lithium-ion batteries due to their use of nonflammable aqueous electrolyte with high ionic conductivity [1,2] and safety. In this regard, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are appealing owing to the water compatibility (i.e., low redox potential) and high natural abundance of Zn metal. Furthermore, Zn metal possesses high volumetric energy density by allowing multivalent charge transfer, making itself unparalleled as an anode material. [3] Recent studies on aqueous ZIBs using mildly acidic electrolyte have explored the candidate materials for the cathode, mostly focusing on Zn-ion insertion materials including Prussian blue analogues [4,5] and metal-inserted vanadates. [6,7] However, of those reported to date, a family of MnO 2 polymorphs, especially tunnel-type hollandite α-MnO 2 , is considered particularly promising owing to its low cost in synthesis and high energy density. Despite its appealing electrochemistry, however, the exact reaction mechanism of α-MnO 2 has remained controversial. The mechanisms reported so far include classical zincinsertion reaction, [8,9] chemical conversion reaction, [10] and combined reaction via coinsertion of H + and Zn 2+ ions. [11,12] While all of these claims are seemingly valid when considered in isolation, they are in some cases contradictory, as they largely rely on interpretation from bulk characterization. Data from routinely used X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques may be ambiguous as the subsequent formation of various phases of low symmetry adds layers of complexity to indexing of peaks from a Zn/α-MnO 2 system upon cycling. X-ray adsorption spectroscopy measurements only reveal the change in oxidation state (i.e., manganese) of the entire system without any specific reference to the location within the cell and the important local changes. Hence, bulk measurements alone are not fully capable of determining the reaction mechanism of the electrodes and may require direct confirmation from nanoscale characterization through local scrutiny of the individual nanostructures upon electrochemical cycling. Here, we present a detailed picture of the Zn-redox reaction of an aqueous Zn/α-MnO 2 system from the microscopic viewpoint using K +-inserted α-MnO 2 nanorods as the cathode. The reaction mechanism was investigated by performing high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in conjunction with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for chemical composition analysis. Utilizing ex situ analysis on the cathode at various stages of the cycle, we Aqueous Zn/α-MnO 2 batteries have attracted immense interest owing to their high energy density, low cost, and safety, making them desirable for future large-scale energy application. Despite these merits, the comprehensive understanding of their reaction mechanism has been elusive due to the limitations of standard bulk characterization. Here, via transmission electron microscopy, the dissolution-mediated reaction mechanism of a Zn/α-MnO 2 system is discovered and explored in full scope to involve reversible forma...