Ajin, And What It Means To Be Human.

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:05]What does it mean to be human? Thousands of books, stories, and authors has tried to tackle this question before, but I want to take a look at a certain manga in its take on this colossal age-old question. Ajin demihuman is a Japanese sen manga written in illustrated by gammon sakurai. It was serialized in Kodancha Sen manga magazine Good Afternoon from July 2012 to February 2021.

[00:00:30]Gammon Sakurai is a pretty underrated mangaka [music] considering he was actually selected for the afternoon magazine four seasons award for new comic artists. And I mean just take a look at the panels. Jesus, they're beautiful. I personally think that the art and choreography of this manga is one of its best strength and quality.

[00:00:49]But ain demihuman has a much much deeper bag in terms of storytelling. [music] And just for the record, I don't want to seem like a pretentious saint and elitist, but I'm going to be a pretentious s and elitist for a second here and say that Ajin [music] is not like any other mead power scaling action manga. After all, it's psychological.

[00:01:11]Like I said earlier, Gammon Sakurai is an excellent mangaka both in art and writing. [music] So that's why I want to bring some light into what I consider to be one of the most underrated mangas of all time. This video will contain a lot of spoilers for Ajin. I'm going to try to keep it to a minimum. But still, I highly, highly encourage you guys to just check out the manga first. [music] Trust me, you won't regret it.

[00:01:36]Ajin follows the story of a young boy named Kagay, a normal, hardworking high school student. K Naga is a protagonist of Ajin [music] and is one of the main focal points of this video first chapter and we're immediately introduced to what kind of a human wink wink [music] K Nag is as him and his friends are talking about what to do for the summer break.

[00:01:57]Kay already knows what he's going to be doing. Studying like a goddamn nerd.

[00:02:02]Obviously, he had to be bullied for this. I mean, studying for the entire summer break. You got to [music] be kidding me, dog. But we actually do get an important early piece of monologue from Kay. He says, "All I'm trying to do is work hard so I can become a fine human being." [music] For a young high school student, that is a pretty bizarre statement. Usually, when you hear people talking about their dreams or the reasons they work, they're usually going to say it's to become a good lawyer or to become a great [music] actor, singer, athlete, etc., etc. Not K. The first motivation we get from the protagonist of this manga is just him working hard to become a fine human being. Whatever that may mean, we'll see. Kay continues walking. He sees this young man he calls Sky. When a friend of him asks about it, Kay simply replied, "He's a freak." Wow, this guy is just a ray of [ __ ] sunshine, isn't he? [music] Next scene, we get an explanation of what demihumans are. Since I want you guys to experience the intensity of the story on your own, we're not going to go chapter to chapter going over the entire story. [music] So, I'm just going to jump in on the focus of this video. Beginning with [music] Basically, the gist of it is demihumans, often called demis for short, are a very rare type of humans that are virtually invincible, [music] regenerating and reviving from any kind of physical attacks. idea of demihumans is basically the engine of this story, the seed.

[00:03:39]Through the concept of demis, a lot of character philosophy and motivations branch out. This power system is simple yet effective. I mean, you're just pretty much invincible or not. We'll get into that later, don't worry. It's one of the three main points in the manga that I wanted to talk about in this [music] video with the first one being kagi. Of course, think of it as the binder on this threeingredient video essay cake that I'm [music] baking. So, just let me bake. Also, I haven't mentioned earlier, but not only does Ajin have one of my most favorite interpretation of the meaning of being human, they also have one of my most favorite rendition of immortality/in invincibility in fiction and [music] what it can potentially do to the human psyche in a realistic manner. Of course, speaking of realistic, there's also the struggles of having such abilities in a greedy [music] capitalistic world full of money hungry sharks. Before we really dig into it, let's further [music] explore the capabilities of demihumans.

[00:04:33]Being invincible, of course, no amount of damage can permanently kill a demi.

