Ashen Victor, known in Japan as Haisha (灰者), is a futuristic manga by Yukito Kishiro, taking place in the same universe as his Battle Angel Alita series, specifically in the Scrapyard.

Plot

The story takes place before the events of Battle Angel Alita and revolves around Snev, a motorballer nicknamed the "Crash King" due to the way his races usually end. Although a promising athlete, even termed a "prodigy" by his mentors, Snev lacks the confidence to advance his career following a traumatic accident on the track six months earlier.

Characters

Snev Beretta Holmegolud Lorna Ben Dragunov The Marathon Man

Depiction of motorball

Motorball in Ashen Victor is still focused largely on the players' racing ability. Despite his dismal racing record, Snev impressed those who watched him by performing exceptionally during his tryouts, although it is suggested that talented players like him are becoming a rarity. Players are not explicitly depicted as fighting during a race, and are not yet equipped with the variety of weapons that are seen later on in Battle Angel Alita. However, the sport is moving in a more violent direction driven by the bloodlust of the audience. Ben mentions that motorball is no longer a sport and that the audience now comes more for the violence. Holmegolud, who is much older than he is, also states that motorball is now "all carnage and no skill." This trend towards an increasing desire for violence on the part of the spectators is also reflected in the results of a viewer poll conducted by the owner of Team Spandau, which finds that their monitor viewers prefer to experience a crash rather than an actual motorball victory. The use of performance-enhancing drugs is also becoming an accepted practice, as is shown in Dragunov's endorsement of the nervous system accelerant "Accel" and its rising popularity. He continues to use the drug after the dissolution of Team Spandau until his retirement from motorball as a result of abusing it.

Notes and references