Last Samurai Standing 1

by Shōgo Imamura, TATSUZ (illustrator)

The year 1878-the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and more than a decade since the samurai were stripped of their privileges and swords outlawed on public streets. A mysterious flyer appears in all corners of the land, luring those skilled in martial arts to Kyoto with the promise of riches beyond common imagination. As warriors deprived of purpose flock to the appointed place at the appointed time, what awaits them is no ordinary task, but an all-out war-against each other!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2025

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A historical Battle Royale with samurai in late 19th century Japan?

The above described setting is what drew me in to this manga, whilst at the same time I hoped there would be no revival of Battle Royale/Hunger Games type of books this year and the next now that both Suzanne Collins and Koushun Takami have decided to release a prequel & a sequel to their popular books respectively. We already had an explosion of copycats years ago, and it wasn't positive as it didn't lead to producing quality imitations.

This first volume of Last Samurai Standing didn't quite leave me confident it'll be a quality iteration of the deadly games trope. It's too . . . forgettably conventional.

And it shouldn't be, by rights. It has an interesting plot premise and a good beginning, when some mysterious entity (person?) posts public announcements all over Japan calling for participants in an illegal duel to the death in order to win a shocking prize of 100,000 gold yen. An absurdly large fortune, so everyone suspects there must be a catch. And a catch there is, indeed, as there seems to be some sort of shadowy scheming by the pro-Shogun faction that are behind this game the authorities try to suppress but are unable to prevent masterless swordsmen (ronin) from flocking to it.

That's how this grabs your attention, making you wonder what will happen and who is truly behind this ridiculous competition, and for what purposes. You see a variety of ronin and samurai assembling at the meeting point, you see the "gamesmaster" pompously lay out the rules, the seven assembly places they all must go through to earn points, how points are earned, and the final destination to collect the prize. And then you start realising this is all so familiar, this is all something you've seen before, only the historical setting is different but even here you have a military dictatorship (the Shogunate) as the likely mastermind of the cruel game. Even the protagonist and his maiden-in-distress girl are something you've seen before. It's all a known quantity, a predictable plot.

So you lose interest quickly. What could this possibly offer that is unique? The story simply lacks something to set it apart, to make it memorable, and to stand out amongst other "battle royale" stories. The Shinsengumi and the waning days of the Shogunate aren't enough by themselves, you need a stronger plot, and characters with more to offer than "good-hearted samurai protects helpless girl." Maybe it will be better in future volumes, because this first one has the downside of all first volumes: it's a set up piece. But even as a set-up piece, it's still lacking in something to make readers think it's worth their while. There's already other, better manga set in this period and with these same groups of samurai in danger of losing their way of life as the Shogunate is dying, without the need for a pseudo-dystopian game (which in this manga is surprisingly tame, because I thought it would be bloodier and more gory than it turned out to be.)

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no place in the new Japan for samurai; but there is a contest - kill your opponent and take their 'tag' - once you start you have to finish, or you will be dealt with! All sorts of samurai with unique skills want to be the 'last' standing - because there is a fortune waiting at the end of this bloody road. Now a Netflix series!

[Sayem Bin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much as I think, but enough good to read.

[Siu Lum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga has interesting characters. A mysterious flyer is circulating around Japan that attracts martial artists to gather together for an opportunity to make money.

You soon learn that it is a battle royale.

The story is bloody and parts of the story does remind me of Kenshin. I will continue with this series just to see how it ends.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and this is my honest opinion.

[Wioletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows a samurai caught in a game to win a great amount of money but it was no ordinary game — ”The last man standing” type of game where each participant need to collect badges which are mainly captured by taking from other participants, or rather, killing. The first volume focuses on the game itself, and we get introduced to a broad variety of characters which is refreshing.

