Pure Virtue vs. Vice! Can one survive without corrupting the other?! Ultimo and Vice are Karakuri Doji, the mechanical embodiment of pure good and pure evil, devoid of human emotions that can cloud one's judgment. Their purpose: to battle to the death to prove once and for all whether good or evil is the most powerful force in the universe. As Vice and his cohorts gather to plan their strike against Ultimo, puppet master Dunstan tells them he's planned the Hundred Machine Funeral as an epic battle in which fighters for good and evil must convince one another to switch sides! Meanwhile, Yamato's crush Sayama discovers that she too was involved in Yamato's heroic struggle in a past life... Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for teen plus audiences.

Author Biography

Unconventional author/artist Hiroyuki Takei began his career by winning the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize (named after the famous artist of the same name). After working as an assistant to famed artist Nobuhiro Watsuki, Takei debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997 with Butsu Zone, an action series based on Buddhist mythology. His multicultural adventure manga Shaman King, which debuted in 1998, became a hit and was adapted into an anime TV series. His new series Ultimo (Karakuri DA'ji Ultimo) is currently being serialized in the U.S. in SHONEN JUMP. Takei lists Osamu Tezuka, American comics, and robot anime among his many influences.