The Ramparts of Ice

Tea Agasawa's The Ramparts of Ice (Japanese: 氷の城壁, Hepburn: Kōri no Jōheki) plunges readers into a world locked in eternal winter. The story follows Yuki, a young outcast living on the fringes of a fortified settlement. He is shunned for his strange connection to the cold, he hears whispers from the ice and can manipulate frost. When a catastrophic fissure threatens the settlement's ice quarry, Yuki discovers the glaciers are a living prison containing an ancient, vengeful force. His power becomes the key to either thawing the landscape or reinforcing the ramparts to maintain balance.

The web manga first appeared as a webtoon on Line Manga, serialized from January 2020 to April 2022. Shueisha collected the chapters into 14 tankōbon volumes, released between July 2023 and February 2025, spanning about 1,200 pages. The series blends survival drama with fantasy, using the constant cold as both a physical threat and a metaphor for social isolation. Agasawa, who debuted with this series, had previously created short-form webcomics and doujinshi in romance and fantasy genres.

Critics praised Agasawa's detailed, atmospheric art, especially the depiction of snow and ice. The character development of Yuki and his gradual opening up to a found family of misfits was highlighted as a strong point. Some reviewers noted pacing issues in the middle volumes. The series holds average ratings of 7.8/10 on MyAnimeList and 8.1/10 on Anime-Planet. It was nominated for the 2024 Kodansha Manga Award in Best General Manga and the 2025 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Asia. As of early 2026, over 2.5 million copies have been sold worldwide.

An anime adaptation by Studio Kai aired from April to July 2026, covering the first seven volumes. A second season is scheduled for October 2026. A stage play ran in Tokyo in November 2025 for 20 performances. An audio drama series was released on Line Manga in 2024. Spin-offs include a 2-volume manga Aurora's Tale (2025), a light novel The Prisoner of the Glacier (January 2026), and an art book Art of the Eternal Winter (December 2025). The series helped popularize the webtoon-to-print pipeline in Japan and inspired merchandise like snow globes and aurora ink pens.[edit]