RuriDragon, vol. 1

RuriDragon, vol. 1

Story and art by Masaoki Shindo

VIZ, published 1/7/2025

Age rating: Teen

It happens with every teen. One day, you’re living your life as is. The next day, you’re a teenager going through a drastic change. 

Hormones.

Growth spurts.

New horns and fangs. 

Yeah, I don’t think many teens discover they’re half-dragon during puberty, but that’s what happens to our main character in RuriDragon. When Ruri wakes up one day with a new set of horns and fangs, she obviously freaks out. Normally when it’s time to have “the talk,” parents sit their teen down to discuss the changes. Ruri’s mom is just nonchalant and flat out tells Ruri that her dad (whom she has never met) is a dragon. 

It’s funny, yet c’mon Mom. Your daughter just turned into a dragon, and you’re like, “You’re a dragon. Here’s breakfast.” How?!

So not only does Ruri have to go to school and deal with teenage angst, which includes bullies and mean girls, she has to deal with being half-dragon literally overnight. 

RuriDragon is a great allegory for puberty. It’s very comedic, even though it does drag from time to time. It’s amusing to see how Ruri deals with her new reality. She becomes popular instantly. 

I mean… she’s a dragon. Who sees a teenager become a dragon during puberty?

Demonic, hormonal creatures maybe but a half-dragon, nah. 

There’s a scene when Ruri sneezes and discovers that she can breathe fire. Unfortunately, the student in front of her discovers this too, with a comedic result. 

We really don’t learn much about Ruri’s father other than Ruri’s mother visits him in the mountains to update him on their daughter, and  she sometimes whacks him when he’s not serious. It’s an interesting dynamic, but I hope we get more about the dragon daddy in later volumes. 

Overall, I enjoyed RuriDragon and would put it in my library collection. I would even give it to younger audiences and suggest it to parents as a way to have “the talk” with them. While I do feel that there’s more that could be explored in this story, I wouldn’t sell this manga short and would like to see more on how Ruri faces this phase in her life. 

Filed under: All Ages, Manga, Reviews, Young Adult