Negai no Astro chapter 1 review: Yotsurugi family's new successor arrives as the world is changed forever

Negai no Astro chapter 1, titled Hibaru Yotsurugi, was released on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 12 am JST and is available to read in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine’s 20th issue. For online readers, the manga is available on the MangaPlus website, the MangaPlus app, Viz Media’s official website, and the ShonenJump+ app.

The series is titled Astro Royale in English and the very long chapter gives readers a good taste of the material, which is reminiscent of the recent trend of business family-themed shows combined with some interesting sci-fi elements.

This new manga is the latest work of mangaka Ken Wakui, well-known for Tokyo Revengers, a series that concluded in 2022 after publishing 278 chapters. Given Wakui’s reputation, Negai no Astro has generated considerable buzz, with some speculating that it could overshadow Kagurabachi, another new series that has gained a huge following from its first release.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers.

Negai no Astro chapter 1 shows the beginning of a new dawn

The new successor of the Yotsurugi family

Hibaru as seen in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

Ken Wakui's Negai no Astro chapter 1 begins with a colored prologue showcasing a cluster of meteorites on its way to Earth. Meanwhile, the series' protagonist, Hibaru Yotsurugi, is seen cycling, while a video playing on his phone suggests that holding an important object and making a wish during the meteor shower could make that wish a reality. He is looking forward to seeing the meteor shower.

This is followed by a colorful chapter featuring the main characters and a significant amount of debris. The story truly begins with the introduction of Hibaru, the sole biological son of the Yotsurugi family's leader. He approaches an elderly man, demands protection money, receives an item, and then pays for it.

This confuses Terasu Yotsurugi, the family's twelfth adopted son, as Hibaru is shopping rather than extorting money. Terasu is also upset about the protagonist wearing a Happi to their father's funeral, but Hibaru explains that he wants people to remember their father the way he was.

Terasu as seen in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

Upon entering the funeral home, Kou Yotsurugi, the eleventh adopted son, tries to provoke Hibaru by asking if he still pretends to be a kind-hearted gangster. He also says that their father's era is over and the family is now purely business-oriented. Terasu retorts, calling Kou a pathetic nobody who dares to laugh on their father's funeral day.

As the memorial service for Kongo Yotsurugi continues in Negai no Astro chapter 1, it is clear that there are concerns about the family's successor. Shio, the first adopted son and current underboss with the largest faction supporting him, is considered a strong contender. Others fear that Hibaru, the boss's only biological son, might inherit the position.

However, Hibaru shocks everyone by revealing that Kongo named Terasu his successor, causing an uproar as no one is ready to believe Hibaru's words. Hibaru then asks Terasu to bring out something while he produces a bullet-shaped object. He declares that two will become one, and together, they will shape the future.

Who was Kongo Yotsurugi?

Kongo as seen in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

Negai no Astro chapter 1 goes into a flashback where a young Hibaru is sitting on Kongo's head. Kongo, the boss of the Yotsurugi family, a top gang in Kanto during the Showa period, is seen defending a family from a harasser. As Hibaru admires Kongo's biceps, the latter explains that to master the ways of a Yakuza, one has to gain physical strength. But more importantly, they need a chivalrous heart ready to help the weak and stand up against the strong.

Kongo's kindness leads him to protect the weak and adopt numerous orphans and even the children of his defeated rivals, forming a bond stronger than blood, named the diamond bond.

These children become the backbone of the Yotsurugi family. However, they find Kongo's approach outdated and strategize to take advantage of his powerful allies.

The Yotsurugi children in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

In the Heisei era, the Yotsurugi family transitions into a legitimate organization, overseeing inbound business in Asakusa and expanding into sectors like energy development.

In the Reiwa era, Kongo passes away. But before his death, he summoned Hibaru and Terasu to his room and designated Hibaru as the next boss of the Yotsurugi family, seeing that his other children were overly engrossed in the gang's affairs. He named Terasu, who is intelligent and kind, as Hibaru's underboss to protect the family. He gave Hibaru a pendant made from the world's strongest bullet and Terasu a mirrored pendant forged from the same bullet.

Kongo explained that these heirlooms symbolize the spear and the shield, passed down from his grandfather. He asked Hibaru and Terasu to swear on the heirlooms to support each other and stay united.

The meteor shower

Terasu questions Hibaru in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

In the present, Terasu and Hibaru are in the bathhouse together. Terasu questions the other why he lied about not being named the next boss, to Hibaru replies that the family has abandoned its principles and become a heartless organization. He wants to maintain his chivalrous beliefs, but he knows that if he tries to do so as the boss of the Yotsurugi family, it will lead to the gang splitting up. However, he believes Terasu can guide the gang in a positive direction.

Suddenly, the meteors become visible, prompting the two to rush out of the bathhouse. Hibaru, clutching the spear pendant, wishes to become the most formidable Yakuza as he wants to protect Terasu and support the family. Then, a meteor lands on Earth, a short distance from the bathhouse, causing a massive explosion that disperses black matter everywhere. A building comes flying toward them and seems to crush Terasu.

The meteor explodes in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

Next, in Negai no Astro chapter 1, Hibaru finds himself floating in darkness. A voice tells him that his pendant has connected him to the stars and he will gain the power he desires. The voice refers to him as Astro.

Hibaru wakes up in a panic, recalling the building flung toward him, and then panics some more when he realizes that Terasu was blown away.

A quick flashback reveals Hibaru admitting that he is not cut out to be the boss. However, Terasu reminds him that his dream is to be like Kongo and promises to support him.

Hibaru throws a punch

Hibaru punches away a building in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

In the present, Hibaru showers punches on the building but ends up breaking his fingers in the process. He clutches his pendant, made from the strongest bullet, and recalls his father. He is transported to another realm where his father teaches him to punch like a bullet. The secret to that, he reveals, is imagining having the world's strongest fist.

Hibaru recalls Kongo jokingly explaining that his large biceps are due to a giant bullet primer inside his arm. When he punches, first the primer fires, then his forearm bearing gunpowder ignites, and finally, the punch imitates an explosion.

Trying to recreate this, Hibaru throws a punch, imagining his fist to be a bullet as strange markings appear on his arm. The building is blown away and Terasu is found safely crouched in a hole.

The two embrace and then try to survey the damage caused by the meteor. The situation is grim as all the nearby buildings are in ruins, the sky is covered in dark clouds, and black matter from the meteor is floating around. Thereafter, Hibaru collapses.

Negai no Astro chapter 1 concludes by declaring that the known world changes radically after this day. Many people, including the other adopted children of the Yotsurugi family, are shown acquiring strange powers from the black matter.

Final thoughts

The meteor grants news powers as seen in Negai no Astro chapter 1 (Image via Ken Wakui/Shueisha)

All in all, Negai no Astro chapter 1 is a promising start to a new series. It is difficult at this point to foresee the exact direction the story will take, particularly because the ending marks the beginning of a new era where people have extraordinary powers.

Nevertheless, readers will certainly be waiting for the next installment to see this new world. Moreover, the supernatural or sci-fi element will make the succession contest even more interesting as the fights between the factions will now be on a different level.