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Blade of the Immortal (US) #27
Blade of the Immortal Volume 27: Mist on the Spider's Web
With Hiroaki Samura's epic series completed in Japan, now's the time to catch up with Manji, Rin, and your favorite battling groups of anachronistic, enigmatic warriors! Anotsu Kagehisa's Itto-Ryu crew is splintered - yet still deadly - as Habaki Kagimura's group of suicidal Rokki-dan soldiers closes in on them! The cursed former general Kagimura is desperate to find and kill the remaining members of the Itto-Ryu - even if it puts his own daughter's life on the line! Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal series has won many awards across the globe, including the Eisner Award in America, the prestigious Media Arts Award of Japan, and multiple British Eagle Awards.
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
About the author
Hiroaki Samura
487 books258 followersHiroaki Samura ( 沙村広明) is a Japanese cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for writing and illustrating the manga Blade of the Immortal (1993-2012). Among his other manga series Die Wergelder (2011-2018) and Wave, Listen to Me!, the latter serialised since 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 11, 2020
Rating: 8.71/ 10.00 | 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
June 17, 2025
For a volume that has nothing to do with our main characters it was a pretty good and solid read. Basically a Dojo VS Dojo thing starts here and everyone's trying to remove the Itto Ryu from the map.
October 23, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Manji is a ruthless ronin stricken with the curse of immortality. To undo his curse, he must take the lives of a thousand sinners. He's a wandering sword for hire that kills without mercy and hunts down evil warriors all over feudal Japan. He wanders and kills without purpose for quite some time, but his long journey to end his own life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a compassionate young girl named Rin who is seeking revenge for her parents after they were murdered by members of a brutal new sword school called the Itto-ryu. Manji accepts the role of Rin's guardian and their drastically different ideals and personalities begin to change each other in ways neither of them could've foreseen as they clash with one merciless sinner after another.
The story cycles between several groups of samurai warriors each with their own moral codes and objectives. Other than Manji and Rin, there is Anotsu Kagehisa; the leader of the Itto-ryu and his band of rogues that openly defy old traditions as they seek to revolutionize the way of the samurai through force. Hyakurin and her partner Giichi who work as government cutthroats under a faction called the Mugai-ryu along with a serial killer named Shira, and so on. There are also hundreds of assassins, criminal gangs and shady individuals that wish to learn the secrets of Manji's immortality for their own nefarious purposes. With so many vicious people on the loose, it's no surprise that this ends up being one of the most brutal and bloody samurai tales ever told.
Blade of the Immortal makes ultra-violence look like a poetic art form. Blood and limbs fly like scarlet paint. Blades cut through flesh and bone like knives through butter. The use of clever battle poses and finishing techniques against the backdrop of hyper-stylized Edo period art makes for some museum-worthy battle and death scenes.
Despite how glamorized violence and bloodshed is throughout the series, it does not shy away from exploring the aftermath of said violence and how it impacts the psychological state of the characters. A sweet girl like Rin seeks revenge against Anotsu of the Itto-ryu for leading an assault that resulted in the murder of her family and slowly grows accustomed to the constant brutality that the path of revenge leads to. Anotsu himself isn't the one-dimensional evil monster that Rin believes him to be as he is driven by a sense of revenge himself; his revolution against outdated traditions begins only because people he loved were hurt, killed and outcasted by the harsh rules and teachings of the old sword schools. Even those who live through vicarious swindling and assassination such as Hyakurin and her partner Giichi have very traumatic upbringings and take no joy in their work.
We see how violence warps these characters into killing machines and then we see how the violence they inflict on others leads to more tragedy and bloodshed. Whether it be physical, mental or sexual, the violence throughout the series never goes unexplored or unpunished. It somehow manages to be brutally elegant and mature at the same time, the bloody battles are fantastic and the effects it has on the characters is even more so.
What seems to be a cliche samurai revenge story subtly transforms into an exploration of the psychological effects that violence has on many different types of individuals. Some are defined by it, some are bound to it, some love it while others allow themselves to grow from it or be destroyed by it. Violence and revenge are never fully justified nor condemned. It's presented from a very neutral and realistic point of view, allowing you to see it from every angle possible and judge for yourself whether it can be justified or not.
