Interest Stacks

In 16th-century Japan, Shinmen Takezou is a wild, rough young man, in both his appearance and his actions. His aggressive nature has won him the collective reproach and fear of his village, leading him and his best friend, Matahachi Honiden, to run away in search of something grander than provincial life. The pair enlist in the Toyotomi army, yearning for glory—but when the Toyotomi suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tokugawa Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, the friends barely make it out alive. After the two are separated, Shinmen returns home on a self-appointed mission to notify the Hon'iden family of Matahachi's survival. He instead finds himself a wanted criminal, framed for his friend's supposed murder based on his history of violence. Upon being captured, he is strung up on a tree and left to die. An itinerant monk, the distinguished Takuan Soho, takes pity on the "devil child," secretly freeing Shinmen and christening him with a new name to avoid pursuit by the authorities: Musashi Miyamoto. Vagabond is the fictitious retelling of the life of one of Japan's most renowned swordsmen, the "Sword Saint" Musashi Miyamoto—his rise from a swordsman with no desire other than to become "Invincible Under the Heavens" to an enlightened warrior who slowly learns of the importance of close friends, self-reflection, and life itself. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

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.

Although the rounin Souichirou Senou quickly discovers that most of his new neighbors in the Katagi Apartments do not trust him, his childlike wonder at the world around him allows him to strike up a friendship with the carpenter's son, Kankichi. With Kankichi's help, Souichirou begins to establish a life in Edo's tenements and exchanges his longtime sword Kunifusa for a bamboo blade, due to his newfound desire to refrain from violence. Unfortunately for Souichirou, avoiding conflict in Edo is not always possible. Before long, Souichirou finds himself stalked by the brutal assassin Shinnosuke Kikuchi, who delights in butchering anyone caught between him and his target. Each time Souichirou must step forward to defend himself or the people of the tenements, he reawakens the intense bloodlust of his younger days and resurrects memories he would much rather forget. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The sadistic daimyo Tadanaga Tokugawa has decreed Japan's first martial arts competition with real swords, appalling even the most loyal of his retainers. However, when the spectators realize that the first match pits the one-armed Gennosuke Fujiki against the blind and lame Seigen Irako, even those with the most forceful objections declare the match to be a farce and the combatants' deformities an affront to their station. Most of the attendees are unaware of the deep-seated hatred Gennosuke and Seigen hold for each other, which stems from their struggle to become the heir to the insane samurai Kogan Iwamoto, leader of the notorious Kogan-ryuu dojo. Their once-cordial rivalry for Kogan-ryuu and the hand of Kogan's daughter Mie quickly turns violent when one of the young warriors angers the master, causing a chain of events that eventually leads to their severe injuries. Shigurui chronicles the decisions that led Gennosuke and Seigen to this desperate point, as well as the many lives ruined by the brutality of samurai culture. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ittou Ogami has very little left to live for. Though once the Shogunate's chief executioner, his name is left in ruins after being framed for treason by the treacherous Yagyuu Clan, seeking to steal his position of power. His misfortune does not end here, however; they culminate in the brutal murder of his entire family, including his wife Azami, with only his child Daigorou still left alive. With dishonor upon his head and his beloved wife in the grave, Ittou takes up a new mantle as an assassin for hire. Alongside his young son, Ittou wanders the country in search of revenge, with only the complete destruction of the Yagyuu Clan on his mind. As he travels the land, the number of his successful assassinations quickly grows, and soon the moniker of "Lone Wolf and Cub" becomes infamous across the land as the choice assassin to get the job done right. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Saichi Sugimoto is feared as the "Immortal Sugimoto" for his savagery on the battlefield during the Russo-Japanese war, but he is by no means a war hero. Sugimoto has been left to fend for himself after his release from the army for nearly killing a superior officer. Braving the rough terrain of Hokkaido, Sugimoto is now searching for gold in order to keep a promise to his lost brother-in-arms. His efforts have been fruitless for a long time until a mysterious traveler tells him of an urban legend that would rid him of all his troubles. According to the legend, a criminal stole the gold of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and hid it away in a location that can only be found when a map—made not from pieces of parchment, but the tattooed skins of escaped convicts—is brought together. Upon meeting with a young Ainu girl, Asirpa, Sugimoto sets off in search of the tattooed prisoners, but many dangers await as soldiers and mercenaries seek the gold as well. Aided by Asirpa's knowledge of the lands, the two of them depart to find the stolen Ainu gold in a journey of revenge, murder, and greed. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Unabara Domain—home to nightmarishly strong students and masters of martial arts of all kinds. The lord of the Unabara has decided that whichever of his sons discovers the strongest martial arts style will be his heir, but when 28th son Naoyoshi Washizu decides on Ogama-style practitioner Gama Kurogane, son of notorious father and scion of a "weak" style, to represent him, the odds seem bleak. But between Naoyoshi's determination and Gama's hard-earned strength, they may yet come out on top! (Source: Kodansha USA)

Follow the final moments of the Shinsengumi first squadron captain, Okita Souji, as the author tells his version of the story.

