Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (Japanese: 十二大戦, Hepburn: Jūni Taisen; lit. "Wars of the Twelve") is a Japanese light novel written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. It was published by Shueisha on May 19, 2015. It is a prequel to and ends with their one-shot manga titled "The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-nine That Can Be Done Without", published in Weekly Young Jump on January 8, 2015. The novel is licensed by Viz Media, which released an English translation in October 2017. An anime television series adaptation produced by Graphinica aired from October 3 to December 19, 2017. The sequel novel Zodiac War vs Zodiac War (十二大戦対十二大戦, Jūni Taisen Tai Jūni Taisen) was released on December 12, 2017.
Contents
Plot
In a city of half a million people who have all been removed, twelve of the deadliest warriors with the names and attributes of the Chinese zodiac animals are pitted against each other in the twelfth Zodiac Tournament, which takes place every twelve years. During this rendition, each warrior is asked to swallow one of twelve crystallized poison jewels known as Beast Gems (Juseki), which will kill each of the warriors after twelve hours. To be granted any one wish of their choosing, the winner must retrieve all the crystals from the other eleven competitors before the deadline (midnight, December 12). It becomes a ruthless battle where survival is crucial by any means.
Characters
Characters are listed in the order of the Chinese zodiac.
Tsugiyoshi Sumino (墨野 継義, Sumino Tsugiyoshi) / Rat (寝住, Nezumi)
Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese); Daman Mills (English)
Rat is a silver-haired teenager who always appears sleepy. He has an ability called "The Hundred Paths of Nezumi-san", which allows him to choose or experience 100 possible realities. His selected path becomes the factual reality; however, the process is mentally exhausting, which explains his sleepy appearance. Additionally, there are situations where none of the routes turn out well for him. He allies with the pacifist Monkey. His way of killing is "killing all". He is the only one in the tournament without a wish.
Eiji Kashii (樫井 栄児, Kashii Eiji) / Ox (失井, Ushii)
Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)
Ox is a horned man with long black hair who carries a long thin saber called "Goboken". He is regarded as the "Genius of Slaughter", a peerless warrior and one of the tournament's favorites. His way of killing is "killing systematically". Rat never learns Ox's wish as he is only given questions in response.
Kanae Aira (姶良 香奈江, Aira Kanae) / Tiger (妬良, Tora)
Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
Tiger is a young orange-haired woman with a long chain extending from a collar around her neck and a tendency to drink to excess. She is a former martial arts master turned soldier who discovered her bestial drunken fist techniques after a night of despair-driven binge drinking. She encountered Ox years earlier on a battlefield and was influenced by his philosophy. During the tournament, she agrees to a truce with Ox for their mutual benefit. Her way of killing is "killing in a drunken rage". According to Rat, her wish has something to do with meeting Ox again.
Media
Light novel
Nisio Isin and Hikaru Nakamura wrote and illustrated the novel respectively, which was published by Shueisha on May 19, 2015. Viz Media have licensed the light novel for an English release in 2017. Its light novel sequel was released on December 12, 2017.
A prequel short-story to Jūni Taisen Tai Jūni Taisen titled "'Zodiac War vs. Zodiac War' Trailer: Eve of the War" (『十二対大戦対十二大戦』予告編 大戦前夜, "Jūni Taisen Tai Jūni Taisen" Yokoku-hen Taisen Zen'ya) was included in the November 2017 issue of Jump Square bonus booklet released on October 4, 2017. It was later reprinted in the fourth volume of the manga adaptation.
Manga
A one-shot manga titled "The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-nine That Can Be Done Without" (どうしても叶えたいたったひとつの願いと割とそうでもない99の願い, Dōshitemo Kanaetai Tatta Hitotsu no Negai to Wari to Sō demo Nai 99 no Negai) was published in Weekly Young Jump on January 8, 2015.
A manga adaptation by Akira Akatsuki has been announced and was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website on September 23, 2017. Viz Media started distributing the manga via Weekly Shonen Jump on September 23, 2017. It was published until May 12, 2018, and collected into four volumes.
Anime
An anime adaptation is produced by Graphinica, with Naoto Hosoda directing, Sadayuki Murai writing scripts, Chikashi Kadekaru designing characters, and Go Shiina composing the music. It aired from October 3 to December 19, 2017. The opening theme is "Rapture" by Panorama Panama Town, while the ending theme is "Keshin no Kemono" (化身の獣) by Do As Infinity. It ran for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Funimation streamed the series with a simuldub. In Australia and New Zealand, Madman Entertainment is distributing the series, on behalf of Funimation.
