At the end of the 16th century, Takezo Shinmen is a violent and impulsive young man who dreams of becoming the greatest fighter in Japan. After surviving the Battle of Sekigahara, he begins a long journey that leads him to question his understanding of strength, honor, and victory. Under the name Miyamoto Musashi, he faces many opponents, refines his swordsmanship, and searches for the true meaning of being invincible. His journey is as much about becoming a warrior as it is about confronting his own limits, loneliness, and the purpose he wants to give his life.
Manga
1998
Action
Adventure
Drama
Historical
War
Martial arts
Survival
Philosophy
Seinen
Vagabond
バガボンド
- Tonkam Publisher
- Takehiko Inoue Writer
- Takehiko Inoue Artist
- Eiji Yoshikawa Writer
Details
- Type
- Manga
- Release
- 1998-09-03
- Original title
- バガボンド
- Countries
- JP
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Drama, Historical, War, Martial arts, Survival, Philosophy, Seinen
- Status
- Ongoing
Synopsis
Vagabond
Volumes
Volumes (37)
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Volume 1
Japan, year 1600. The terrible battle of Sékighara has just ended. All that remains is ruin and desolation. Takezo Shinmen and his friend Matahachi Hon'iden have still emerged unharmed. It is a happy coincidence for these two young men, straight from their home countryside. Now, they must survive the deadly ambushes that will soon rise before them in these troubled times. The help of a troubling woman and her enigmatic daughter proves valuable at first. Even if their actions are not the most honest. Through their contact, the characters of Takezo and Matahachi will assert themselves. Unwavering will to survive and samurai instinct, transforming him into a true war machine for the first. Weakness of mind and body for the second, who will nevertheless try to rebel against his lack of panache whenever he is overwhelmed by remorse. Destiny will quickly help them chart their paths. Bloody paths, filled with sorrow and suffering, but also with feeling and elevation of the being. Returning home will soon no longer be an option for either of them. Various reasons and various repercussions will make the wild Takezo, the future Miyamoto Musashi, a man hunted by men as well as by resentments. Japanese reading sense.
Volume 2
Matahachi abandoned Otsu. Otsu views this poorly. Matahachi abandoned his mother, and she takes it badly. As a result, Takezo has to pay. An entire troupe because of one naked man. Not enough! Takezo has been betrayed. He fights. Takezo is hunted. He fights. Takezo no longer knows what to do. He fights. And still, invariably, accustomed to the breath of the beast, of the demon, for some, he explodes in a destructive fury that overcomes all attackers, leaving the ground littered with corpses. Only Kohei Tsujikazé can hold him in check. Without defeating him. Is there an end goal? An inevitable death! If providence did not intervene. A providence that takes the form of a strange monk. Takuan is more than a man of peace. He possesses wisdom, experience, and nebulous intentions. Thanks to Otsu, and gently, he brings the supposedly uncontrollable maniac to a halt. A long, very long wait then begins. Sausage-like, suspended from a branch, humiliated, left in turmoil without food or drink. Takezo awaits death. He will desire it more than anything. He will dwell on his memories. He will curse his existence. Then, pushed by Takuan and supported by Otsu, he will begin to reflect, to open himself to what life can be. Japanese reading sense.
Volume 3
Takezo Shinmen is dead. Miyamoto Musashi is alive! From now on assagi, in search of experience more than redemption, the peasant leaves alone for the capital. Only one goal: to confront the country's greatest scribes, and especially Seijuro Yoshioka, master of the famous kyohachi style. Before even arriving at the dojo, he will meet the object of his warrior desire. Undoubtedly, a young man in love with the pleasures of the flesh will show him in a flash the formidable extent of his art. But before realizing that Seijuro and the strange boy are only one, Miyamoto will have to face and defeat many students of the dojo, and a little brother who is far from being short-sighted. Only one certainty for him: he is the strongest. Remain to prove it. Same for Matahachi, who decides to become a man again, pushed without knowing it by his childhood friend. Helas, the saké watch. Japanese reading sense.