The story is simple, but the webs of conflict between many groups of complex and dangerous characters is where it truly shines. Strong development, elegant violence, moral ambiguity and an unusually modern punk tone in the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters offers a unique way of exploring a feudal-era drama that defies the expectations of a traditional revenge story.
***
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Manji is a ruthless ronin stricken with the curse of immortality. To undo his curse, he must take the lives of a thousand sinners. He's a wandering sword for hire that kills without mercy and hunts down evil warriors all over feudal Japan. He wanders and kills without purpose for quite some time, but his long journey to end his own life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a compassionate young girl named Rin who is seeking revenge for her parents after they were murdered by members of a brutal new sword school called the Itto-ryu. Manji accepts the role of Rin's guardian and their drastically different ideals and personalities begin to change each other in ways neither of them could've foreseen as they clash with one merciless sinner after another.
The story cycles between several groups of samurai warriors each with their own moral codes and objectives. Other than Manji and Rin, there is Anotsu Kagehisa; the leader of the Itto-ryu and his band of rogues that openly defy old traditions as they seek to revolutionize the way of the samurai through force. Hyakurin and her partner Giichi who work as government cutthroats under a faction called the Mugai-ryu along with a serial killer named Shira, and so on. There are also hundreds of assassins, criminal gangs and shady individuals that wish to learn the secrets of Manji's immortality for their own nefarious purposes. With so many vicious people on the loose, it's no surprise that this ends up being one of the most brutal and bloody samurai tales ever told.
Blade of the Immortal makes ultra-violence look like a poetic art form. Blood and limbs fly like scarlet paint. Blades cut through flesh and bone like knives through butter. The use of clever battle poses and finishing techniques against the backdrop of hyper-stylized Edo period art makes for some museum-worthy battle and death scenes.
Despite how glamorized violence and bloodshed is throughout the series, it does not shy away from exploring the aftermath of said violence and how it impacts the psychological state of the characters. A sweet girl like Rin seeks revenge against Anotsu of the Itto-ryu for leading an assault that resulted in the murder of her family and slowly grows accustomed to the constant brutality that the path of revenge leads to. Anotsu himself isn't the one-dimensional evil monster that Rin believes him to be as he is driven by a sense of revenge himself; his revolution against outdated traditions begins only because people he loved were hurt, killed and outcasted by the harsh rules and teachings of the old sword schools. Even those who live through vicarious swindling and assassination such as Hyakurin and her partner Giichi have very traumatic upbringings and take no joy in their work.
We see how violence warps these characters into killing machines and then we see how the violence they inflict on others leads to more tragedy and bloodshed. Whether it be physical, mental or sexual, the violence throughout the series never goes unexplored or unpunished. It somehow manages to be brutally elegant and mature at the same time, the bloody battles are fantastic and the effects it has on the characters is even more so.
What seems to be a cliche samurai revenge story subtly transforms into an exploration of the psychological effects that violence has on many different types of individuals. Some are defined by it, some are bound to it, some love it while others allow themselves to grow from it or be destroyed by it. Violence and revenge are never fully justified nor condemned. It's presented from a very neutral and realistic point of view, allowing you to see it from every angle possible and judge for yourself whether it can be justified or not.
The story is simple, but the webs of conflict between many groups of complex and dangerous characters is where it truly shines. Strong development, elegant violence, moral ambiguity and an unusually modern punk tone in the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters offers a unique way of exploring a feudal-era drama that defies the expectations of a traditional revenge story.
***
My Social Media
My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
My Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/michael_sor...
My Wattpad Account: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Michael-...
My Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/SorbelloHorror
My Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/michael.sorb...
September 15, 2023
(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition collecting this volume) 4.5/5
I'm really at a loss for words. 9 deluxe editions in, around 6000 pages and this series just continues to captivate, to enthrall, to mesmerise. When most Western creators can't string a handful of issues together without indifference or outright apathy setting in. Their distinct lack of talent and ideas plain for all to see. Samura san and his epic masterwork Blade of Immortal is as reliable, as stalwart as a beloved old dog. Any anxiety I had about this series going to pot at some point have continually been swept away in the beautiful tide that is Manji and Rin's story. And even though we didn't get as much of them this issue, instead focusing on the numerous side characters accrued along the way, the story doesn't lack for it in any way, shape or form. It just keeps building and building, and maybe, somehow, getting just that little bit better as well.
