Vagabond

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Vagabond is Inoue Takehiko's second major work, following his immensely successful title, Slam Dunk. It is a truly ambitious title, having the aim of adapting Eiji Yoshikawa's samurai epic "Musashi" into manga form. I recently had the pleasure of reading all of the currently published chapters, and I can truly say that Vagabond is an exceptional title, being not just what I consider to be the greatest manga and even comic that I've read, but one of the greatest written works I've experienced in general.

Vagabond tells the story of Shinmen Takezo, who later takes on the name of Miyamoto Musashi, as he aspires to become ... the greatest swordsman as he travels across Japan in order to become "invincible under the sun." The concept of "wanting to be the best" is a tried and true story trope that many consider to be greatly overdone, and while Vagabond may start off with this deceptively simple premise, it soon completely turns it on its head.

Many characters in the world of Vagabond have the same desire as Musashi: to be the very strongest. Each one of these characters have their own reasons and desires for wanting to become the strongest, such as fame, respect, and honor. Their own personal philosophies, personalities, and experiences define this desire for them. Over the course of the story, almost all of these characters, Musashi included, have these philosophies and desires challenged. It etches a deep spirituality within its storyline, asking questions such as, "What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to be great? How can one lead a truly honorable and disciplined life? What happens once you *do* become the strongest?"

While Vagabond is filled to the brim with incredible and intense fights and action, it has the maturity to avoid glorifying violence and instead focus on the characters that are doing the fighting. Fights are not only a clash of swords, but a clash of ideals and desires. It inevitably causes changes in all of these characters, some for the better, and some for the worse.

This character development is what, in my opinion, makes Vagabond truly special. Musashi gradually shifts from a fierce and hot-tempered youth to a sensible and principled man who continually seeks new forms of meaning, discovering that there are many kinds of strength, acceptable forms of weakness, and reasons to live beyond killing others. Similar development occurs for most major characters, creating a truly fleshed out world that feels believable and dynamic.

What's even more admirable about Vagabond is that it doesn't preach or spout sappy principles or twisted philosophy to its readers; it instead encourages them to find their own meaning for life and philosophy, to devote themselves to something and, quite simply, appreciate life. It has something to appeal to everyone, whether it be comedy, drama, action, and even a bit of romance, so anyone can take away almost anything they want from it.

While I do have some minor complaints, such as at times an overemphasis on supernatural elements that take away from the realism of the story and inconsistent pacing that quite often feels too slow or too fast with no in between, the incredible story and character development, combined with quite simply the most gorgeous art and paneling of any manga I've ever read, create what I consider to be a truly unparalleled reading experience. I hope that one day, Inoue decides to continue this unfinished masterpiece.

So my relationship with Vagabond is a little bit weird.
It started off like ''This series is fine'' ,after a while it turned to ''This series is good ,but I can't understand why it gets so much love'' and after finishing its last arc I said ''This is one of the most beautiful series I've read''.

I won't talk about its plot ,due to the fact that all the other reviews do that,but I'll focus on my feelings around it.
Vagabond didn't grow on me till almost its last arc.I enjoyed the whole series ,but I was unable to grasp its true beauty. After reading the farming arc ... my view of Vagabond totally changed , I felt like the whole series was justified because of it and through that I was able to appreciate more the arcs before this one .

The art of Vagabond is one of the best in all manga. It manages to portray emotion in a masterful way. Movement feels real and the environment is stunning

The characters of the story are its strongest point.They don't lack depth nor personality . Each of them has their unique traits . Also the philosophy that Vagabond is so known for is being shown through the characters thoughts.
Miyamoto Musashi is an excellent protagonist.His growth as a character is arguably one of the best in all the industry

Overall Vagabond is a masterpiece that at least in my opinion needs its time to be seen as that .I would definetely recommend it ,especially to people that like series like Berserk or Vinland Saga. I really hope that someday it will be finished

Its rare I am changed on a spiritual and philosophical level by a piece of media. Sure I may form certain opinions after consuming a story or movie, however Vagabond is the only story to every completely change how I look at life.

