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バガボンド [Vagabond] #30

Vagabond, volumen 30

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「強い」とはどういうことか……。
六十余戦無敗だった男「宮本武蔵」を、井上雄彦が圧倒的画力で描く超話題作!

右足に深く残る疼痛。命のやりとりから遠ざけられ、行く末は暗澹として見えないーー。 来し方を振り返り、武蔵は思う。 かつての感覚を取り戻したい。すべてがひとつながりであった、あの頃へーー。

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2009

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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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Henrique.
237 reviews58 followers
May 2, 2024
Vagabond Volume 30


Esse volume vai dos cap 261 ao 269 e continua com Musashi ferido refletindo sobre as escolhas que levaram ele até esse momento e se há outro caminho pra ele além do caminho da espada eu gostei dele tentando imaginar outros futuros em que ele poderia ser feliz e também o que era mais importante isso ou sei sonho de se tornar invencível sob o sol foi outro ótimo volume de reflexão agora que quero pra onde ele vai partir daqui.
Profile Image for Maria.
606 reviews142 followers
September 5, 2019
I’m afraid this was too deep for me.
Profile Image for Juho Pohjalainen.
Author 5 books348 followers
August 19, 2020
It's the cycle of violence. How does it start? How can you end it? Are you truly to blame if your enemy came at you with real killing intent, knowing exactly what they were getting into, being fully willing to inflict upon you the same thing you gave them?

Hell if I know.
Profile Image for Dhia Nouioui.
293 reviews157 followers
September 17, 2021
Sad though it may be, this is a smart and realistic decision on Musashi's part. Otsu would most likely be killed if she and Musashi were together, or they would be constantly on the run.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
793 reviews19 followers
March 17, 2011
I meant to start Vol. 31 today but decided it was best for me to reread Vol. 30 beforehand.

In this volume, Musashi makes a decision, Otsu is visited by a ghost, and Kojiro travels on a ship. The ship happened to be the focus of my favorite art, especially Kojiro's hair for some reason, with an exception here and there of close-ups of some of the characters. Their eyes always suck me in. The action was negligible but that's not to say nothing happens. As with each of these books, the dialogue (and art) pushes the series forward.

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Barnes and Noble pre-order, available Nov 17, 2009.
Profile Image for Dr Rashmit Mishra.
907 reviews93 followers
January 9, 2025
Another philosophical one , but we are moving somewhere (i guess?) , Kojiro gets a new job , Otsu finds her purpose and Musashi is having himself a prison break .

Art is awesome , story has become somewhat dull and stagnant and honestly the whole Spirit thing .. not a fan .. but overall it's decent
Profile Image for ki.
82 reviews6 followers
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September 14, 2025
“If I could just stare off at the moon. I know that it'd be asking too much given that I have a roof over my head and a place to sleep, but you couldn't imagine just how much the moon's light soothed my heart during the nights of my solitary travels.”

“Everyone except him says that he is strong. That man, alone, is called 'strong'. He who is satisfied with that vague evaluation lives on. But if he wants to be the best on earth, then he must prove it. You are only the best if you can prove such a thing, you must kill every single person. And, in the end, only you would remain, alone, upon this earth.”

“Lies and swords don't belong together.”

“If you draw your sword, and truly look at it, many faces appear. If you open your mind and accept it, everything in this world is beautiful by nature.”

“If everyone was strong as you are, then, everytime you faced someone, your heart would pound with adrenaline. But if you're able to take the middle path, there would be no fight. Fighting would be unnecessary. Therefore, you could simply get along peacefully with the person.”

“Even if I could be together with Otsu, would it be possible? It's unpleasant, but it's already too late for that.”

“There is a place for me to go back to. It was there all along. All along. Right there, I want to go back.”

“Otsu. Your existence shines upon Musashi's heart with its radiance.”


[Chapter #261-#269]
Profile Image for Erik B.K.K..
780 reviews54 followers
November 23, 2021
Another boring volume. Nothing happens and there's a ridiculous side-plot where Otsu is plagued by the ghost of Ueda. Yeah... No thanks....

