Mugen no Juunin (Blade of the Immortal)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Inhabitant of Infinity

Japanese: 無限の住人

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 30

Chapters: 207

Status: Finished

Published: Jun 25, 1993 to Dec 25, 2012

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Supernatural

Themes: Historical, Martial Arts, Samurai

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Afternoon

Authors: Samura, Hiroaki (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.42¹ (scored by 17,757 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #184²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #185

Members: 76,343

Favorites: 2,856

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8.42

Ranked #184Popularity #185Members 76,343

MangaAfternoonSamura, Hiroaki (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /30

Chapters: /207

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Synopsis

Manji is an infamous swordsman in feudal Japan who is known as the "Hundred Man Killer," as he has killed one hundred innocent men. However, there is something far more frightening than his ominous reputation: the fact that he is immortal. This is the handiwork of eight-hundred-year-old nun Yaobikuni, who placed bloodworms capable of healing almost any wound in Manji's body.

To atone for his crimes, Manji resolves to kill one thousand evil men. Yaobikuni agrees to this proposal, saying that if he succeeds, she will undo his curse of immortality. Soon after this promise, Manji meets Rin Asano, a 16-year-old girl who requests Manji's assistance in killing those who slaughtered her parents.

Initially reluctant, Manji refuses Rin's desperate plea. However, owing to her evident lack of strength, Manji changes his mind and agrees to protect Rin for four years. With this partnership set in stone, the two embark on a perilous journey of bloodshed, vengeance, and redemption, each to fulfill their own life's cause.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Note: Originally published with 219 chapters, which were then recollected into 207 chapters in the tankoubons. Please do not change the chapter count.

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Background

Mugen no Juunin won the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 1997.

The series was published in English by Dark Horse Comics as Blade of the Immortal in 31 volumes from March 1, 1997 to April 1, 2015. The release featured the unusual method of cutting out and rearranging panels, which was done so to have the series read left to right while still appealing to Hiroaki Samura's request of not flipping the pages. The series was first released in monthly comics issues from June 1, 1996 to November 14, 2007 but was stopped after 131 issues. Dark Horse has been republishing the series in 3-in-1 omnibuses since January 10, 2017. The final omnibus will contain the novel Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon. The series has also been published in Brazilian Portuguese by Jbc in a 2-in-1 edition since December 2015.

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Related Manga

Alternative version:	Shousetsu Mugen no Juunin: Ninjuu Ibun
Sequel:	Mugen no Juunin: Bakumatsu no Shou
Adaptation:	Mugen no Juunin: Immortal, Mugen no Juunin

More characters
Characters

Manji

Main

Anotsu, Kagehisa

Main

Asano, Rin

Main

Otono-Tachibana, Makie

Supporting

Magatsu, Taito

Supporting

Hyakurin

Supporting

Shira

Supporting

Giichi

Supporting

Yoshino, Doa

Supporting

Habaki, Kagimura

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Dec 28, 2014

ClownOnACloud

Recommended

“I just want you to know one thing...I may be the one facing them. I may be the one cutting them down. The one who stands on their graves. But you will be the one that kills them.”

There are a great many stories that revolve around the concept of revenge. A great many writers have written a great many tales about revenge, each expressing their own sentiments towards the topic. Some glorify it, others ridicule it as a fool’s quest and others tell a more sympathetic story. Blade of the Immortal however simply tells it how it is, at no point is the author ... ever forcing his beliefs onto the story. The writer prefers to allow the reader to reflect on the story themselves and come to their own conclusions. An engaging, exhilarating yet quietly contemplative quest for vengeance, Blade of the Immortal is one of the greatest seinen manga ever created. Allow me to explain to you why I believe this is the case...

The story of Blade of the Immortal centres around the young Rin Asano’s journey to avenge the death of her parents at the hands of a sword school whose influence is growing within Japan: the Itto-ryu. Unable to deny her own powerlessness in the face of her powerful foe she seeks out the skills of a swordsman who has been cursed with immortality. A man known as Manji. He has his own aims and beliefs that make him more than just a simple bodyguard. Throughout the series we watch as Manji acts as a sort of mentor to Rin and we also watch as the relationship between the two changes and develops.

The premise is quite simple, chances are you can think up some series with similar plots, and the mention of immortality may seem a little silly to some but you shouldn’t write this series of just because of that. The story is an amazing journey for both characters and readers; it’s a grim tale of blood, violence and complex yet savage emotions, a story filled with political intrigue and numerous rival factions all gunning at one another. The premise may be basic but it is simply a backdrop for a deep, emotive, memorable and epic quest.

The only criticism I have with the story is that the pacing was a little bad. Initially the story didn’t really grab me and I took a little break from reading. In my opinion the story doesn’t really get into its stride until around about chapter 30, but once the story gets going it is a nonstop rollercoaster of pure awesomeness. Similarly at later parts of the story I feel that certain events were dragged on for a little longer than I would have liked, but this is a very small criticism it must be said.