[00:04:37]They can be crushed, stabbed, [music] decapitated, they will always regenerate and come back to life just moments after. Using an unknown matter only they possess. It's unknown even in the lore what this matter exactly is or how it even functions. It's only ever been theorized by Dr. or Ioya Agura, an American biophysicist expert in the study of demis. It's called an IBM, which stands for invisible black matter.

[00:05:02]Creative, I know. This intangible unknown matter is what allows demis to regenerate their body to its original state. This matter also manifests in the form of a humanoid monster known as black ghosts. Not all demis can awaken these, but when they do, they can prove useful in combat and espionage. Black ghosts can also regenerate, but there is a way to temporarily kill them, which is blunt force trauma to the head. Black ghosts can't be seen by normal humans, [music] hence the ghost part of their name, but they could be seen by other demis. Some black ghosts have different characteristics based on their users.

[00:05:38]There can even be multiple of them.

[00:05:40]Besides these, the third and final ability of demihumans are the [music] paralyzing scream, which they can use to, you guessed it, paralyze people.

[00:05:49]Though this can be very easily countered by just wearing earplugs or noise dampeners. Despite these abilities, there are still a lot of unknown variables when it comes to dealing with demihumans and understanding [music] them. Niche situations like flooding of black ghosts, regeneration rules, density of the black ghosts, how the user's emotion affects them, and even technically killing them by repeated decapitation, forcing them to regenerate new heads and brain, thus killing the old consciousness [music] from their previous brain. But that's more of a psychological conundrum rather than an actual physical [music] death. Although demis can age and die due to old age, we've never actually seen that instance happening in the manga. But all of the other unknowns about demis are a subtle part of their charm. It's [music] mysterious and has so many unpredictable variables which helps to raise tension and keep the audience on their [music] toes. The series also deals with the existence of demis in such a realistic way while still keeping things creative.

[00:06:46]They're not overly dark for the sake of being dark, but we actively see the influence of greed and politics in the series. But I think what affects them is the most are themselves. When given this supernatural ability, [music] how would humans deal with it? How would it affect their psyche, actions, and even morals?

[00:07:04]I believe that that is one of the core underlying themes of Ajin. It is a test of the meaning of being human. [music] Dr. Agura has a very interesting monologue regarding demis and how they were created. And I think it's one of the best ways to really understand what demis represent in the manga.

[00:07:22]He explains that 13.8 billion years ago [music] when the big bang occurred, elementary particles moved, binding into one another, becoming everything from atoms [music] to molecules and every matter in the universe. Dr. Agura believes that everything that has and will ever happen has already been predetermined by these movements from the very beginning. But a matter that isn't part of the universe's design suddenly came into existence. That being the IBM, the matter that allows demis to regenerate.

[00:07:54]When asked about the origin of the IBM, Dr. Agura simply replied that it came from the human heart. He proceeded [music] to explain his reasoning for this. When the rise of tools happened and humans developed complex emotions, these emotions were able to create the IBM, an entirely new and unknown form of energy. The intense emotion to cling onto life. The refusal of the human heart to pass on without fulfilling its [music] deemed purpose. Whether it's passion, love for someone, obsession for a goal, or simply the attachment to life. When the human [music] heart gets shaken to its core, when it is unwilling to stop beating, it causes a massive expansion that allows humans to continue on living, becoming a demihuman. Perhaps that is the reason why demihumans can still die of old age. They're merely invincible to external attacks, but not to their own mortality. Because a demihuman clings onto life for their own purpose, they refuse to be taken away by conditions such as injuries or accidents. their dissatisfaction with the story they leave behind unfinished [music] or their passion for something or for someone maybe for life itself.

[00:09:01][music] This is what anchors their heart to keep beating and to continue what they refuse to be finished. Old age however is just the human heart and soul fading away returning to its place as a part of the universe taking with them their memories contentment and [music] ultimately regrets.

[00:09:25]>> [music] [music] >> With this concept and understanding of Demis in mind, now let's go back to Kay Nagai. Throughout the story, Kayagi was always portrayed as a logical and intelligent character. I mean, we talked about it earlier. His [music] very introduction was him talking about studying for the entire summer break.

