See also: Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (Manga)

This sophisticated, complex science fiction tale by master writer and artist Yukito Kishiro is full of action, black humor, and bizarre philosophical, historical, and cultural references. The heroine, Alita, is a powerful cyborg with a soft heart and a mysterious past. Her second lease on life isn't easy: her heart is broken, she gains and loses friends to the cruel world of the Scrapyard far below the Utopian city of Tiphares, and she serves many masters in her quest to protect the innocent and create a new life for herself. A cross between Star Trek and Blade Runner, this series constantly challenges the reader's definition of what it means to be human.