What do we know about Unico: Lost?

Many of you have requested more information about Unico: Lost, the third book in the new Unico series by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru, and while I wish I knew more myself, the only thing I can do for now is talk about what information is available and compare it to the original manga. To the side is the cover image circulating around a few sites. Because I was unsure when the cover would officially be revealed, I put up a blurred version on the Unico: Lost page. Hopefully, we’ll see the completed version soon!

This post will be written similarly to the Unico: Hunted post I made last year, where I gave more background on the original chapter by Osamu Tezuka and some theories. I hope to give some more background to those interested, not spoil the new book.

What’s Unico: Lost about?

As mentioned above, there is not much information except for the blurb you’ll find on websites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and so on. Let’s see what the blurb says below and talk more about it.

Unico’s friends race to save him from the evil goddess Venus!
Lost and alone in a windswept desert, Unico seeks help from the Fey queen Titania. But danger lurks. The goddess Venus and the monstrous hunter, Iver, remain bent on destroying Unico. Meanwhile, Starrow, a celestial scientist, trains Unico’s friends, the cats Chloe and Toast, to travel across time and space. But can they reach Unico before Venus does?

The blurb gives us a nice description of what’s happening in the third volume. It tells us the location as well as who is going to be in it. Of course, there’s going to be a lot more involved in the book, but it gives readers the overall plot. You can also see that a new character is mentioned, and previous characters return.

So what chapter is Unico: Lost based on?

Judging by the description and who is mentioned, it’s looking like “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens” (アゼンスの牙の物語) chapter, which was first published in the November 1979 issue of Lyrica magazine. In this chapter, the West Wind drops Unico off in a desert, and he wanders until he comes across the Sphinx and must answer her riddle correctly. Unico collapses from exhaustion, unable to answer, so the Sphinx then takes him back to her home. This is where Unico meets her son, Piro. The two form a friendship of sorts and later find themselves among the fairies. King Oberon and Queen Titania rule the fairies, and they’re quite the troublesome duo. They cause Piro and Unico a lot of trouble.

So that’s a quick summary of “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens.” If you’ve read the original chapter or are familiar with the Oedipus and Sphinx story, then you know the Sphinx dies. Unico: Lost may tell a completely different story from the original manga, so I didn’t want to focus on that element too much, but know that it’s there. What I’ll do next is talk more about the setting and characters that appeared in the original Unico.

Setting

The setting is where everything takes place in the story, so let’s go over the original manga and compare what we know about the new series. In “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens” chapter, the story takes place in Greece. Since the Sphinx and Oedipus appear in the manga, we know Unico is probably outside the city of Thebes, like in the Ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Thebes is northwest of Athens, where the king and queen of the fairies live in William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Well, technically, the fairies live in the woods near Athens, but that’s where Unico and Piro travel to.

Tezuka enjoyed adding a lot of mythology and pop culture additions to his works, but Unico: Awakening and Unico: Hunted have already shown how the universe differs in the retelling. Unlike the original manga, which had Unico travel around Earth, the new series features other planets, aliens, and celestials, broadening the universe. There’s far more out there in space than just Earth. In the second volume, Unico left for a new location, which may not even be on Earth. The blurb mentions he’s in a “windswept desert,” but that could be anywhere in the universe, even if the Sphinx is involved. So besides the desert, there was a forest as the main settings. Will this also be the case in Unico: Lost? The Fae in Unico: Hunted were underground, so what kind of place will we find Titania?

Characters

Now, let’s discuss the characters, beginning with Queen Titania, who was first mentioned in Unico: Hunted near the end of the book. If you’ve heard her name before, you’ll be interested to know that “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens” chapter is loosely based on a part of William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” but in a very Tezuka style.

