Highschool of the Dead (Saturday Spin-off) – Sniper of the Dead
Lots of zombie shows follow someone less than prepared for the zombie apocalypse, but what if there was a character who was ready for anything and knew exactly how to handle herself? It might go something like this…
Highschool of the Dead (Saturday Spin-off) – Sniper of the Dead
What’s going on?
You could argue that every spin-off idea that I’ve put forward so far is a bit of a passion project. They’re obviously characters or events that speak to me and that I would like to know more about. This is probably the clearest instance of that. It’s no secret that I love zombies and unsurprisingly Highschool of the Dead. I spent a lot of time wondering what they all got up to after the series ended. In this spin-off, I’m going to focus on one of the most underutilized characters in the series. I am, of course, talking about Rika Minami…
What’s the pitch?
Rika Minami left the battleship with two duffle bags full of guns and ammo. Well, they said she could take whatever she could carry. The sound of gunfire erupted from behind her as the horde shuffled along the dock towards the battleship. If she hadn’t already made her mind up to find Shizuka… well, there was no turning back now. Knowing that she was alive, however, made all the difference. It had been a couple of days since the EMP fried all of the electronics, but they’d managed to speak for just a second and that was enough.
That said, Shizuka could be anywhere. Tokyo was a pretty large space to search, especially with the undead snapping at your heels. If Rika was to catch up with her, she’d have to try to trace her steps and the first place Shizuka would have gone was to Rika’s apartment. That was a couple of hours drive from the port and given the noise cars make and that zombies seem to be attracted to sound, she was going to have to make the trip on foot, for now at least. A city of zombies stood between her and her best friend, but if there was anyone you didn’t want to get in the way of, it was Rika Minami!
Where did the inspiration come from?
As if I needed a reason! All right fine, I’ll talk. Back in December 2018, I dove into Highschool of the Dead, reviewing all the anime, manga, and looking into the characters. Since I relaunched my site, those have been sitting in my drafts and while I do plan on releasing them back into the world, I thought that this would be a great place to start. Rika Minami is a sniper with the Tokyo Police Force and while we only see a little of her in the anime and marginally more in the manga, she is a certified badass. I am dying to know more of her story, especially as it appeared that it was finally going to spend some time with her before Daisuke Satō sadly passed.
Other posts in the series
Series Information
| English Title | Highschool of the Dead |
| Japanese Title | Gakuen Mokushiroku: Haisukūru obu za Deddo |
| Genres | Action, Apocalyptic, Ecchi, Harem, Horror, Supernatural, Zombies |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
OVA
| Title | Drifters of the Dead |
| Released | Spring 2011 |
| Animation Studios | Madhouse |
Bonus Posts
| Analysis | Introduction – A Killer Opening! |
| Saturday Spinoff | Sniper of the Dead |
| Saturday Spinoff | Meet the Takagis |
| Fan Fiction | Isekai of the Dead |
Other Saturday spin-off posts
- Rin and Myura (Isekai Cheat Magician)
- Valkyrie (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious)
- Susamaru (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
- Hinawa and Maki (Fire Force)
- The Exercise Video (How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?)
- Cain Madhouse (To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts)
- Shizuku (Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest)
- Kohaku Lost? (Dr. Stone)
- Chio’s Daily Commute (Chio’s School Road)
- The Noob! (Overlord)
- Shizu (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
- Noir (Fruits Basket)
- Sniper of the Dead (Highschool of the Dead)
- Liu Xuelan (Darwin’s Game)
- Two Minds, One Body (The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?)
- Plundered (Plunderer)
- Japanese Mochi! (Fruits Basket)
- Pokemon NO! (Pokemon)
- Every Action! (Infinite Dendrogram)
- Hunted to the Ends! (Somali and the Forest Spirit)
- Is It Wrong to Use Sex to Try to Beat a Dungeon? (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)
- Two Blades (Jormungand)
- Regeneration (The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor)
- Samurai School for Girls (Project A-ko)
- Meet the Takagis (Highschool of the Dead)
- Far From Fantasy (High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World!)
I think this might be your best idea yet. And that’s saying something!
Thanks. I know I’d watch it at least twice a year.
[…] Well, of course, Highschool of the Dead popped into my head, but I’d already done one for Rika Minami. Then it came to […]