Behind the desires to avenge comrades, punish criminals, repay a debt and complete a mission are 30 volumes of manga. The story, which began as a bloody samurai slasher, ended with an epic confrontation between the characters you love. Each of them has a reason to fight to the last, and the reader has a reason to worry about each of them. After all, throughout this long history, the heroes went not only through story arcs filled with battles, but also their own personal ones. Each character is well written. Kagehisa and Kagimura, the main antagonists, deserve special mention. Their blades drowned in the blood of many people, especially innocent ones. They don't deserve forgiveness. But they are not stereotypical villains, but people who put their ideals above everything else, for which they will eventually pay. Every action they take has a justifiable reason, and that's why these antagonists turned out great. At certain moments they can even evoke sympathy or, at least, understanding.
Not a single conflict is forced; all relationships between the characters develop logically and organically. And this is one of the main merits of the manga. Blade of the Immortal is a story about people. About people who can make the right decisions and make mistakes. They can show humanity and then forget about it; only a few will be able to remember it (just look at the Dr. Burando story arc). And, of course, there may be the ones that want revenge, and question the necessity of it. As Renzo did, for example. But what about Rin's revenge, the one central to the plot?
Rin is a poor girl who went through the horror perpetrated by Itto-ryu: the family dojo was destroyed, her father was killed, her mother was treated worse than anyone else. Rin has every moral right to kill Kagehisa. But over the course of the story, she grew as a person. This was influenced by both good and disgusting people she met along the way. Rin showed independence, which led her to become an independent and courageous girl. Strong at heart, she remained decent and kind despite the cruelty she had to constantly face. She even helped Kagehisa, the main offender, survive during the difficulties in the Kage. Even though this is motivated by the fact that revenge must be carried out appropriately, and she promises Kagehisa to carry it out. And after this and other adventures, what a surprise it was that the girl, who had reconsidered her attitude towards revenge, and did not want to continue walking along the soul-devastating path of revenge... still kills Kagehisa! This is a twist that at first causes bewilderment. Did Rin cheat on herself at the last second? Were the words spoken to Renzo about the pointlessness of revenge a lie? Oh no. Although the promise to kill Kagehisa was fulfilled, it was with such a big reservation. After all, there was nothing personal in the murder of Kagehisa anymore. There was only a desire to save. To save other people from the return of the descendants of the head of Ittoryu, from unnecessary deaths and from setting on the path of revenge those who survive. The world no longer needs the revival of the path of the sword and other Rins to fight against their radical followers.
Concluding this review, one cannot help but remember the epilogue. Reading it makes you look back at the volumes you’ve read, remember the adventure that is over, and smile. Manji will also smile, holding Rin’s great-great-granddaughter by the hand, going on to his new adventure, and you will exhale, close the book and say: “What a great story.”