[00:09:54]This gives us a simple motivation for K's character. [music] He's an excellent student, sure, but at the end of the day, his simple goal is to become a doctor. Or in another way to put things, a fine [music] human being. What does a fine human being mean to the readers, to the story, or to Kagay himself? [music] This simple statement in my opinion is where Kagay's character arc revolve around. [music] and his first trip way up the roller coaster is him discovering his true being, a demihuman. At this point in the world of Ain, demihumans are already looked down upon as monsters. People see them as nothing short of an opportunity to earn some bounty [music] or reward from the government. Some demihumans were captured, some stays in hiding, and some are working for their freedom. They're treated worse than third class citizens.

[00:10:42]>> [music] >> Kay knows this, so he goes into hiding, receiving help from, you guessed it, the one and only Kaio. But Kay leaves. He left Kai behind in the thought that he's just going to get his [music] old friend in trouble. Throughout the manga, we get many glimpses into K's morality and character. [music] He's capable of cold logic. No, he prefers cold logic. He limits his emotion and follows a route of rationality, often [music] seeing people as opportunities or risk rather than as humans. We know that thanks to his relationship with [music] Kaio, his childhood friend. He parted ways with him after his mother strongly urged him to due to [music] Kai's father being a convict. Kagi, of course, having a strong sense of completing his goal, followed through and obeyed her mother, thus cutting Kai off as a friend completely. [music] This behavior of staying away from people he deems as no good or inferior to him in intelligence carried over to K's adolescent life [music] where we can see that he still weren't talking to Kai before he discovered that he was an agent. Despite this, [music] Kai did not hesitate to help Kay when he needed it. This was the start of Kay's development as a character and more so as a human. [music] Kaga is a really interesting protagonist. He's not a traditional main character trying to save [music] everybody and he's not necessarily deeply traumatized from childhood like other saint and protagonist that is exposed to violence.

[00:12:04]He's a unique kind of character, [music] one without a grandiose goal but still keeps moving forward. We talk about K's childhood [music] earlier and that was a part of the conversation he had with his mom over [music] the phone when he was still on the run. This dialogue between the two of them is something that I believe is very important to K's character. [music] Not only does it explain his upbringing and as to how he became the way he is, it also became a turning point [music] to Kay's development as a character. The scene began as Kay dials his mother's number in a phone booth. She [music] picks up and we immediately get this panel of her asking Kay what he wants in a rather saucy way. Not really the tone you'd expect from a mother of a boy who's [music] getting hunted down by the government for cruel experimentation, but whatever. K's mom proceeded questioning his action when it comes to escaping and other quote unquote productive stuff to do instead of [music] working or fighting against terrorism. We can clearly see that just like Kay, his mother focuses on logic and rational decisions instead of letting emotions take over her. We even get a line from her saying that as a mother, she has an ethical and instinctual [music] duty to protect her kids. Wow. I mean, she's not wrong, I guess. And she does not sugarcoat things neither. You got to respect it, man.

[00:13:18]They ended their call with Kay's mother advising him to do what he's got to do and to stop worrying about getting on his mother's good side. She also said that since Kay [music] can't die, she's going to prioritize his sister over him.

[00:13:30]This just goes to show that Kay's mother is just like him, capable of cold logic.

[00:13:35]After their conversation on the phone, we get a talk from Kay's mom and his sister. we get an even deeper dive on Kay's past and character, including his friendship with Guy, which we already mentioned earlier. Kay's mother said [music] that he isn't exactly cold in a sense of being completely apathetic, like what his sister believes, mainly because of what happened between him and Kao. [music] Rather, he's rational. She goes on to tell Kay's sister that the reason why Kay wanted to be a doctor, is [music] to cure her illness. Here's where the story really cementss Kay Naga as a memorable [music] protagonist for me. Going back a bit, what I said earlier was a bit misleading. [music] Yes, Kay's mom did told him to cut off Kaio, but it's become pretty obvious that Kay also did this out of his own accord. [music] He set aside his emotion and acted rational even as a child.

