Black Cat

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Stray Cat

Japanese: BLACK CAT

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 20

Chapters: 187

Status: Finished

Published: Jul 11, 2000 to Jun 14, 2004

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Yabuki, Kentarou (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.78¹ (scored by 23,061 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1460²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #377

Members: 50,922

Favorites: 1,764

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Wikipedia

7.78

Ranked #1460Popularity #377Members 50,922

MangaShounen Jump (Weekly)Yabuki, Kentarou (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /20

Chapters: /187

Black Cat

Vol. 1
$6.99

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Synopsis

Train Heartnet is an amicable bounty hunter—known as a "Sweeper"—with a talent for sharpshooting. Working alongside his cool-headed partner Sven Vollfied, they hunt down wanted criminals. Unfortunately, however, despite their efforts, the dynamic duo always seems to be short on money, which forces them to accept a job from the beautiful Rinslet Walker, a sly thief for hire, and a mysterious girl named Eve.

However, the motley crew soon discovers a terrible plot to revolutionize the world, and the mastermind is someone Train knows and loathes with a passion. As the plan is set into motion, it is soon made clear that behind the carefree sharpshooter's smiling face lies a tragic past and an insatiable desire for revenge.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Included one-shot:
Volume 8: Stray Cat (pilot)

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BackgroundBlack Cat was published in English by VIZ Media under the Shonen Jump imprint from March 7, 2006 to May 5, 2009 and in Italian by Star Comics from February 3, 2004 to April 2, 2007.

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Characters

Heartnet, Train

Main

Eve

Main

Vollfied, Sven

Main

Walker, Rinslet

Main

Minatsuki, Saya

Supporting

Diskenth, Creed

Supporting

Lunatique, Tearju

Supporting

Kirisaki, Kyouko

Supporting

Arks, Sephiria

Supporting

Hazard, Jenos

Supporting

Reviews

Apr 8, 2024

Biisoo

Recommended

I really stumbled upon a hidden gem with this Manga. It's a rare example of a good and completed story. One of the most fun stories I've read or experienced in a good while.

Enter Black Cat, A severely under-popular Shounen from the early 2000s which deserves more credit and recognition than it gets. It has all the standard Shounen tropes but to be honest, For it's time, Kentaro Yabuki really did his best. If you don't know who Kentaro Yabuki is, Then he's the Mangaka behind To-Love Ru, a very popular Ecchi series but not many know about his earlier work which was this. It ... has varying degrees of seriousness and lighthearted-ness.

The thing that I loved about this manga was that it has no unnecessary clutter or bloat, It had a simple story conveyed beautifully. Starts from point A to point B without overcomplicating the plot, I feel like this is something that should be incorporated in more recent manga.

Story : Really basic and simple premise, I was very satisfied with what I was shown. It has a simple yet beautiful story with no overarching plot, It just goes from Point A to Point B and that's it. The naming sense behind this manga is also really fantastic once you get to know the main character and his personality is in tune with the vibe of this manga. The pacing of the story is also perfect, It doesn't feel like it's going too fast or slow, It just sort of has this laid-back approach and I was really a fan of this. Plus the ending is done really well and left me fully satisfied.

Fights/Abilities : The fights are very easy to follow and the flow is really smooth. The abilities aren't unique or never done before but the way they are portrayed is very satisfying.

Art/Panelling/Dialogue: This is where this manga impeccably shines the brightest. Truly amazing art in every single page and the important thing that I'd like to point out is that reading this manga never made me feel like it's cluttered or has too much going on. The art compliments Kentaro sensei's beautiful panelling, I honestly really loved reading and swiping through ever page because it was such a breeze. The only manga which I recall where I had this same feeling was Dragon ball (A huge compliment, I know). The Dialogue and plot connects beautifully and nothing feels forced. The cherry on top is that not once in this manga, is there a single panel that left me confused as to what's happening. The action is very easy to follow and light on the eyes, It's not very dialogue heavy either. It truly is an achievement to create a manga like this.

If you just want a simple manga to pick up with no overcomplicated stuff and is super easy to read through ever for a beginner then I would 100% recommend Black Cat to you, regardless of whether you're a Shounen fan or not. I seriously cannot state how easy to read this manga is. I honestly cannot fathom how this series never got it's proper popularity much outside of Japan.

It also has a very important message to convey, You can be happy without forgetting your past, Your past is a part of you regardless of whether you like it or not, So move on and live your life to the fullest because you only get one shot at it. Such a beautiful yet bold message.

I really really enjoyed this and will give it a 9/10. It won't be an exaggeration to say that this was one of THE BEST SHOUNEN I've had the pleasure of reading. As a standalone story, it might not be that good but as a Shounen it was everything I wanted.
I hope Kentaro Sensei one day comes back with a sequel to this one.

Thank you for reading!

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Jan 12, 2026

neoted_

Mixed Feelings

Honestly, I didn't like the manga. I don't think it's terrible by any means, but it definitely has a lot of wasted potential. The author starts plots that don't develop the characters (cough cough the dinosaur plot, cough cough the video game??) and introduces too many characters all at once.
The characters aren't fully defined either, nor are the protagonist's or Saya's philosophies. Their world is also strange; it seems to be set in the '80s and '90s at times, only to jump to the 2000s later. It also has many obvious influences and inspirations, and it seems like the plot develops according to the author's ...

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Jul 14, 2021

Resting_Bonfire

Not Recommended

Black Cat

I saw the anime adaptation of this manga for the first time in 2008 and I liked it as one of my first anime. I watched this series again 2 years ago and was mostly disappointed, especially with the rushed ending.

The only thought that occurred to me, why not read the manga to see how the series would really end? Curiosity is the death of the cat

The manga begins quite differently than the anime in that the 2 protagonists are already a team and many events from the anime are only part of the background. How the other characters are added is practically the ...

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Anime or manga first? Biisoo - Mar 30, 2024	9 replies	by Biisoo »» Dec 14, 2025 12:00 PM
Poll: Black Cat Chapter 185 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 14, 2015	7 replies	by Biisoo »» Apr 8, 2024 10:47 AM
Poll: Black Cat Chapter 1 Discussion Rasco - Feb 12, 2012	2 replies	by Biisoo »» Apr 5, 2024 9:05 AM
Poll: Black Cat Chapter 85 Discussion Rasco - Feb 16, 2012	2 replies	by Mezzy93 »» Nov 9, 2022 12:36 AM
Poll: Black Cat Chapter 2 Discussion Rasco - Feb 12, 2012	1 replies	by GohanZ »» Apr 9, 2022 3:39 AM

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