To absurdly oversimplify it, Vagabond is a story of self improvement and finding your place in the world. Before I read Vagabond I didn't know where to go with my life. But soon after starting it I realised this wasn't a normal manga, this was different.

By volume 10 I had already been so motivated by Musashi and his journey that my grades at ... school had improved exponentially. Vagabond taught me what it means to push oneself to you absolute limits. Reaching your potential is important, but more important is realising life continues after you reach your goals. And that's okay. Life doesn't have an epic conclusion, it is a single long journey from start to a end. Though you won't have some Hollywood conclusion to your story, you can accomplish many goals along the way and it is important to constantly be pushing yourself, for when you stop trying is when you lose your way.

There will be no spoilers in this review don't worry
Story: 10/10 Vagabond follows the journey of Miyomoto Musashi and loosely follows the actual life of Musashi. Over the course of his journey Musashi is taught numerous things by the people he encounters. This taught me to seek knowledge from people I meet. I'm everyone has stories to tell and things to teach you, meeting new people and discovering new things is a great way to progress towards your goals. Musashi's development doesn't happen in huge jumps, but instead happens over the course of the story. All his experiences shape who he is.

Art: 10/10 I doubt I need to say much about the art. Vagabond is notorious for having amazing art, and is considered by many to have the best art of all manga. Reading a Vagabond chapter generally takes me a lot longer than normal because I find myself staring at each page admiring the beautiful art, only to realise I haven't even read the words yet.

Characters: 10/10 A big part of Vagabond is seeing how each character grows, and the anticipation of their eventual dual or interaction. I've found myself wishing some characters didn't have to right because I enjoy both so much, and would be saddened if one were to die. The fact I care so much about character throughout this story shows how compelling they care. Each Vagabond character feels like their own person and the main character or their own story. It just happens that we are following Musashi's. I am always excited to learn a characters back story and to find out how they become the person they are. These feel like real people with real emotions, and I hope I find another story that makes me love a stories character as much as Vagabond.

Enjoyment: 10/10 There have been many times over the course of Vagabond where I have literally been on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Excitingly turning the page and trying to keep my cool as I fanboy over how amazing the action scenes and dialogue are. Even arcs that some may consider "boring" are very enjoyable to me. This story is a hood example of how to write what seems like boring things in an exciting way. There's literally an arc about farming, and its one if my favourites in all of manga because of how well it is written and portrayed.

Flaws: The series is currently unfinished, and by the looks of it won't be finished for a very long time as its on a long hiatus. That's literally all the flaws I can think about.

Overall: 10/10 I understand that Vagabond isn't for everyone, but I would 100% recommended it to literally everyone. I have become a better person (in my opinion) after reading Vagabond. And if you find yourself lost in the world, in a dark place or just feeling depressed in general. I urge you to read this story, it helped me in more ways than I can describe and I hope it can do the same for you.

I've read a lot of manga, but Vagabond is by far the best.

A lot of times in storytelling and in life itself, significant themes are strength and power. These two concepts have defined the history of this planet as wars have been fought and blood has been shed repeatedly over the concept of strength.

In the Sengoku Era of Japan, this is interpreted as being the strongest warrior under the sun. Every samurai, ronin and fighter, in general, strives to reach this point, but 99% of them fall along the way.

Shinmen Takezo -- a.k.a Miyamoto Musashi, is no different. His journey is ... one of self-gratitude and selfishness to satisfy his own desire of being the strongest warrior.

However, along the way, Musashi realizes that true strength is the ability to protect those close to you. Death and violence have no meaning and only end in sorrow.

Musashi's journey of self-discovery that shaped him into the philosopher he was in his later life from the ronin in his younger life is the greatest exploration of character development that this medium has ever seen.

Vagabond is Takehiko Inoue's masterpiece and is a manga that every fan of the medium should read.

