The Downfall

On the surface, the Organization is humanity's best hope to survive against Yoma, monsters that disguise themselves in human form and devour human flesh. But are they truly the benevolent benefactor that fights on humanity's side against the grotesque Yoma? Miria, a former Claymore employed by the Organization, dug deep and uncovered the shocking truth behind Yoma and Claymores. The truth changed her outlook, and now she's on a quest to take down the very organization that claims to protect mankind.

Arms Race

Throughout history, there's been a direct connection between technological advancement and military might. Whether it was the introduction of firearms or the mass-destructive powers of atomic warfare, whoever came out ahead in the arms race usually came out on top. In the world of Claymore, the same notion holds true. Bearing that in mind, what in the world does this have to do with the Claymores and their plight against the Yoma?

The continent that Miria and her comrades call home is kept in ignorance of the greater world at large. Somehow, the Organization is able to manipulate the masses into thinking that they are the only continent that exists in the world, never realizing that there's an even larger neighboring continent that is caught in the midst of a seemingly never-ending conflict.

From the information that Miria gathers, the large mysterious continent has been in a constant state of war for a long time, but starting from a century ago, all the warring states eventually formed two great alliances—the human side and the non-human side, who were said to be descendants of dragons. Because of their impenetrable hide, the dragon descendants soon took the upper hand. In response, the human side took to experimenting on humans, changing them into rampaging monsters. In order to perfect their nefarious new weapon, they moved their research to a small island, the very land where Claymore now takes place, and became known as the Organization.

The Rebellion

Yoma are not naturally occurring monsters. In fact, it's the Organization that creates them, unleashing them on the human population. Claymores, the silver-eyed warriors who all contain a bit of Yoma flesh inside of them, combat these monsters. It's the principle of fighting poison with poison, but unbeknownst to them, they are in fact fighting the creations that their own employers are creating. The land they inhabit has become nothing more than a testing site for developing mass-destruction weapons—Awakened Beings!

Understanding this, Miria sets out on a seemingly impossible mission to take the Organization down. However, she's become much more stronger since the tragic events up North seven years earlier, and her charismatic aura helps sway the present-day Claymores to her side. With this unexpected advantage, she's able to infiltrate the Organization. However, to combat the rebellion, the Organization unleashes three former Number One Claymores, and the situation escalates when all three Awaken! Can Miria and her comrades handle their Awakened foes?

Though the situation is already dire, it gets even worse with the appearance of perhaps the strongest of all Awakened Ones—Priscilla! What does that mean for Miria and her Claymore allies, who already have the daunting task of battling the three Awakened Beings?

Claymore volume 23 is available from VIZ.com!

by John Bae