Manchuria Opium Squad
is a Japanese manga series written by Tsukasa Monma and illustrated by Shikako. It was serialized on Kodansha's Comic Days app from April 2020 to September 2021, when it was transferred to Weekly Young Magazine. Plot

Characters

Originally a soldier for the Kwantung Army, Isamu becomes the breadwinner of his mother and two siblings. After his mother catches the plague, Isamu becomes a manufacturer of opium to afford medicine. Isamu has extensive knowledge on chemistry and plants, which gives him the skills to create pure opium. After the death of his mother, Isamu vows to give his siblings a better life. Isamu befriends Li Hua, a former member of the Green Gang, and begins his infiltration of the opium trade in Manchuria. After some obstacles and hardships, Isamu's morals change for the worse. His opium causes an increase in addiction and death, which Isamu claims is a necessary cost for a better life. Eventually, Isamu becomes the Emperor of the criminal underworld, a complete change to the man he was in the past. Publication
Written by Tsukasa Monma and illustrated by Shikako, Manchuria Opium Squad started on Kodansha's app Comic Days on April 9, 2020. Its latest exclusive chapter on the platform was published on September 9, 2021, and the series was transferred to Weekly Young Magazine on September 18 of the same year. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on August 11, 2020. As of September 6, 2023, 14 volumes have been released. Kodansha publishes the series in English on their K Manga service. Volumes

Reception
The manga was nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2023. References

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Anime and manga set in China
Crime in anime and manga
Historical anime and manga
Kodansha manga
Seinen manga
Suspense anime and manga
Works about opium