So, where do I start about this absolute jewel of a manga. Should I talk about the art, the story, the author or the main man mushashi himself. Everything in this manga was a perfect 10 baring just one thing that I personally wasn't very fond of, which I would talk about in the end.

The plot of the manga follows primarily Takezo aka Mushashi on his journey to become arguably the greatest swordsmen that ever lived. The story follows the trials and hardship he faced along the journey. The aspect of the story that I liked the most was the fact that the author stressed ... on the importance of mental growth to be stronger rather than purely focusing on the physical growth. Throughout the story Mushashi piece by piece put together the answer to his question, "What it meant to be truly strong?" unlike most of the manga wherein the MC just magically gets the answer during the fight. Also, another surprisingly great story was that of Mushashi's friend Matahachi. It was a side story but hell it was so good. The side story focused on the lazy and lost Matahachi and how he learnt to be kind and courageous.

Being a character driven story , the characters were of sublime importance. And herein where the manga truly excelled. Each character was extremely well written with their specific set of back stories, quirks, motivations and ambitions. Even though Mushashi was well written I personally felt that it was Matahachi who was the most well written and real character. He had dreams, he faltered, he got lost, he got angry, he started to hate himself though with time he picked himself up. Isn't it what happens in reality too? Most of us get lost in life when we don't know what to do next but in time and with different experiences we pick ourselves up and possibly go on the right track. Unlike mushashi who was exceptional in himself, most of the readers would relate more with more human characters like Matahchi and Otsu. Otsu too was pretty well written character. The only faulty character was Sasaki Koujiro in my opinion. He was deaf and mute, and honestly the most difficult character to write. Even though the author has done commendable work, yet something felt missing in him compared to other characters. Even after around 60 odd chapters dedicated to him I felt Sasaki didn't have any ambitions or growth of any kind. He was the most difficult to relate to, even though there have been other pretty well written characters who were differently abled. I for one felt Sasaki existed in the story just for Mushashi to have a strong opponent and nothing else.

The artwork was flawless wherein I or no one should have any complaints. Each panel was just a work of beauty, nothing short of what you would expect from Inoue sensei. It was by far the most beautifully drawn manga I have ever read.


What more can I say, I for one was blown away by this manga and was hooked. And when I say hooked I mean that I read about 100+ chapters a day which never happens. For all people reading this review stop reading this and do go read the manga. You will absolutely love it.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this manga was "Boring, dreary and (judging by the cover) crappy artwork". But when I actually read it, I was simply blown away by the quality of it. It is truly a masterpeice and here's why.

The storyline is astounding. It has its own personal flair to it and it moved me. It is very deep and philosphical so if you don't like confusing and long stories, this ain't for you.

The artwork is amazing and it actually has that traditional, feaudal Japanese feel to it. And if you are stoned enough, makes you feel ... like you are there.

The characters are a lively bunch and they are have their own distinct personalities that not only make them feel lifelike, but also brings the story alive as well. They also improve the storyline thus, making the manga unrivalled and beautiful.

Although it is great, there are a few minor flaws and a few nasty sex scenes which you might wanna mentally block out but they never deter the quality of the manga.

I recommend this manga for readers who are into samurai stuff, Feudal Japanese stuff and deep, rich stories that make you think.

In short, you are in for an action packed, philosphical rollercoaster ride which will take away your breath and make you look at Feudal Japan in a whole new way.

This is arguably the best manga--or for the most part--ONE of the most engaging, captivating and exhilarating pieces of literature I have ever read!

At first, I was hesitant... I had originally thought: "Really?... Samurais and stuff? Nah... I'll take a pass".

Then reading more into genre and looking at other images: "ehh... another over-grown and nonsensical Seinen that over-glorifies gore... it looks great... it sounds simple..."

And now my current thoughts on it: "I acclaim this as the ultimate EPIC in the form of manga, while also adopting beautiful and masterfully drawn and painted artworks, exhibited and splashed throughout the pages and so forth..."

