Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio is another name for the Blue Steel Arpeggio. It is a Japanese manga series that Ark Performance developed. It has been serialised by Shnen Gahsha in Young King Ours.
22 volumes of the manga series have so far been published. Sanzigen has published an anime series with the same name. From October 7 to December 23, 2013, the anime was broadcast.
They have also developed two films based on this series. The first movie debuted on January 31, 2015, while the second one did so on October 3.
| Genre | Military science fiction , action , adventure, drama, romance |
| Themes | battleships, military, conspiracy, navy, war, tsundere |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Story Writer | Ark Performance |
| Publisher | Shōnen Gahōsha |
| Serialization | Young King OURs |
| English publisher | Seven Seas Entertainment |
| Total Volumes (till date) | 22 (twenty two) |
| Initial run | September 30, 2009 till present |
| Online Distribution | Crunchyroll |
| English Translation | Greg Moore, Kevin Frane |
| Adaptation | Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane |
| Chapters | 109 (till date) |
| English Publisher | Jason DeAngelis |
Story of Arpeggio of Blue Steel
In the early 21st century, a large portion of Earth’s landmass disappears. Rising sea levels and global warming are to blame for this. A unexpected live battleship with great power comes in the year 2039. The fleet is armed with extraterrestrial weapons and has cutting-edge technology.
The battleships begin to attack and decimate earthly naval troops. “Fleet of Fog” is the name of the fleet. They use blockades on the air and the naval all over the planet. It prevents individuals from flying or using the navy to travel to other regions of the world.
During the blockade, Fleet of Fog develops mental models that resemble humans. These resemble humanoid avatars in appearance.
They are the centre of the Union ship, and it is a means of evolving their own development and overcoming their lack of original thought. They want to imitate the strategies used by humans. The Mental Models acquire their own distinct personalities thanks to the Fleet of Fog.
Former student of the Japanese National Marine Academy is Gunz Chihaya. He is the captain of the small fleet of privately owned warships known as Blue Steel. Iona the Mental Model and I-401 the Fog Submarine are both aboard the Blue Steel. Iona has switched to the human side.
With Gunz’s tactical prowess and I-401’s advanced technology, the Blue Steel has successfully resisted the Fleet of Fog. Additionally, it was successful in sinking one of Fleet of Fog’s formidable vessels.
A section of the Japanese government employs Gunz and his staff. They must deliver a vibration warhead prototype. It could be the potent tool that enables people to fight back against the Fog. As the only nation with the means and capacity to mass create the weapon system, they must provide it to the United States.
The Fleet of Fog and their human allies are a threat to the Blue Steel, but so are other countries and organisations with their own initiatives. Along the journey, both sides become friends. Their odds are constantly rising because of this.
Read Arpeggio of Blue Steel manga free online
Now read all the chapters of the Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio or Arpeggio of Blue Steel manga free online. There are two options available to read the manga as below. In case you are interested in reading the book then you can order all the volumes from Amazon.
Option 1: Arpeggio of Blue Steel manga on Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll has access to 18 volumes of this manga in English language. You may note that this is not free for reading and you need to purchase one of the premium plans on Crunchyroll. Read the manga here.
You may subscribe to one the Premium plans such as Fan and Mega-fan. Once you subscribe, you get benefits such as no ads, unlimited access to Crunchyroll library, first access to episodes, access to digital manga, simultaneous streaming etc. You can take one month access or one year access as suitable. With this plan you will be able to read all the chapters of Arpeggio of Blue Steel manga online.
Option 2: Read Arpeggio of Blue Steel latest chapters free on third party websites
If you would like to read the manga free and without paying, there are a lot of websites that offer this. You may visit this link and start reading each chapter. Each page is presented as an image which you can navigate using the tabs at the top of the page. Browse every chapter using the dropdown given at the beginning. In case you want to read it offline then you can save the page as PDF and store it on your device. You can read the PDF as per your convenience.
There are options available to load up to 10 images at once. Also different image sizes and quality is available to choose from. Start enjoying the Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio or manga!
