Noragami: Stray God Vol. 6 Review

All of Noragami‘s big current storylines and subplots have been building to this, the showdown between Yato and Bishamom. Everything comes to a close here and tragedy is certainly in sight, but a question lingers in the air: is it good?

Noragami: Stray God Vol. 6 (Kodansha Comics)

Written and drawn by: Adachitoka
Translated by: Alethea and Athena Nibley

Due to this being the big climax to this large running storyline, among other things, let’s forgo the opening summation and get straight to the point, hopefully avoiding as many spoilers as possible. Volume 6 is a fantastic conclusion to the arc, hitting all the right notes in its story and characters while also leaving off on a great note to get you excited for what comes next.

The conclusion wraps up most of the ongoing storylines in the series up until this point–the main one being the conflict between Yato and Bishamon, but also Yato solving Hiyori’s problem. It’s quite thrilling from beginning to end with all of the shocking moments that happen, the desperation shown by Bishamon to defeat Yato, and the outcome of Kugaha’s plan. It leaves you on the edge of your seat with how things play out and resolves almost everything in a way that makes sense for every character. The only thing that seems to somewhat come out of nowhere is the Blessed Vessel situation, that resolves the shocking cliffhanger from last time without any fuss. It seemed sudden and surprising, like it was a concept that should’ve been mentioned or hinted at earlier. Otherwise, the story is great overall and I’m curious to see where the manga goes now that it ended most of the major conflicts that were going on.

Adachitoka’s writing continues to be great and help raise the story up so well. The characterization is on point for everyone and all of their actions make sense, including Bishamon’s final decision regarding Kugaha at the end. The emotion and drama rings true due to that strong character writing and how things proceed. Nothing about it feels emotionally manipulative or overdone, making everyone’s pain and emotion powerful. The dialogue is decent as well, along with the pacing and structure that help build up the tension and knowing when to stretch a scene out to give them the right amount of punch to them. Again, the writing is just great here and I really don’t have any problems with it.

The artwork looks as great as always too. The characters are drawn well; very expressive which helps to sell you on the drama and emotion they are experiencing. The action is terrific and flows well from panel to panel, while also looking very intense and brutal with the detail and energy put into each scene. The layouts are good as well; there are no parts where panels don’t make sense in how they are structured or constructed. There’s not a lot to say that hasn’t been said already. It’s a just good looking book as always.

Conclusion

Noragami: Stray God Vol. 6 brings many satisfying and emotional conclusions to most of the storylines in the series. Everything comes together well, delivering a truly grand finale that leaves you feeling good, but also wanting and wondering for what comes next for our characters. This is easily the best volume of the series to date, so here’s hoping what comes next is just as entertaining and engaging.