The fruition of beautiful ... characters demonstrate conceptual ideas that really make the reader think. Though the archetypal traits and tropes of a "person who was birthed to be fledged and beautiful" VS. "The weak and pathetic one" still stands as rather monotonous and generic definitively; the almost coalescent and methodical ways the pictorials and gradual literary development unfold is utterly magnificent. This is only further reinforced with the EVEN-MORE magnificent artwork.

I was sucked-in and essentially inside the world of 'Vagabond', and gosh golly it was fantastic!
Reading aspects of the story, with nods to character progressive montages and to further my point; the other fleshing out of diverse characters, I was really in another world. Though this overlays with my first and only problem... The enjoyment factor: critically through, within the first reading there were no apparent problems--rather all of my time was consumed by the sheer captivation and adoration I had towards this manga. Thereafter, following volumes and arcs had me in somewhat of a lapse. I had raised my bar of expectation beyond belief only to be laterally disappointed, though this bar had been satiated with Sasaki Kojiro, which was later again disappointed with the following arcs. Though, do not get me wrong, this disappointment was incredibly tiny, one I can just easily wipe away--this was the main reason I didn't enjoy it to it's maximum potential. (which is predominantly my fault)

But this in itself is what made me think about the value of story--in which we are told; how do we technically value story? But that is for another time...

I was never really into manga as much as anime, more times than not anime is usually more exciting than manga. As I grew older, I found myself falling in love with the comics and their stories. There is something about Seinen manga that is either a hit or miss. Either, they are fake deep, or real deep. Examples of Manga that actually are deep are Oyasumi Punpun, Berserk, Shingeki no Kyojin, or Monster. Vagabond easily falls into this category, except it offers something more.

Vagabond is a slight fictional approach to the story of Miyamoto Musashi, one of the greatest Samurai of all history. For ... those who know of great Samurai, he arguably is held with names like Uesugi Kenshin, Takeda Shingen, and Minamoto no Yoritomo to point out a few. So, this story is a samurai story. Battles, plots, scandals, and fantastic art are all included. This is not why I fell in love with this manga however, and if you look at it from only the surface you do not fully appreciate or understand why it is a 10.

Vagabond explores some major philosophical ideas. What does it mean to be “The Greatest Under the Heavens,” or “The Way of the Sword,” or “The Way of the Samurai.” What is a Samurai when there is no war? What is their purpose? Vagabond proposes all of these ideas in a way where it is complex, yet not confusing. The gorgeous art, masterfully crafted story, and beautifully written characters help to express the struggle a 1600’s Samurai experienced during peacetime.

I would NOT recommend this manga to those just getting into the medium. If you have never read a Seinen manga, I would start out with some classics (Ex. Berserk). Vagabond is a manga for my more seasoned readers. It presents deep ideas, and provides a lense into a crucial part of Japanese culture, Bushido. The art is phenomenal, the pacing is perfect, the characters feel real, and it represents who Miyamoto Musashi was, and the dilemma of samurai during this time period.

To simply say this manga is a masterpiece is cutting it short, but that is what it is. A 10. I hope you read it too and experience the magic for yourself.

Vagabond,my favourite manga of all time.
despite it being on an hiatus,theres nothing i would ever read that would better than vagabond,i might be being biased
but its just my personal opinion,i love vagabond
so i am going to write a review about it
the premise,isnt too hard to follow,it basically has three protaginists in a sense,being sasaki kojiro,miyamoto musashi aka takezo,and matahachi,
the dynamics of the story is just about questioning,your existence,and how to become better,as an overall person.
the story has absolutely gorgeous artwork with one of the best written and thoroughly explored characters backing it up,with the story being extremely philosophical and set in a real world,vagabond stands ... out even being a seinen manga.
the manga is very realistic,and a person absolutely enjoys the whole story throughout,with every chapter being there to progress the plot,vagabond is a read a person should absolutely try to read


but in a personal outlook,i dont think vagabond would be loved by everyone,moreover i dont care about it.i just wanted to express my gratitude towards the series being an absolutely beautiful ride i would cherish for years,and i hope inoue sensei finishes his masterpiece. (english might not be my native so please overlook the spelling mistakes if there are any)