Characters appearing in Arpeggio of Blue Steel Manga
Gunzō Chihaya
He is the I-401’s captain and the show’s primary character. He is the Blue Steel Fleet’s commander. His major goal is to match Fleet of Fog without destroying it. He hopes to steer a nonviolent negotiation.
Iona / I-401
Iona is the name of the human form or mental model that exists in the I-401 submarine. She chooses to escape the Fog and becomes Gunz’s vessel.
In the manga, Iona pilots M6A Seiran dive bombers. Her real-life counterpart outfits the aircraft. This aircraft is only used by this Fog vessel.
Sō Oribe
He is I-401’s first pal. S. Oribe always wears a helmet because of some sort of allergy. He is Gunzo’s closest friend and is aware of his thoughts. He is the ship’s executive officer and the one who steers the vessel.
Kyōhei Kashihara
He is I-401’s weapons officer. Typically, Blue Steel employs graduates of the top ten classes of the Naval Academy. Kyhei, however, came in 200th in the Naval Academy. Kyhei has an enormous assortment of photogravure idols memorabilia. Kyhei typically reacts with panic when the crew is in a tight spot.
Iori Watanuki
He the engineer and operates the engines of vessel I-401.
Shizuka Hazumi
She operates the sonar of I-401. She is also a very good soldier and can destroy a lot of troops. She has good skills and strategy. No body knows her past and it is a mystery. It is known that she has been to Taiwan.
Hyūga
She is the former Fog battleship. A second Oriental Fleet flagship is also present. Iona and her crew prevailed over Hyuga. She has a Super Gravitational Cannon that Gunzo and his team managed to save. Later, they added it to I-401. The port manager for Blue Steel is now Hyuga in human form (Mental Model). With the aid of the ship’s armaments and Wave Force Armor, she is protecting the island.
She has focused her attention on Iona since their fight is over. Inoa’s closeness to Gunzo and her admiration for him have an impact on her. She will do anything to assist her pals in need because she is concerned for their wellbeing. She is skilled at hacking as well.
She is also good in hacking skills. She has hacked Fog’s vessel system in order to keep her vessels in safe condition.
In the movie Cadenza, she consumes half of the island and returns Takao to its previous condition. They travel together and defeat Musashi and fight the fog vessels of the student council.
Takao
The Takao was a long-range, fast, and armed naval cruiser owned by the Fog. She is the Mental Model or human form in the manga. Gunzo defeats her during the conflict, and she later joins the Blue Steel fleet. She also develops feelings for Gunzo. During the conflict, Zorman’s fleet nearly destroys her. Iona and Hyga, however, launch a surprise attack just in time to save her.
I-401 saves her core and sends it to Yamato. Yamato has given her the task of getting into a human facility. She has been assured that once the special task has been completed, she will be sent to Gunzo’s side.
A related manga series called Salty Road shows Takao’s and other human’s efforts during this mission.
Gunzo is in jeopardy and I-401 is severely damaged in the Ars Nova update. Takao gives herself up to protect them. The super submarine Ars Nova was developed as a result, and it has the same processing power and firepower as Takao and Iona. Takao is stored digitally in the submarine’s computer system. At the conclusion of the anime, Takao takes on a human form.
She receives her ship back in the movie Cadenza after serving as a Japanese government messenger. She assists with the codes for the vibration warheads. She engages in combat with Hyuga’s assistance to save I-401. They defeat the student council of the fog. I-401 can now defeat Musashi thanks to this.
Initially Takao possessed a Super Gravitational Cannon. Later the ship gets rebuilt which has two large drills. These have been borrowed from the old base on Iwo Jima. This annoys Takao.
Japanese government and military
The blockade by Fleet of Fog led to changes in the Japanese government and Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The Prime Minister serves as the head of state, is responsible for major national decisions, and manages local affairs. The JSDF transforms into a true military with its own Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Many United States Forces become stuck and assimilated into the Japanese military as a result of the Fleet of Fog blockade. They establish families by unions with Japanese nationals.
Nobuyoshi Kaede
He is the Prime Minister of Japan. Kaede gets injured while battling the Fleet of Fog. This makes him crippled and needs to use a wheelchair. He uses cybernetics to see and speak.
