Ral Ω Grad (BLUE DRAGON ラルΩグラド) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsuneo Takano and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It is loosely based on the Blue Dragon video game. The story revolves around the journey of a young man named Ral from the kingdom of Sphaelite. Ral has a symbiotic relationship with Grad, a legendary shadow with the form of a giant blue dragon. The series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2006 to July 2007, with its 29 chapters collected in four tankōbon volumes. The series was licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.

Story

In a world where demonic creatures named shadows enter our realm through their very namesakes, little is safe. However, when a young boy by the name of Ral becomes friends with the shadow inside him, he may be the last hope in saving the world. Ral lives on the island of Sphaein, in the kingdom of Sphaelite (スフエライト). There, he has been enlisted to protect the kingdom from evil shadows that wish to destroy it. With the aid of his shadow, a large blue dragon named Grad, and his teacher, Mio, Ral can take on any challenger.

Characters

Main characters

Other characters

Publication

Written by Tsuneo Takano and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Ral Ω Grad ran in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 4, 2006, to July 9, 2007. Shueisha collected its 29 individual chapters into four tankōbon volumes, released from April 4 to November 2, 2007. In North America, the series was licensed for English release by Viz Media. The four volumes were released from February 5, 2008, to June 2, 2009. In Germany, Tokyopop began publication in October 2007 under the title Blue Dragon RalΩGrad, a spelling mandated by the licensing contract with Shueisha.

Volumes

Reception

Dominic Nguyen of Newtype USA wrote: "What readers will appreciate most about Ral Ω Grad is the supporting cast, which largely consists of attractive young girls."