Line #33 Manga/IAmAHero


1	[[quoteright:227:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iamahero_vol1cover_1568.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:227:He'd better be.]]
3
4	''I Am a Hero'' is a comedy/horror manga by Kengo Hanazawa, which was serialized in the {{seinen}} magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 2009 to 2017 and compiled into 22 volumes.
5
6	There isn't much to the life of a struggling artist. Hideo Suzuki, 35, is starting to believe he hit his prime back when he had a printed series that died after six months. The path to manga stardom has faded from view, leaving Suzuki pitching pandering {{Moe}} series and drawing porn to get by. His editor is bored with him, his seniors are short with him, and even his girlfriend seems out of his league. Underneath a [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} happy-go-lucky facade]], Suzuki is desperate: what do you do when you play a [[SupportingProtagonist bit part in your own life?]]
7
8	But there's considerably less-existential trouble brewing in the city streets. News reports have surfaced about a rash of biting assaults in crowded areas - here and there, someone seems to [[TheVirus go berserk]] and sink teeth into the nearest bystander. Being around the same people every day, Suzuki's own risk for infection is low... but protagonism picks today to knock.
9
10	Go figure.
11
12	A uniquely weird {{Seinen}} series. Features realistic artwork that switches from funny faces to grotesque ones with outstanding impact.
13
14	A film version was released in 2016
15	----
16	!!I Am A Hero provides examples of the following tropes:
17	* TheAce: Nakata, who has obscenely rich parents, but loves to draw manga for a living. He is unattractive, socially awkward, and speaks with a lisp. However, his manga are successful and everyone speaks highly of his talent as well as his personality. Even Hideo has to grudgingly admit that Nakata is a good person and is good at what he does.
18	* ActionSurvivor: Most of the main cast are normal civilians who manage to stay alive thanks to perseverance and luck.
19	* ADayInTheLimelight: Some chapters are dedicated to characters other than Hideo, such as Hiromi, Kazuya (the editor who rejected Hideo's manga pitch in Volume 1), and Takashi from Kurusu's group.
20	* AerosolFlamethrower: Mitani used one to defeat an infected. [[KillItWithFire It works]], although it has only been used once so far.
21	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: [[spoiler: The HiveMind chooses to represent itself this way to those who end up enveloped within it, but still aware of their existence as individuals. For Hiromi, it looks like a MessageBoard.]]
22	* AlienInvasion: An early guess as to what caused the infection. [[spoiler:Also apparently the correct one. The ZQN is a way to wipe out humanity without destroying infrastructure, and eventually create alien/human hybrids.]]
23	* AmbiguousDisorder: Hideo is clearly mentally ill in some way, suffering from delusions and visual hallucinations (that he can tell apart from reality). The exact nature of his illness is never specified, though.
24	** Hiromi, to a lesser extent. She sometimes reacts to situations in strange and potentially dangerous ways (ex., approaching a disturbed man with a gun in the forest and staying nearby until he wakes up), notes that she's been told that she needs to make eye contact with people, has apparent difficulty in reading the social atmosphere in a room, and struggles with making and keeping friends. She doesn't suffer from delusions but does seem to be naive in a way that isn't age-appropriate.
25	* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler: Hiromi.]]
26	* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: Oda in Volume 16.]]
27	* ApocalypseHow: Starts out looking like a regional societal disruption. [[spoiler:It rapidly becomes clear, however, that global societal collapse is inevitable]]. Once we find out what eventually happens to [[spoiler: Hiromi and those like her, it starts to look like total annihilation of humanity, or at least ''normal'' humanity, is the most likely outcome]].
28	* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: The author averts this on every occasion. Hideo religiously follows proper firearm handling procedures. He checks the chambers every time he gets his hand on his shotgun and keeps it unloaded when he thinks he is not in danger. He has good trigger discipline. And when he has some time, he cleans the gun and shells. To top it off, when he has to (reluctantly) give the gun to other characters, he makes sure they remember the basic safety precautions.
29	* AssholeVictim: Inevitably, in a zombie media. For starters, the gangsters pair in a Ferrari who threaten Hideo and Hiromi with a (airsoft) pistol. [[spoiler: After Hideo spots a bite wound on one's arm, he pulls out his shotgun and drives them off. They get chomped down by the infected, which were drawn to the sound their car makes before they get a chance to turn.]]