Ryūjirō Kamikage
He is the Assistant Secretary of Military Affairs. He transports the Vibration Torpedo to the United States for mass production after hiring Gunzo and Blue Steel Fleet. Vibration Torpedo is the first human made weapon which has the capacity to destroy Fleet of Fog ship. There is rivalry between him and Ryōkan Kita and his supporters as they make their own plans for the I-401.
Cruz Herder
He is the past officer of United States Marine Corps. Cruz becomes Japanese Navy Lieutenant and Commander of United States Forces Japan. He helps Kamikage as Blue Steel fleet transport the Vibration Torpedo to the United States
Ryōkan Kita
He is Ryjir Kamikage’s opponent and is widely anticipated to succeed him as Japan’s next prime minister. He has a lot of sway in the National Diet, the bicameral legislature of Japan. He had previously served as captain of a Japanese Navy destroyer. The UN Naval Fleet and the Fleet of Fog previously engaged in a naval war, and Ryokan was their senior.
He wants the Japanese government to receive the I-401 back. They can prepare their own Fleet of Fog ships by reverse engineering it. This prompts him to oppose Kamikage. He knows those who want to be in the spotlight in the Japanese Army. This comes after the government increased its focus on the Japanese Navy.
Hiroshi Uragami
He is the Vice-Admiral of the Japanese Navy and a friend of Gunzo. Hiroshi knows Gunzo’s father. Hiroshi also supports Kamikage’s ideas for the Blue Steel fleet.
Daisaku Komaki
He is the captain of Japan’s newest attack submarine called as Hakugei 3. Hakugei defeats Kirishima and Haruna with the help of I-401. Thus, Hakugei becomes the first human vessel to conquer two Fog ships at the same time. Daisaku Komaki and Ryūjirō are old friends.
Maruri Hibiki
She is a Japanese naval academy member and former sonar operator of the I-401. She and Gunzō were classmates during their academy days. Maruri was in love with Gunzo and she joined his crew as one of the first members. However, after Gunzo starts to put himself in danger, she is unable to withstand the same. Therefore, she quits I-401 and joins back the Japanese Navy.
Makoto Osakabe
He is the Prime Minister of Japan and also Mayor of city of Sapporo. In order to make a better government administrator, he was created out of genetic engineering. He needs to take special medicines to eat as his body does not have natural bacteria to digest food. Makoto displays attention towards his creator Tōjūrō Osakabe and his sister Makie although he shows no emotion. In order to help his creator, he alerts Tōjūrō Osakabe that the Japanese Army is planning to kill him and Makie.
Characters in the Fleet of Fog of Japan
This is the Fleet of Fog that is currently in Japanese territorial waters. They establish a siege all around Japan to prevent any ships or planes from departing. The two patrol fleets that are enforcing the blockade are the First and Second Oriental Fleets. However, I-401 causes Hyga, the Second Oriental Fleet’s flagship, to sink. The Fleet of Fog is forced to reorganise as a result, which breaks the blockade. Kong becomes the Second Fleet’s flagship once their reformation is finished. The First Fleet’s new flagship is Nagato.
Yamato
The Fleet of Fog’s highest-ranking flagship is Yamato. Yamato gave other ships the capacity to create their own avatars and evolve them. Kotono, one of Yamato’s two distinct avatars, and her own name are the other. They are based on Kotono Amaha, a competitor of Gunz who had never lost. She was Gunzo’s love interest, according to some of his friends. It is unknown if Kotono Amaha, also known as Gunzo, was Yamato’s second avatar or a human.
Kongō
She serves as the Second Oriental Fleet’s flagship. Kongo is Yamato’s top lieutenant. She apes Iona and the other Mental Models in the Ars Nova adaption. She thinks that because of their encounter with Gunz, they are acting strangely. Iona and Kongo become friends towards the end of the series. Iona comes to this realisation after seeing how unsatisfactory and lonely her old existence in isolation was. She resigns from the Fleet of Fog because she wants to travel. The Blue Steel Fleet is not where she enlists.