VAGABOND
RATING: 11/10

This is my favorite manga of all time now. I haven't finished it yet, but I think it's my favorite so far. (I personally like it more than berserk.) It's a beautifully optimistic story touching on the nature of strength and the human condition. Such a beautifully written masterpiece. Takezo/Musashi really is my favorite protagonist, I've even been so inspired by him to the point where I've taken up meditation because of it. Takehiko Inoue's art is that of a literal good, to the point where I would say every panel is a work of pure art. THE INSHUN VS MUSASHI FIGHT might be ... one of my favorite arcs in all of fiction.
To those who have seen this review. Please read this series. I cannot stress enough how good it is. I would suck inoue's dick HOENSTLY.

The veteran mangaka Takehiko Inoue(Slam Dunk) brings another canonical work to the manga world. Vagabond based off of The Book of Five Rings, tells the tale of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Amidst the clamoring swords, and spurts of blood, there lies a deeper and more satisfying existential quest, that Musashi slowly begins to unravel. Inoue punctuates this journey with deliberate pacing, and beautiful watercolor paintings; the likes of which I have rarely seen of the hundreds of manga I have read.


My favorite part of this manga is the character growth for Musashi, from an selfish boy, to enlightened master swordsman.

The story, art, ... character, come together to make Vagabond a high standard for all Seinen manga.

You will find little ecchi, or standard j-rpg characters here. Only the broken fingers, flying severed heads, and liters upon liters of blood.

Happy Reading :)

There is a reason that this manga is considered one of the greats... yet I still barely see anybody ever talking about it. I understand that it is not currently releasing chapters and was put on hiatus with no near end in sight, but that does not change how good this manga actually is. I highly recommend this for those interested in action manga - with a splash of comedy and raw emotion, even occasionally filling you with anger at times, this is a series that truly engages the reader and will also teach you quite a lot about Japanese history.

The art style ... sometimes came as a bit of a drawback for me, as there were definitely times when reading this where it just felt like there wasn't as much emotion going into the art style as there was with the story. You can clearly see where Takehiko Inoue was starting to get worn out by his own manga as his art style actually deteriorated a little at times, rather than getting better. It did start to pick back up in more recent issues and some chapters are even more detailed than they were at the beginning it was in no way a bad display, but it just did not feel... as full of life.

Musashi Miyamoto - Widely considered to be one of, if not THE greatest swordsmen in Japanese history.
Sasaki Kojiro - Known as the "Crazy Tiger from Echizen", he is Musashi Miyamoto's deaf-mute arch-rival and friend.
Matahachi Hon'iden - Musashi Miyamoto's childhood friend and the WORST CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE DAMN SERIES!

Look if you want to read a great samurai manga this is it this my favorite manga only 30 chapters in you see our mc develop already. This is really a must read.

Art-Its peak art even in the goofy moments it still has good art. 10/10

Story-Its a simple story but it does it beautifully, the story is (Spoilers) our protagonist trying to become the strongest I know because it is simple, the journey of our protagonist is making him wiser and wiser making him think what is truly strong, fear, and more. so yeah 10/10.

Characters: They are all lovable but some of them are hateable ... but they grow in you. 10/10.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed it, it hooked me and its also a fast read. 10/1o

Overall 10/10

Literally this is a Peak Fiction . It's not very dark and Brutal like other Seinen this is the best Quality of this Manga . I consider this manga as the Finnest Written Manga . Takehiko Sir is GOAT .