30	** Also the older man [[spoiler: murdered by the group at the Gotemba Outlet Mall]]. He didn't do anything to deserve being killed while there, but he's apparently sincere about having underworld connections and knowing people in the military and police force. He's almost definitely been the villain of someone else's story.
31	* AuthorAvatar:The protagonist [[http://www.postavy.cz/foto/hideo-suzuki-foto.jpg Hideo Suzuki]] resembles that of series creator [[http://www.zonanegativa.com/imagenes/2014/10/kengo-hanazawa.jpg Kengo Hanazawa]]
32	* AxCrazy: Kurusu, [[spoiler:a.k.a The Prophet. After being infected by his mother, he kills her with a baseball bat. After recruiting several followers, he seems to enjoy running around and killing the infected in a pair of boxer briefs. And he has no qualms about killing humans, either.]]
33	* BatterUp: [[spoiler: How Mitani kills his boss. Kurusu also kills his mother this way.]]
34	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted with [[spoiler:Mi-chan and Tetsuko]], but played relatively straight with [[spoiler: Hiromi]].
35	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Humanity survives, but only just, and by the end a lot of the main characters are dead. Hideo's entire mission is revealed to have been doomed from the start, and he fails spectacularly at saving Hiromi, with her joining the hivemind and only allowing him to live because she believes that stranding him on his own in the ruins of Tokyo is a FateWorseThanDeath. However, Hideo can adapt to his new environment and even thrive. In the epilogue, he finds that a ZQC tower has given birth to an ordinary human baby girl. The baby girl grows up to greatly resemble Hiromi, he names her Hiiro and lives his life content raising her as her father. As a bonus, what remains of Kurusu's group also made it out alive to a remote island away from the infected where they build their new lives there.]]
36	* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Hiromi, soon after meeting Hideo. When a suicidal zombie decapitates itself, she ends up covered in its apparently partially coagulated blood.
37	* BodyHorror: After the person turns, the face and body get distorted and bloated, and the limbs can turn in unusual angles. And later on, [[spoiler:we see zombies made of several bodies fused together.]]
38	* BookEnds: The series starts with a long-winded introduction detailing Hideo's daily routine before the Apocalypse. [[spoiler: It ends with a long-winded epilogue detailing Hideo's new daily routine after the Apocalypse has ended.]]
39	* BoomHeadShot: Hideo is quite good at this, using a shotgun or rifle.
40	* BoringButPractical: Hideo's shotgun. It's simple but reliable and easy to operate. As a bonus, [[spoiler: when someone unfamiliar with firearms takes the gun from him, they usually can't reload in time after firing.]] If anything, it's only practical for Hideo because he can reload the gun very quickly and he's the only one with enough skills and experience to use it.
41	* BottomlessMagazines: Averted. Considering he only has a double-barreled shotgun, Suzuki only manages to survive for so long because he is as good at ''reloading'' as he is at shooting. And he is constantly worried about restocking on ammo after the events at [[spoiler: Gotemba Premium Outlets reduced his ammo supply from nearly 100 rounds to roughly a dozen.]]
42	* BystanderSyndrome: Taken to ridiculous extremes inside the suburban rail. An infected salary man bites a chunk out of a {{Too Dumb to Live}} passenger's head, then attacks another. The second man, while trying to hold down the attacker, calls out to nearby passengers. What is their reaction? They continue sitting and joking, wondering if they should help out in what they believe to be a molestation. Not until after several more deaths do the passengers finally get it that people are getting killed.
43	* CarFu: Employed by several characters to get through zombie-infected areas.
44	* CharacterFilibuster: Suzuki has very strong ideas about the future of manga, and loves to philosophize about them at length. Played for laughs when it was clear nobody asked, and sometimes it's all in his head.
45	* ChekhovsGun: With an actual gun. In plain sight. The wait shows the main character is [[NonActionGuy far from an action hero]], [[TooDumbToLive at best]].
46	* CoversAlwaysLie: Several of the covers feature scenes that don't happen in that volume. Particularly extreme in Volume 5, with a perfectly healthy Hiromi sitting in her underwear for [[{{fanservice}} no apparent reason]] on the cover. [[spoiler: Throughout the entirety of the volume, she's not only fully dressed but also visibly infected and completely delirious]].
47	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Subverted. After [[spoiler: Hideo gets swallowed and then regurgitated by a large infected, he stops breathing. Hiromi and Oda then perform CPR (Hiromi, who has apparently become immune, gives Hideo mouth-to-mouth) and successfully revive him. However, several of his ribs are cracked by Oda compressing his chest, and it takes weeks for him to heal completely.]]
