is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minetaro Mochizuki. It was published by Kodansha in Weekly Young Magazine from 1994 to 1999 and was collected in ten tankōbon volumes. It was licensed in English by Kodansha USA in 2018.
The series was adapted as a live-action film written and directed by Jôji Iida, released in Japan in August 2003. It starred Satoshi Tsumabuki and Sayaka Kanda.
In 1997, Dragon Head won the 21st Kodansha Manga Award for the general category.
Plot
Arc 1: Escape from the tunnels
Teru Aoki (青木 輝), the main protagonist, is riding a train to Tokyo after a school trip. Just before his train enters a tunnel, Teru briefly sees something in the distance, though he doesn't understand what he saw. Soon after entering the tunnel, a powerful earthquake derails the train and blocks both sides of the tunnel with rubble. Knocked unconscious during the derailment, Teru reawakens to find, much to his horror, that all of his teachers and classmates have died in the crash. Wandering the wrecked wagons of the train, he finds Nobuo Takahashi (高橋 のぶお), a highly unnerved boy who apparently was being bullied at school, and Ako Seto (瀬戸 憧子), who is unconscious and wounded.
Teru treats Ako, who wakes up after several days. While they find temporary shelter in the dining wagon, Nobuo gives in to fear and declares that "something" is lurking in the tunnel with them. Nobuo's mental state deteriorates to the point where he claims the wrecked train for himself, forcing Teru and Ako to build a makeshift shelter outside in the tunnel. After days pass with no sign of rescue, Teru tries to find an escape route and ventures into a partially collapsed ventilation shaft. Meanwhile, Nobuo becomes deranged, paints his body as if he was a primitive savage, and mutilates the corpse of a teacher thinking he's still alive. He kidnaps Ako and almost rapes her, but she manages to escape.
In the ventilation shafts, Teru is suddenly hit by a powerful stream of contaminated water, which saves him from a previous cave-in that almost buries him alive, and the shaft collapses while the tunnel is rocked by more powerful tremors. In the chaos, amidst falling rocks and choking steam, Teru notices Ako being chased by a crazed Nobuo and comes to the girl's rescue. Despite getting stabbed in the shoulder, Teru manages to overcome and defeat Nobuo before almost killing him with a rock. He and Ako soon escape after the tunnel starts collapsing and, incredibly, lava begins flowing in it. They succeed in escaping through the ventilation shafts, but Nobuo is left behind in the darkness and is never seen again.
Arc 2: Searching for allies
Teru and Ako surface in the ruins of a wastewater treatment plant. They find that the landscape is covered by a thick layer of dense ash, and the sky is filled with clouds thick enough to almost blot out sunlight. A functioning television reveals to them that society has collapsed and that most cities have been taken over by looters. Ako follows someone to a hospital where they are helped by a group of teenage survivors. Ako and Teru initially follow this group to Tokyo, but decide to leave after witnessing them wounding themselves and dancing amidst dead cattle.
During the trek they are almost killed by a sudden mudslide, and soon after they see a squadron of military helicopters in the sky above them. Following the direction of the helicopters, they arrive to a deserted town. Exploring it, Teru gets separated from Ako after he notices a helicopter and, thinking they can be rescued, goes investigating. Aboard the helicopter are Captain Nimura (仁村), pilot Iwada (岩田), and crewmen Yamazaki (山崎) and Ōike (大池). While Iwada seems to be a voice of reason, Nimura is an unprofessional loose cannon and chases away Teru when he begs them for help. Meanwhile, Ako encounters Yamazaki, who left the rest of the crew in search of fuel.
Seeing Yamazaki return wounded and now knowing there's a girl in town, Nimura and Ōike grab their guns and start searching for her. The stress of the situation, the urge to defend Ako and the hatred for the soldiers briefly cause Teru to "give in to the darkness" as Nobuo did, preparing a Molotov cocktail in hiding. After Nimura and Ōike separate in their search, the latter finds Teru in a crazed state. He tries to reason with him, before noticing the petrol bomb in his hand and trying to disarm him. Teru's grip slips and the petrol bomb crashes at Ōike's feet, burning him to death. Teru then confronts Nimura, though the situation is cut short by a huge conflagration which starts burning down the town. Ako fends off Yamazaki, grabs hold of his gun and forces him to take her to the helicopter.