Nagato
The Flagship of the First Oriental Fleet and has two Mental Models. Nagato has interest in Japanese culture. She acts according to its customs.
Haruna
She is a Fog battleship. Her avatar takes the shape of a teenage girl. She is wearing a heavy coat covering entire body up to the nose. After failing to defeat I-401, Haruna becomes friend with a girl called Makie. Haruna finds the truth behind Makie and agrees to protect her. This is even if it requires to go against Fog.
Kirishima
It is a Fog battleship which joined Haruna in order to defeat I-401. Kirishima and Haruna join to form a stronger vessel but still they get defeated by I-401. Only her core survive the destruction.
It is later put out of sight inside a Teddy bear which is property of Makie. Over the course of the series, she gets adjusted to using the Teddy Bear as her stand-in Mental Model. Kirishima assists Blue Steel Fleet along with Haruna and Makie.
Hiei
She’s the sister ship of Kirishima, Kongō and Haruna. She gets defeated by Kongo and she is left unmovable and is not destroyed. Hiei is second after Kongo and is the leader of the Second Oriental Fleet after Kongo disappears. She becomes a high school student in her mental model and rules over her subordinates.
Ise
She is Hyuga’s elder sister and subordinate of Hiei. She becomes the flagship of First Oriental Fleet after Kongo and Hiei depart to defeat I-401.
Maya
She is under the instructions of Haruna. Maya remains loyal to Haruna even after she opposes the Admirability Code. She plays many musical instruments and gets upset if anyone ignores her.
I-400
She is one of the triplet sister of Iona and one of the two submarines who are under Yamato’s command. She is generally wearing a Qipao which is a type of Chinese dress. She and I-402 get defeated by I-401.
I-402
She is the other sister of Iona and also the submarine under Yamato’s command. She has been tasked by Yamato to observe Takao during her assignment at the Japanese Naval Academy. She gets information from the locals. In the end she and I-400 get defeated by I-401.
Myoko
She is one of the subordinate of Hiei and her avatar wears the dress of a high school student. In her vessels she has sniper cannons having long range ability. She uses an eyepatch in order to snipe on her enemies which is outside their effective range.
Nachi
She is also one of the subordinate of Hiei and younger sister of Myoko. She is the sonar operator and partner of Ashigara. Nachi uses her sonar scanner in order to detect her enemy vessels.
Ashigara
Ashigara is one of the subordinate of Hiei and younger sister of Myoko. She is rude, restless and violent. She has the tendency to forget important things. While during battle with I-401 she uses all her weapons. Ashigara has a harpoon possessing large energy and fired from the seaplane catapult.
Haguro
She is also the youngest sister of Myoko and subordinate of Hiei. She does not like wearing a school uniform. Haguro is the fastest ship of the Fog. Her vessel is having the most number of gravitational engines.
Atago
She is the sister of Maya and Takao and is the only person not to wear uniform besides Kongo. Atago is the subordinate of Hiei.
Akashi
She is the repair vessel under the order of Kongo. She helps Kongo to set up the flagship equipment.
Yukikaze
She is part of Yamato’s personal guard and is also a destroyer. Although she is a destroyer, Yamato has approved her to have a mental model.
Zuikaku
She is one the the biggest vessel in the Fleet of Fog. Zuikaku is assault and suppression vessel. She is a young girl as mental model and also has a cat as a pet. Zuikaku was created as an assault and suppression vessel although it is based on an aircraft carrier.
Zuikaku shipped I-402 and Takao to the Yokosuka city suburbs. It was in order infiltrate the Japanese National Maritime Institute of Technology by the heavy cruiser.
Characters of Fleet of Fog/Europe (Scarlet Fleet)
Shōzō Chihaya
He is Gunzo’s father. During the last conflict between the UN Naval Fleet and the Fleet of Fog, he turns into a combat hero. Chihaya and his team manage to capture the I-401 submarine. Shozo and his crew inexplicably vanished after I-401’s maiden trip to the Pacific, which raises the possibility that he passed away. After a year, the I-401 submarine returns to Japan without its crew.
