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Un bebé que llega desde el mar,
su nombre es Kojiro Sasaki.
El tiempo retrocede
y una nueva historia comienza.

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

15 people are currently reading
455 people want to read

About the author

Takehiko Inoue

316 books1,554 followers
Takehiko Inoue (井上雄彦) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for Slam Dunk and Vagabond.

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5 stars
1,596 (68%)
4 stars
556 (23%)
3 stars
171 (7%)
2 stars
18 (<1%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
Profile Image for Raj.
46 reviews25 followers
October 8, 2021
Inoue just wins me over by the art style alone. You can hear the whir of a breeze, feel the texture like a madman has trapped an entire seashore in a rawboned panel. What started as a hackneyed theme (get stronger till you can no more!) justified as "following the way of sword" slowly fell into a character-dragged cinematic experience.

I don't know what touched me particularly about this volume. But, but, look at this, just, just, look at this.





Profile Image for Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎.
1,269 reviews187 followers
May 20, 2022
Musashi didn't even appear one bit, but this volume is phenomenal! An old man and a kid, the sea, and survival instinct. Augh, it just tugs at my poor poor heart. Especially, that panel when the wave "delivered" Kojiro to the old man. Yes, truly a gift from the sea (referring to volume 15) He's one blessed kid. Man, I even got emotional when Takuan appeared to bless the kid's sword. And when Kojiro "gave" his first word, man, I'm crying! I love this.
Profile Image for Nicolo.
3,464 reviews205 followers
September 24, 2015
A welcome respite from Miyamoto Musashi's journey, this new volume gives the reader Sasaki Kojiro, the man would be his rival. Musashi and Kojiro couldn't be more different. both had to overcome serious obstacles in order to meet.

Isn't Matahachi supposed to have usurped Kojiro's identity? That's what makes this arc interesting. I want to see how events could have unfolded that lead to Matahachi taking on the Kojiro identity.
Profile Image for Henrique.
237 reviews59 followers
March 21, 2024
Vagabond Volume 14


Esse volume vai dos cap 128 ao 136 e pela primeira vez deixamos de acompanhar o Musashi e passamos a acompanhar a história de outro personagem que ainda vai durar alguns volumes que é o Kojiro que é um garoto surdo que só quer saber de usar uma espada num geral eu gostei desse volume e de ver esse personagem espero que tenha mais um aprofundamento nos próximos volumes.
Profile Image for Maria.
606 reviews142 followers
April 13, 2019
KOJIRO AND JISAI.
I love dying and being dead
Profile Image for Juho Pohjalainen.
Author 5 books348 followers
August 16, 2020
I've always been fond of protagonists such as these: phenomenally good in one thing, awfully stunted and downright crippled in some others. Capacity to solve problems and proceed handily on their path of life, yet also tougher time in other ways than your average person would. Great contrast, a lot of drama, and flaws to overcome rather than just getting better in whatever they chose to be good at.

So I like Kojiro here quite a bit. It looks like we'll be following him for a while now, and I've no problem with that.
Profile Image for Seb.
270 reviews20 followers
June 9, 2022
Best volume yet this series, may not be on a scale of action like Berserk or One Piece but its still brilliant.
Profile Image for Gustavo.
901 reviews16 followers
February 17, 2020
Después de una pelea muy intensa entre Musashi y Shishido Baiken/Tsujikaze Kohei, Shishido dice un nombre que quizá les suene familiar como "la actual identidad de Matahachi": Kojiro Sasaki, entonces la historia vuelve en el tiempo más de 20 años para mostrar quien es esta persona realmente, un huérfano sordo criado por un maestro de artes marciales retirado, que literalmente tiene una espada en la mano desde bebé.

Esta parte tiene muchos momentos emotivos y es una pausa muy bienvenida, un respiro que hace mucho contraste con la "espiral de asesinatos" de los tomos anteriores, aunque no creo que dure mucho.
Profile Image for Dr Rashmit Mishra.
907 reviews93 followers
March 12, 2024
Okay everyone apparently loved this . I didnt .

Sure this one had emotional moment and action, but honest to god when you shift your story in such a sudden turn and show a new character's past . A character i dont even remember fully between the last volume .

Not only that , the first few chapters were really confusing at times . That said the art in itself was so good that i can get past most flaws . Plus there were some really emotional tugs in the chapter .
Profile Image for Fugo Feedback.
5,084 reviews172 followers
September 10, 2023
Probablemente mi tomo favorito de la que sin duda es mi serie de manga favorita. ¿Cómo hace Inoue para conmover en una serie donde casi todo es sangre y una pelea cada dos por tres? La respuesta es la totalidad del tomo este. Increíble cómo puede seguir mejorando una serie que ya era excelente de por sí.

