Renowned manga creator Hiroya Oku, celebrated worldwide for his gritty speculative works such as Gantz, Inuyashiki, and Gigant, has officially pulled back the curtain on a long-standing publishing secret. In a series of statements on social media, Oku confirmed that he penned the sci-fi adventure series Thunder 3 under the pseudonym Yuki Ikeda. According to the author, the decision to adopt a pen name was an intentional choice designed to protect a critical narrative twist in the opening chapter. By keeping his identity hidden, Oku wanted first-time readers to experience the plot's abrupt tonal shift without any preconceived notions tied to his established artistic pedigree.
From Secret Serialisation to Global Streaming
Launched in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022, Thunder 3 quickly captured attention with its bizarre, high-concept premise. Kodansha USA, which publishes the series in English, follows three ordinary schoolboys who acquire a mysterious DVD capable of opening a portal to an alternate dimension. When one of the boys' younger sisters wanders through and is snatched by the alien forces occupying that hyper-realistic parallel Earth, the youths discover that their cartoonish proportions grant them superhuman capabilities in this new reality.
Three ordinary schoolboys come into possession of a DVD that supposedly opens a gateway to a parallel universe, but when their backs are turned Pyontaro's little sister Futaba passes through and gets kidnapped by the aliens that have overrun that version of Earth! Discovering that their cartoonish bodies make them supermen in the hyper-realistic parallel universe, the boys set out to rescue Futaba.
Following a run marked by a health hiatus in early 2025 and a serialization climax, the manga officially concluded its print run. The adaptation pipeline moved swiftly thereafter, with a television anime adaptation premiering on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block, accompanied by exclusive worldwide streaming on Netflix. Meanwhile, Oku's overarching career continues to evolve, with the veteran creator recently hinting at retirement plans following the completion of his ongoing Shogakukan series, Kanrekihime (The Sweet Sixty Princess).