A martial arts historical series about a peasant turned samurai and caught in the turmoil of the final year of the Edo Period (1868). (Source: Batoto) Included one-shot: Volume 1: Inu no Seikatsu (A Dog's Life)

As a result of a strange encounter with a mysterious carcinogenic fetus he found inside a patient's skull, brain surgeon Minakata Jin has slipped back through time. Equipped with modern medical knowledge, he faces various fatal diseases and injuries. Then, he meets the ordinary people of Edo as well as illustrious figures, and his surgical knife carves out a new history and story of life. (Source: Easy Going Scanlations)

Ten years have passed since the end of Bakumatsu, an era of war that saw the uprising of citizens against the Tokugawa shogunate. The revolutionaries wanted to create a time of peace, and a thriving country free from oppression. The new age of Meiji has come, but peace has not yet been achieved. Swords are banned but people are still murdered in the streets. Orphans of war veterans are left with nowhere to go, while the government seems content to just line their pockets with money. One wandering samurai, Kenshin Himura, still works to make sure the values he fought for are worth the lives spent to bring about the new era. Once known as Hitokiri Battousai, he was feared as the most ruthless killer of all the revolutionaries. Now haunted by guilt, Kenshin has sworn never to kill again in atonement for the lives he took, and he may never know peace until killing is a thing of the past. Now in the 11th year of Meiji, Kenshin stumbles upon Kaoru Kamiya, owner and head instructor of a small dojo being threatened to close its doors. The police force is powerless to stop the string of murders done in the name of her dojo by a man claiming to be the famous Battousai. Kenshin's wanderings pause for now as he joins Kaoru to clear both their names. But how long can he stay before his past catches up to him? [Written by MAL Rewrite] Included one-shot: Volume 28: Meteor Strike

A dazed young man is woken up by a stranger, and they soon discover that they are stranded in 16th-century Japan, in the midst of the Warring States Period. The other man laps up his injuries, but both of them are quickly discovered, suspected of being spies and chased by several militia soldiers. As his friend is shot by an arrow before his eyes, the dying man says that he, Ken, should live on and return to the Heisei Era from whence they came. Ken manages to escape and is found by Natsu, a kind woman who works as a metalsmith, and she agrees to take him in. The young man realizes that while he has no recollection of where he came from or who he is, he still possesses the cooking skills and knowledge from his previous life. Even more, he remembers fragments about the tumultuous Warring States Period and some of the historical events that are yet to happen. Staying at Natsu's place, the chef quickly becomes the talk of the town and soon attracts the attention of a prominent historical figure: Oda Nobunaga. Just as the stories say, Nobunaga is a brazen, ruthless, and intimidating individual. Tolerating no dissent, he demands that Ken join him as his chef. The warlord is quickly impressed with his food and wastes no time employing Ken's gastronomic talents to achieve his political and military goals. The young chef finds himself slowly earning the warlord's trust by whipping up delicious meals that bedazzle Nobunag's allies and opponents alike, making full use of his historical knowledge and culinary prowess. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

During the Edo period, Japan is suddenly invaded by alien creatures known as the Amanto. Despite the samurai's attempts to combat the extraterrestrial menace, the Shogun soon realizes that their efforts are futile and decides to surrender. This marks the beginning of an uneasy agreement between the Shogunate and Amanto, one that results in a countrywide sword ban and the disappearance of the samurai spirit. However, there exists one eccentric individual who wields a wooden sword and refuses to let his samurai status die. Now that his kind is no longer needed, Gintoki Sakata performs various odd jobs around town in order to make ends meet. Joined by his self-proclaimed disciple Shinpachi Shimura, the fearsome alien Kagura, and a giant dog named Sadaharu, they run the business known as Yorozuya, often getting caught up in all sorts of crazy and hilarious shenanigans. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Included one-shots: Volume 1: Dandelion Volume 2: Shirokuro (Black and White) Volume 24: 13 Volume 38: Bankara-san ga Tooru

History classes have never interested Saburo. He never saw the point of learning something that happened in the past, let alone a few hundred years ago. But when he falls off a wall, he travels through a wormhole and ends up in 16th century ancient Japan. He meets a very young Oda Nobunaga, one of the most influential figures in Japanese history, who turns out to be identical in appearance as Saburo. The real Nobunaga, sick of the castle life and wanting to travel, orders Saburo to take his place. Without knowing how to get back to his time, Saburo tries to make sure history isn't rewritten for the infamous Oda Nobunaga. (Source: MU)

Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naïve, diffident nature has time and again caused him to be let go by the lords who have employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called "Five Leaves." Although disturbed by the gang's sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi's motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he's drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws. (Source: Sigikki)

In the Sengoku Period (1579), there is a young woman who has lost everything, and dedicated herself to seeking strength and a death on the battlefield. Reiri once lived happily with her family, until the day soldiers came by after a battle. Her father, mother and brother sacrificed themselves in order for her to survive. She was only saved with the intervention of Okabe Tanba-no-Kami, who had been sheltering in the village. In his service, she grew and learned to fight well, chasing her goal of a death in battle. However, her path to death may not be as short and straight as she hopes. (Source: MU)

When he was three years old, Doushirou's father took him away to America and raised him in the Nevada countryside. Twelve years later he returned to his mother in Japan, and for some reason he's become a like real samurai! After growing up on warrior tales, how will Doushirou deal with life as a modern Japanese high school student?