48	* CreepyChild: All infected children are these. A little boy spotted [[spoiler: gnawing on a woman's remains]], moaning for his mother.
49	* CursedWithAwesome: [[spoiler: If the infection doesn't turn a person into a zombie, he/she is given SuperStrength, HealingFactor, while retaining most of their personality.]]
50	* DeadlyLunge: A frequent follow-up to EnemyRisingBehind.
51	* DeathFromAbove: Attempted [[spoiler:in Paris, against the Hive or Hives that are destroying the city]]. How successful it is never gets shown to the reader.
52	* DeathOfAChild: In fact, zombified children are quite troublesome, as they are more difficult to spot and evade, especially in crowded places. See the gathering of refugees close to Mt. Fuji.
53	* DistantFinale: The last scene in the final chapter shows [[spoiler:an older Hideo eking out a solitary existence in the ruins of Tokyo.]]
54	* DrivenToSuicide: The zombie that Hideo and Hiromi find in Aokigahara Forest had attempted suicide before the infection could take hold, but failed.
55	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Mitani never misses the news. Not because he cares what's going on, he just likes to slobber over the anchor ladies. They are the first clues that [[WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties something is extremely wrong]].
56	* EliteZombie: Combat types, child zombies, and a pregnant zombie are all seen early on. [[spoiler: Later, FleshGolem Brutes start to be assembled, we learn of the existence of creatures like Kuruso and the Naked Emperor who retain human-level intelligence, and most of the regular zombies are eliminated completely to build Hives (enormous Flesh Golems the size of a city block) from their bodies. At least one Horde Master briefly appears in charge of an enormous zombie conglomeration]].
57	** While it appears in both the manga and movie, the athlete zombie that circles Gotemba Mall is the first direct example in the 2016 film; showing both Smart Zombie and Stalker traits. [[ItCanThink It notices]] [[spoiler: Abe and Hideo conversing on the Mall roof]] and [[StealthBasedMission later uses their location as a target point to jump into the survivor camp]]; ambushing one of their medics with its jaw-mutation. It then goes on to [[spoiler: infect the Gotemba Mall residents while their heavy hitters are on a supply mission]], making a horde all its own.
58	* EnemyCivilWar: [[spoiler: Some of the Infected kill both humans and other Infected. A minor character suspects that this may be because of a civil war among the aliens who started the disease]].
59	* EnfantTerrible: The infected kids.
60	* EyeCam: Used several times. For example, when Hiromi loses or regains consciousness.
61	* EyeScream: Several times. Eyes can be bitten off, poked in, gouged out, etc.
62	* EroticEating: Mocked with [[spoiler: an infected Mi-chan]] fellating a ''baseball bat''.
63	* {{Facial Horror}}: Like you wouldn't believe.
64	** "Red light, green light, one two THREE!!! ''(chomps on nearby female passenger)''
65	** "I look up as I walk..."
66	** "I Love You" "I Love You Too"
67	* {{Fanservice}}: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by two men in a stolen Ferrari who offer Hiromi a ride if she takes off the pants under her dress because she ''needs'' to "show some ass".
68	** Played straight with some of the Volume covers, which depict scenes with one of the female characters in various states of undress.
69	* {{Fingore}}: Happens to [[spoiler:Mitani]], among others.
70	%%%* FishEyeLens: Employed multiple times
71	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
72	** In the early chapters, one of the message board threads involved a poster who jokingly said that [[spoiler: they're a representative of an alien force invasion that seeks (albeit forcefully via viral infection) to integrate humanity due to their similar biological structures and re-use human-made infrastructure for their purposes.]] Several dozen chapters later, and it became obvious as the zombie apocalypse's actual cause.
73	** The fact that [[spoiler: zombies are migrating to the South]] was mentioned during the Kurusu segment of the story. Oda and Hiromi experience getting stuck in one first-hand, which leads to an OhCrap moment for the two, especially as Hideo was incapacitated at the time. Miraculously the two of them get ignored, though they don't stick around to find out why.
74	* FuroScene: Chapter 164. The series still ''somehow'' manages to contrive giving Hiromi and Oda a chance to take a bath at a small hot spring. All the while [[MoodWhiplash Hideo is holding off an increasing number of zombies headed towards them]].