Edit: one more thing though. I was bothered a lot by Musashi's statement that he wasted 'tens, no, hundreds' of months on fighting during his life. On the same page (!) he states he is 22 years old. Even if he already continuously trained/fought from a very young age (let's say from the age of 8), it would be 14x12= 168 months at best. This is sloppy writing and it reeks of cringy edge-lord fantasies on par with Kishimoto's Naruto and Death Note's Light.
Profile Image for Valdir S.
64 reviews
February 6, 2016
Although I do consider this manga a seinen genre, I thought this volume was a quite boring with all the people continuing to persuade Musashi to "change" his way of the warrior. I know it is a dramatization but man take it easy, for me seemed like people from XXI century advising a bumpkin anachronic rounin from XVII century... and all of a sudden a thug steals their Iphone 6 in the middle of the talking and this like human rights behavior changes drastically and the thug is shot from behind...
Profile Image for Gustavo.
901 reviews16 followers
February 29, 2020
Vine por las peleas pero me quedé por las ideas. Este tomo continúa en la onda tranquila y reflexiva, con varios personajes (y su propio cuerpo) intentando convencer a Musashi de que abandone el camino de la espada y se dedique a la enseñanza. Tiene muchas ideas interesantes, y algunos momentos divertidos con Otsu siendo visitada por el fantasma de Ueda.
Profile Image for Ericka  Joestar.
211 reviews4 followers
March 29, 2021
I don't like the whole ghost thing. It throws me off and breaks with the whole historical drama aspect.
Profile Image for Hugo Barahona.
37 reviews
October 11, 2025
''Un espejismo llamado el mejor de todos... me ha llevado 22 años a descubrir ese hecho.''

Kojiro ha derrotado a Ogawa. Pero más allá del duelo, lo que sucede es el derrumbe del sueño. Ogawa, que había dedicado su vida entera a la espada, comprende que nunca superará a alguien como Sasaki Kojiro. En ese instante, su camino no se desmorona, lo acepta con calma. Kojiro, sin pretenderlo, no solo arrebata la victoria, sino el sentido de su vida. Tras el duelo, llega la propuesta: ser instructor de esgrima en Kokura, ocupar el lugar del derrotado y Kojiro acepta. Se despide del herrero y de la madre de este, dos personas que vieron en él algo más que un espadachín famoso. Kojiro parte hacia el mar, surcando aquel oleaje, su propio hogar, aquello que lo llevó a los brazos de Jisai y a una vida digna... ahora lo llevará nuevamente a su sitio en un mundo que cambia continuamente.

Mientras, a Otsu se le aparece el espíritu de Ueda, su presencia trae la verdad de la masacre de Musashi: las vidas rotas que dejaron a su paso. Una madre que se envenena porque su hijo jamás regresará; una mujer y su hijo mueren de hambre, pues el padre, uno de los Yoshioka, era su única fuente de sustento. Escenas donde solo hay duelo y pérdida. Ueda no busca venganza en su aparición, sino comprensión. Le revela a Otsu el dolor que debe de cargar el hombre que ama. Pero, aun así Ueda le confía algo: que Musashi no tenga una muerte rápida, que ese sufrimiento se transforme en entendimiento y que Otsu lo guíe hacia la luz, ya que ella es el recordatorio de que Musashi tiene un vínculo humano por el que vivir.

Musashi ha sido llamado ''el mejor de todos''. La frase que suena a gloria, el ideal por el que su padre perdió la cabeza y Musashi siguió parte de su vida, pero esto no significa nada. En su conversación con el Shoshidai Itakura, Musashi escucha la pregunta que tanto se ha hecho: ''¿Qué es ser el mejor de todos?'' Y Musashi sin dudar responde: ''Palabras, son solo palabras... fue como un espejismo, cuando me acerqué, desapareció.''

Desde Sekigahara hasta la masacre de los setenta Yoshioka, Musashi no hizo más que correr detrás de una sombra: el ideal del más fuerte, del invencible, del hombre que no podía ser derrotado. Dedicó 22 años a perseguir algo que se desvanecía cada vez que creía tocarlo. El momento en el que el mito de Musashi se derrumba y solo queda el hombre. El joven que creía que el ser invencible era libertad, comprende que esa idea era una prisión con otro nombre. Musashi recuerda la primera vez que vio desvanecerse ese espejismo: cuando derrotó y perdonó la vida a Kohei. Cuando sus rivales, ''los perdedores'', rogaron sin vergüenza por seguir viviendo, conservaron lo más valioso: el derecho a continuar más allá del filo. Musashi, ''el ganador'' solo obtuvo vacío. En cada combate intentó ocultar esa sensación volviendo a pelear, buscando otro reto, otro enemigo que tapara su desilusión. Pero lo único que encontró fue más soledad. Derrotó a Seijuro, a un orgulloso Denshichiro, a decenas de hombres. Incluso en la mayor de las batallas, en la que su nombre quedaría grabado para la historia, solo encontró silencio y desolación.