Samura san's art is a thing of beauty. The man stands in at the precipice of the craft, with only a handful of others daring to call him an equal. His masterful pencils and inks bleeding a vibrant authenticity onto every page, despite being black and white. To colour this series would not only be unnecessary, it would be a crime, such is the man's ability to bring his subjects to life. That said, if a colour series of deluxe editions was released in the future, you can bet your ass I would buy them.
I really think this may be my favourite series in all of comics, and that's saying a lot from a guy who is hyper critical of most every manga title he has read. It's unbelievable consistency, stunning visuals, captivating story (not to mention the gorgeous format Dark Horse has gifted it, makes it an absolutely essential read. Buy the deluxe editions before they are out of print and read this series. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
I'm really at a loss for words. 9 deluxe editions in, around 6000 pages and this series just continues to captivate, to enthrall, to mesmerise. When most Western creators can't string a handful of issues together without indifference or outright apathy setting in. Their distinct lack of talent and ideas plain for all to see. Samura san and his epic masterwork Blade of Immortal is as reliable, as stalwart as a beloved old dog. Any anxiety I had about this series going to pot at some point have continually been swept away in the beautiful tide that is Manji and Rin's story. And even though we didn't get as much of them this issue, instead focusing on the numerous side characters accrued along the way, the story doesn't lack for it in any way, shape or form. It just keeps building and building, and maybe, somehow, getting just that little bit better as well.
Samura san's art is a thing of beauty. The man stands in at the precipice of the craft, with only a handful of others daring to call him an equal. His masterful pencils and inks bleeding a vibrant authenticity onto every page, despite being black and white. To colour this series would not only be unnecessary, it would be a crime, such is the man's ability to bring his subjects to life. That said, if a colour series of deluxe editions was released in the future, you can bet your ass I would buy them.
I really think this may be my favourite series in all of comics, and that's saying a lot from a guy who is hyper critical of most every manga title he has read. It's unbelievable consistency, stunning visuals, captivating story (not to mention the gorgeous format Dark Horse has gifted it, makes it an absolutely essential read. Buy the deluxe editions before they are out of print and read this series. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
January 14, 2021
I am pleased that, after a string of disparate quality collections in the middle of this series that, as the end approaches, the writing appears to narrow focus, and have an end in sight.
After the much needed catharsis of the last volume, this collection proclaims to be about the Itto-Ryu, the antagonist dojo that served as the original antagonists but have since evolved into the same level of anti-heroes as Manji and Rin. But it's not really about the Itto-Ryu, even though they appear here much more prominently that the usual protagonists. This volume is about the Rokki-dan, a group of death row criminals selected by the death sentenced former head of the Edo Prison, Habaki Kagimura. Now we get to see the struggle from their perspective, and it's as refreshing as when we first encountered the story from the Itto-Ryu's view.
My one gripe is that it ends in the middle of a story. Look, this is a thirty-one volume adventure. If I'm already on Volume 27, I'm in. Please, no cliff hangers. Each volume should have a definitive ending at this point.
Otherwise, this continues to climb towards an ending that I now have high hopes for.
After the much needed catharsis of the last volume, this collection proclaims to be about the Itto-Ryu, the antagonist dojo that served as the original antagonists but have since evolved into the same level of anti-heroes as Manji and Rin. But it's not really about the Itto-Ryu, even though they appear here much more prominently that the usual protagonists. This volume is about the Rokki-dan, a group of death row criminals selected by the death sentenced former head of the Edo Prison, Habaki Kagimura. Now we get to see the struggle from their perspective, and it's as refreshing as when we first encountered the story from the Itto-Ryu's view.
My one gripe is that it ends in the middle of a story. Look, this is a thirty-one volume adventure. If I'm already on Volume 27, I'm in. Please, no cliff hangers. Each volume should have a definitive ending at this point.
Otherwise, this continues to climb towards an ending that I now have high hopes for.
