by John Rendace

Created on: November 22, 2010

While the official North American release is titled O-Parts Hunter, Seishi Kishimoto's manga was actually originally titled 666 Satan. The series, as its name might suggest, adopts a real world term. O-Parts is a further contraction of OOParts, which is an abbreviation of out of place artifacts. In the real world, this term is used to describe historical relics that seem somehow 'out of place.' However, mainstream archaeologists seldom use it. Perhaps this fact alone gives the manga a bit of a sensationalist chic that adds to the fun.

In the manga, OOParts are historical items that are useful as weapons and a means to get around. Individuals able to use these items are known as O.P.T., or O-Part Tacticians. The actual O-Part units' powers seem to be based on the ability of O.P.T. to release it. This matches up very well with the fact that many references to Kabbalah are made throughout the manga. Of course, as is to be expected, the main character is an O.P.T.

Jio Freed is a young boy with excellent skills at battle. He's an honorable individual who works towards the good of others, such as his companion Ruby Crescent. Jio is an interesting, multi-faceted character that still manages to maintain some of the archetypes that make so many Shonen manga heroes endearing to fans. He does, however, have some interesting quirks. For instance, he seems to have originally been a feral child to some degree.

His originally teacher was a wolf named Zero, who seems to be a feral master of the O.P.T. arts. Zero is perhaps one of the most unique characters in the saga, as he is a sentient wolf who isn't depicted as a wolfman to much of any real extent. One of the aspects of the story that many people have commented on, however, are not these creative characters. Jio, Ruby and Zero take a back seat to the fact that Seishi Kishimoto is the brother of Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto.

Many people have tried to say that Seishi has copied his brother's work and somehow ripped him off. Masashi has gone so far as to ask fans to stop accusing Seishi of this. Seishi Kishimoto says that the similarities between their styles of art are probably from the fact that they share similar influences. Both Masashi Kishimoto and Seishi Kishimoto draw manga that should be independently enjoyed and appreciated. They're both masters of their craft who should be considered as such.

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