If you like ’Hells Paradise’, like me, then I think you will very much like this manga. I am very excited for the next volume!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an ARC of ’Last Samurai Standing’

[robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

my second ARC read being a manga was just perfect! I'm once again counting myself so lucky to have this opportunity🥹
the plot and premise, the dialogue spacing making way for the art, and the art itself was beautiful. I really appreciated receiving background on each of the characters, having a page set aside for a character profile was a brilliant touch.
I'm extremely excited for this saga to continue. no notes, just all out praise🙂‍↕️

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The age of the samurai is over, and in its wake a new capitalist society has descended upon the nation of Japan. Deep in the throes of modernization and industrialization, what can a group of former swordsman do to earn money when the skills and status they once relied upon are no longer relevant? Mixing the kind of existential dread that exists when one age ends and another begins with elements of Squid Games, Hunger Games, Battle Royale and even Rourini Kenshin, Last Samurai Standing is an action-packed story of survival in more ways than one.

The story at its core is about a secret battle royale that's open to anyone confident enough in using a sword. Shujiro Saga, a wandering swordsman, comes across flyers that were placed all over Japan asking for those skilled swordsman to assemble at a temple in Kyoto, where it was revealed that the winner of the competition would get a lot of gold. The goal of the contest is simple in that you just have to be the first one to reach Tokyo by going along the Tokaido Road. The caveat? You need to have X amount of points to pass certain checkpoints, and the only way to earn points is by killing your fellow competition stealing theirs. Can Shujiro win this competition without becoming the monster he once was?

I am a sucker for samurai, particularly historical fiction featuring samurai. When I stumbled upon the trailer for the upcoming Netflix series and saw that there was a manga for it, I just had to read it and on the whole I felt it worked very well. The first volume has interesting characters, a great central mystery, a lot of excellent sword skills and enough to keep me going into the next volume.

The thing I enjoyed about this first volume, more so than the action and the central story premise, was the exploration of a warrior class in this complex age of change. While historically there were many samurai who transitioned into prominent positions of wealth and influence in the new regime, there were many more who fell despondent with the societal change. The first volume reflects this with a few character beats. We hear the story of a samurai turned farmer turned police officer/soldier who died in the civil war, a former shinsengumi soldier who had to adapt to an age of firearms and prosthetic and even the philosophical musings of a former assassin trying to not become a monster again. While these stories in a vacuum wouldn't work, they worked here because we are in the process of this transition.

The competitions return, in effect, to this age of the sword is something seen by certain characters as both something of a relief then. This is often portrayed by mooks on their way to death, but it still reflects the fact that these former swordsman missed the bygone age and perhaps even enjoyed the return to living or dying by the sword. The competition, whose motivations are completely unclear in the first volume as part of the stories central mystery, plays up this return to the age of the samurai with even forcing the competitors to use the Tokaido Road, a symbol of the Shogun and the power of the samurai.

In addition to the more philosophical underpinnings of the story, the first volume does offer more. The art is solid, if nothing particularly spectacular. It has some good fluidity in the action sequences, but some of the character designs were a little weird.

The included author notes were interesting to read, but I would have also liked to have seen more author or translator notes here and there to really help deepen the historical side of things.

Altogether this was a solid first outing for the series. It's supposedly based on a novel and I would love to see the novel translated into English someday, but for now I'm happy with what the manga is doing. If you're a fan of Squid Games,samurai or Rourini Kenshin definitely check this series out.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Restoration Japan Samurai are relics of the past, even the great Shinsengumi are gone and while many Samurai have found jobs within the new government, not all have. With Cholera on the rise and prices skyrocketing many former Samurai are willing to do anything to secure food and medicine for their families even join a race to the death that will leave one Samurai a very rich man.

This was a meh for me. To be fair the premise is interesting some group rounds up a bunch of desperate Samurai and/or just straight up murderers to murder each other in a race to I believe Edo but outside of that there's nothing, at least in this really innovative volume. Kokushu Saga the MC is very much your typical character found in these post Restoration/Post Shinsengumi stories; he's super OP, he never wants to kill again, and he was most likely a member of the Shinsengumi. He was just a very interchangeable character, you could have switched him out with/ any other from this little niche. That being said this is volume 1 so I do have hope that he'll get more interesting.