75	* GoryDiscretionShot: This is an extremely graphic series, so there are very few. Whatever the hell it is that [[spoiler: the infected Hiromi does to the zombie she mistakes for a torn teddy bear while trying to "fix it"]], though, we only ever get to see it ThroughTheEyesOfMadness and through Hideo's horrified reaction.
76	* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: Early on, the sensei Hideo works for]] has his penis bitten off by another man in the studio. [[spoiler:Later, Iura,]] in an infection-induced bout of madness, ''yanks off his penis'' while jerking off.
77	* HairTriggerTemper: [[FatBastard Mitani.]]
78	* HiveMind: Although initially just randomly violent, the zombies eventually form one. [[spoiler: It's pretty basic at first, just leading them all in one direction. As time goes on, though, the zombies begin to make themselves into Flesh Golems and develop "leaders" who are more aware]].
79	* {{Hypocrite}}: The old man subjected to Iura's "trial" in Gotenba claims to have powerful connections in the government and even the underworld. After realizing that none of his connections came to help him there and the only one who actually contacted him via voice mail begged him for help instead, he angrily brushed off his plea for help by saying that everyone should've just relied on themselves.
80	* HopeSpot:
81	** Chapter 181: [[spoiler: Hitomi and Hideo catch up to the pregnant Oda driving away in a garbage truck before she has a chance to leave. After a heartwarming moment where Hitomi stands in front of the truck, and it appears Oda has given in to their demands of sticking together, a zombified baby appears and bites Oda.]]
82	* HorrorHunger: The zombies who completely lose themselves don't stop at the [[IAmAHumanitarian living]], or even [[ITasteDelicious each other]].
83	* IgnoredVitalNewsReports: Hideo does this ''twice''. The first time is accidental. The second? [[TooDumbToLive Not so much.]] To be fair, everyone does this as well since none could've expected an actual zombie apocalypse to be on its way.
84	* ImportantHaircut: Hiromi, [[spoiler:while she is mourning Oda's death]].
85	* INeedAFreakingDrink: When Hideo points out that Hiromi is too young to drink after the group raids the beer supply near the Fifth Station, she promptly points out that after the day they just had and thinking she might be infected, she couldn't even begin to care less. [[spoiler: It's the last normal, pleasant thing she gets to do for a while because unfortunately, she's wrong about being okay]].
86	* InsaneEqualsViolent: Strongly averted with the protagonist, who is clearly mentally ill, but no more dangerous than anyone else. He has a good ability to tell the difference between his delusions and reality and is one of the only characters in the series to know how to handle a firearm safely and effectively.
87	* {{I Taste Delicious}}: Hideo and another survivor glimpse one zombie chowing down on its own feet. This prompts them to wonder if the zombies' goal is to destroy everything by eating humans, each other, and then themselves.
88	* KillItWithFire: One of the first depicted kills is done with an AerosolFlamethrower. [[spoiler: Araki later sacrifices himself and burns a zombies and himself to death to save a young teen.]]
89	* KlingonPromotion: [[spoiler: After killing Kurusu, Takashi becomes the group's leader, and the followers even start calling him Kurusu]]
90	* LaughingMad: A mild example. When Hideo and Hiromi are escaping Aokigahara by bike, stress and the absurdity of the situation cause them to burst out laughing while Fujiyoshida is destroyed around them. They get better quickly.
91	* LoveHotels: Oda, Hideo, and Hiromi stay in one as a base of operations.
92	* MadnessMantra: The infected keep repeating lines they usually said back when they were humans while attacking. [[spoiler: It makes sense that since they now exist in a HiveMind, they still see themselves as normal humans living their daily lives despite actually being zombified beyond recognition.]]
93	* {{Mangaka}}: There are a lot of them, always discussing the future of the industry, as well as the envy it shows within the editorials, or criticism, toward popular genres, and doujinshi.
94	* MarionetteMotion: As if the zombies themselves weren't pants-shitting enough.
95	* MeaningfulName: The AlternateCharacterReading for ''Hideo'' is why he keeps saying [[SurvivalMantra "I am a hero"]]. Later we have [[PunnyName Hiromi]].
96	* TheMedic: Oda has some experience in medicine from her stint as a nurse.
97	* MeleeATrois: [[spoiler: Between Kurusu, The Naked Emperor and Takashi. Takashi won.]]