Volume 4
Miyamoto Musashi almost lost his life at the Yoshioka dojo. He survived, unconscious, having been rescued by his shadow friend, Matahachi. The latter, after his rather failed beginnings as a spy, finds himself wanted by the police. He must flee after giving false hope to Akemi. The hope of seeing the boy he has secretly loved for four years one day. This boy, Musashi, currently has a terrible problem. He is in love. To Akemi's dismay, the girl of his dreams is named Otsu. And he will do anything to forget her.
Volume 5
From the wildest to the most zen, man has only been able to express himself fully through the strength of his body, his arms, and sometimes, his head. An adage that Miyamoto Musashi will brandish as a banner in a dark period of post-medieval Japan. Toji Gion was waiting for Takezo. The beast dormant within him was awakened by the whirlwind of frenetic violence set in motion by the young man. He has only one desire: to confront it. Even if he is sure of winning. And it is not Takezo who will refuse a fight. The assault will be brief and violent. Especially brief, in fact. Japanese reading sense.
Volume 6
For Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous of the ronin that medieval Japan has ever known, the path to wisdom often passes through the sword. Dive into a universe of wisdom and berserk fury. Takezo has lost. Worse, Tazeko has fled. Plagued by a visceral sensation he had never experienced before: fear. The moral damage far exceeds the physical injuries inflicted upon him by Inshun. Helpless, he was taken in by the old man he met upon arriving at the temple. To his surprise, it is In'ei himself. To help his disciple achieve perfection, he is willing to turn Tazeko into a formidable machine. But to do so, the latter must learn. Learn from his failure. Learn humility. Learn that he is not the strongest.
Volume 7
To attend the second birth of the greatest of the fighters of medieval Japan: Miyamoto Musashi. Takezo is almost ready to become the greatest of the rôns that Japan (and therefore the earth) has ever created. Miyamoto Musashi will be reborn from his ashes. Last but not least obstacle: Inshun. The encounter with his father's ghost, as he was about to attack the young monk as a traitor, will change his optics. The duel will be done without a blow, in the woods, with In'ei and Agon as the only witnesses. Hardly does the virtual gong sound that Inshun realizes the progress made by his opponent. Will he finally know the fear? Japanese reading sense.
Volume 8
Musashi and Inshun... Their duel is also that of two souls violently grappling with each other. The hidden side of History will be marked by this battle.
Volume 9
The ronin Miyamoto Musashi is on his way. He sets out to challenge the absolute authority in swordsmanship, Yagyu. Men may mock him, certainly, but Heaven itself does not laugh.
Volume 10
Musashi wants to confront the country's first blade, Sekishusai Yagyu. But those called "the four best disciples" of the master stand in his way. The Yagyu castle will not be easily conquered...
Volume 11
Sekishusai Yagyu and his infinite gifts... Musashi is subjugated by the scale of this "authentic" warrior.
Volume 12
The true story of Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest fighter the medieval Japan has ever known. This ronin travels across Japan in search of the most powerful fighters in order to become the best samurai of the archipelago. Grand prize of the 6th edition of the Tezuka Cultural Award.
Volume 13
Deep and dark fatality. Kohei Tsujikazé - the god of death - stands before Musashi in the person of Baiken Shishido, the virtuoso of the war sickle.
Volume 14
A baby emerges from the sea. His name is Kojiro Sasaki. Time has reversed, and the curtain opens on a new tale.
Volume 15
Kojiro is all he has in the world... his heroic decision made, the old master of arms goes in front of death.
Volume 16
The sword drives men mad... Kojiro, 17 years old. His irrepressible savagery begins to manifest.
Volume 17
Manga inspired by Eiji Yoshikawa's work, "Miyamoto Musashi," a true story recounting the life of a great samurai of medieval Japan.
Volume 18
Sekigahara in the mist... Wild beasts of all kinds roam the remains of the battlefield. On the ninth moon of the 5th year of the Keicho era, Kojiro and Musashi share a brief encounter.
Volume 19
An important deadly climate is hovering on the mountain and its forest. Men are fighting for their lives. Blood is springing up, many lives will end here... In this extreme situation, Kojiro will find to refine his strength even further...
Volume 20
By reading the depths of gazes, Kojiro acquired a terrifying strength. His fight against the exceptional swordsman Ko'un leads him to a meteoric rise toward supremacy.
Volume 21
1605, the end of the 9th year of the Keicho era. A Musashi, transformed from the previous year, arrives in Kyoto. He then begins his deadly battle against Seijuro Yoshioka, his sworn enemy.
Volume 22
Musashi has defeated his sworn enemy, Seijuro Yoshioka, with a formidable thrust. The news shakes the Yoshioka dojo. Immediately, the atmosphere of the capital electrifies. Meanwhile, Musashi displays a singular calm.
Volume 23
In difficulty, Matachi saw Kojiro Sasaki appear in front of him. In the midst of constant snow, his torments and ambition ended up being understood by Kojiro.
Volume 24
A distant memory... Once, Musashi had discovered the right path. At what point did he stray from it? Why did he go astray? What he discovers in Kojiro awakens a deep nostalgia within him.
Volume 25
The duel against Denshichiro finally takes place. Although the outcome is obvious, the fight is nonetheless electrifying. Despite Musashi's will, the spiral of violence and death continues unabated, and nothing seems able to stop it. As he reflects on this, Musashi encounters an old friend in the capital: Matahachi Hon'iden!
Volume 26
Musashi learns that because he triumphed over the two heirs of the Yoshioka school, their students have set an ambush for him. Despite the prospect of facing 70 adversaries, Musashi decides to confront them.
Volume 27
The battle against the men of the Yoshioka dojo is raging. Fighting seventy samurai at the same time, Musashi struggles mainly for his survival, following his path as he can. Yet, gradually, the spectre of victory emerges without bringing any relief that one might believe. In the fi nal, what will remain of this fight, once all his lives are sacrificed on the altar of the honor of a clan?
Volume 28
Musashi survived an insane battle, then awoke from a long sleep in which beloved faces flashed by. A fleeting moment of peace. The seventy defeated exacted a "price" from him, deeply etched into his flesh.
Volume 29
Musashi is imprisoned for defeating seventy men. His severely injured right leg forces him to consider giving up the sword.
Volume 30
A throbbing pain plagues Musashi's right leg. Far from deadly battles, he sees only darkness ahead... He reflects on his past journey. Ah, to recapture the sensations of yesteryear, to return to a time when everything was simpler...
Volume 31
Musashi finally came out of the jail where he was held and set out to meet the old Yagyu. Indeed, despite the time spent thinking in prison, he still does not understand the hidden meaning of the old man's words on the definition of ''best''. But as expected, on the way, many men want to take advantage of his injury to bring down the legend and make a name for themselves!
Volume 32
As Musashi continues his journey despite his leg injury, many swordsmen come to challenge him. But standing before him now is a different swordsman; it is none other than Itô Ittôsai, known as "the demon," the very one who inspired Musashi during his adolescence!
Volume 33
As the time for the historic duel between Kojiro and Musashi inexorably approaches, the two protagonists, who are still unaware of their destiny, follow their existence in their own ways. While Musashi isolates himself in the mountains to seek answers to his questions, Kojiro arrives in the city of Kokura as a new swordsman master...
Volume 34
Miyamoto Musashi continues his quest for the Ultimate Sword, punctuated by battles. He must face mud and death to perhaps achieve enlightenment...
Volume 35
Miyamoto Musashi continues his quest for the ultimate sword, punctuated with fighting. He has to face mud and death to perhaps reach enlightenment...
Volume 36
Miyamoto Musashi decides to spend a year in the countryside to learn how to master his anger and become one with the surrounding earth...
Volume 37
After befriending a young orphan whom he tries to help, Miyamoto Musashi resumes his quest for the ultimate sword, punctuated by battles. Meanwhile, Musashi fights to bring life back to the land before the winter soil becomes too dry. This work serves as training for the young man, who little by little learns patience.
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