Kara Dennison
July 9, 2025 
Manga and anime fans likely know Tsutomi Nihei best as the creator of titles like BLAME! and Knights of Sidonia. In his new series Tower Dungeon, he’s taking the action back in time. Volume 1 of this new Kodansha release introduces a dark fantasy world full of dragons, monsters, and princesses. But this is anything but a fairy tale. Read on and find out what awaits in this new release!
Braving the Tower
Tower Dungeon has a massive cast of royalty, monsters, and magic users. But at its core is Yuva: a farmer enlisted to help with a massive mission. Every village in the kingdom must send one person to assist with this deadly dungeon crawl, and Yuva is representing his village. He may not be adept with magic or heavy weapons, but he throws a mean bag of salt.
Venturing into this tower uncovers a lot of surprising secrets, though. The undead beings that lurk within aren’t all mindless. Some even know how to parlay with humans. And as the princess gets taken to the top floor of the tower, Yuva and his new fellows realize they’ll have to do a lot more preparation if they want to bring her home.
A Whole New World
Tower Guard is a major departure for Tsutomu Nihei. The creator tends to work in futuristic sci-fi settings, as we see in the aforementioned BLAME! and Knights of Sidonia. His contribution to the Marvel universe, Wolverine: Snikt!, has a similar vibe. This series marks his first foray into fantasy. And while it’s very different from what we usually see from Nihei, it’s also got a lot of what we’ve come to love about him.
For one thing, the monster designs are absolutely intense. Some of the creatures are bony and zombie-like. But others are twisted humanoids — just check out the beast in the image above! Within the Drago Tower’s rigid stone walls are disturbingly organic beasts. And this is just what the group encountered on the first few floors. With more chapters to go, it’s likely we’re going to see even more bizarre creatures.
What’s Next
A first volume is primarily setup, and Tower Dungeon is no different. We meet our main cast of characters: people from all walks of life with different goals. Some want to marry the princess; others are simply here as it’s their duty. Magicians, fighters, and humble farmers all join forces for one cause. Even if their reasons for pursuing that cause differ. And underneath the main action are hints of political and magical machinations: dragon blood and heirs to the throne.
You don’t need to be a fan of Tsutomu Nihei to get absorbed into this new series. And if you are, you’ll be delighted by his range. While it’s still early days for Tower Dungeon, there’s reason to believe it could become a strong, enduring fantasy title.
Tower Dungeon Volume 1 goes on sale July 15.
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