The thing that really makes the story of Blade of the Immortal so captivating is without a doubt the characters. The cast of Blade of the Immortal is simply amazing. I would go as far as to say that this series has the best cast of characters I have ever come across. Over the course of the series the two main characters, Manji and Rin, go through a tremendous amount of development but that’s only to be expected really. While the development of the two main characters is exquisite, it is the side characters that really make this series extraordinary. With most series you can consider yourself fortunate if even a single character receives a good amount of development but in this series there are about are around 5 or 6 characters that receive just as much development and characterisation as you would expect of a main character. Ironically, on a personal level I was more interested in some of the side characters and their struggles than I was in the main characters (and the two main characters are really amazing). This is really a testament to how well written the characters in this series are.

All of the significant characters in this series receive a great deal of development and with this there is no clear divide between which characters are the ‘good guys’ and which are the ‘bad guys’. They all have their own circumstances, ideals, determination and reasons for fighting and because the author shares the limelight equally between all of the significant players there is truly no telling who will come out on top and during some of the fight sequences it becomes near impossible to determine whether a particular character may win or lose which really makes things genuinely tense.

Personally, I always like to see those badass female characters who know how to hold their own as in anime especially female characters are more often than not just waifu bait. So I just wanted to give this series props for having some of the most awesome female characters I have ever seen in Makie and Hyakurin, that being said I did feel that Rin sometimes came across as being a typical damsel in distress but this was really only in the earlier parts of the story.

This amazing story and these spectacular characters are all presented to us in Hiroaki Samura's fantastic artwork. It is a little difficult for me not to start gushing over his artwork because subjectively speaking this series has the best artwork that I have ever seen. I have always had a preference for old school art as opposed to the more moe art style that is prevalent in modern anime and well Blade of the Immortal is just about the least moe thing you will ever find so it gets a big thumbs up from me.

The artwork is just so perfectly styled and this series has the most well drawn action sequences you will see in any manga. Seriously, the fights in this series are absolutely brutal - blood and limbs are seen flying all over the place. There are so many great fights in this series and the flow of action in the panels makes it easy to follow the action, the fights are ridiculously intense and will have you on the edge of your seat. The scenery art in this series is also worth mentioning. The backgrounds are quite well detailed on the whole and the traditional Japanese landscapes that you will see over the course of the journey are all captured perfectly.

With all this being said, I cannot say that the art style will be to everyone’s taste. If you dislike sketchy artwork and prefer clean drawings then you may not like it. I really like it because it matches my personal preferences but that doesn’t mean everyone will think it’s as great as I do.

Also, as I have already alluded to, this series contains a lot of gore so if that is not your thing then this may not be a series for you. This series really doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to violence but unlike similarly violent manga series, such as Gantz and Akame ga Kill just to name two, this series never gave me the impression that there was just violence for the sake of it or that it was being used for shock value. While this series is very visceral I don’t think that it ever became excessive.

In my opinion this series is the pinnacle of the seinen genre. It is dark and it is brutal but it remains human. With a well constructed and deceptively complex plot, one of the most well fleshed out cast of characters you are likely to find and artwork to die for I cannot recommend this series highly enough to anyone who enjoys seinen manga. Although, if you are looking for or are expecting a story that is actually focused on samurai culture then I would point you in the direction of Lone Wolf and Cub instead. Blade of the Immortal is more focused on telling its own story than it is about what life was like in this time period and the way of the samurai and the all that sort of stuff.

Anyways, I hope you found this review helpful. Any and all feedback is welcomed (unless you are going to criticise me that is).

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Aug 30, 2018

Joe_Med

Recommended

TL DR; If you can bear gore this one is a must read
(I would recommend listening to "sowulo - SOL (2016) album" with your reading for full experience (fits with it like key and lock) )

story 10/10
I won't tell anything about the story so rest assured.

A Gory samurai age story as the cover implies (as the most of this genre) but:

1- with a bit of science fiction and some medical knowledge.
2- many arcs not long few boring ones
...

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Sep 1, 2015

Nervin

Recommended

Revenge is a topic a lot of philosophers have dwelled on, all with their own view on the topic. Of course not only philosophers thought about this subject: revenge is a common topic in mangas too, even readers themselves may have certainly thought on taking revenge in certain occasions; Blade of the Immortal is no different, though it certainly revolves around it, this manga has in fact much more to offer, allowing the reader to dwell on the topic of revenge, while at the same time enjoying the storyline, the engaging characters and the impressive art style. Sounds promising and well, but why was it ...

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Poll: Blade of the Immortal Chapter 134 Discussion avrc - Apr 14, 2009	5 replies	by sasuke100 »» Jun 7, 12:34 PM
Poll: Blade of the Immortal Chapter 131 Discussion avrc - Dec 24, 2008	5 replies	by sasuke100 »» Jun 6, 3:45 PM
Poll: Blade of the Immortal Chapter 124 Discussion avrc - Aug 7, 2008	4 replies	by sasuke100 »» Jun 3, 4:26 PM
Poll: Blade of the Immortal Chapter 32 Discussion ricardocsc - Dec 19, 2012	1 replies	by nidoqueen106 »» May 31, 1:48 PM
Poll: Blade of the Immortal Chapter 122 Discussion avrc - Aug 7, 2008	2 replies	by sasuke100 »» May 30, 3:58 PM

Mugen no Juunin
Blade of the Immortal
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Mugen no Juunin
Blade of the Immortal
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