[00:14:22]After revealing this information to her daughter, Kay's mom defended this way of thinking. What does it mean to care for someone? [music] She believes that caring for someone means to set aside your emotion and do what is right, to know your priorities.

[00:14:37]After all, you can't act and care for everyone all at the same time. When I first read this, it really did shift my view on Kay's character. It is such an excellent [music] piece of dialogue, especially the end part where it was revealed that Kay didn't actually choose [music] to run away because in the end, he also took after a little bit of his father's emotional [music] drive. So, he chose to face the adversary that's been haunting him and his conscience for a while. And the fact that his mother was sure and confident that this was the decision that Kay is going to make added another layer in the relationship and shows us that his mother isn't simply a cold-hearted cynic. Kay is such a fresh protagonist, at least [music] for me.

[00:15:16]Throughout the manga, his journey to becoming a fine human being didn't come from the studying that he [music] did before becoming a demi, but instead from the lessons and experiences that he got from the people that [music] he met throughout. He learned how to risk things to sometimes risk using logic in favor of [music] using his heart. After all, it was what allowed him to become a demihuman in the first place.

[00:15:40][music] >> [music] >> If you've ever read Ajit or at least have some idea about it, you might have noticed that I've been actively avoiding a certain man's name. Debatably the most iconic character of the entire manga.

[00:16:15]That's why I saved him for last and also because he's a man of surprise, a man of calculated chaos. Sato Samuel T. Owen was a part of the US Marine Corps. He began his 8week recruit training in San Diego in 1969 by faking his age to join the Corps. He left after 2 weeks because of a supposed illness, but this was a cover up as he was actually recruited to be part of an ultra elite section of the military known only as the team while fighting in Vietnam. Imagine being a part of a group so secret and exclusive [music] that it's simply called team. If that's not Aura, I don't know what is. The team led by Sato went back to Vietnam to rescue Apow. Hundreds of enemies awaited Sato and his team, but his leadership and mastery [music] of stealth allowed them to complete the mission without firing a single bullet. It was near the end of the mission when the devil awakens. Sato drops one line, play ball, and fired a single shot, causing hundreds of enemies to surround [music] them. Sato was mining the entire time. Being near death is somehow the thing that makes him feel the most alive. They did complete the mission, but with one casualty and one heavily injured man, [music] while Sato also lost his leg. This stunt got him booted out as soon as they returned. At the end of this chapter, Sato was revealed to have killed multiple animals with an expression that can only be described as mild [music] confusion.

[00:17:42]After getting discharged from the military, Sato spent most of his time playing arcade. But after getting involved in a mess with a syndicate group, it seemed like Sat's game over [music] screen has finally caught up to him as he gets shot in the head. But the unexpected happened. Somebody inserted another coin and Sato was revived. His leg [music] was healed and he proceeded with his rampage. Just from his backstory alone, you can deduce what kind of man Sato is. The man who witnessed his madness firsthand even stated that he probably has no emotions.

[00:18:13]But there's more to it [music] than that. Not only is Sato most probably a sociopath, he's also a master strategist. We see this along the story.

[00:18:22]He constantly manipulates his allies and enemies to the point where he seems genuinely [music] insurmountable as an opponent. Even as I was reading through the manga myself, [music] I went through a period around the end of the story where I felt just as hopeless as the main character when it comes to dealing with Sato. [music] He doesn't have super strength or speed, but his craftiness when it comes to combat and killing never fails to astound me. This is another compliment to Gammon Sakurai since he choreographs and illustrate the fight so brilliantly. [music] It's just pure art if I'm being honest. I could make an entirely separate video on how good of an antagonist Sato is. But what I want to focus on is how he fits on the themes that we've talked about in this video. [music] He's the final ingredient of this sweet cake we're baking.

[00:19:05]The very existence and actions of Sato perfectly [music] contrasts K Naga.

[00:19:10]Throughout their many encounters, Kay has always tried to understand and follow the [music] logic of Sat's action. Most of the time failing. Why?

