PlotParasyte centers on a teenage boy named Shin. He lives with his mother and father in a rather quiet neighborhood when an alien invasion occurs. The aliens are called Parasytes. They are worm-like creatures that enter human "hosts" through their ears or noses, and take over their brain. A Parasyte attempts to crawl into Shin's ear and take over his brain while he sleeps, but is stopped by his headphones and accidentally burrows into one of his hands instead and is dubbed "Lefty."
Because the Parasyte infected his hand instead of his brain, Shin and Lefty each retain their own, separate intellect. This gives them an edge in battling the other Parasytes, who see Shin's ability to think independently as a threat.
The ParasytesThe Parasyte begins life as a worm-like creature which emerges from a spore, drifting to earth from the sky. The Parasyte crawls or burrows its way into the head of a human host, transforming the brain. This effectively kills the victim, replacing their personality and intellect with that of the Parasyte. Parasytes have no memories of their own and do not know where they came from, but are, as a general rule, extremely quick learners who master the language and customs of the surrounding human population.
Parasytes have the ability to shapeshift the area of the body of which they took control (normally the head). They can alter their facial features in order to assume the guise of another person. When necessary, however, they can perform bizarre and grotesque transformations, sprouting supernumary eyes, mouths, and even wings, as well as extruding an array of blades, fangs, and tentacles, later returning their face to its normal shape. These extrusions can be moved with superhuman speed, and a Parasyte can easily kill several nearby humans with an array of whirring blades before they are even aware that they're being attacked. Their primary use for this ability is murder-although they can eat other foods, all normal Parasytes have an instinctive compulsion to kill and eat humans. Parasytes have neither compassion for nor malice against humans-as a general rule, they display little emotion or none at all, and act according to whatever seems sensible and likely to ensure their own survival. Because they are not emotionally troubled by pain or physical exhaustion, a Parasyte can push its host body to the limit, performing much better than the host may have originally been capable of doing. Of course, this also increases the risk of exhaustion or injury.
Parasytes also have the psychic ability to sense one another's presence. They can instinctively sense the proximity of other nearby Parasytes, and identify them as such. They are also aware of any killings committed by nearby Parasytes.
Although the head of a Parasyte-controlled body may appear to be made of normal human flesh, bone, and hair, it is not. Every cell of a Parasyte-controlled body part is alive, and small hair and tissue samples removed from the Parasyte will quickly wither and die. Later in the series, characters pluck one another's hair in order to identify Parasytes. In this regard, as well as in their ability to suddenly create bizarre shapes out of normal human features, the Parasytes bear a strong resemblance to The Thing. Occasionally, a Parasyte displays the ability to temporarily detach itself, or part of itself, from its human host, crawling on makeshift legs to escape danger or surprise an opponent.
A Parasyte cares nothing for pain, and can withstand massive amounts of damage to its host body before dying. Its shape-shifting body parts can become incredibly tough and resistant to damage, deflecting blades and bullets with ease. When Parasytes fight one another, they usually try to kill their opponent by severing the head from the body, or by piercing the heart in order to cause death by rapid, massive blood loss. Parasytes can also be killed reliably by immolation, or by a concentrated hail of gunfire.
Occasionally, a Parasyte makes a mistake and fails to assimilate the brain of a human host. The Parasyte may accidentally merge with another part of a human's body (as in the case of Shin Izumi, the protagonist), or even accidentally merge with the brain of an animal, rather than a human. In such cases, the Parasyte either subsists on the nutrient intake of the host (as is the case with Shin), or has a compulsion to eat whatever animal species it assimilated, rather than humans. Such cases are seen by other Parasytes as pathetic failures or unsettling threats.
Characters Shin Izumi: Shin is the protagonist of the manga, a thoughtful, compassionate high-school boy whose hand is infected with a Parasyte. Shin is repeatedly put into difficult positions. He must find a way to peacefully coexist with Lefty, the Parasyte which has taken over his hand, and reconcile his desire to protect humanity from the Parasytes with his desire to keep his own Parasyte a secret in order to avoid being killed or used as a laboratory specimen. Like a superhero with a secret identity, he must also find a way to explain away his Parasyte-fighting activities, as well as the stress and grief they cause him, to his friends and family. Shin's retention of a human mind, emotion, and sensibilities causes other Parasytes to see him as a threat. He and his Parasyte must defend themselves from attacks by other Parasytes, and their ability to think and act independently, and as a team, gives them a tactical edge over normal Parasytes.
Lefty: Lefty is the Parasyte which lives in Shin's hand. Unlike other Parasytes, Lefty is nourished by the food Shin eats and so has no need or desire to kill and eat humans. However, Lefty is, like other Parasytes, completely without emotion. His primary consideration is survival, and he has threatened (and in some cases attempted) to kill other humans who pose a threat to he and Shin's secrecy. When he and Shin were first coming to terms, he even threatened to remove Shin's other limbs in order to render him unable to place the two of them in danger. Lefty can be reasoned with, however, and has just as much reason to be mistrustful of other Parasytes as does Shin. On the other hand, unlike Shin, Lefty has no inclination to place himself at risk in order to protect other humans from Parasytes.
Sara: Shin's best friend and sometime companion. Shin and Sara develop a romantic relationship over the course of the series, but their attraction to and fondness for one another is hampered by Shin's fear of his own monstrous nature, and Sara's fear of Shin's secretive behavior and the mood swings that result from the trials and tribulations in his life.
Tamara Rockford: A Parasyte who, coincidentally, infected one of Shin's high-school teachers. Tamara has scientific inclinations, and is driven to discover the biology, origin, and purpose of Parasytes. It is Tamara who discovers-by becoming impregnated by another Parasyte named Mr. A-that a pregnant Parasyte will bear a normal, human child, and that Parasytes have no apparent means of reproduction. Tamara is more logical and reasonable than many other Parasytes, and allows Shin to live unmolested largely because she finds him an interesting anomaly worthy of study.
Kana: Kana is a disobedient "bad girl" who develops a crush on Shin. She is attracted to him because of his sensitive personality, and because she can sense something "different" about him. In reality, Kana has an unexplained psychic ability to sense Parasytes. However, her senses are not as fine-tuned as those of the Parasytes themselves, and she cannot tell whether she is sensing the presence of Shin or of a normal Parasyte, putting her in considerable danger.
Uda: Uda is, like Shin, a human who had a Parasyte merge with a part of his body other than his brain. In Uda's case, the Parasyte lodged in the lower part of his head. Uda's Parasyte does not have a name of its own, and it is brash and crude-it even seems to have a sense of humour-and sometimes assumes control of Uda's mouth, distorting it into odd shapes and forcing Uda to say strange or inappropriate things. The pair befriend Shin and Lefty, but prefer to simply avoid Parasytes. Because Uda is slightly overweight and his Parasyte is located in the jaw area, fights with other Parasytes tend to leave him out of breath. However, because it is located in the lower part of the head, his Parasyte can extend itself downward into his chest, protecting his heart (a popular target in Parasyte duels). Uda is normally a peaceful, easygoing man, but is nervous under pressure. He works as a hotel employee.
Goto: Goto is an "experimental" Parasyte created by Tamara Rockford. He is actually composed of several combined Parasytes, whose shapeshifting ability has advanced to the point where they can switch positions, each forming a different limb as the situation requires. Goto is the most intelligent and skilled, and is the de facto leader of the composite body. Because his head and all of his limbs are made of Parasyte cells, Goto is much faster, stronger, and more dangerous than standard Parasytes, and nearly impossible to hurt.
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasyte
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