a retrovirus called the V-virus. The virus causes mutations in the DNA which result in the carriers exhibiting vampire-like characteristics, most notably pronounced canines and a thirst for blood. The origins of the V-virus have not been made clear, but Type-V mutants have existed throughout human history. Only in the late 20th century did advances in biology reveal that vampires were once humans who had been infected with the V-virus. Production Premise Last Order continues from volume 9 of Battle Angel Alita, but diverges from the original story, as it takes place after Alita is seemingly killed by a doll bomb but ignores the events of the original ending, such as the transformation of Ketheres into a nanotechnological space flower, Alita's subsequent transformation into a flesh-and-blood human girl and her reunion with Figure. Motivation Kishiro has stated that he was forced to cut Battle Angel Alita short with an ending he wasn't satisfied with. After working on other projects and the manga Aqua Knight, he decided to go back to Alita's story in 2000. Originally, the story was planned to follow that of the PlayStation game Gunnm: Martian Memory, but its story is only used partially and sparingly, as Kishiro expanded and changed the story. Publication Last Order was on hiatus since the 100th installment due to a disagreement between Kishiro and an editor of Shueisha's Ultra Jump magazine. The editor had wanted Kishiro to refrain from using the word "psycho" in his manga dialogue. Kishiro later offered to resume the manga only if the legal department of Ultra Jump apologized to him for revising the three sections of dialogue in the new reprint of Battle Angel Alita, and Shueisha would recall the new reprinted edition and revert the revised sections to their original form. If his requirements were not met, Kishiro threatened to switch publishers to Kodansha's Evening magazine. Kishiro's requirements were apparently rejected by Shueisha and Kodansha subsequently announced that Last Order will join Evenings, starting with its 101st chapter in the 2011 8th issue, released on March 22, 2011. The manga finished on January 28, 2014. References Trade references Other references External links Official website at Kodansha 2000 manga Battle Angel Cyberpunk anime and manga Kodansha manga Nanotechnology in fiction Seinen manga Shueisha manga Viz Media manga Artificial intelligence in fiction Artificial wormholes in fiction Cyborgs in fiction Prosthetics in fiction Fiction about robots Biorobotics in fiction