Dark Souls: Redemption Manga Starts an Engaging, Original Story    

Back in June 2024, Yen Press announced that it would release manga based on the Dark Souls series called Dark Souls: Redemption. I’ll admit I ended up feeling a bit apprehensive when I heard about it, given it’s being written by Julien Blondel, an author who wasn’t involved with the games. However, I was delighted to see how true to the concepts from the game this new story feels. 

Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for the first volume of the Dark Souls: Redemption manga below.

The first moments of Dark Souls: Redemption are hauntingly familiar. A tomb. A body on a slab. The horrors of waking up alone, with no memories or sense of self, in a crypt. Venturing out to see absolutely nothing but desolation. If you didn’t know this involved an introduction to a manga, it might sound like the start of someone’s retelling of their personal Dark Souls playthrough. But here we are. Ira’s journey begins much like our own, which I think helps the story since we can see ourself in it.

It also helps that it is accompanied by some ominous hints at Dark Souls: Redemption’s lore. Rather than us immediately starting with Ira, we see Lord Gaalor and his knights growing alarmed at the sign of a flame revealing that “the Scourge” awoke and returned to the land. Seeing as how he and his Grey Cinders group immediately head to Ira to face her, it’s clear to the unfamiliar reader she’s tied to or the cause of it. The fact that it is also in the name of the dragons makes it more curious, propelling you forward for a taste of truth.

From there, the pacing is absolutely perfect. Much like the Dark Souls games, the manga gives us no quarter. We’re immediately thrust into danger and mystery. From the ghostly dog that seems friendly to Ira and the old ally Eudo who used to be tied to Gaalor, but pledged to protect her, to the new threats she faces from the Grey Cinders, a dragon, and her knowledge of the unknown, it’s absolutely captivating. Part of this is due to Shonen’s art perfectly capturing the ambiance, both with imposing warriors like Eudo and more unholy menaces like the first golem threatening Ira and Ar’vrark.

I would say that the fact that Dark Souls: Redemption keeps us so in the dark, gradually revealing more, helps the manga as well. My the end, we’re aware that Ira was a person of some importance. She did something which many consider unforgivable. However, one closest to her doesn’t see it that way and was so dedicated that they swore an oath that would physically hurt them to keep the secret. The place at which the first volume end results in Ira being posed as a very formidable warrior, even with her amnesia affecting her, and sets the story up to tell a tale like similar to the ones in FromSoftware’s works.

It feels like Dark Souls: Redemption could have all the elements to help ensure the manga feels right when compared to the FromSoftware games. The opening moments mimic the ones our avatars experience in Dark Souls. We start to see a story filled with concepts of betrayal, corruption, greed, and of course malice. There are daunting opponents, as well as the potential for morally grey decisions and plot beats. I’m excited to see what future volumes could bring and how elements like the Darksign and Hollowing come up throughout, as well as see the rest of Ira’s story.

The first volume of the Dark Souls: Redemption manga is available now via Yen Press, and there’s no word on a release window for the second installment yet.