Main Protagonist - 10/10 (Musashi/Takezo is the best written Character in entire animanga History)
Storyline - 10/10 (The story is simple but they way it is written and Portrayed is Beyond Imagination)
Artstyle - 10/10 (This manga have One of the best Artstyle)
Antagonist - 9.8/10 (The Main Antagonist is awesome tho we haven't saw him colliding with Musashi but hope we will see in Future after this manga ... restart)
Side Cast - 9.5/10 (Even though this story is just about Musashi still we can feel other Characters)
Backstory - 9.9/10 (Sasaki Backstory is the best backstory I had ever read/watched)
Emotion - 10/10 (I literally felt hurt when Musashi was hanged on Tree)
Fights Sequences - 10/10 (Just see fight sequences once)
Theme and Character Development - 10/10 (Musashi turned from a Bloodthurst Monster to a Wise noble man)

Overall - 9.9/10 (Just read this Masterpiece once , If you missed it you missed something very Rare and Legendry)

Vagabond is a story about a man who refuses to adapt to a changing world in which his profession is slowly but surely becoming obsolete. Instead of acting conform with the system like most people in his situation do.
He follows his passion in a pure and direct way, finding the timelessness in it's artistic beauty.

But this is just one of the ways Vagabond can be seen and most of those motives have a ageless essence many people are able to relate to.

Although a Seinen Vagabond never falls into the trap of being obsessed with adult themes like gore and intercourse. It uses them as ... tool to convey it's elegance but does not become it's identity.


Art - 10

There is no Manga with a more lifelike or bewitching artstyle. Takehiko is simply one of the best artists of our time and is able to make every page more stunning than the last. This is the pinnacle of Manga artwise.


Characters - 10

The characters in Vagabond feel like real humans. The most prominent example of this is Matahachi. He is not good nor is he purely evil. He is just human. He is no logical being nor does he have a code or such he holds dear. He makes mistakes.. a lot of them... and does a lot of bad things out of his impulsive nature but here and there he is also able to safe the day. Although he matures throughout the story he has a lot of fallbacks to his old self. He is not a good human but that is exactly why he is the perfect representation of a real human. And most characters in Vagabond are like this which creates a vibrant and breathing world.
And this reflects in every dialogue in every expression of this manga.


Story - 9.5

The story is a gorgeous tale and makes wonderful use of the time period it plays in. It goes deep into many aspects of the era without ever rotting into a boring history lesson. The story catches his reader and draws him into the story. Although this might take some chapters to start of as the first section of Vagabond throws you right into the action without any explanation leaving you wondering but only slowly starts to give small treats of information. And before you notice it yourself, you're hooked.
Sometimes it seems to loose itself but the story always finds a connection to the last waypoint.


Enjoyment - 10

The rating speaks for it self. I never had this much fun with any manga and could relate so much with characters starring in it.


Overall - 10

When it comes to fictional stories, only a few managed to leave a deep emotional impact on me. Such is Inoue's VAGABOND.

PLOT: Vagabond follows the story of a lone ronin Musashi Miyamoto wandering throughout Japan seeking for strong opponents. His very belief is that by becoming the strongest swordsman alive, a big reward should await him, an award like any other. Only problem is that, even he does not know what it is. Blinded by bloodthirst and egocentric motives Musashi fails to see the meaning behind everything he does. Endless spiral of killing does not stop for him and that drives him insane.

Eventually, ... upon meeting many skilled warriors ( Inshun,Baiken, Yoshioka disciples, Kojirou etc.) he starts to question not just the way how he percieves art of the sword, but his ulterior motives as well. On his road towards the top, Musashi frequently meets up with a lot of strangers who offer to help him. Even though they do not understand how someone can satisfy his needs by meaninglessly killing people, their admiration for him does not fade away.

He changes, a bit by bit and becomes invested in learning to understand the flow of his surroundings. After a certain point, our main character is forced to make a crucial desicion regarding his journey, realising that life is precious for what one man can create and not obliterate...

