The Heroic Legend of Arslan vol. 22

The kings are dead?  That’s certainly how it looked at the end of vol. 21 as a possessed Innocentis grabbed Andragoras and threw them both off of the tower they were in.  It would take a formidable constitution (and a lot of luck) to survive such an act, so does this mean that Arslan is now the new Shah of Pars?  Before the matter of succession can be addressed, the dead start rising from their graves.  Not just any dead, but the defeated Marzbans of Ecbatana brought back to life through the evil magic of Zahhak – the Snake King!  As these once-great warriors rise again, one has to wonder what other horrors await Arslan, his comrades, and his people as his struggle takes on a terrifying new form.

For a minute, I considered putting “Arslan” jointly with “Mobile Suit Gundam:  Thunderbolt” on my Best of 2025 list to acknowledge how both series got their grooves back.  Then I remembered that “Thunderbolt” showed sustained improvement over several volumes and demoted this to an Honorable Mention in the hopes that vol. 21 would prove to be a turning point.  That turned out to be the right call as while the immediate follow-up to the events of the previous volume is handled well, the series immediately launches into what feels like a sustained filler arc.

I’m guessing that the idea of bringing back the defeated Marzbans was two-fold:  To show the strength of the Snake King and his followers, and to squeeze some character moments as these resurrected warriors face off against people significant to them.  I’ll admit that this comes close to working as Kishward faces off against his undead father-in-law, but the others so far feel like either an indulgence or a delaying tactic on mangaka Hiromu Arakawa’s part before she gets on with continuing the story.  You know, the one about Arslan that was finally getting good again before it got sidelined with this stuff!