98	* MessageBoard: Online communities play a role. They're the most GenreSavvy about a ZombieApocalypse, have less [[ThisLoserIsYou direct human contact]], and so have [[CursedWithAwesome better odds of survival]]. Not that it prevents the [[{{Hikikomori}} flaky]], morally questionable types from running things...
99	** Makes another appearance near the end [[spoiler: when Hiromi finally gets absorbed by the HiveMind and sees it as the same message board shown earlier (with some of the same posters, for good measure)]].
100	* MilitariesAreUseless: The Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) seemed to be decapitated during the early days of the zombie apocalypse since none of them were prepared for this scenario. While it's mentioned off-screen, other militaries like the French Armed Forces apparently [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] this to a degree, since they still conduct airstrikes against zombies weeks or months after the initial outbreak.
101	* MindScrew: See UnreliableNarrator.
102	* MostWritersAreWriters: Hideo of course, being a mangaka and all.
103	* MurderousThighs: The added strength, agility, and lack of pain means the thinner infectees use their entire bodies like a vice. [[{{Squick}} Squickier]] than the usual version.
104	* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: [[spoiler:With Tetsuko.]] He understands the situation, though - it's out of respect.
105	* {{NEET}}: Many of the characters of the parallel plot are this, who survived the initial outbreak due to being holed out in their rooms.
106	** At least a few of the survivors at the Gotemba Outlet Mall fall into the same category.
107	* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. Apparently, zombies still have menstrual cycles.
108	* NotAZombie: With a few exceptions, the entire city is under this impression as few people who encounter them survive long enough to pass it on.
109	* NotUsingTheZWord: The online term for the infected becomes ''ZQN,'' a portmanteau with the Japanese slang ''DQN'' (Dokyun, meaning "delinquent" or "idiot"). At least one scanlation uses "zombfags", in stride with [[{{Imageboards}} English-speaking chan parlance]].
110	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Zombies in this series come in several types:
111	** The first type is the TechnicallyLivingZombie phase. These creatures have an increased heart rate that might be fatal to a normal person, are hyper-violent, immune to fear and pain, and possess increased strength. They're also impossible to reason with. When these receive physical damage that would otherwise be fatal to a normal person (like, say, an impacted cranium from a three-story drop or a gunshot wound to the head), they change into ...
112	** The second type: true undead [[FleshEatingZombie flesh eating zombies]]. These have no pulse, no breaths, and still retain the speed and strength of the previous type.
113	** [[spoiler: Half-zombie hybrid: Hiromi and Kurusu, as well as several characters are bitten but do not turn into zombies. They retain most of their personality but are "blessed" with strength rivaling the zombies, and a HealingFactor as well. Zombies do not aggressively attack them, and as a bonus, they don't seem to suffer any ill effects like HorrorHunger. At least, not initially.]]
114	** [[spoiler: The FleshGolem created from multiple human bodies. It is also unknown what created them. The one assisting Hideo's group's escape at the hot spring seems to be fused. The one seen in Europe seems to be ''stitched'' together. And also the gigantic blob of flesh resulted from hundreds of zombies fusing.]]
115	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: Mitani gets decapitated by the ''landing gear of an airplane'' that's crashing down the street, seconds after experiencing Fingore.]]
116	* PoliceAreUseless: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] for laughs as Suzuki obsessive-compulsively keeps mentioning laws long after they have nobody to enforce them.
117	* PottyEmergency: Oda experienced one while driving with Hideo and Hiromi, complicated by the fact she was handcuffed to Hiromi. This resulted in BringMyBrownPants when Hideo uses a sledgehammer and a chisel from a hardware store to free them.
118	* POVCam: Used most prominently during the scavenging trip of Sango's group.
119	* ReallyGetsAround: Mi-chan is heavily implied to be this. [[spoiler: After being infected, the only words she keeps mumbling is "Dick" and "Cock".]]
120	* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: It's hard to say just how much is necessary for the latter as several of the infected have partially crushed skulls. Just knowing the method isn't an easy ticket for the police to control the outbreak. [[spoiler: It turns out that the latter is the only way to kill zombies since zombies whose heads have been decapitated can still be attached to other headless zombies' bodies and continue operating as usual.]]
121	* RevenantZombie: The infected have some elements of this; while decidedly unintelligent, they are often seen mindlessly attempting the daily routines they kept in life. And for reasons yet unknown, [[spoiler: they all seem to be heading south]]...
122	* RunningGag: Hideo keeps refusing to let other characters hold his shotgun because it is against the law in Japan.