CHARACTERS: I have never seen characters as realistic as in Vagabond. Every single one has its own clothing style, haircut, quirks developed to the tinniest details. From each one, a lesson could be taken. They live by their own rules, but still manage to present their aspirations through the sword. My personal favourite side characters are: Otsu, Kojirou, Baiken, Jisai and Denshiciro.

ART: P E R F E C T. Inoue simply does not miss, week in week out. Manga panels could be presented as an exhibiton without a doubt. Details are very inspiring as well. Not much you can say about it considering how amazing it is :)

Vagabond helped me out a lot, i may not be a swordsman or even a fighter at least, but i feel at ease reading this manga. Many quotes i have engraved in my memory hoping to implement them in my daily activites and lifelong struggles. Questioning the point of life myself, there would seem to exist a corelation between me and Musashi.

That could be said about every single person, we fall and break but eventually we rise and take on various challenges. Real question is, do we want to exploit our inner strenght and how to do it? Where to search for inner peace, true love, kindness...

If you are eager to find an answer- read the greatest piece of fiction called Vagabond.

,, All truly strong people are kind"
,, I can go as far as i want"

When you can actually learn valuable lesson from a fiction, it's a successful work and something to be praised. This type of fiction remains above the rest, it will develop you, influence you and will carry on beside you, you will remember it for the rest of your life.

Vagabond hits deep with it's teachings. At this stage of human civilization, how many people actually thinks about the "Value of life?"
It's surprising to actually think about it while you go through the chapters. After finishing it, I was left with very few significant stuff that I've never thought deeply about it.
How important is other's life ... to you? what are you doing for them? Why parent's despite their crazy character, weaknesses, worldview (I've witnessed in real life), is still the strongest person in your life.

The story of vagabond is pretty unique, simple with it's setting, yet deep with values and teachings. The arts are phenomenal, a true masterclass.

I've read a lots of fiction since childhood and I have only few I can name that's truly inspiring. Vagabond is one of them. It's a masterpiece and I doubt someone else will come up with something that can inspire your life. Since most works right now are pretty much into providing thrills, enjoyment by becoming a sustainable dopamine source.

So, Even if you are not supposed to enjoy Vagabond, you should still read it. Why? There's something you can learn from it, it's all over it. It's a MUST READ. (10/10)

It was a masterpiece. In all honesty it was one of the best manga I've ever read and I'd recommend it to anyone who's just gotten into manga. I would not suggest to have this as your first(as you'd be wasting your time attempting to find something just as good). If you ever want a story that you may never get a satisfying ending for, but you just want a long and very enjoyable story then this is your story. I spent more time reading this rather than listening during my classes. The evolution of the main character and the world around him was excellent. ... I loved his journey of self reflection and discovering why he wants to become the strongest. Not just the main character, but the side characters were captivating as well. I genuinely loved the longer arcs showing the backgrounds of characters and the world.
Truly a 10/10

The artwork of Vagabond is simply outstanding. Inoue Takehiko understands exactly how to fully capture the reader in his brush strokes that change to an insane degree depending on in-story situation. I have never seen anything that comes even close in leading the eye along the gorgeous artwork. Even if you don't care at all about the characters or the story, the art alone would make it worthwhile to read this work. The in-story calligraphy is nothing to sneeze at either.

The story roughly follows Yoshikawa Eiji's take on the life of Miyamoto Musashi, undoubtedly one of the the greatest swordsmen to have ever lived. The ... depth of his understanding of fighting and the art of the sword still eludes droves of sword students today. Starting this manga, I had read Musashi's Go Rin No Sho and the original Yoshikawa Eiji book and I think this made the experience all that more enjoyable. Some of the decisions Musashi makes along the way are much easier to understand with the background knowledge gained from Yoshikawa's book and there's various throwbacks to philosophical understandings Musashi expounds upon in the Go Rin No Sho.