UPDATE: No sé si sigue siendo mi serie favorita de manga en singular, pero releyendo este hermoso tomo me volvió a despertar los mismos sentimientos, así que mantengo el puntaje por más que ahora sea más "exigente" en mis apreciaciones objetivas.
Profile Image for Dhia Nouioui.
293 reviews157 followers
September 17, 2021
The story of how he tried so hard to raise Kojiro was spectacular and really touching.
Profile Image for Javier Maldonado.
Author 8 books64 followers
August 30, 2025
Ya puedo anticipar que Kojiro Sasaki se terminará convirtiendo en uno de mis personajes favoritos de Vagabond.
Profile Image for ki.
82 reviews6 followers
Read
September 10, 2025
“You're still blind to everyone but yourself.”

“Kojiro. I don't know what the gods have planned for you. But I'll make sure you survive.”

“The sword can drive men to madness. To live by the sword, if you need to see what it can do to a man, just look at me.”

[Chapter #128-#136]
Profile Image for SajjadKarbar.
61 reviews3 followers
July 27, 2022
Art style at its finest
This kid is getting somewhere
I like the old man so much
Profile Image for Juan Serrano.
40 reviews1 follower
Read
June 14, 2023
Ojo cambio de main character, chulisimo
Profile Image for Kota.
18 reviews1 follower
December 1, 2019
This volume has a new story about Kojiro Sasaki so Musashi's story isn't focused on. Kojiro will be a so strong swordsman because he already had talent of sword even though he is only a child, I think.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Carlos J. Eguren.
Author 21 books154 followers
July 12, 2025
Mi volumen favorito de la serie hasta el momento. No sé cómo Inoue lo hace para mejorar en cada tomo de Vagabond. Que tarde todo lo que tenga que tardar si conserva la fuerza de estas páginas en el desenlace del manga.
Profile Image for Hugo Barahona.
37 reviews
September 1, 2025
''Los hombres pierden todo con la espada, mírame a mí. Kojiro... tu vivirás una vida normal.''

Dejamos de lado el viaje de Musashi para adentrarnos en un pequeño pueblo pesquero, donde los bulliciosos campos de batallas y las grandes casas de la espada no existen. Allí habita Jisai Kanemaki, un hombre que antaño fue un gran maestro de la espada de grandes discípulos, pero ahora ha perdido la razón de su espada y existencia. Derrotado por su antiguo alumno, despojado de esa pasión que sentía por lo único que ha tenido y sentido en su vida, Jisai se prepara para morir solo y desamparado. La espada que alguna vez sostenía su espíritu, se ha convertido en un peso vacío, en la razón de su caída.

Pero ese destino inevitable no es tan sencillo de abandonar. Un día Jisai recibe una carta de Sasaki Sukeyasu, un antiguo discípulo. En esa carta, Sukeyasu le confiesa su última voluntad: hacerse cargo de su propio legado, su hijo. Jisai, con la incredulidad que le caracterizaba en su día a día, guarda silencio, no imagina como un anciano derrotado, caído en la pena, cuyo único amor y vínculo ha sido solo la espada, podría criar a un niño en un mundo que solo devora a los débiles.

Y ese día llega, Jisai resignado a tener una muerte que acabe su soledad, ve algo inusual en el mar: una barca donde reposa un bebé y una espada. En ese instante cambia todo. Jisai, ya renunciado a vivir, desesperado se lanza a la ayuda del niño. El viejo maestro que había perdido definitivamente sus aspiraciones, no encuentra en ese niño llamado Sasaki Kojiro una carga, sino una oportunidad para poder reinventarse y redescubrir lo que había perdido: la capacidad de sentir, de cuidar, de darle un nuevo sentido a su vida.

Pasan los días, cada vez Kojiro crece más y Jisai recibe una visita algo inusual: El discípulo que le derrotó e hizo que tomara la decisión de dejar la espada, Ito Ittosai. Este despierta en Jisai recuerdos que siempre trató de ocultar, Ittosai trae con él su humillación y con una verdad que hasta el propio propio Jisai no se percató: Sasaki Kojiro es sordo. Bajo el peso de la noticia y la incapacidad que sigue teniendo Jisai de conectar con el niño que considera su propio hijo, se dispone a realizar una kata desesperada con la espada. Un gesto amargo, un lamento, un recuerdo de lo que fue y ya no quiere ser. Entonces el joven Kojiro le imita y es aquí, en ese instante, cuando por primera vez Jisai logra comunicarse con Kojiro: mediante la espada, el medio que Jisai quiere evitar a toda costa.

Así la vida de Jisai se transforma. Donde Jisai veía antes un mundo que se apagaba lentamente, descubre a través de Sasaki Kojiro una nueva forma de estar en él, un mundo sin violencia donde ese niño que ha renombrado como su hijo, crezca como un niño normal. ¿Podrá Kojiro, ese niño cuyo único consuelo es la espada, sobrevivir sin esta y cumplir el deseo de Jisai?


Profile Image for Turpinpower.
59 reviews4 followers
September 15, 2021
Takehiko Inoue da marcha atrás en la historia, dejando aparcado por el momento el camino de Musashi Miyamoto para, aprovechando la revelación del final del tomo anterior en el que descubrimos quién había hecho cambiar a Kohei Tsujikaze en un encuentro que tuvo con él, se nos cuente desde cero y volviendo para ello al pasado la historia de dicho hombre, quien resulta nada más y nada menos que el auténtico y genuino Kojiro Sasaki, aquel cuya identidad ha estado suplantando el desgraciado de Matahachi.