123	* RunningOnAllFours: Several infected do this, but with the belly up, which is a lot creepier than the usual version.
124	* SafeZoneHopeSpot: Played with relentlessly. There are several occasions where Hideo thinks he's finally found a safe place to stay for a while, only for it to turn out as anything but.
125	* SealedBadassInACan: [[spoiler: Hiromi is used this way, after she becomes infected.]]
126	* ShakyPOVCam: Impressive in a rather detailed comic.
127	* ShooOutTheClowns: The change in mood [[spoiler: makes Suzuki unable to imagine Yajima any more for awhile.]]
128	* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler: A common impression of the ending for Hideo's plot line. Hideo ends up relatively content being alone in the post-apocalypse, but that doesn't change the fact that his attempt to get Hiromi to Tokyo and create a vaccine was a conga line of failure doomed from the start by the fact that she was actually an unknowing Horde Master rather than TheImmune. No other main character in Hideo's group survives the severely botched attempt. The story as a whole averts this only because of the parallel plot, and Hideo's only contribution to the BittersweetEnding is his undoing what he did as an inadvertent escort for the BigBad.]]
129	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Hideo's weapon of choice is an over-under double-barreled shotgun since its stopping power is more capable of blasting the zombies' heads off compared to average firearms. Not that he has many options, considering how difficult it is to acquire a gun permit in Japan.
130	** Subverted at times. Ammo can be in short supply, people with no experience reloading can have a hard time doing it quickly, and it's not got the greatest range or aim. Hideo has years of experience using it, but others sometimes struggle in very dangerous circumstances.
131	* SpitTake: Oda breaks the news of [[spoiler: her pregnancy to Hideo]], while he is eating noodle. Cue Hideo coughing and spitting (off-screen), and a strand of noodles hangs out of his nostril when he's done.
132	* StakingTheLovedOne: Hideo had to put his girlfriend out of her misery.
133	* SupportingProtagonist: Hideo sees himself as this in his own life. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he's not wrong. In the big picture, his main roles are meeting and initially caring for Hiromi (a person who becomes an Infected Queen) and having a gun. He's really not that significant]].
134	* TaintedVeins: Infected people are marked by both ProphetEyes and full-body standout veins.
135	* TechnicallyLivingZombie: However, the infection gives them the unnatural resilience more often associated with traditional zombies, and increased strength to boot. After death, these zombies will generally become the undead type if they aren't killed in a way that destroys the brain stem ([[spoiler: damaging the upper part of the brain does not appear to be enough, from what happens with the jumper who takes out the Gotemba Outlet Mall survivors.]]
136	* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: We get to see what the world looks like to a few of the Infected, [[spoiler: most dramatically Hiromi and Takashi]]. This provides significant insight into the behavior of the other ZQN. [[spoiler: It makes sense that the infected see the world around them this way since they're integrated to a HiveMind which prevents them from seeing the outside world realistically.]]
137	* TomatoInTheMirror: Apparently [[spoiler:Iura]]. Although it's obvious enough to the audience and to Oda, he seems to believe he's uninfected because he was never bitten (TheVirus can spread through other means as well, unfortunately for him). Played straighter with [[spoiler: some of the Pisa and Paris "survivors", who believe that they and those around them are unaffected and are seen ThroughTheEyesOfMadness]].
138	* TooDumbToLive: The [[{{Pun}} bit]] characters, which includes [[SupportingProtagonist our hero]]. Apparently, nobody watches the news.
139	** On a commuter train, rather than running as fast as humanly possible, an angry youth continues to yell at a staff member staring through the window on the other side of the car even while it's clear blood is seeping from the staffman's eyes, nose and mouth, is constantly spouting {{Madness Mantra}}s ("Thank You For Your Patronage"), and has tainted veins sprouting all over his face. Once it gets through, it takes a nice bite out of the youth's head, who stares disbelievingly at the mush of brain falling out before passing away.
140	* TranshumanTreachery: [[spoiler:Hiromi]]. When asked what she wants the others to do if she turns completely, she says that she wants to be left that way because she feels painfully alone as a human after experiencing the HiveMind. [[spoiler: She does eventually turn again, although what she becomes is too dangerous for her earlier wishes to be relevant]].