Like Yoshikawa before him, Inoue takes various freedoms in timeline composition from what are the current best guesses about the life of the real, historical Musashi, but it's an action manga after all. If you see the characters as adapted from the Yoshikawa novel, then the level of adaptation is simply outstanding. They come across exactly like in the book, especially the three leads Musashi, Kojirō and Matahachi. Takuan, too, takes very well after the book character. If you haven't read the book, then the characters are still extremely well defined original characters, with clear goals, inhibited by human error and understanding, certainly utterly comprehensible in their life choices, whether your agree or not.

If any manga deserves the designation "unrivaled under the heavens", it's certainly Vagabond.

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter." -Miyamoto, Musashi

When I first started reading this manga is was way back in 2015 or 2016. I didn't expect much of it except "cool samurai fight scenes" as I would've described it then. However, upon reading it and rereading it countless times already, I've come to accept this manga for what it is: an unfinished masterpiece.

If it were only completed this would make the second manga/anime I have ever ranked a solid 10. It follows the real life story of the wondering vagrant swordsman MIyamoto Musashi ... in his journey to become the strongest swordsman who has ever lived. It doesn't start off slow and pick start picking up later on. It is consistent in its story telling and masterful in its conveying of the plot.

Personally I think many of its negative reviews are due to the viewer being unable to relate to the characters leaving them with a sense of lack of depth from the overall story. I don't want to say they are wrong. But perhaps they are looking at it the least productive way. Vagabond is a biography. The characters were different people not fictional relatable protagonists. Much of the manga might be seen as unnecessary drawn out action, but that is simply what Musashi's life boiled down to during his earlier years before he retired. It's like trying to relate to Elon Musk's autobiography when you really can't. You're supposed to take some ideas from it and try to better yourself as a person using them.

Sun Tzu's art of war is no relatable because it's about warfare. That is simply not true at all, people still use it predominantly in business tactics. If I might say: most negative reviews of this manga are/might be unjustified.


You are not supposed to relate to the characters or Musashi at all.
I believe that is the true intention of the author.


Story: 40% / 43%
Vagabond is the epic story of wondering swordsman Musashi Miyamoto later in life titled "The Sword Saint". The manga closely follows his early years in life from when he leaves to war and returns with a different name. He starts to steadily build up his legend but at times seems unsure of himself striking deep philosophical thought, not from the author, but from the person himself. I love how the story follows his life as accurately as possible while still maintaining a sense of, well, epicness. The only reason it doesn't have full points is because of the fact that the manga remains unfinished to this date.

Characters: 33% / 33%

Miyamoto Musashi or Musashi Miyamoto. He is practically the only character as far as it goes because it is basically a biography of him. (Other characters like Sasaki Kojiro were not taken into consideration whilst writing the rating for this section). The Sword Saint. It is not an exaggeration, that is his actual title. This is a man that actually lived in Japan and the tales of his journey are well recorded so I can say firmly (after actually doing a lot of research) that the manga stays true to the nature and reality of the character. Musashi was and is the greatest swordsman to have ever lived, but he wasn't born that way. His life was full of hardship, struggle, and challenge. Everything from when he was thirteen and on was battle. But that was not all there was to Musashi. He had a strong sense of philosophy and was extremely intelligent. He theorized about things such as psychology that weren't even invented in his era. A character this brilliantly and accurately represented on manga is something you won't find anywhere else. Truly masterful work done to recreate his person.

Art: 21% / 23%
This manga has perhaps some of the best illustrations I have ever had the privilege of setting eyes upon. At least in book the art this manga handles is second only to Berserk. The fight scenes are spectacles unfolding right before your eyes and everything in between is equally as exquisite. The quality does not waver during the whole length of the manga and if anything it gets even better as it progresses. The reason it does not have full points, though, is just that. The art does get better, but in turn that means that the earlier chapters could've been better as well. This may come off as overly critical or analytical, but it is the undeniable truth. In spite of this, the art still gets one of the best ratings I've given to art in manga.

Overall: 94% / 100% or 9.4/10