Musashi siente el impulso de regresar a aquella cueva de su infancia, donde un día creyó descubrir la ''verdad''. Quizá allí encuentre respuestas o quizá solo silencio. El guardia que lo custodia lo invita a participar en un entrenamiento con un grupo de espadachines. Lo que se encuentra allí no es hostilidad ni miedo hacia el prisionero, sino respeto. Lo miran como un ejemplo de disciplina y búsqueda. En ellos ve el deseo de superarse y crecer día a día. En la convicción de esos hombres, Musashi percibe una fuerza distinta, una que nace del corazón. Esa amabilidad deja un eco dentro de él.

Libre ya del peso de las miradas, Musashi se encamina hacia el lugar donde todo era solo una cosa. ¿Qué será de su espada? ¿Podrá, al fin, dar respuesta a aquella que lleva toda su vida persiguiendo, esa palabra que lo guio, lo perdió y ahora podrá redimirlo: la fuerza?
Profile Image for Met.
440 reviews33 followers
April 4, 2021
“La katana è stata inventata dall’uomo per mostrare la sua debolezza”.
Non aggiungo altro.
Profile Image for Carlos J. Eguren.
Author 21 books154 followers
September 7, 2025
Siempre he pensado que antes de condenarnos definitivamente, hay un momento de nada, de vacío, donde se bifurca nuestro destino en la fatalidad y la salvación. El volumen 30 de Vagabond trata de eso: ¿puede nuestro protagonista salvarse o ya está condenado de antemano?
Profile Image for Facundo Mosquera.
322 reviews7 followers
August 29, 2022
Me gustaron mucho los últimos tres capítulos, y que se haya llegado a la misma conclusión que en Vinland Saga me encantó.

Eso es lo único que disfruté del tomo porque el principio (los capítulos de Sasaki) fue aburridísimo, y lo de los viajes astrales y fantasmas me pareció una mierda.
Profile Image for Elisabet.
69 reviews
May 27, 2023
Me gustó mucho el debate que tiene Musashi sobre el camino de la espada y la profundidad que se está construyendo en él
Profile Image for 47Time.
3,455 reviews95 followers
December 7, 2021
It's official - Musashi is a pussy now. He doesn't know what he wants any more. Otsu is having nightmares and visions about the people Musashi killed - which makes no sense. Why would she be haunted by his kills? Then we have conversations around a candle, wood that is being cut, badly-translated quotes from the Art of War, sticks being used instead of swords. Basically, the author has managed to throw everything fun about this series out the window. 27 volumes were great. Now the series is beginning to smell. It's boring AF. I can't believe I skimmed it. No, actually I can. The writing sucks wet donkey balls.

'Whoa is me. What should I do? Become a househusband?' says Musashi. Maybe you should have read some books every once in a while, learned a skill. 'But, I wuv you, Take! We can move in together, have kids, homeschool them' says Otsu. She is such a tool! This series is now a soap opera. Way of the sword? Eviscerations? No! Just sadness and depression and boredom.

Profile Image for Angelika.
45 reviews2 followers
May 17, 2024
I had a strong "are we the baddies?" experience reading this volume: I felt a bit of relief when Musashi run off.

All these people trying to influence him were pissing me off on an intimate, visceral level. It's like they all jumped on him with their conformist proselytising. "Just settle down, Musashi, get married, start a family, have a career, become a respectable citizen, be like us." Feels like something you'd hear from your conservative aunties during an awkward family gathering. No wonder he needed to get away, I would do the same.

I know that he is reverting to his old ways because he's afraid of change and being a homicidal recluse is the most familiar thing to him. I know he needs to do some healing. I truly wish he could find another, less destructive way of being in this world. But goddamn, are these people obnoxious with their social rehabilitation agenda xD
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Aidan Rice.
160 reviews
September 24, 2023
I’ll be honest, this volume dragged a little, everything from the drawing to the characters is great, I just felt the plot was really not as interesting, it seemed like it picked up towards the end though at least. Still a good volume, just not as good as the standard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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