Welcome to Planet Industria. If you’re gonna survive around here, there’s a few things you gotta know!

First things first, find a job...any job. Are you “lucky” enough to snag a job cleaning toilets in the Capital? Good, keep it. Because once you hit the outskirts, lawlessness reigns, folks live in poverty, and moldy bread is a luxury. In fact, the Capital is one of the last places untouched by the interplanetary warfare and chaos brought on by invading aliens.

Next... Don’t be like our hero, slum kid Astro! While defending his boss who had just cut his wages, he manages to attract the anger of an armed alien and get fired by said jerky boss all in the same day! Why would a penniless kid defend a wage-cutting tyrant of a boss? Because of his boss’s family. Astro’s got a soft spot for families, and that means no matter what the situation, their welfare comes first. Astro himself has quite the family—he takes care of orphans he’s picked up through the years.

With a house full of hungry mouths depending on him, jobless and hungry, the road ahead for Astro looks rough indeed. But don’t worry, Astro’s luck is about to change! The prince of Industria, Prince Barrage, looks just like Astro, but the prince wants to flee from the restraints of royalty. And since Astro’s the spitting image of the prince, who better to take his place and shoulder the prince’s duties than Astro?

After making his case, Barrage forces an ancient treasure known as the Orgue onto Astro, only to get killed moments later. Astro, now mistaken as Prince, is whisked away to the royal palace. Thus, in true pauper-to-prince fashion, Astro is now charged with restoring peace to a war-torn region.

Barra...er, Astro now has a whole new slew of problems on his gold plated…plate. Upstart aliens are after the Orgue Astro now possesses, and they’re willing to fight dirty to get their hands on it! What is the Orgue’s true nature and does it really have the power to rule a planet? Does a kid from the slums have what it takes to rule a kingdom and bring peace? Astro may be living like a prince, but once he puts on the crown, things really start to get gritty. So stick around and you just might learn a thing or two about how to unintentionally become a kingdom's heir apparent and wield a powerful ancient royal treasure. You know, your quintessential life lessons. If you want action, adventure, and alien-butt kicking (all in the name of family!), then this is one series you don’t want to miss!

Read the latest chapters of Barrage in Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha!

Related Links:
Barrage
Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha
Manga

by Cat Rechsteiner