nea, has a strong link to the Millennium Earl. He then decides to journey to the place where Mana and Nea grew up to learn the truth about them, and their connection to the Earl. Following his escape, Allen is tracked by the Black Order, Apocryphos and the Noah. When Apocryphos is distracted by the Noah, the Earl finds Allen who is possessed by Nea. During this encounter it is revealed that the current Earl is Mana D. Campbell, Nea's brother. Both were once the original Millennium Earl but were split and became enemies.Production
After graduating from high school, Hoshino was uncertain whether to pursue a career in animation or manga. While attempting to draw manga, she considered herself unsuccessful. Consequently, she shifted her focus to manga aimed at male readers. After submitting a one-shot to Shueisha, she was surprised by the editorial staff's positive response. D.Gray-man originated from a one-shot Hoshino developed in her youth, where she intended the Earl to be the main character. Deeming the character unsuitable for a teenage manga magazine, she created Allen Walker as the protagonist instead. Hoshino submitted a draft of D.Gray-man to Shueisha on an unspecified date. She had mixed feelings about proceeding with the series, as she had received other job offers, including video game development. However, Shueisha approved the draft, and the staff encouraged her to launch the series in 2004, believing it would be popular. Her initial concept involved a zombie story, but she abandoned the idea on the advice of her editor T-shi during the third chapter. When asked about her inspiration for the supernatural, Hoshino cited a fear stemming from viewing the 1973 film The Exorcist, which also influenced her design of the manga's Akuma. The area known as Noah's Ark was based on science fiction concepts rather than the supernatural influences behind the Akuma. After conceiving the Ark's role, Hoshino decided to include a song played on a piano while Allen rebuilds it. She requested help from her editor, a university graduate, but ultimately used her own lyrics, attributing this to her own ego.Elements of D.Gray-man first appeared in Hoshino's one-shot title Zone, which featured the Akuma, exorcists, and the Millennium Earl planning to end the world. Although Allen Walker is male, his character is based on Zone female protagonist. Lavi is based on the protagonist of Hoshino's planned series, Book-man, which she had originally intended to write. Other characters, such as the Millennium Earl, Lenalee Lee, and Komui Lee, are based on real people whom Hoshino has not specifically identified; some are well-known scientists, and Komui is based on Hoshino's boss. The character of Yu Kanda, based on a samurai, was created to vary D.Gray-mans Western setting. Hoshino found the design of some characters difficult early in the series. In 2011, the author visited New York City for research, believing the city had greatly influenced her work. Hoshino visited cemeteries and was deeply impressed by her guides' comments at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center. She expressed a desire to spend more time in New York City to gather further material for the series.
After beginning D.Gray-man, Hoshino considered retaining the name Zone and also contemplated Dolls or Black Noah. She chose "D.Gray-man" for its multiple meanings, most referring to the state of Allen and other main characters. Although the title's meaning was not fully explained, Hoshino stated that the "D" stands for "dear". According to the author, most of her ideas for the series came to her while sleeping in her bathtub for six hours. One exception was the second-volume plot, based on a Noh story entitled "Koi no Omoni".
When the manga moved from weekly to monthly serialization in 2009, Hoshino addressed readers' concerns about possible cancellation and reassured them the series would continue. She established Kanda's backstory by introducing the Third Exorcists, characters related to him and Alma Karma. Hoshino's original drafts for Kanda's past contained several plot holes. The rewritten, published version initially depicted a young Kanda walking a path surrounded by dead caretakers. Due to its violence, this was replaced with Kanda learning that Alma Karma had killed them all. When the chapters were collected into a volume, Hoshino added a small chapter that included the corpses.