[00:19:18]Because Sato does this [ __ ] for the love of the game, son. Though [music] seriously, the more we are exposed to Sato's character, the more we get an understanding on how twisted [music] his mind actually is. His execution and plan on the final stretch of the series still sends goosebumps to me to this day.

[00:19:33]Again, I won't spoil it. You guys should experience it firsthand. He's unpredictable [music] yet so unnaturally smart that it just creeps the hell out of me. Every time Sato appears on screen, he manages to effortlessly [music] raise the tension and urgency of the situation. And I think the huge element of it [music] is in other pieces of fiction, we as the audience have some sort of security that the good guys or the main [music] cast is going to win or accomplish their goal and defeat the enemy. But things genuinely feel so hopeless and dire once Sat [music] starts doing whatever sociopathic [ __ ] that he wants. He pulls off seemingly impossible feats [music] even when the story sets up security and walls to make it seem like it's safe. Like Sato has no chance of pulling [music] off his plan.

[00:20:15]We feel and we know as the reader that it's not going to last, that Sato is merely going to destroy it piece by piece. [music] And that's exactly what he does. And most of the time everything feels like it's just a part of his plan.

[00:20:28]Like everyone, even his allies are just dancing on the palm of his hands.

[00:20:32][music] Sato leaves for chaos, for the thrill. He sees no value in the life of others and often just use them for his own version of amusement, [music] which most of the time is combat. He tries to cover this up by saying that he wants demis [music] to have the same rights as ordinary people. Normal sounding, I know, but it's clear as day that he couldn't care less about anything but [music] playing his game.

[00:20:52]He's the single worst possible person to turn out to be a demi. Having a continue button in real life will ultimately mean that he won't stop pressing it. He's the exact opposite of Kay's rational and simple approach to life, but they both are demihumans. They refuse to answer the call of death. In K's case, K case, he clinged to life because of what I believe is a deeper desire to be [music] the kind of person that he wants to be.

[00:21:18]It's ultimately up to your interpretation on the reason, but why I came to this conclusion is because of the reoccurring flashback [music] of Kay seeing his black ghost with his sister when they were kids. I've always wondered what this seed might be trying to tell us. And I believe that under the cold-hearted surface of Kaga's character, he has a strong heart for the people that he cares about. Yes, this was already stated by his mother, which we discussed earlier. But the fact that his black ghost manifested this early in his life and the fact that his ghost are way denser than normal, which even picked the interest of Sato, shows that Kaga's emotions are much more complex and strong than what meets the eye. His dreams might not be grand or worldchanging, but so is Satos. Sato wanted to keep playing his game, to chase the kind of sick trail that he wants, to bleed as much as possible, to die as much as possible, and to cause as much chaos as he can. Because in the end, he only sees life as a game. But he doesn't want to stop playing because the only death that he recognizes is boredom. And he will do everything in his power to never feel it, even if it means going up against a whole country.

[00:22:28]On the other hand, Kay embraces the simplicity of life. Studying even in the summer, working towards a goal for the people that he cares about, even if it meant staying away from those who give him thrill and fun. He was living a strict and simple life. But when he became a demihuman, things changed.

[00:22:45]Aside from the suffering that he experienced, pain worse than anything he could have ever expected to happen to him before, he also met a great treasure that he wasn't familiar with prior to his demi life. He was surrounded by kind people, smart people, people with work ethic, people with discipline, sense of duty, sense of justice, drive, courage.

[00:23:07]And even though he was treated as if he's some monster, even when he questioned his own humanity and sense of self, everything that happened after he was discovered as a demi, made him more human than ever.

[00:23:21]Thank you guys for watching. If you made it to the end, I'm genuinely so grateful. This is my first video ever, so my apologies if it was messy in some parts or something, but I do hope that you guys consider liking and subscribing. I hope to make more videos like this in the future. So, if you want to go along for the ride, you can support me by doing those. And make sure to comment what you think of my analysis on a dem. And if you haven't read it, I highly recommend checking it out so you can come up with your own thoughts. And if you did, make sure to be a part of the discussion by commenting it down below. Thank you guys again for watching and I'll see you all next time.