I am super interested in finding out what the heck this race to the death is all about. It's not necessarily unique but I also don't feel like whoever organized it is looking to like get a new group of Shinsengumi together, even though that is implied. So I'll definitely be checking out vol 2.


As always thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eArc!

[Shiritaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich find ja Battle Royales sehr cool - hab ich bei dem Titel null erwartet, aber wurde sehr positiv überrascht.
Der Plot (spielt im späten 19. Jahrhundert) an sich ist erstmal recht simpel - mehrere Personen versammeln sich an einem Treffpunkt, da angekündigt wurde, dass man sehr viel Geld bekommen kann. Weitere Infos sind zunächst nicht bekannt. Nachdem darauf hingewiesen wurde, dass man nicht einfach so aussteigen kann und allem zustimmt, geht's auch schon los: das Battle Royale! Die Teilnehmer sollen von Punkt A nach Punkt B reisen und auf dem Weg gibt es mehrere Checkpoints, die sie passieren müssen - allerdings brauchen sie dafür eine bestimmte Anzahl an Punkten. Und hier kommt nun der Clou: die Punkte bekommt man nur, wenn man von anderen Teilnehmern deren Teilnahmeabzeichen an sich nimmt…
Jo, so fängts an - es ist ziemlich brutal, beinhaltet viele Actionszenen und die Zeichnungen sind einfach mega krass dazu! Sehr dynamisch mit super vielen Details. Auch die Charakterdesigns sind sehr nice - größtenteils sehr abwechslungsreich, so dass man sie gut auseinander halten kann. Allerdings gab es auch ein paar, wo ich mich ein wenig schwer tat. Dann waren es allerdings meist (unwichtige) Nebencharaktere 😄

Band 1 fand ich schonmal sehr nice und bin schon ziemlich angefixt das weiter zu verfolgen.. 👀 es wurde auch eine Live-Action Serie (bei Netflix) dazu angekündigt, jedoch bisher ohne Datum.

[Baeannereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Shogo Imamura for providing me with an ARC of Last Samurai Standing 1 in exchange for my honest review.

Last Samurai Standing throws readers straight into a deadly battle royale, where a group of samurai fight to the death for a massive cash prize. Each warrior enters the fray for their own reasons with some seeking revenge, others needing the money to protect loved ones, and a few are simply in it for the thrill of killing.

The story centers on one samurai as he navigates brutal combat and forms uneasy alliances. Since this is only the first volume, much of the plot is focused on setting the stage, but I found it gripping from the start. One standout element was the character backstories scattered throughout the volume - they gave real depth to the fighters and made me care about their survival (or demise).

The artwork is a perfect match for the tone of the story: fast-paced, intense, and unapologetically violent. Every clash is drawn with raw energy, capturing the chaos and ferocity of battle in a way that keeps the pages turning.

Overall, Last Samurai Standing is a strong start to what promises to be a gritty, high-stakes series. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

[omar ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and TOKYOPOP for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve become an avid manga reader so I had no grab the opportunity to dip my toes in a new-to-me series. This story features some of my favorite tropes including a battle royal type of contest with a serious MMC with a dash of unrequited teammates. I had to pick it up eventually. But full disclosure, I’ve never heard about Shogo Imamura’s novel series.

Even though the art style wasn’t my favorite, it was quite unique for the story, making it stand out among similar characters and stories.
We get the plot going pretty quickly, but we still don’t have the full picture, making it another mystery to uncover as our characters race to Tokyo while fighting other participants in this battle royale.

I’d say it’s graphic but not overly gory, in case you were wondering. Most deaths consist of sword/katana slashing, so be ware if that makes you uncomfortable. But that’s given in this sort of plot.

