Vagabond, Vol. 7

Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #7

by Takehiko Inoue

The Distant Ocean

Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means—by way of the sword—makes mere survival an even greater challenge.

In the aftermath of the bloody Battle of Sekigahara, Sasaki Kojirō, the man destined to be Musashi's opponent in the most famous duel in Japanese history, finds himself alone amidst desperate refugees and vicious hunters. Despite being pushed to his limits, Kojirō is far from daunted by his peril and instead thrives with an almost supernatural serenity. Driven by his macabre thirst for battle, Kojirō is transformed into the ultimate swordsman.

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

640 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2005

About the author

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

Reviews

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two out of three volumes in this omni wrap up the journey of Sasaki Kojiro, at least for now. I'm not gonna lie, I started to get a bit tired of his storyline — the fact that he's deaf and doesn't talk made it hard to connect to him as a character, and his story boiled down to him cutting nameless men down in droves. And I'm not really complaining about it, either — Takehiko Inoue is an extraordinarily talented storyteller and artist, so I could easily gobble up 10-15 more volumes of just Kojiro making sashimi out of his opponents, just because it's such an incredible spectacle and I can never get enough of Inoue's hand-drawn artwork. But the story started to lack stakes, depth and variety, and I was really starting to miss Musashi, so I was really happy that the final volume of this omnibus brought his story back. And what a comeback it was! A year has almost passed since Musashi's last encounter with the Yoshioka clan, and it's almost time for his appointed duel with Denshichiro. But Seijuro seems to have his own plans for Musashi... This was an amazing volume that brought back everything I started to miss from this series — heart, suspense, plot development and even a little bit of self-awareness and humour. It even brought back Matahachi, that pathetic bastard! I missed him and his misadventures. Overall, this was a really good omnibus of Vagabond once again, and I can't wait to find out what's coming next for these characters.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first two thirds of this volume complete our look back into the past specifically centring on Sasaki Kojiro and his actions after meeting the great swordsman Ito Ittosai and coming upon the site of the recent battle of Sekigahara. After being separated from Ittosai, his nominal new teacher, and the rough-around-the-edges fighter Gonnosuke, Kojiro finds himself hunted by a myriad of fugitive hunters, peasants who are searching for the remnants of the losing side in the hopes of killing them and gaining some measure of vengeance for the loss of their homes and livelihoods at the hands of these 'warrior elite' as a result of the battle. Wave after wave of opponents face the deadly blade of the deaf swordsman and we see that it was all part of Ittosai’s plan: the only thing that Kojiro lacked was the killer’s edge of fear that would make him a truly formidable fighter and so he has left the young man on his own in the knowledge that Kojiro will either learn the lesson he needs and emerge triumphant, or die a failure. In the former case Ittosai will gain the worthy opponent he so desires, in the latter it is no real loss to him. Gonnosuke is horrified at his putative teacher’s callousness, but he is getting a first-hand primer in the Way of the Sword and the brutal realities behind the glamour of his idolization of the sword.

While their sheer numbers and unorthodox methods count for much it is not the fugitive hunters that prove the true trial for Kojiro even though they drive him to the edge of exhaustion. The true test comes for him in the form of Sadakore, Koun and their group of fugitives from the battle. Ostensibly they are on the same side as Kojiro, runaways from the hunters hoping to get back to their lord (if he still lives), but Kojiro makes no distinction: all are opponents against whom he must test his skills. Again I found myself surprised at how quickly I came to learn and care about the lives of the new characters we meet in this small group and who quickly came to life with the details that Inoue deftly paints in quick and economical strokes. As the battle between Kojiro and this group of fugitives progresses we get something of a reprise of Ittosai's philosophy and come to see that the true fighter is the one that embraces the possibility of death and defeat, seeing in his greatest adversary the closest thing he will ever have to a true friend. Only those that can test one up to the point of death can allow a swordsman to reach his full potentail, and thus they are the relationship most to be desired. Kojiro comes to see this, as do several of his opponents, much to the shock of the more convential members of the group who cling more closely to life and see the way of the sword as a means to an end, not an end in itself.

The final third of the volume bring us back to Miyamoto Musashi as he prepares for his promised duel with Yoshioka Denshichiro. Before he can face the younger brother he comes face to face with his elder brother Seijuro, a man able to reconcile the seemingly contrary worlds of the way of the sword and that of dissipation. The elder Yoshioka sees a formidable change in Musashi at the same time as he sees even less to be impressed with in his brother. Meanwhile Musashi struggles to synthesize all that he has learned so far about the sword as he comes towards his final confrontation with the flag-bearers of the Yoshioka school of swordsmanship. Finally we are granted brief glimspes into the lives of Matahachi and Otsu, the former steadfastly refusing to learn from his previous experiences (no surprise there really) and the latter driven to an uncharacteristic murderous rage by the trials imposed upon her by the hatefulness of Mother Hon’iden. The story (and art) is as good as ever and comes highly recommended.

[Casper Paaske · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book misses its mark by focusing on characters that haven’t been properly introduced and then expects us to be fully engaged and committed to them despite me not fully understanding who they are.
The final volume in this colllection brings us back to our beloved Musashi which is a lovely comeback and things are building towards very exciting things. But the first two volumes were somewhat dull and confusing.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling read with converging storylines and great characters. There's also a lot of thematic complexity with how samurai are handled and their relation to honor when it comes to the endless cycle of violence and killing.

