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Blade of the Immortal (US) #19
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 19: Badger Hole
The time for reconnaissance, planning, and waiting is over! Rin and Doa, desperate to be reunited with their friends (or even reassured that they're alive), take their first bold steps in penetrating Edo Castle's defenses and foiling Kagimura's foul "immortality" experiments! A trip to an old doctor, a chance encounter with a high-strung peasant, and an appearance by a strange, all-new Itto-ryu warrior combine to make this volume an important series of encounters in persistent Rin's quest to find Manji and Isaku-and in her own growth as a warrior! The "Badger Hole" is a dank passageway that leads to an underground tunnel system beneath Edo Castle. With some new skills and tricks, these two young ladies brave darkness and the promise of death to run headlong towards Kagimura's cruel prisons, where Manji hangs drugged and helpless!
168 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2006
4 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Hiroaki Samura
485 books248 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 3, 2020
Rating: 10.00/10.00 | 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
The INTRIGUE!!!
The INTRIGUE!!!
January 23, 2015
It'd been a couple years since I'd read any Blade of the Immortal. Within one chapter, I was dumbstruck. I couldn't be quiet enough, paying silent reverence to how heavy the lives were of the two former assassins discussing an unwanted pregnancy on a riverbank. What a damned series Hiroaki Samura wrote.
One woman, scarred from two dead children, afraid this one is conceived from a rape, from a man she's since killed.
One man, who's never wanted a life for himself, not since his family was annihilated, who offers to raise the child since he knows he can gather resources and wouldn't bother using them on himself.
And both of them are using this discussion as a way of lying around their feelings for each other.
This has come so far from the simple and bloody revenge story it pretended to be in its early volumes. I've missed all of it. I've missed the hectic, pencil-sketch style that's so incredibly evocative in the faces and subtle in people's mannerisms. The way one foot is angled, only its toes on the ground, absolutely colors how a woman's dialogue reads as she address guards who should terrify her and don't. This art can be vivid or abstract the instant you need it to be, bloody or beautiful. And it turns out this is a great book to hop back on during, since Rin and Doa launch their mission to rescue Manji from the surgical abominations he's put through.
Many readers may not remark on her, but Doa is such a great supporting character. She's dower, disappointed when Rin plots to avoid a slaughter - she's every crappy thing Rin wanted to become, but in contrast to the woman Rin's grown into, exposed as entirely immature.
The down side is that even now, Samura doesn't resolve this Manji-in-captivity arc. All of the characters orbiting it are going through fascinating developments, but the plot itself is in dire need of resolution. It's telling that Manji himself never shows up in this volume; there's so little left to write for him in this arc. It's all got to be about rescuing him, or the shogun actually cracking the secret of his immortality.
One woman, scarred from two dead children, afraid this one is conceived from a rape, from a man she's since killed.
One man, who's never wanted a life for himself, not since his family was annihilated, who offers to raise the child since he knows he can gather resources and wouldn't bother using them on himself.
And both of them are using this discussion as a way of lying around their feelings for each other.
This has come so far from the simple and bloody revenge story it pretended to be in its early volumes. I've missed all of it. I've missed the hectic, pencil-sketch style that's so incredibly evocative in the faces and subtle in people's mannerisms. The way one foot is angled, only its toes on the ground, absolutely colors how a woman's dialogue reads as she address guards who should terrify her and don't. This art can be vivid or abstract the instant you need it to be, bloody or beautiful. And it turns out this is a great book to hop back on during, since Rin and Doa launch their mission to rescue Manji from the surgical abominations he's put through.
Many readers may not remark on her, but Doa is such a great supporting character. She's dower, disappointed when Rin plots to avoid a slaughter - she's every crappy thing Rin wanted to become, but in contrast to the woman Rin's grown into, exposed as entirely immature.
The down side is that even now, Samura doesn't resolve this Manji-in-captivity arc. All of the characters orbiting it are going through fascinating developments, but the plot itself is in dire need of resolution. It's telling that Manji himself never shows up in this volume; there's so little left to write for him in this arc. It's all got to be about rescuing him, or the shogun actually cracking the secret of his immortality.
January 22, 2019
Poor Manji. Getting his ass dissected in a dirty ass dungeon for the past four(?) volumes. That’s rough. But all I could think about when scientist man (Burando maybe) started monologging was that he looked like Light — from Death Note — when he goes off.
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...
August 10, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition collecting this volume) 3.75/5
Sadly I've gotta say, I'm a smidgey bit disappointed with this one. It didn't help that volume 5 was pretty much god tier. It didn't help it that I've literally been creaming my jeans about this series since the moment I cracked open volume 1. Surprisingly, it didn't even help it we got four volumes instead of the usual three here, bargain though it was. This will be the first volume I don't give five stars to (although volume 4 only just scraped it from memory). This will be the first volume I don't include in my favourites list. This will be the first volume I am not looking forward to rereading. So why is that?