I can’t say this is a new favorite series of mine but I’m curious how the relationships and fights will develop. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes shonen or action packed books.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Samurai Standing is historical seinen and a battle royale type of setting. The year is 1878 and Meiji era. Samurais have been stripped of their privileges and they cannot carry swords in public anymore. Now someone is paying the warriors to come and fight - one another in reality and only one can win an enormous amount of money of course. You need to gather tags and everyone has one, alas you kill others to get their tags. The setting is interesting and of course many are killed already at the beginning, but we also see better fighters. Our main character has history of course and he decides to help this girl and together their begin their journey. Hopefully there will be moral lessons and such.

The art looks OK. The manga isn't as bloody as I thought it would be. The goodness of the main character's heart can be a refreshing thing, if it doesn't become a blind spot for him (aka stupidity). The girl seems like a damsel in distress, which is annoying and she needs to have a personality and fight. I'd love to see some "Last of Us" spirit in this one. Last Samurai Standing seems to be an OK series and it all depends where this will eventually go.

[East of Reality · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action heavy manga where swordsmen fight to the death in a battle royale for a giant statue made of gold, this manga has some truly excellent fighting scenes. The main character, Shujiro, signs up to the contest for money — as does everyone else — not knowing how dangerous and how deadly it’s going to be, and ends up saving the life of a young woman, daughter of a samurai, Futaba, whose mother is dying from cholera. The story is full of violence and gore as people are slaughtered one after another and by the time this volume ends, there are only 115 remaining contestants of the 292.

If you’re looking for a samurai story full of mysterious pasts, noble heroes, tentative friendships that are almost certain to end in betrayal, you’ll probably enjoy this manga. It’s well drawn, and I really liked how cholera is depicted as a ravenous tiger. The character designs are solid, the pace is lightning fast, and it’s just a fun read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Samurai Standing Volume 1 plunges readers into a brutal, fast-paced death game set in 1878 Japan, a decade after the samurai class's decline. A mysterious flyer draws 292 skilled martial artists to Kyoto with the promise of immense wealth, including the samurai Okada, who seeks to save his ill family. These warriors are thrown into a ruthless battle royale, where the goal is to reach Tokyo by defeating opponents and collecting wooden tags. The volume excels in its immediate, violent action, delivering plenty of "fun" and nasty deaths right from the start.

However, the rapid pace means the characters aren't yet fully fleshed out, leading to some occasionally odd tonal shifts in this otherwise straightforward battle royale. While historically intriguing, the first volume feels more like an exciting setup than a deeply memorable experience. Ultimately, Last Samurai Standing Volume 1 provides a quick, bloody, and engaging read, earning it a 3 out of 5 for its promising premise and relentless action.

[TotallyTae23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley & Kodansha for the ARC!

Fast paced, full of action and gripping!
From the start I found the story extremely interesting, it’s pretty different from my usual reads so I was unsure if I’d like it very much. But I actually really enjoyed it! The action sequences are well and uniquely drawn, (and are always easy to follow), the premise sets the stage for a longer journey, and the characters are decently developed already!
I simply could not put it down.
Because of how fast things progress you’re always wondering what will happen next, and boy do things happen. I am looking forward to the next volume and can’t wait to see where it goes next.

[Maxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

I thought the premise was interesting, and I really loved the characters. They all had their unique voice and backstory that made their reason to participate in the battle royale, Like Futaba participating to feed and nurse her mother, while our MC Shujiro is doing it to help save many patients and feed his family. The art is amazing and doesn't shy away from the gruesome bits of the story, and doesn't overexaggerate the gore either. I'm thoroughly invested in what the story has in store!

[darlinreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I had fun reading the first volume! It kicks of fast, giving us a glimpse of the main character, Shujiro Saga, before jumping straight into the action. 292 samurais enter the temple where the battle royale takes place, but less than half leave the gates and race towards Tokyo in hopes of willing a 100 billion yen prize. While the quick pace keeps things exciting and introduces a wide range of characters, I do wish we could’ve gotten to know the characters a little more as I’m not yet invested in any of them.

