Barefoot Gen, Vol. 4

Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 1945-1947. The war is over, but for the survivors of the atomic blast, the suffering has only begun. When the Emperor surrenders unconditionally, the Americans roll into Japan and strip the local authorities of all power, creating a power vacuum that is swiftly filled by the underbelly of Japanese society. Food is scarce, and prices are wildly inflated. Reunited once more but evicted from Kiyo’s storehouse, the Nakaoka family is barely holding onto life; malnutrition lays its cold, painful hands on their bodies. Gen and Ryuta must resort to drastic measures in order to procure enough food to keep their family alive. As the months go by, Gen returns to a broken schoolhouse, where both new friends and new enemies await him. But when tragedy strikes, and baby Tomoko is kidnapped, Gen finds himself pushed to a breaking point. However, the Nakaokas could never prepare themselves for the ultimate tragedy that is to come…

A now-classic manga, Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) is based on author Keiji Nakazawa’s own experiences as a young boy in Hiroshima at the end of World War II. Gen's tale is a deep, harrowing read about the effects of war on a civilian population and what it takes to survive in a world on fire. This edition uses a translation by Project Gen, a team of volunteers formed in the 1970s with the mission of providing a complete English translation of Hadashi no Gen so that a wider audience around the world could read its message.