During the political upheavals and social strife at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan (1855), two parent-less brothers — Yukimura Shoutarou and Yukimura Gentarou — struggle to survive in these turbulent times. The brothers' only possession is their deceased father's sword and they cling onto the wisdom of their mother's final words as they seek to embark on the Path of the Warrior: Sidooh. (Source: MU)

The Kouga Manjidani and the Iga Tsubagakure ninja clans have been sworn enemies for centuries, with only the Hanzo Hattori truce maintaining a tenuous peace between the two families. But years later, when former shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa faces a dispute to determine which of his two grandsons shall succeed their father, he decides to settle the matter through a proxy war. Selected to represent the respective candidates, the Kouga and Iga send 10 of their best fighters into a deadly battle, with the winning party deciding the rightful successor. Thus, the truce is revoked and the ruthless bloodshed begins. But not all approve the truce's end. Gennosuke of Kouga and Oboro of Iga were to be married in hopes of ensuring lasting peace. However, unlike typical arranged marriages, they were already deeply in love. As preparations for the war ensue, Gennosuke questions his loyalties while Oboro refuses to fight. Fueled by their reawakened feud, will the two clans be consumed by hatred, or have their destinies changed by genuine love? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ichi is a lone goze (blind woman singer) who has become separated from her traveling entertainment troupe. Wondering how she will find her place in life, she carries only a shamisen (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument) and a walking stick with a hidden blade inside. When necessary, she uses her exceptional sword skills to fight off yakuza and other villains. (Source: MU)

This manga is the adaptation of two movies: Zatoichi's Vengeance (Tokuzo Tanaka) and Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (Kazuo Ikehiro). The Ballad of Zatoichi Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi." Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels, he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to stay and defend the town or to leave and be on his way. Zatoichi's Pilgrimage After he's ambushed in a small village terrorized by a gang of thieves, the legendary blind swordsman Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man in self-defense. As fate would have it, his travels soon lead him to Okichi, a woman whom Zatoichi discovers is the sister of the young man whose life he stole. In anger, Okichi attacks the blind swordsman, but her conscience gets the better of her, and as she tends his wounds, the two fall in love. (Source: MU)

After the cruel lord Daigo Kagemitsu sells his newborn son's body parts to 48 demons in exchange for power, he casts what remains down a river and quickly forgets about his son, soon establishing a mighty kingdom. Little does Daigo know that his child survives, possessing advanced spiritual senses that allow him to navigate the world without eyes, ears, limbs, or even a voice. A brilliant doctor rescues the son and raises him as his own, naming him Hyakkimaru and fitting him with advanced prosthetics that make it possible for him to move and fight. However, tragedy strikes when Hyakkimaru turns out to be a beacon that brings demons into the doctor's home, and the doctor eventually has to send Hyakkimaru out into the world. Amid his travels, Hyakkimaru learns that slaying demons allow him to recover his missing parts and seeks to kill enough to make himself whole. He soon encounters Dororo—a boy claiming to be the world's greatest thief—who joins Hyakkimaru against his will in hopes of one day obtaining his sword. Together, the duo travels through a countryside infested with both demons and brutal men, who might prove to be worse. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

A story of pure vengeance, Shurayuki-hime tells the tale of a daughter born of a singular purpose, to avenge the death of her family at the hands of a gang of thugs, a purpose woven into her soul from the time of her gestation. (Source: ANN)

A seminal history of Date Masamune. Yokoyama has a plain and matter of fact style for history without really trying to dramatize it. (Source: HappyScans!)

Proud to be a Samurai, even though I'm destitute Harata Hiroshi chronologies 1970 - 1971

Mugen is a rough-around-the-edges mercenary with a killer technique and nothing left to lose. Jin is a disciplined samurai who's as deadly as he is reserved. Fuu is a young waitress with a good heart and a resourcefulness that emerges when you least expect it. These three unlikely companions are about to begin a journey that will change all of their lives. It's a dangerous quest for a mysterious samurai that will see our squabbling group of heroes get into and out of trouble more times than they can count (which admittedly, isn't very high). From the cynical gentility of the nobles to the backstabbing of the Japanese underworld, Mugen, Jin and Fuu will face threats from without and within as they hurl insults and throwing stars alike. Ancient Japan is about to get a lethal dose of street justice—Champloo style. And it will never be the same. (Source: TokyoPop)

In the bleak world of the swordsman, it is said that he who becomes the Number 1 samurai shall rule the world. And only Number 2 is allowed to challenge Number 1. Afro Samurai has assumed the mantle of Number 2, seeking vengeance against Number 1, a gunman who killed his father years ago. But assassins lurk at every corner, seeking to rob Afro Samurai of the title of Number 2. Can Afro survive long enough to exact his revenge? (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)