Nevertheless, the first volume may be focusing more on the high-stake game itself, and future volumes will dive deeper into the characters and the reluctant alliances forged, which would be interesting! Also, interesting is the time period the story is set in! Its such a fascinating (and difficult) time to explore, so I’m always on the look out to see how an author tackles the social and political elements, particularly in relation to the individual characters.

Overall, if you’re looking for an action-packed story, with minimal bloody/graphic art, a protagonist with a dark past striving to save a loved one, and has similar vibes to Golden Kamuy, then you may enjoy this!

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shujiro Saga joined the crowd in Kyoto for the chance to win 100,000 yen. But he did not know that it would be a running battle to the death with the last participant standing getting the cash. Shujiro journeyed with Futaba Katsuki, a samurai's daughter, Koemon Tachikawa, a former samurai, and occasionally Kyojin who might be a ninja. Now all they need to do is survive the trip with out betrayals! It will be interesting to see how the trip works out in the next volume!

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the chance to read this title!

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this book. The story starts with a notice inviting the best martial artists to come to a specific location at a specific time for a chance to win 100,000 yen. There, the participants find out that it’s a battle royale and a race to Tokyo/Edo where they need to collect a specific number of points and tokens at each checkpoint on the way. It is an Interesting story premise, well developed characters and world building plus fast moving plot. Looking forward to seeing how the race progresses in volume 2.

[Sophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story gives off Rurouni Kenshin meets Battle Royale vibes, and I loved it. Our main character is a samurai who enters a competition hoping to win some money so he can help people. What he doesn’t expect is that it’s actually a fight to the death, where participants must collect other players’ necklaces to pass checkpoints—which means killing is unavoidable. Along the way, he notices a young girl about to be attacked and steps in to help her, and from there the story really takes off. The art perfectly matches the intense atmosphere and keeps you hooked.

[Nina Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and Kodansha and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was a great first volume. There was already so much action and gore. It reminds me a little of Hell's Paradise, but without the crazy island magic (so far at least). The story jumped right into the action and didn't let up for a minute. I'm definitely eager to continue the series.

I read somewhere that this is based on a Japanese classic, and now I might have to see if I can find that somewhere, because I think this would make a great story.

[Andrew Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Netflix series brought this to my attention. I like the live-action better than this manga. The art is fair but some.of the characters run together, which becomes confusing with the flow of the dialogue and lack of character identification. I thought one of the secondary characters all of a sudden attacked the MC and they fought to the death, only for the next scene to be that secondary character showing up after whoever died. I probably wouldn't have sought this battle royale themed manga out if not for the show but if it goes on sale from what it currently is, I'd see how it continues.

[Curious Madra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this manga.

It was a pretty alright read, sorta the same as other shounen reads but the Shinobi character seems to be the only interesting character out of them all. Ive no doubt this will become an anime in the near future as I say the fighting scenes would be epic! However I wouldn’t consider it the best though….

[Cristian Marrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great beginning. The premise was interesting. I really like the characters. They all had their unique voice and backstory that made their reason to participate in the battle royale. The art is nice and doesn't shy away from the gruesome bits of the story, and honestly doesn't over-exaggerate. Can't wait for volume 2.

[Emily Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga comic will appeal to fans of the original book, fans of swordplay, fans of gunplay, and fans of battle royale setups. There's also a lot of interesting Japanese history as well as honor, teamwork, and protecting women and children. For anyone who is new to Manga comics, remember to read the bubbles and panels from right to left. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

[Crowne Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5 A battle royale style historical samurai battle manga. Really interesting premise set during the Meji era as Japan "modernized." Leaves enough mystery to make readers want to pick up volume 2, but I felt like some of the characters weren't given enough time to develop.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven’t yet watched the Netflix adaptation, I feel like I should read the original source novel. After one volume it feels like a somewhat compelling take on the battle royale trope. Beautiful art!

[Jasmine Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have seen this story line before, I am still intrigued to see where this will go and what conspiracies are working in the background.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool story line similar to hunter x hunter and hunger games style in my opinion

[MelReadsManga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shing shing shing🗡️