141	* TwoLinesNoWaiting: There are two parallel plots to the manga. The main one obviously follows Hideo, as he first struggles to survive, then as he becomes more confident, culminating in his resolve to protect both Oda and Hiromi and get them safely to Tokyo. The other plot focuses on another group of survivors, mostly [=NEETs=], who survived the outbreak and have banded together under a deadly man who goes by the moniker Kurusu... And they ''also'' happen to be heading in the direction of the Tokyo area.
142	* UhOhEyes: The first sign that the person has turned.
143	* UndeadChild: Several appear throughout the series, from infants who crawl like monkeys to children who chew on their dead loved ones.
144	* UnreliableNarrator: Suzuki hallucinates on a daily basis. Most of the time it's harmless, like his pudgy little imaginary friend Yajima... but it does throw the veracity of his account into question.
145	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Kurusu, [[spoiler: The Naked Emperor, then Takashi]].
146	* WaifFu: Hiromi and Kurusa, [[spoiler:both of whom are given unusual strength for their physical stature by infection]].
147	* WebcomicTime: The entire series ([[spoiler:with the exception of the very end]]) takes place over the course of a short time in early 2009, despite being serialized until early 2017.
148	* WhamEpisode:
149	** Chapters 144 and 145: Set in France, it's the first look at how the rest of the world is handling the ZombieApocalypse. [[spoiler: Not too well, and the zombies seem to be ''mutating'' too. And apparently, the French Armed Forces have to resort to airstrikes to deal with ''kaijuu-sized zombie conglomerations?]]
150	** Chapter 179: [[spoiler:Oda finds out that she's pregnant, likely from an encounter before the outbreak. By the end of the chapter, she leaves Hideo and Hiromi to search for a clinic, not wanting to slow them down.]]
151	** Chapter 181: [[spoiler:Oda is bitten by a zombified baby. Knowing it is too late to be saved she grabs hold of it, sustaining even more injuries before...]]
152	** Chapter 182: [[spoiler:Oda, bitten by a baby and slowing turning, races to the back of a garbage truck and successfully goads Hitomi into crushing her.]]
153	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Society is depicted at its [[AssholeVictim most apathetic]]. And then there are the infectees who haven't completely lost their minds.
154	** Although as the new chapters show even those who have long been dead appear to not have completely forgotten their humanity. A hanged zombie finally dies when it's handed a portrait of its family (although it could have just been the head separating from the body after much straining on the zombie's part)
155	*** Ditto for Hiromi's former friend (who was implied to be zombified after Hiromi left the house to go on a stroll in the woods at night) who appears to offer her a shoe.
156	** [[spoiler: Hiromi herself is infected after being bitten by a zombified baby. She is still able to maintain some of her mental faculties and so far has not tried to attack or eat the main character, Hideo (she even tries to protect him when watching him get chased by a zombie). However, she often experiences periods of dissociation where, after tearing off the aforementioned zombie's jaw, she experiences herself in her room washing dishes when she is actually using the ripped jaw to rub the zombie's now jawless face. She then mutilates the unfortunate zombie, thinking she is performing surgery on her stuffed toy. Her behavior may explain the zombies' erratic violent behavior and tendency to spout {{Madness Mantra}}s.]]
157	** [[spoiler: Takashi also maintains most of his mental faculties after being infected, and his interactions with another infected imply that they still maintain some self-awareness after turning, though he briefly succumbs to their violent behavior once he realizes Kurusu killed a member of the group he had a crush on. He even goes on to become the leader of the group of survivors he was part of. It's also implied that Kurusu had actually been infected for quite some time before Takashi joined his group, which would explain most of his PsychopathicManchild personality.]]
158	* WorldOfPun: Boob Morning! (Oppai-yo Gozaimasu!), done by appropriately busty models and actresses acting as hosts for a morning variety show. Played for dark laughs since the host kept saying it despite the program having turned rather somber due to the apocalypse starting outside.
159	* ZombieApocalypse: A weirder than average one, in any case.
160	* ZombieInfectee: Subverted. After the initial outbreak wiped out a large chunk of the population, the remaining survivor enclaves immediately woke up to the threat. After each encounter, they check each other for bites. The "suspicious" ones are isolated for hours to ensure they don't have the symptoms.
161	** Played straighter with [[spoiler: Hiromi]], although she doesn't hide her bite and neither she nor anyone else believes that it broke the skin (since it came from an infant). When she does turn [[spoiler: She thankfully doesn't kill anyone, and is still mostly harmless]].
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Context Manga / IAmAHero