Surprisingly, it’s a comedy…?
It’s not rare for games to eventually have a manga. The Danganronpa series, The Legend of Zelda, the Persona franchise, and others have comics retelling the plot of their games. Sometimes, they even expand on the events, though whether they are canon or not is another matter entirely. Elden Ring gets the same treatment, except it’s not the dark and brooding kind you’d expect from the game. Where you’d think the Tarnished is as skilled at collecting Elden Ring Runes as the community portrays, you get Aseo.
He’s the protagonist of the manga who practically survives through sheer dumb luck instead of skill. It’s more something you’d expect from beginners to a Souls-like game, and that’s where the comedy starts.
A Short Summary (Warning: Containers spoilers for the first 2 chapters)
The manga begins with the basic premise of the game. Queen Marika died, and her children started fighting over her position as the Elden Lord. With the introduction of the Tarnished, we see our hapless protagonist face down with an untied loincloth. Marika and Torrent share some banter, poking fun at the hero’s lack of heroic qualities.
Later, our hero wakes up and considers his lost memories. He does remember his last death, but nothing before that. Then he takes stock of his condition, wondering where the flasks stuck on his bottom came from. Still, with the questions burning in his mind, he sets out.
He meets a white-masked merchant, who gives him advice and tells him to try going to Stormveil Castle to see if they can help. The protagonist decides to do so and thanks the merchant. The following pages cut in with what’s happening inside the castle with Godefroy the Grafted and his regular grafted art exhibition.
We cut back to our protagonist, who meets the game’s first boss. Said enemy just punts him into the sky, earning him another death. He meets with Marika again, which gives him more information to work on (and adds some points to his intelligence). Marika also gives him the name Aseo and a ring to summon Torrent.
With the newfound powers (and confidence), he sets out for a rematch with the first boss, with predictable results. Marika, watching from afar, laments that the added INT was ineffective.
A Controversial Direction
The comedic aspects didn’t go well with the majority of the fanbase. Perhaps it was their gamer pride on the line, or the slapstick comedy was too over the top. But isn’t that its charm? A few deaths are necessary for the learning process, despite all the no-hits, no-death runs on the internet. The manga just portrays that exaggeratedly.
Players would relate to Aseo’s difficulty getting past the first boss and his confusion about what flasks do. It’s something that all players go through, their experiences in other Soulsborne games notwithstanding. Sometimes, that can be to their detriment concerning features that aren’t available in the older games, such as jumping. It’s a simple thing, but veterans are used to it not being an option, making it easy to forget.
While Aseo really is that clueless, it’s why the slapstick comedy works. Still, there’s a worry that it’ll get stale eventually. There are only the first two chapters out, though; we can’t really judge the story as this is just the beginning. Character growth can kick in, and if newbies can survive and complete the game, Aseo can too.
Where to Read the Elden Ring Manga
If you want to keep up with Aseo’s adventures in figuring out Elden Ring items and collecting Elden Ring weapons, the official site is Comic Walker. You can switch the language to English for a more understandable site. New chapters will be released every two weeks.
Read at Your Own Leisure
Not all people will like the manga, and that’s fine. Those people can opt not to read the comic and enjoy the game. What’s not okay is them somehow sucking out the joy of reading it from their opposites. There’s a fine line between insults and constructive criticism.
Other than that, there should be a balance anyway. The game is already all doom and gloom, so there should be something to put some humor and lightness into it. Sure, there are fail compilations and gag builds, but sometimes those are for private use. A manga is more accessible to people with a broader target audience.
Take a short break from farming Elden Ring Runes to read the manga. With only two chapters, it will not take much of your time. It’s easy to drop if the humor’s not to your liking, but the wait could be agonizing if you decide to follow the updates.