June 25, 2017
Now that we're nearing the end, I'm actually rather sad to see the Itto-ryu slowly being cut down. Is there no way that everyone wins? Oh god. Samura makes it so complicated as to who to root for. Is it Kagimura representing the government? But he leads a team of death-row bandits? Is it the Itto-ryo, and all the development that's gone into this series to get us to sympathise with Anotsu, Magatsu, Makie? But they've done some awful things too. How do we feel about old man Abayama? What happens when he meets Giichi and Hyakurin?
Argh. So bloody complicated. I'm incredibly conflicted and it's glorious. Another really tense volume filled with inventive fight scenes.
Argh. So bloody complicated. I'm incredibly conflicted and it's glorious. Another really tense volume filled with inventive fight scenes.
February 6, 2019
As I've stated in earlier reviews of the series, it's sometimes hard to determine who's the real good guys and who are the real bad guys. Now that the "bad guys" are finally getting what they had coming, I find myself a little sad and wondering if they were as bad as I thought. I think the problem is too many evil characters in general so when they fight each other you have to decide for yourself who is worse. Really cool fight in "The Pots" arc.
Anyway, Manji and Rin are still the "good guys" in my opinion but they weren't really the focus of this volume. Things are coming to a head soon, and it's going to be interesting to see how things turn out.
Anyway, Manji and Rin are still the "good guys" in my opinion but they weren't really the focus of this volume. Things are coming to a head soon, and it's going to be interesting to see how things turn out.
March 12, 2025
This was one of my least favorite volumes, I found the interaction between Ryo and the gun dude confusing and the ability of Ryo at the end unrealistic. It was still generally engaging but not as much as other volumes.
January 2, 2018
Good volume.
August 9, 2018
Ok manga....Overall story💩1/10 But on the plus side pretty decent samurai/Feudal japan type manga with lots of Explicit Violence(Heads,ears and other body parts flying all over the place)👌😅💀👂👃💕💕
March 13, 2019
Maybe a 3.5 because the one illegitimate girl is out of the picture and tied up in a cottage.
October 12, 2020
Getting really political in that I'm struggling to understand what is going on. Get back to Manji and Rin!
January 29, 2024
Great plot writing.
November 15, 2015
Following supporting characters who kill each other off as pawns of Habaki and Anotsu, it's hard not to view this volume as a letdown. The last two books sewed up the remnants of the Prisoner Arc, Manji's missing arm, and ended the bloodfeud with the vile Shira. Those were plots we'd waited a long time for, and they ended bloody fantastic.
Meanwhile most of this book switches to Habaki's daughter, Ryo, and the lieutenant Ban. Ban turns on Ryo during a field mission, hoping to join the Itto-Ryu - but the assassins that are after them don't know that, and try to kill them both while each tries to escape the other. My favorite part is Ban feeling too awkward after saving Ryo's life to kill her, and agreeing just on a temporary truce, even though they both know he has treacherous thoughts.
It's a cleverer execution on minor character plots than normal for Fantasy, but these are still minor characters who we don't want to spend much time with near the end of the series. We want the inner circle of the Itto-Ryu, or to see that Rin hasn't lost a limb to frostbite.
It's more fighting. Samura draws great combat, but you have to rationalize why this is here. Is it better to cover different angles on the Rokki-Dan conflict, fleshing out Itto-Ryu's attempted coup? Yes. But these aren't the characters we want to follow. They're not even protagonists of their own story, important instead based on their relationships to main characters. This isn't bad storytelling, but it can't muster the investment of other plot arcs that are about to take off.
Meanwhile most of this book switches to Habaki's daughter, Ryo, and the lieutenant Ban. Ban turns on Ryo during a field mission, hoping to join the Itto-Ryu - but the assassins that are after them don't know that, and try to kill them both while each tries to escape the other. My favorite part is Ban feeling too awkward after saving Ryo's life to kill her, and agreeing just on a temporary truce, even though they both know he has treacherous thoughts.
It's a cleverer execution on minor character plots than normal for Fantasy, but these are still minor characters who we don't want to spend much time with near the end of the series. We want the inner circle of the Itto-Ryu, or to see that Rin hasn't lost a limb to frostbite.