Two years prior to the start of the series, a spy drone discovers that Shz and his crew were still alive. They revealed that they had switched over to the Fleet of Fog while on board the Fog cruiser Musashi. He is the commander of the Scarlet Fleet, commonly known as the European Fleet of Fog.
Along with his flagship and avatar Musashi, the Scarlet Fleet makes association with the United Kingdom in order to end the European War.
Musashi
She is the flagship of Shozo. her avatar is a blonde woman in a white coat. She has a long white hair and wears a black swimsuit in the anime series.
Bismarck
They are two blonde twin girls and are avatars of Bismarck. She becomes a passive observer in the series.
Zordan Stark
Zordan has been commanded by Shozo to stop the Blue Steel. Is also the captain of U-2501. The submarine also has a weapons officer called Romuald and sonar operator called Francette.
U-2501
It is the submarine mental model of Zordan and is part of the Scarlet fleet. It is very powerful in the Series.
Repulse
It is the battle cruiser of Fog and the mental model appears as a maid. She and Vampire are chased by dishonest element of the Fleet of Fog lead by Hood. He wants them to join him on the quest of stopping Shozo who has maintained authority of the fleet. However, both Repulse and Vampire continue their duty of maintaining the blockade.
Vampire
She is also a destroyer like Repulse. As she is not in possession of enough processing power, Repulse gave her some of her own. This enables her to have a mental model just like a maid however, with vampire like looks.
Prince of Wales
Just like Repulse she appears as a maid. She gave an impression of persuading Vampire and Repulse to join Hood’s attempt to suppress Chihaya.
Lexington
She is the first American ship shown in the series. She is encircled by lot of mess such as multiple books, coffee mugs, and various small ornaments she studies or works with. Generally she is not much motivated and calls U-2501 as unpleasant. She gives more attention to her books and ornaments than to Zordan Stark when he tries to talk to Lexington.
There is a mental model of her which is tall and slim and looks to be in her twenties. Although she claims that she wants to help Kongo in their battle against I-401, she has not made any hostile attempt against I-401. For a brief period, she combats U-2501. It is later shown that she is working outside for last one year and a half. She is the university professor and has a liking for history.
Other characters of Arpeggio of Blue Steel
Makie Osakabe
She has been gametically engineered and a deign child. She is made to have good intellectual abilities. Makie is the only one to survive after infant age. The Vibration Torpedo which is the secret weapon on the Blue Steel fleet has been developed by Makie. The military tries to kill her and ever since she is under the protection of Kirishima and Haruna. During the final battle in the Arctic she is found on the bridge formed by combining her two guardians.
Tōjūrō Osakabe/Lawrence Valentine
He is the creator of Makie and also the servant of Makie. Tojuro was asked to create a genetically engineered child in order to help Japan to survive during the blockade. Since only 7 of the thousands survive, he regrets the idea. The government plans to kill Makie as she developed the Vibration Torpedo. However, Tojuro uses his connections to convince the government to pare her and also giver her a mansion with him a s a butler.
The military tries to kill her when they come to know that she is under the protection of Haruna. They do this in order to prevent the secret of Vibration Torpedo from being revealed. Tojuro has asked Haruna to help Makie escape from Japan. Later, Tajuro sacrifices himself to save Makie being shot from the army sniper.
Saori Chihaya
She is the mother of Gunzo and father of Shozo. She puts herself in house arrest as both her son and husband abandon the Japanese military. She meets and makes friends with Takao when Takao wants to experience human life through the mental model.
Arpeggio of Blue Steel / Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio Manga Series Information
The Young King OURs magazine of Shnen Gahsha published the first issue of the series on September 30, 2009. The manga series’ first standalone volume was released on April 30, 2010. There will be 22 published volumes by the end of 2021. A guidebook-style short story and drama CD were also published.
The series was licenced by Seven Seas Entertainment in July 2013, and on July 1st, 2014, the first volume was made available. Up till December 2020, they have published 17 volumes since that time.
Tali has published a spin-off manga titled Salty Road with illustrations. In this comic, Takao, I-402, and Zuikaku are the main characters as they conquer Yokosuka.
Read Also:
