WiDESHOT (Original Series)

WiDESHOT (WiDESHOT -ワイドショット-) is a manga created by R with an anime TV series adaptation. Its main character Sergio Swift is a placid and calculated adolescent who aspires to save the world from Yesterday Man, a tyrant who seeks to eradicate the human race by transforming all of humanity into Sisalik.

The manga was first published in 2019 in a secret, unreleased issue of Japan's Shōnen Jump magazine. VIZ Media publishes a translated version in the American Shonen Jump, and is currently within a few volumes of the Japanese publication. WiDESHOT was VIZ Media's best-selling manga series since throughout its entire run, being replaced by WiDESHOT MEGA, its successor.

WiDESHOT Manga
The WiDESHOT manga has ended with 25 volumes and 100 chapters.

In 2018, R created the first published incarnation of the WiDESHOT series with the one-shot KASKADE. Though the plot of the one-shot bears little significance to the later shōnen manga, many of the same characters and themes would be displayed for the first time.

Prologue
In a world called Yai, people of all creeds are pressed under the royal thump of the miscreant despot known as "Yesterday Man." Somehow, this tyranous villain has found a way to change people into half-lizard half-man monsters which have been dubbed Sisalik. Ever since, Yesterday Man has begun to send his subordinate Sisalik soldiers across every mountain, molehill, and peak of Yai to make sure all of his subjects remain below him — where they belong.

Sergio Swift, a 20 year old young man wakes up after taking a nap next to his favorite fishing river. He runs back to his village being ransacked by a renegade group of Sisalik, where he finds his father, Santiago Swift, in the grasps of a Sisalik who declares himself to be "King Kaskade: King of the Sisalik." King Kaskade looks Sergio in the eyes as he punches a hole through the boy's father, Santiago Swift, who possessed no ability to defend himself. In his dying words, Santiago begged Sergio not to engage with the Sisalik, but to run, and to hold on to close friends. After "awarding Santiago with a pathetic and public defeat before the feet of the world's true king," King Kaskade made a clean escape and Sergio vowed to avenge his late father.

Unable to pack any supplies, he runs away — as his family has already been killed. Many people try to escape with Sergio, but he outruns them all. They fall to the lizard men, and Sergio continues forward. After navigating the wilderness, he finds a hidden base that belongs to Professor Armitus, the village’s rumored maniac.

Sergio has a lot of questions for the professor, all of which he answers. The lizard men all used to be ordinary humans, but they’ve all been turned into reptiles by a mysterious man that the Professor calls Yesterday Man. The Professor figured out that Yesterday Man did this by somehow altering everyone’s Zeal Signatures into a new Zeal Signature that transforms them into lizard men.

Not knowing about any of this, Sergio asks the Professor if he has a Zeal Signature, to which the Professor replies, “oh, it’s nothing special.” Sergio enters a machine that reads his Zeal Signature, and learns that he has one that enables him to run at amazing speeds. Having always been the fastest in the village, this makes sense to him. Still, in an effort to avenge his destroyed village, Sergio asks the Professor to train him in the art of Zeal.

The Professor declines, stating that zeal is not something that can be trained, only discovered. The Professor suggests going out and fighting lizard men in order to learn how to use his Zeal Signature, which he now calls Brilliant Speed.

Sergio ventures into the wild lands to fight lizard men. Through reconnaissance, he learns that they are actually part of the Sisalik Troop. Sergio’s first encounter with a Sisalik results in him having to flee the scene. After thinking up of a plan, he defeats one. Then a group of them. Soon enough, Sergio is an expert at defeating the Sisalik. After expending all of his energy to defeat a group of 12 Sisalik, a 13th low ranking Sisalik from the Army of Tomorrow happens to stumble upon the village. Weakened, Sergio fights the Sisalik with strong conviction, believing it would bring him even closer to Kaskade. The two fought on the outskirts of Sergio's village, but the wreckage of Kaskade's rampage left enough debris for a stray pylon to fall onto Sergio — rendering him unable to complete what should have been a relatively easy fight. Buddy, dissenting from Yesterday Man's lowest ranks, demonstrated his humanity by using his superior strength to lift the pylon off of Sergio, saving him from the most certain of deaths. Sergio gained immediate respect for Buddy.

Sergio then makes his way to back to the Professor and realizes that he and the Sisalik have to walk in the same direction to reach their respective destinations.The Sisalik tells Sergio that he knows what he’s doing, and that he supports it. He relays his sorrows and woes to Sergio, as he, along with the 12 other Sisalik who have just been killed, has been malformed by Yesterday Man, the world's King. He tells Sergio that each of the Sisalik have depersonalized names, and that his is B2DY. Sergio immediately asks about Kaskade, but B2DY has never heard of him.

Touched by the story, and tired of saying a bunch of letter and number over and over, Sergio decides to call his new friend “Buddy,” and asks him if he'd like to join him only his quest to save the Sisalik. Buddy accepts, and the two go back to the lab. Sergio tells Buddy all about the Professor along the way — praising his intellect and "great deeds." When they get there, Sergio asks if the Professor can cure Buddy. The Professor — surprised by Buddy's appearance — agrees, and then asks to talk to Buddy alone.

The Professor tells Sergio to come in to the lab when he’s finished, and upon entering, Sergio finds Buddy chained to a wall by complicated technology. The Professor, who now looks much more sinister than before, reveals his greatest creation, FUCHSIA 000: an automaton "created to replicate the power of Brilliant Speed." FUCHSIA was created using 6 of the 13 Granulated Crystals as its core. It does not use Zeal, but rather, Pseudozeal — a synthetic, artificial Zeal invented by the Professor.

''Alternatively, the professor introduces Sergio to what he thinks will be a machine invented to cure the Sisalik; however, upon opening the chamber, is shocked to find his previously discarded creation, FUCHSIA, there instead. Forever avoiding being wrong in any sort or measure ever at all, the professor leans head first into his blunder and turns evil — stating that this was part of his plan all along. He claims that Buddy, who is chained to a surgery table, was born only to test FUCHSIA's power.''

FUCHSIA breaks free from the wall, and attacks Sergio. The robot is flimsy and clumsy at first, but over the course of the fight, it learns how to copy Brilliant Speed. Sergio decides to spare FUCHSIA and set him free, stating that it has no reason to be killed, as it didn’t choose to be created. The Professor begins ranting about his greatness, but Sergio punches him in the stomach, and frees Buddy, who contemplates killing the Professor.

Prison Arc
While traveling to the Royal Capitol, Sergio and Buddy notice an increasing amount of Sisalik, leading Sergio to disguise himself. They get to the capital, and see a child trying to convince a crowd that he can perform magic. They brush him off, and even laugh at him a little.

Soon after, Sergio and Buddy discover that the young boy's name is Archibald Andrew Armitus. A group of Sisalik arrive, threatening to kill Archibald just for being in the wrong place, but after realizing that the boy is trying to perform magic, decide instead to take him to prison. Sergio and Buddy, surveying Archibald's helplessness, defend the young magician; however, Sergio, not having mastered his powers yet, is overpowered by the Sisalik group.

Sergio and Buddy, moved by the young boy's determination to learn the forbidden arts of magic, and also believing he may be a key asset in reverting the Sisalik, decide to infiltrate the prison and save Archibald. They go into the prison and, after searching every cell and freeing every prisoner, find Archibald in solitary confinement along with a strange man in a knight's helmet as his cell mate. Archibald, relieved that these two brief acquaintances came to rescue him, escapes with Sergio and Buddy.

Freeing the prisoners, however, instigates a riot and a brawl ensues. Sergio capitalizes on the opportunity to test out his powers, defeating hordes of prisoners at immense velocities. Archibald, Sergio and Buddy, make a clean escape, getting to know each other on the tail end. After escaping the prison, Sergio, Buddy, and Archibald become friends, and Sergio decides to start calling Archibald, "Triple A" as a show of his affection as friends.

Sergio, Buddy, and Triple A, having formed a three-man squad, decide to follow the prisoner who did not involve himself in the prison brawl, who also happens to be the man sharing the prison cell with Triple A, in solitary confinement. Intrigued by the prisoner's background as a solitary confinement victim, the three heroes track the man down, searching for insights on why he was confined alongside Triple A.

Having learned that the man in the helmet, who calls himself The Harbinger, has been freed from his solitary confinement, Yesterday Man sends his top Sisalik — an elite group known as The Progenitors — to hunt down The Harbinger.

Sergio and Buddy meet with The Salamander first, narrowly defeating him. Triple A, refusing to fight, watches Sergio and Buddy's teamwork, feeling inspired, wishing he could help in some meaningful, deliberate way. After having defeated The Salamander, Sergio and Buddy gain confidence in their abilities. Due to the forest being burned down, the two boys stumble upon The Harbinger's lair.

The Harbinger does not tolerate intruders. When they get there, The Harbinger sends his guard dog, Romulus, to fend them off. Using his Zeal Signature, Fall of Rome, Romulus traps Sergio and Buddy in a Colosseum so he can dispatch who he believes to be the weakest of the three fighters, Triple A.

Forced to fight each other, Sergio and Buddy resolve to duel in an effort to free themselves from Romulus' Fall of Rome. Outside of the Colosseum, Triple A is forced to fight Romulus, who is now just a really big dog. Here is where Triple A cultivates his Zeal Signature, Compacted Light, which he believes to be "magic." After a brief skirmish with Romulus, Triple A discovers the hidden weakness of Fall of Rome, freeing his comrades. Upon being freed, it is evident that Sergio defeated Buddy in the Colosseum. Buddy is out of commission. The Progenitors arrive and kill Romulus.

The Rectifier fights Triple A; Sergio fights The Prodigy. They emerge victorious. During this time, Buddy reflects on his status as a Sisalik and laments the fact that he cannot be human like Sergio and Triple A.

The Harbinger, impressed by the boys' feat, decides to give them the honor of being finished off by his own hand. Sergio volunteers to fight. Just before finishing Sergio off, The Harbinger notices a dormant glint in the young man's soul — indicating his vast latent potential. With this dormant power in mind, The Harbinger resolves to spare Sergio, believing that the latter could become a powerful adversary one day — powerful enough to perhaps defeat Yesterday Man. Instead, he decides to banish them from his cave — they abide out of sheer fear alone.

Secret Society Arc
The boys arrive in the Secret Zeal Society, a village of humans dedicated to mastering the Art of Zeal.

The village's elder, Farren Height, boasts of the village's prized possession, a granulated crystal. He then promises to train the three boys in the Art of Zeal on the condition that the heroes subdue the Sisalik marauders. The boys are taught Zeal, they learn Zeal, and are put through the trials:

Trial of Body: Buddy's trial: break a big boulder that is blocking the center pathway of town. Sergio's trial: deliver the mail to every person in town. Because the boulder is blocking the center, Sergio must go all the way around the town to deliver the mail through crowded streets. When Buddy breaks the boulder, everyone's routine changes — thus, dramatically affecting Sergio's trial. Triple A, not fully capable of manifesting his Zeal Signature at will, is sent to the Chamber of Secrecy instead to meditate.

Trial of Mind: The boy's must figure out how to use their Zeal Signatures to benefit the town. Buddy decides to use his supreme strength to defend the bridge, the entrance to town, from the Sisalik. While Buddy is defending the town, Sergio does reconnaissance. He goes to the Capitol and finds Yesterday Man's Castle; the gate is open. Sergio enters the castle and must navigate a labyrinth. He encounters Yesterday Man, but upon witnessing the power difference, runs. Sisalik follow.

Upon returning to the Secret Zeal Society, Sergio runs into Buddy who, crippled by the regret of having to slay the Sisalik, and torn between his lizard side and human tendencies, is on the verge of suicide. Sergio manages to raise Buddy's spirits, promising him they will find the cure to the Sisalik Virus and restore him to his human form. Sergio resolves to run back to the town to warn Farren Height of the ensuing Sisalik; Buddy agrees to stay behind. However, Sergio is fatigued by a days worth of Brilliant Speed. A ways before town, Sergio happens to run near enough to Yesterday Man's castle to sense his oppressive Zeal. He hesitates for a brief moment.

FUCHSIA 002, sensing that there is a Granulated Crystal in the SSZ, arrives and swiftly dispatches Sergio, during the very moment he was caught off guard by Yesterday Man's Zeal.

While Triple A is meditating in the Chamber of Secrecy, he is visited by Muina, the Lorth of Fables — the King of the Magic Realm. Through serious meditation, Triple A is able to contact the Lorth of Fables — who projects himself into the Chamber. The Lorth then explains to Triple A that there is more to his Zeal Signature that he knows, and that it is actually half magic, which is actually called Maagia. Using Maagia and Zeal allows Triple A to enter his Lorth Forme. The Lorth of Fables reveals that Triple A is actually the Prince of Magic, a unique being who can blend the two powers of the universe: Zeal and Maagia

FUCHSIA 002 arrives and massacres the whole town, eventually running into the elder who makes a futile attempt to stop the diabolical robot. With Farren Height's measures failing, Farren Height uses his last resort: Absolute Zero. FUCHSIA, being a robot, however, is unaffected by such extreme temperatures, and is able to break free using the heat from its core. FUCHSIA 002 acquires the Granulated Crystal — becoming FUCHSIA 003.

Triple A, having his meditation disrupted, emerges from the chamber, witnessing the ruination of the Secret Zeal Society. Simultaneously, the Harbinger investigates the scene. All at once, the three encounter each other.

Triple A and the Harbinger engage in a bout of combat with FUCHSIA 003. Triple A warns The Harbinger that "There's no way we can outrun him. That being, FUCHSIA 003, has Brilliant Speed." The Harbinger tells Triple A to stay back, but the young man refuses, claiming that his powers have grown "immensely."

Triple A changes into his Lorth Forme. FUCHSIA acknowledges Triple A's new strength, declaring it a "valuable asset" that "must be acquired," but Triple A assures it that his strength cannot be emulated.

Triple A fires a seven-fold compacted light through the reflection of Broken Fantasy — towards FUCHSIA, who, attempts to block in the wrong — inverted — location. The blast strikes his core. FUCHSIA, unable to comprehend the concept of defeat, releases a gargantuan explosion which captures the entire landscape — 1/250th of Yai — in its fury. Buddy arrives at the scene with Sergio, and the heroes return to what's left of the village for a well-deserved night's rest.

Yesterday Arc
The next day, fifty Sisalik are immediately dispatched to the site of the blast. Sergio and his crew arrive to fight; however, in order to test the limits of his newfound power, Triple A condenses the Sisilik warriors into nothing, using Gravitational Maagia. After the fact, Triple A realizes that all fifty of the Sisilik he just brutally murdered were once people — just as he was — and vows to never do something so cruel ever again. Not knowing what to make of what he just saw, Buddy is silent. The Harbinger, flabbergasted, demands an explanation. "What is this form...? This... power..?" Triple A explains the powers.

Having just arrived to where his Sisalik have been killed, Yesterday Man overhears the conversation. "An interesting explanation...! Maybe you could use these powers to repay me for the fifty Sisalik you have taken from my ranks?"

Yesterday Man tries to convince Triple A to "refine" the Sisalik formula -- in an attempt to eliminate the Sisalik Will in exchange for Immense Power. Triple A refuses. Remembering King Kaskade, Yesterday Man punches a hole through Buddy's solar plexus in order to turn him into a Sisalik Prime — though Buddy is unable to retain his humanity as Kaskade did.

Triple A & Sergio are forced to fight Prime Buddy, their former friend. Triple A enters his Lorth Forme once more. While Yesterday Man watches, Buddy has his body broken, Sergio and Triple A their spirits.

Unable to disengage his Lorth Forme, Triple A contacts the Lorth of Fables, who instructs him to return to the Magic Realm to receive training in the Maagia arts. In a panic, Yesterday Man attempts to use Paramount to swipe at Triple A before he warps to the Magic Realm, but is too late. After seeing this power, Sergio panics and runs away as fast as he can. Succumbing to his own hubris,Yesterday Man doesn't find him worth chasing, instead returning to his castle to commune with a "certain group."

After defeating Buddy, Sergio has become even more determined to stop Yesterday Man. he races to find the remaining granulated crystals, hoping they will allow him to defeat YDM. Along the way, Sergio Swift encounters The Harbinger who pronounces, "If you can't beat me... what makes you think you can defeat him?" FUCHSIA 005 and Sergio are in hot pursuit of the crystals. FUCHSIA arrives first, finds the crystal along with the tablets and reads them while he synthesises into FUCHSIA 006. He reinterprets his purpose.

While Sergio is searching for the crystals that have already been taken, The Harbinger decides to execute his revenge on Yesterday Man. He goes to the Capitol and finds YDM, who monologues to the Harbinger about His Tomorrow.

The Harbinger releases all of his strength, revealing that his left eye has been Granulated Crystal this whole time — a fake granulated crystal created by his father, Augustus Armitus. The Harbinger attempts to fight Yesterday Man, who dramatically outclasses him.

The Harbinger is blown out of Yesterday Man's castle. After tumbling, sliding, and grinding down against the pristine marble steps leading up to the Castle, he finally lands at feet of Sergio, who has just arrived. The Harbinger warns Sergio of Yesterday Man's power. Sergio doesn't recognize the Harbinger, and asks who he is.

The Harbinger reveals that he is actually the Professor's father, Dr. Eugene Armitus — the man to develop the original formula for the Sisalik DNA. Has was set on receiving the granulated crystals as payment; however, once he had completed the formula, Yesterday Man asked him "How do I know it works? Try it on yourself!" Yesterday Man then uses Paramount to instantaneously inject Eugene Armitus with the formula, turning him into the first Sisalik: the Harbinger.

After the Harbinger's heartfelt confession, FUCHSIA 006 arrives. He immediately rips the fake granulated crystal from the Harbinger's eye-socket, mistaking Augustus Armitus's craftsmanship for the real thing. The Harbinger is brutally injured from this, and knows that he will die, as the crystal was the only thing keeping him alive. Due to this, he proposes a plan to Sergio — Yai's Last Hope. Meanwhile, FUCHSIA is corrupted by the power from Crystal #0 and his newfound ideology, and ends up declaring "So I cannot become any more Perfect than I already am? So be it. Behold, FUCHSIA 007..! A Truly Perfect being, and the Savior of this world..!" He challenges Yesterday Man to fight for control.

With his new ability "True Speed: Endless Victory," FUCHSIA begins to emulate the instantaneous strikes of Paramount. FUCHSIA grows stronger throughout the fight, but eventually his body gives out from the artificial energy of Crystal #0. Yesterday Man begins to pummel him, dismantling the artificial creation with the brute force of his fists. FUCHSIA laments that he has been "Destroyed by a being made from flesh and bone." Questioning his purpose in the universe. "Why was I created just for things to end this way?" Thus, after being born into the world for suffering FUCHSIA is destroyed.

Throughout the fight between FUCHSIA and Yesterday Man, Sergio and the Harbinger have been fusing together, with the Harbinger offering the last bastions of his strength to Sergio. Through what he calls the "Dark Fantasy Ritual," the defeated Harbinger passes on His Will to Sergio, who ages ten years over the course of mere seconds.

Sergio Swift, having lost all of his friends — Buddy, Triple A, and now The Harbinger — to Yesterday Man's diabolical ways, challenges the villain to one final fight to the death. Out of sheer respect, Yesterday Man obliges. Utilizing seemingly impossible powers, Yesterday Man engages in a bout of combat with Sergio. Sergio utilizes his new ability: Lethal Kairos. The new ability allows him to seize the perfect opportunities — at a cost: in order to gain immense strength, his body solidifies into stone.

Having become so fast that, unable to keep up with the ever increasing speed of Sergio, Yesterday Man starts to feel the pressure of the fight. In a last ditch effort, Yesterday Man summons all the Sisalik. Sergio defeats all the Sisalik in less than a second, leaving only enough time for Yesterday Man to "catch his breath." The fight continues on for several hours.

Lethal Kairos is beginning to take its toll on Sergio. The boy is beginning to turn into stone. Resolving to end the fight in one swift motion, Sergio puts all of his mind, body, and Zeal into seizing the thread of fate in order to find the Perfect Opportunity. At this point, Yesterday Man has figured out the nature of Sergio's new power; therefore, Yesterday Man scoffs at the notion, declaring that "no such things exists." Sergio finds the Perfect Opportunity. Bursting forth to finally defeat Yesterday Man, Sergio's trajectory is cut but an inch short by the cruel hand of fate. He has already become stone. Living in eternal presence, Sergio remains in the Moment's Semblance — an eternity's worth of speed in a single moment; living forever in a slice of time, Sergio has all the time he needs to come to terms with what has happened.

Having narrowly avoided death, Yesterday Man, after watching in shock as Sergio's hand turn to stone as it reaches out towards him, resumes his usual air of arrogance. After walking a few paces away from the statue, Yesterday Man turns around, looks at the statue, and states: "I won't destroy it. It's not that I'm sentimental or anything. It would just be an inconvenience. You see, Sergio, things aren't so simple.. there is more to this universe than this planet alone. You see, Yai isn't the only world we have to explore. In fact, there are countless worlds, even I have only been to but a fraction of them; however, you have only been to one — that is why you lost."

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Characters
Sergio Swift

Professor Armitus

Buddy

Yesterday Man

The Harbinger

The Prodigy

Triple A

Fuchsia

GARTHOKULHAULPS

Gordaulhaulps

Bird Marrone

D'jinn

Hometown Grill

Zeal signature: Historic Flame, Species: Human from the planet "Home"

Vincent Stronghold

Veidrik

Fish Fry

Yami Joyride; an automolizard

Blackford White/ Whiteford Black

T'ornn

Henrik Magdalini

Forget Me Not

Mistah Smile

Double Feature

Quantum Bombastic

Justin Case