It's more fighting. Samura draws great combat, but you have to rationalize why this is here. Is it better to cover different angles on the Rokki-Dan conflict, fleshing out Itto-Ryu's attempted coup? Yes. But these aren't the characters we want to follow. They're not even protagonists of their own story, important instead based on their relationships to main characters. This isn't bad storytelling, but it can't muster the investment of other plot arcs that are about to take off.
July 23, 2013
This begins the "end run" of Samura's Winter War arc, with volume 27 consisting of a series of forest battles between the Itto-ryu and the Six Demons crew, including one 'trippy' interlude. From here on through the remaining four volumes the action will be non-stop, with lots of showdowns and tragedy and some long-awaited resolution. I've read the amateur translations online; by example of the last few volumes, Dark Horse continues to produce quality work even with the change in personal.
March 8, 2015
I finished reading this manga a while back, but I'm slowly completing my collection of the English language edition. The funny thing is that I don't remember the first half (Ryo and Ban in the mountain forests), so maybe I skipped some chapters at some point. Even so, this manga is still a forever love.
July 5, 2014
This volume moves away from swordplay and focuses on other forms of combat which make it interesting and creepy.
This book seems to be suggesting that things are coming to an end and I respect the author for not shying away from that.
This book seems to be suggesting that things are coming to an end and I respect the author for not shying away from that.
November 30, 2013
[3 and 1/2 stars]
May 26, 2014
Fantastic, better and better everytime
September 17, 2018
[REVIEW FOR THE SERIES...]
Blade of the Immortal (Vol. 1-31)
Blade of the Immortal (Japanese: 無限の住人 Hepburn: Mugen no Jūnin, lit. "The Inhabitant of Infinity") is a Japanese seinen manga series by Hiroaki Samura. The series is set in Japan during the mid-Tokugawa Shogunate period and follows the samurai Manji, cursed with eternal life, who now has to kill 1000 evil men in order to regain his mortality. The series ran from 1993 to 2012, and has garnered itself quite a fan following and now has several animated and movie adaptions.
The Blade of the Immortal series is perhaps one of my top favorite manga series of all time and I’ve read a lot of manga in my life. I’m still not completely sure what it is about this series that worked for me; all I know is it did. The truth is it is a very dark, violent, historical manga with elements of fantasy and mysticism. Much of it involves very gritty and gory sword fighting scenes and super fascinating cast of characters, heroes, villains and all shades in between. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, if you manage push past the first few chapters, which can be very confusing honestly. Once you get into the meat of it though, it becomes enthralling, disturbing and even emotional. And the art...well it’s exquisite and only improves as you continue through the volumes... Check it.
WOW. Epic no? So this is Manji, our cursed yet extremely skilled samurai hero (anti-hero?) who is on a quest to kill 1000 evil men in oder to relieve himself of this curse and die peacefully. So it all starts when he is the cause of the death of 100 good samurai, due to his criminal actions, and is cursed to immortality, (by means of "sacred bloodworms" (血仙蟲 kessen-chū) that allow him to survive nearly every injury and even reattach dismembered limbs, by a 800-year-old nun. After a tragic turn of events he then vows to make amends for his sins that will allow his curse to be ended. This dark endeavor for redemption causes him much sorrow and suffering, but Manji always manages to persevere. His life only gets more complicated, however, when he meets Rin.
Manji later crosses paths with a young girl, named Asano Rin, and promises to help her avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by the mysterious and evil Anotsu Kagehisa. Anotsu killed Rin's father and his entire dōjō, making them a family of outcasts. Anotsu's quest is to gather other outcasts and form an extremely powerful new dojo, the Ittō-ryū (a school teaching any technique that wins, no matter how exotic or underhanded), and has started taking over and destroying other dojos, and threatens to defy the honorable system of the samurai realm.
Manji and Rin team up together to hunt down the savage Anotsu, which leads them on a perilous adventure, down a simultaneous path of revenge and redemption. I love the platonic dynamic between Manji and Rin. This series is a wonderfully thought out read, amazing illustrated and filled to the brim with action, excitement, mystery, and suspense and of course, a load of violent sword fighting scenes. There are a series of other interesting characters that I will not go into in this review, but suffice it to say, Blade of the Immortal is a read to remember. I highly recommend this to seinen manga fans, but not to the squeamish or faint of heart. This is a very graphic series.
[OFFICIAL RATING: 4.8 STARS]
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