Well, basically, the central plot running through this 'four' volume collection was interesting, although drastically outstayed its welcome, and its still not even resolved. We got some new characters, so that some of the previous main characters can retire to the background to prevent over exposure and boredom setting in (and to have them around for the narratives ultimate conclusion). The commensurate characters we are given are less interesting versions of other characters we have seen at various points. Some of which were fine, although they suffered from the plot being dragged out longer than it should have.
Blade of the immortal has been at its strongest when it goes balls to the wall with its very beautiful, very idiosyncratic historic Japanese-ness. When the story and the art come together to make something that can be little short of breathtaking. There was little if any of that throughout this entire arc, with the narrative, the execution, and the art being the closest thing to 'generic manga' that Samura has offered me, and I wasn't terribly impressed with it. It had occasional highlights, but they were more than drowned out by 800 or so workmanlike pages of nuts and bolts, not terribly amazing manga. But again, this book has so exceeded my expectations up to this point, that good is nowhere near good enough anymore.
Don't let my new found disappointment stop you from starting this exceptional series. It's still an absolute must read. Hopefully this is just a temporary blip on what has been a near flawless record thus far. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
Sadly I've gotta say, I'm a smidgey bit disappointed with this one. It didn't help that volume 5 was pretty much god tier. It didn't help it that I've literally been creaming my jeans about this series since the moment I cracked open volume 1. Surprisingly, it didn't even help it we got four volumes instead of the usual three here, bargain though it was. This will be the first volume I don't give five stars to (although volume 4 only just scraped it from memory). This will be the first volume I don't include in my favourites list. This will be the first volume I am not looking forward to rereading. So why is that?
Well, basically, the central plot running through this 'four' volume collection was interesting, although drastically outstayed its welcome, and its still not even resolved. We got some new characters, so that some of the previous main characters can retire to the background to prevent over exposure and boredom setting in (and to have them around for the narratives ultimate conclusion). The commensurate characters we are given are less interesting versions of other characters we have seen at various points. Some of which were fine, although they suffered from the plot being dragged out longer than it should have.
Blade of the immortal has been at its strongest when it goes balls to the wall with its very beautiful, very idiosyncratic historic Japanese-ness. When the story and the art come together to make something that can be little short of breathtaking. There was little if any of that throughout this entire arc, with the narrative, the execution, and the art being the closest thing to 'generic manga' that Samura has offered me, and I wasn't terribly impressed with it. It had occasional highlights, but they were more than drowned out by 800 or so workmanlike pages of nuts and bolts, not terribly amazing manga. But again, this book has so exceeded my expectations up to this point, that good is nowhere near good enough anymore.
Don't let my new found disappointment stop you from starting this exceptional series. It's still an absolute must read. Hopefully this is just a temporary blip on what has been a near flawless record thus far. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
March 23, 2025
Another solid entry in the series, with strong story development and exceptional artwork as always.
Rin and a girl—whose name escapes me—are on a mission to free Manji from Edo Castle, which is heavily guarded. Their plan takes them underground, where they navigate the depths alongside a young enslaved boy. Without giving too much away, the journey is gripping and keeps the tension high, fighting guards, falling in traps, and a surprising ending to the arc.
The volume delivers an engaging and satisfying read, leaving you eager for what comes next. On to the next one!
Rin and a girl—whose name escapes me—are on a mission to free Manji from Edo Castle, which is heavily guarded. Their plan takes them underground, where they navigate the depths alongside a young enslaved boy. Without giving too much away, the journey is gripping and keeps the tension high, fighting guards, falling in traps, and a surprising ending to the arc.
The volume delivers an engaging and satisfying read, leaving you eager for what comes next. On to the next one!
December 6, 2020
The action in this volume was a welcome change of pace. Rin finally seems to be coming into her own as a character, and I'm even finding myself enjoying Doa a bit more.
Mainly, though, I liked seeing things start to actually progress. The book felt like it was in limbo for a few volumes, and I'm excited once again to see where the story is going to end up.
Mainly, though, I liked seeing things start to actually progress. The book felt like it was in limbo for a few volumes, and I'm excited once again to see where the story is going to end up.
February 23, 2025
Another solid volume. While Manji is still in the same situation, this volume (which was comparatively short), focused on Rin and Doa. I am happy that Rin is a lot less annoying as, while not changing her character significantly, she is much less whiney and thinks more effectively. The rescue was a bit too convenient but it added a possibly interesting new character
January 2, 2018
Good volume.
January 24, 2024
Started off really slow but had a pretty good ending.
Want to read
September 26, 2025manga
January 21, 2014
Love it.
The women start to use their different types of power: fighting, ability to take punishment, and crowding and pleading.
I like how they've taken their time in coming to the rescue. The good guys don't immediately win and it makes it more of an uphill climb.
The women start to use their different types of power: fighting, ability to take punishment, and crowding and pleading.
I like how they've taken their time in coming to the rescue. The good guys don't immediately win and it makes it more of an uphill climb.
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]
April 6, 2017
I'm still enjoying this, but I'm so ready for this arc to be over. It feels like the whole Itto-Ryu plot has been put too far off to the side. Doa's an interesting character, and this volume finally has some action going instead of just Manji's part of things, but I'm really ready for something else,
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