The Wicked City series is written by Hideyuki Kikuchi.
Genres and Sub-Genres[]
Urban Fantasy / Horror Fantasy
Series Description or Overview[]
Japanese horror master Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D) creates a dark, visceral horror fantasy of a demon-infested Tokyo, where a covert force of powerful humans struggle to prevent worldwide chaos. Renzaburo Taki, a member of the titular Guard who can restructure matter at the molecular level, is partnered with Makie, a beautiful demon who betrays her kind and fights for humanity in the ongoing secret war. Together, they're tasked with protecting the legendary sorcerer Giuseppe Mayart, who arrives in Tokyo to sign a peace treaty between man and demonkind. Mayart has plans of his own, sending Taki and Makie on a wild goose chase as the forces of darkness do everything possible to undermine the treaty. Readers looking for gory, erotic supernatural fun will enjoy Kikuchi's wild imagination and Jennyson Rosero's understated b&w illus. ~ Fiction Book Review: Black Guard: Wicked City, Vol. 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Author
Books in Series[]
The Wicked City series:
- Wicked City: Black Guard (2009)
- Wicked City: The Other Side (2010)
- Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan (2010)
Themes[]
World Building[]
Setting[]
Tokyo
Supernatural Elements[]
Demons, sorceror, enhanced humans, dream-invading monster, shape changers
- Black Guard: a secret police force that protects the boundary between the dark world and our own
- Shu Family: Demon Mafia
World Description[]
✥ Another world exists beyond the one that humans can see-a world populated by demons. A tenuous Peace Treaty is the only barrier between the worlds and every hundred years the Treaty must be renewed. Violent demonic splinter factions are hell-bent on destroying the ancient pact. Enter the Black Guard, a secret police force that protects the boundary between the dark world and our own.
✥ The classic anime Wicked City is based on a series of novels by master horror writer Hideyuki Kikuchi. Seven Seas is pleased to present these novels to the North American audience for the first time, featuring brand new cover art and interior illustrations by fan favorite illustrator Ayami Kojima, the concept artist for the Castlevania series of video games.
For centuries, a secret peace treaty has existed between Earth and The Black World, a parallel dimension populated by shape-changers who possess awesome supernatural powers. Now that pact is up for renewal and a militant faction from the Black World will do everything in its power to stop the treaty from being signed. The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a pair of special agents, one a human, the other a shape-changer from the dark dimension. ~ Wicked City #01: Wicked City, Volume 1: Black Guard by Hideyuki Kikuchi - Powell's Books
Recurring Characters[]
Characters | What | About |
---|---|---|
Renzaburo Taki | Black Guard, human | restructure matter at the molecular level; Partner: Makie |
Makie | Black Guard, demon | betrays her kind and fights for humanity in secret war; Partner: Renzaburo Taki |
Giuseppe Mayart | sorcerer | arrives in Tokyo to sign a peace treaty between man and demonkind; has plans of his own, sending Taki and Makie on a wild goose chase as the forces of darkness |
Miyuki | Black Guard agent | teems with Taki and Makie to defeat the creature and save the world |
Shu family | infamous demon mob | will stop at nothing to prevent Taki and Makie's child from entering the world (bk-3) |
Author[]
- Website: Hideyuki Kikuchi - Wikipedia
- Genres: Horor-Urban Fantasy, Manga, Anime, . . .
Hideyuki Kikuchi was born in Chiba in 1949. He graduated from the Aoyama Gakuin University of Law and, inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, began publishing supernatural fiction in the early 1980s. One of the most prolific authors in the field, Kikuchi has published over three hundred books and still produces approximately one per month. He has enjoyed international success as a novelist, and much of his work has been adapted for manga and anime. Kikuchi is the author of the ongoing series Vampire Hunter D, of which Noble V: Greylancer is a spin-off. Wicked City, A Wind Named Amnesia, and Dark Wars: The Tale of Meiji Dracula number among his works available in English. ~ Hideyuki Kikuchi | About Hideyuki Kikuchi | Bookish.com
Awards[]
Artists[]
- Cover Art: Chris McGrath
- B&W Illustrations: Jennyson Rosero ~ Fiction Book Review: Black Guard: Wicked City, Vol. 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Author
- Interior Art: Ayami Kojima (fan favorite illustrator), the concept artist for the Castlevania series of video games.
Publishing Information[]
Publishers: Tor/Seven Seas
- Author Page:
- Bk-1: Paperback, 272 pages, Pub: Sept 29th 2009—ISBN: 0765323303
- Bk-2: Paperback, 240 pages, Pub: June 8th 2010—ISBN: 0765323311
- Bk-3: Paperback, 224 pages, Pub: November 9th 2010 by—ISBN: 076532332X
Book Cover Blurbs[]
✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—Wicked City: Black Guard (2009): Another world exists beyond the one that humans can see–a world populated by demons. For centuries, demons have crossed into our world, some looking for a new life, adventure, or just a job. But many are intent on causing chaos and destruction, feasting on human flesh and fear. A tenuous Peace Treaty is the only barrier between the worlds, the only thing protecting humankind from utter devastation. Every hundred years the Treaty must be renewed—and the time for that secret ceremony is at hand. Violent demonic splinter factions that are hell-bent on destroying the ancient pact are preparing to assassinate a key figure who is vital to the signing ceremony. Enter the Black Guard, a secret police force that protects the boundary between the dark world and our own. It's the job of two Black Guard agents—Makie, a gorgeous demon, and Taki, a hard-boiled human—to form an unlikely partnership, stop the assassination, and avert an all-out war. But to save both their worlds, they must risk not only their lives, but their very souls! ~ Goodreads | Wicked City: Black Guard (#1)
✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—Wicked City: The Other Side (2010): The classic anime Wicked City is based on a series of novels by master horror writer Hideyuki Kikuchi. Tor/Seven Seas is pleased to present these novels to the North American audience for the first time, featuring cover art by Christian McGrath (The Dresden Files). The Black Guard, whose job it is to protect the boundary between our mortal world and the demonic Dark World, has succeeded in preserving the tenuous peace treaty between the two worlds, averting an all-out war. Now a new threat from the Dark World terrorizes humanity, a monster that invades people’s dreams and causes them to commit murder. Black Guard agents Taki, a hardboiled human, and his sexy demon partner, Makie, must work alongside legendary Black Guard agent Miyuki if they are to defeat the creature and save the world.