Shakespeare’s play portrays a strained relationship between Oberon and Titania. They accuse each other of infidelity, argue so intensely that it changes the weather in Athens, and so on. When Oberon learned Titania was taking care of a young changeling boy whose mother had passed away, he was jealous and wanted to take him from her. Oberon sought revenge on Titania and used Puck to assist him in making her fall in love with a beast, allowing him to take the boy from her.

Let’s look at the original Unico manga based on what we now know. Oberon and Titania’s story is pretty similar, with only a few changes. Instead of a boy, Titania wants to keep the young sphinx Piro as a pet. Piro is quick to oblige Titania, but Unico intervenes. This upsets Titania, and she orders Puck to deal with Unico and bring Piro back. Titania dresses Piro up, but her husband, King Oberon, appears when the little sphinx is alone. He humiliates Piro until he no longer wishes to be Titania’s pet. Titania doesn’t let Piro leave and turns him into a donkey to teach him a lesson. Oberon then teaches Titania a lesson by taking her magic away. The audacity!

For Unico: Lost, we’re not sure how Titania will act as this is a retelling. We know Unico seeks help from the Fey queen Titania, so maybe she could actually be helpful in the new manga series. Besides Titania’s motives in the third book, I’m curious about her design. Will it be like the Fey in Unico: Hunted? Will Oberon make an appearance? What about Puck?

While not mentioned in the blurb, but appearing on the cover, is Marusu, another key character from “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens” chapter. In the original manga, the sphinx Unico befriends is named Piro, but the new series uses the name Marusu, which is the sphinx child from the Unico in the Island of Magic film. I’ve made a previous post about the sphinxes that appear in Unico if you’d like to learn more. Basically, Marusu is the female version, while Piro is male. Their personalities are a little different as well.

In Unico: Awakening, we learned Venus has captured Marusu and uses her for her abilities. She even appears briefly in the background of Unico: Hunted. The real question is, what role will Marusu play in this new volume? How does she escape Venus? Will Marusu and Unico befriend each other and continue the adventure together? Supercurious and excited to see more of this little sphinx!

Chloe and Toast are also back, and their mission is to save Unico. I’m eager to see their interactions with Starrow, and how they’ll learn to travel through time and space. Will they be able to find Unico in this chapter, or will something prevent their reunion? Either way, I’m happy to see these two kitties serious about helping their unicorn pal.

Iver is still pursuing Unico, but how will he affect the characters and story in Unico: Lost? Will he play a major role in big events or will he simply continue hunting and pop in at opportune moments? We got to see the big guy in action in Unico: Hunted, but he’s still a bit mysterious. While I can only ponder several theories, a part of me feels he’ll do something big that’ll affect certain characters. And if not him, obviously Venus will have a hand in it.

More details about Unico: Lost.

The release date for Unico: Lost is June 2, 2026. While several sites state the book will be 192 pages, I was notified that this is not correct. Unico: Lost will be the same length as the previous two volumes. “The Tale of the Fangs of Athens” was originally published in four parts because Lyrica magazine only allowed around 16 pages of a comic chapter per issue.

As we have a little over eight months before release, I’m sure there will be future updates from time to time to give readers more sneak peeks, but until then, hopefully this post was a little informative to those wanting to know more. Below you’ll find where to pre-order Unico: Lost and the original manga by Osamu Tezuka in English.

Where to pre-order Unico: Lost:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– And many other booksellers!

While the original manga by Osamu Tezuka is no longer available physically in English, it’s still available digitally from DMP’s website. This is a great way to read the original manga and learn more about Unico. They also have a ton of other Tezuka titles you can purchase digitally. When you look at a title, be sure to check the “Tags” area of the page because it’ll show the rating. Tezuka’s books on the site are rated for ages 13+, 16+, and Mature as he wrote in a variety of genres and age groups. Unico won’t have a rating because it’s considered “All Ages.”

Purchase the original Unico manga in English:
– eManga DMP (digital only)

As always, I’ll try to stay up to date on anything related to Unico and share it on the site for those wanting to stay updated!