Before Kohei Horikoshi created My Hero Academia, he had a lesser-known series - Barrage. Barrage is set in Industria, a planet that after the integration of aliens has become overrun with crime. It is the tale of Astro, a street kid who ends up swapping places with the current prince (who looks just like him) so the prince can try and live a normal life. His first duty as a royal is for him, and his guard Tiamat, to journey across the land to bring peace by defeating evildoers. Tune in as we, and our special guest musician Dan Harrison discuss.

Show Notes:

• Episode art by Jennifer Zhu (IG: art_by_toast)
• Be sure to review us on iTunes to get a shoutout on the next episode! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shonen-flop/id1516326666
• You can listen to Dan Harrison on Spotify, and find him on social media @danharrisonmusic (dnharrisonmusic on Twitter)
• Cinema Roulette: @RouletteCinema
• One Crime At A Time Podcast: @onecrimepod
• East Coast Avengers Podcast: @eastcoastavngrs
• GrandRapidains Play Video Games: @grand_video

MAL Description:

The discovery of alien life has turned the once serene planet Industria into a world of racism and perpetual conflict. Young orphan Astro lives his life with one goal: to work hard and earn enough wages to care for a group of fellow orphans he has adopted as his own family. Astro's simple life is disrupted when he encounters Bulge, the Crown Prince of Industria who is his age and shares his exact face. The prince is fleeing his royal obligations in pursuit of debauchery.

The royal military captures Astro after mistaking him for the prince, ripping the young orphan away from the family he cares about. With the King of Industria misidentifying Astro as his own son, the boy is forced into the royal lifestyle. He spends his days training in the art of combat under the high-ranking young soldier Tiamat, whose only perceivable weakness is a crippling fear of women.

After foiling an assassination plot and awakening the powers of the ancient lance Orgue, Astro is sent off with Tiamat to train with his new weapon to end the petty conflict between humans and aliens across the planet's surface.