Like author Hideyuki Kikuchi’s well-known and critically-acclaimed Vampire Hunter D novels (Dark Horse), Wicked City is an epic ten-volume tale of supernatural horror and high-octane action. ~ Goodreads | Wicked City: The Other Side (Wicked City, #2) by Hideyuki Kikuchi
✤ BOOK THREE BLURB—Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan (2010): The child conceived by the mortal Taki and the demoness Makie, fellow Black Guard agents whose job it is to preserve the peace between human and demonkind, is about to be born. Many see the upcoming birth as a sign of hope that the child will bring together the demon and human worlds in a new era of lasting peace. For the Shu family, however, which thrives on chaos and destruction, this is the last thing they desire. The infamous demon mob, silent for thousands of years, will stop at nothing to prevent this child from entering the world. With magic snake handlers and fire-spitting demons at their beck and call, the Shus throw everything they have at Taki and the Black Guard in order to stop an event that has been predicted for centuries. ~ Goodreads | Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan (Wicked City, #3)
Quotes[]
Goodreads | Hideyuki Kikuchi Quotes (Author of Vampire Hunter D)
Read Alikes[]
— If you like this, you may like these:
- Nikki Glass series
- Black Wings series
- Menagerie series
- Nightside series
- Death Works Trilogy
- Simon Canderous series
- Deacon Chalk series
Awards[]
Trivia[]
~ on Goodreads Best UF Series List
Lists:
- Chris McGrath Book Covers (121 bks)
- Lists That Contain Wicked City: Black Guard (Wicked City, #1) by Hideyuki Kikuchi
Notes[]
Wicked City is an epic tale of supernatural horror and martial arts in ten volumes, in the vein of Vampire Hunter D.
See Also[]
- UF Book Release Schedules
- List of Sidekicks
- List of Vampires of Urban Fantasy
- Characters (category)
- List of PNR Anthologies and Collections
- List of UF Anthologies
- List of Cover Artists
- Urban Fantasy Links
Category links at bottom of page
External References[]
Books:
- Wicked City series by Hideyuki Kikuchi ~ Goodreads
- Hideyuki Kikuchi ~ FF
- Hideyuki Kikuchi - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb
- Wicked City series Series ~ Shelfari
- Wicked City | Series ~ LibraryThing
- FictFact - Hideyuki Kikuchi author ~ FicFact
- Hideyuki Kikuchi - Books ~ NeoSeeker
Summaries:
- Wicked City (novel) - Wikipedia
- Seven Seas Entertainment » Series » Wicked City
- Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan by Hideyuki Kikuchi
The World, Characters, etc:
The Wicked City series:
- Wicked City: Black Guard (2009)
- Wicked City: The Other Side (2010)
- Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan (2010)
Reviews:
- Fiction Book Review: Black Guard: Wicked City, Vol. 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Book Reviews: Wicked City #1 (Hideyuki Kikuchi) (Genji Press)
- Wicked City: Black Guard #1 - Mania.com
- Black Guard #1 - SFRevu Review
- Wicked City: The Scarlet Clan #3 by Hideyuki Kikuchi
Articles:
- Anime of the Past: Wicked City - oprainfall
- Hideyuki Kikuchi is Guest of Honor at NY Anime Festival - Comic Book Resources
- PR: Hideyuki Kikuchi Celebrates his Birthday at NY Anime Fest - Toon Zone News
- Hideyuki Kikuchi Anthology: A Wind Named Amnesia and Invader Summer Review | The Ranobe Cafe
- Archives | The Star Online.
Interviews:
- Digital Manga Inc. Blog » Blog Archive » An interview with Hideyuki Kikuchi!!
- Hideyuki Kikuchi | Authors | Macmillan
Author:
- Hideyuki Kikuchi - Wikipedia
- Hideyuki Kikuchi (anime/manga person)
- Goodreads | Hideyuki Kikuchi (Author of Vampire Hunter D)
- Hideyuki Kikuchi - 12,090 A.D.
- Hideyuki Kikuchi | Books by Hideyuki Kikuchi | About Hideyuki Kikuchi | Bookish.com
- Hideyuki Kikuchi (Person) - Comic Vine
- Kikuchi, Hideyuki - MyAnimeList.net
- Hideyuki Kikuchi Author Page
- Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Kobo - eBooks - Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D vol.1
Community, Fan Sites: