Dust 8

The Mountain of Life is where humanity and nature gained the strength to thrive from, a mysterious land formation powered with energy to bend the very laws of nature it empowers. A tragic plane accident leads to the death of dozens of families, but eight people survived the accident. When the fateful flight crashed into the mountain, it broke apart chunks of stones that channel a life-giving force in them, bringing eight strangers back to life. When confronted with their aberrational existence, a boy and a girl are forced to make a decision that will affect their lives and that of the other reanimated individuals. Being hunted down by the acolytes of the Grim Reaper, these people live a life beyond their natural time on Earth, but they will see the danger of their unnatural existence.



Deputized as grim reapers with a specific task, the boy and girl are now posessed and on a mission: track down the other survivors and take their Stones of Life. Osamu Tezuka recasts the face of death as two youngsters, and their targets range from radio hosts and race car drivers to businessmen and even one that might challenge them to abandon their job and master in a chase for love. If you're already living on borrowed time, death will find a way to track you down and fix the problem, especially when you're one of the Dust 8.



A short child, Ichitarou, is a bit bullied in his days at school. He crushes on Tomoko, the sweet girl that sits next to him, but he's nicknamed "Stupid Ichi" by everyone, from teachers to the class bully. When Ichi takes a trip and finds a book about hypnotism, he unlocks his innate ability and proceeds to bend the world to his whims. While Ichi is now the one in power, will he use this absurd ability to rule the world... or save it? This short story from Tezuka shows that "Stupid Ichi" might rise to the occasion, despite his short stature.



(Source: DMG)

Note: While the initial story was published as 'Dust 18' by the same author, that version was finished prematurely and much later remade into 'Dust 8'. This version contains significant changes from the original.