Tower Dungeon

Tsutomu Nihei shifts from his signature cyberpunk dystopias to a medieval setting with Tower Dungeon, a dark fantasy manga serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius since October 2023. The story follows Yōji, an ingenuous farmboy forcibly conscripted into a royal military unit after the kingdom's king is slain and Princess Ignelia is kidnapped by a shapeshifting entity hiding within the Dragon Tower. This colossal structure acts as a living labyrinth filled with shifting corridors, mechanical traps, and grotesque monsters that defy conventional architecture.

The narrative focuses on a brutal survival mission where the protagonists must ascend the tower or perish. Unlike typical adventure stories emphasizing character growth, the plot remains lean and relentless, highlighting the sheer scale of the environment and the inevitability of death. Double-page spreads emphasize the infinite height and decay of the building, while biomechanical body horror permeates the encounters with the creatures inhabiting each floor.

Vertical Comics began releasing the English translation in July 2025, handling five volumes by early 2026. Critics have praised the atmospheric storytelling and the successful transposition of Nihei's architectural vision into a fantasy context, often comparing the grim tone to Berserk. While some note that character depth takes a backseat to the dungeon crawl, the series stands out as a distinct departure for the artist who previously focused on science fiction works like Blame! and Aposimz. [edit]