De esta figura histórica poco o nada se sabe de su pasado (de hecho, ciertos historiadores dudan de que realmente llegara a existir, siendo entonces el gran rival de Miyamoto una invención posterior que representa todo lo contrario a Musashi) por lo que Inoue opta por inventarlo todo de su puño y letra como ya hizo anteriormente con Inshun... y el resultado sinceramente no podría ser mejor.

Quedando huérfano desde que es un bebé debido a la guerra y a la dureza del mar, Kojiro es criado por el maestro de su fallecido padre, Jisai Kanemaki, un antaño respetable samurai caído totalmente en desgracia y aislado de la sociedad. A pesar de ello y de su nula experiencia criando niños, Jisai cuidará de él como si fuera su hijo, lo que dará lugar a una infancia bastante peculiar para Kojiro, especialmente cuando descubrimos que es sordo (otro detalle de cosecha propia de Inoue), la obsesión que tiene con la larga katana heredada de su padre con la que llegó (único legado que le quedó de su familia) y sobre todo, por la habilidad innata que demuestra tener en el arte de la espada.

Un tomo maravilloso que inicia la historia sobre una vida tan única y de leyenda como la del propio Miyamoto, la cual tiene toda la pinta de que se extenderá durante varios tomos hasta que conecte al fin y volvamos a ver a Musashi.

Pero no corramos todavía, pues hasta que ese punto llegue, queda mucho de este nuevo viaje por disfrutar.
Profile Image for Brendon A.
242 reviews1 follower
September 17, 2023
7/10 We are given the real tale of Kojiro Sasaki. He was left to his fathers former master in a boat. His masters name was Jisai Kaneki and he lived by the sword for many years. He awaited korjiro’s arrival but he never came until he saw a boat stranded and realized a baby was in there and he rescued Kojiro from the water. He devoted his life to raising Kojiro. For various years of raising Kojiro, Jisai never realized he was deaf until a former student who stopped by brought it to his attention. From a young age, kojiro loved playing with his masters swords and he always found a way to hold on at any capacity. Once he saw his master slashing his sword towards the water he was in love with swords. Jisai learned to communicate with Kojiro through writing and gestures. He described to kojiro that swords can lead to hurt and pain. The next day Jisai goes to find a fishing job and comes back to Kojiro holding the sword again. Everyday he gave his master/father figure a hard time and looked for the sword. He even attacked Jisai and Jisai disciplined him with physical action. Kojiro even wrote the characters for sword down and jisai was happy he could communicate. Instead, kojiro trained with a stick everyday growing older and older. All the village kids go to jump kojiro and make fun of him, instead kojiro beats them all and makes them kneel to him. While an old man attacks jisai to test if he is strong enough to protect the village. Also a kid name Tenki approaches with a sword and Kojiro runs to get his wooden sword and attacks him smiling. Kojiro beats him down and makes tenki bleed and beg for him to stop. Tenki admits defeat and tries to communicate with Kojiro and asks him to be his master.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for 47Time.
3,455 reviews95 followers
December 1, 2021
Profile Image for Ethan.
53 reviews
October 4, 2023
Kojiros backstory is continuing and I have been loving it so far. It seems as though Kojiro due to the loss of is hearing is taking a liking to the sword as he can be free and doesn't need his hearing to be dedicated to it. His relationship with Jisei is getting more interesting and diverse and Jisei is like a genuine father to him which is really cool. Kojiro remains rebellious though as he does not want to adhere to societies norms he wants to broaden out and do his own thing. Kojiro has always since the beginning wanted to do his own thing and be his own person and not follow what people want. I am excited to see how the storyline continues and Kojiro is showing extreme talent and depth so far and I am enjoying it a lot.
Profile Image for Ostrava.
909 reviews22 followers
January 10, 2021
At first sight, this volume is a bit out of place and seems to ruin the momentum the story had had until now, but it giving a character such as Kojiro more of a background adds depth to any possible confrontation in the future. Now, this is confusing as Kojiro is supposedly... dead, and his identity has been usurped by Matahachi. But what will come out of it is something I won't find out until the arch ends I guess.

Love the story of parenthood and childhood here though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Aidan Rice.
160 reviews
August 22, 2023
I don’t know how a volume not to do with the main plot and only has side characters in it was possibly my favourite volume so far, this is gorgeous.
The story of this volume is so exciting and it’s such a simple story but the dynamic between Kojiro and Jisai is so strong that it makes it 10 times better, both also being really interesting characters even when one doesn’t say a single word.
Profile Image for Kaustubh Dudhane.
650 reviews48 followers
July 20, 2024
Even if Miyamoto Musashi isn't present in this volume, yet this is the most impactful volume so far in the Vagabond saga. The Kojiro (whom our dear Matahachi impersonated) arc begins in a grand fashion. Huge shout out to the awesome artworks.


Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews

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