Even new characters are fleshed out immediately and folded into the narrative. Definitely hooked and want to know what happens next

[Ben M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK

After I read the previous sixth Vagabond volume, I couldn’t get enough of it. The story from the last book had me itching to see what happened next. So with my own money, I decided to go out of my way to buy the next book. The story continues to be realistic yet still with mythical and exaggerated elements. This is the seventh volume out of twelve held within the VIZBIG edition of the series, which are books which contain three volumes in one.

SUMMARY

The story continues from the previous book, still set in 16th century feudal Japan. Half of the book goes through Sasaki Kojiro’s story, but then finally moves back to our main character, Miyamoto Musashi. Both of their stories in this book move towards major changes.Half of the story is how Sasaki pushes further into his swordsmen journey, showing him hardened by the world, yet being somewhat serene himself oddly enough. Kojiro is found in the midst of the Battle of Sekigahara, where he is caught in the middle. There, he witnesses the treachery of war. Blood, death, violence, pain, all shot right into Sasaki’s eyes. He becomes further sharpened from what he’s witnessed. He runs into a band of soldiers trying to get back to their shogun, and they have the unfortunate idea of trying to fight him. The battle is a cake walk for him, but from the soldiers perspective, Kojiro was an ethereal entity, swirling around, practically dancing while cutting them down with ease. These battle scenes have built Saski’s aura and reputation further, showing how he balances on the edge of death in a way.

The book then brings us back around to Musashi’s story, but he is in a much different mindset. He is shown contemplating his actions, the world, and his purpose. He appears more stoic than usual, wiser some may say. His discipline has also increased. He has been frequently meditating during this time, and confronting his past trauma as well his embarrassing defeats. Musashi’s story is all about his inner life. We connect to Musashi, through his small rituals, his walks in the forest, to his lonely eyes gazing into an open fire. His emotional status sets him up for his next duel.

As the volume progresses, we are hinted of an upcoming rematch between Musashi and Hozoin (leader of the Hozoin temple). The book ends with Musashi by himself in a sparse open plain in the middle of the night. He is sitting near a fire, when he is approached by Seijuro Yoshioka, leader of the Yoshioka School, who had been following Musashi, looking for a duel. The duel is long winded, cuts, slashes, and blood spilling across the pages. Both warriors ended up with cuts to their eye, half blinding each other. The ending leaves us with a shocking page. Contained within the piece of paper is the image of Musashi brutally ending Seijuro’s life, but are we sure this really happened? The previous books have shown visions of what could happen, but not what actually did. It is a cliff hanger, itching the reader to keep moving forward within the story.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

As i read through this book I though of who would be the best friend to have in Vagabond. I came to the conclusion that Takuan would be my best friend. Takuan is an eccentric, wise, and blunt Zen monk who serves as one of Miyamoto Musashi’s mentors throughout the series. Takuan is someone you would want on your team. He tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. He encourages Musashi to find freedom through thinking, and to see beyond taking lives in order to reach true enlightenment. I feel I could not only learn a lot from Takuan, but I could also have very deep and meaningful conversation. I already have a bunch of friends who I can talk about stupid or irrelevant things with, but someone like Takuan is rare to have as a friend in today’s world. He is also a pretty good cook, so there is also a benefit there too. He isn’t just a run of the mill ultimately wise and stoic monk either.

He can be comedic, cracking small jokes here and there to Musashi when they run into each other after long periods of time, which is something I value dearly. He is expressive, playful and challenges traditional social norms, like when he told Otsu, Musashi’s love interest, to explore the world, discover herself, ignore her given role as a caretaker, and to find Musashi. He also serves as a philosophical mirror to Musashi’s mentality in the earlier books. Having a friend being an opposing reflection to yourself could open my eyes to other perspectives in my life while allowing me to look into my own inner self.

Takuan could also be seen as a father figure to Musashi. Musashi’s father was an abusive psychopath that instilled Musashi’s hunger to be unrivaled in swordsmanship. Musashi was always challenging his father when he was younger, even trying to kill him while he thought his father was sleeping. Takuan is the complete opposite of this. He is kind, but not a pushover. He is kind in the sense that he explains to someone what needs to happen in order for him to succeed in true enlightenment. Honesty is Takuan’s best policy. If Takuan were my friend, no secrets would be unkept between the two of us. Overall, I think Takuan would be my best friend because he is brutally honest, wise, and encourages self exploration.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inoue is a master at facial expressions. So much of the story telling takes place in the faces of the characters. This turns battles into much more than just swords clashing. I had stepped away from this series for a while so I had to reaquaint myself with it but it continues to be moving, gorgeous, and compelling.

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another phenomenal volume. We’re finally shifting from Kojiro’s story back to Musashi’s and it’s just as thrilling as where we left it! Now I’m hyped as fuck for when Kojiro and Musashi finally cross paths!

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very great illustrations in this series, and I think even better as we move on into it. The story is also great, most of the characters seem in place, might be some new one eventually, but we really have the main cast set in I think and now some very epic battle are coming!! Can't wait!!

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fight with the soul and win. Fight with techniques and lose to a man with a stronger spirit. ⚔️

[KuddlinKyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This was only the beginning of Musashi’s epic battle against the entirety of the Yoshioka Clan”

[Tobey Spriggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly loving this series of books so far, it's crazy how much of the characters thoughts and emotions can be seen without any text accompanying them. Certain moments had me in awe and just staring at the same page over and over again looking at each small detail. Looking forward to volume 8

[SAVINA · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Volume 19 & 20 - 4 Stars

Really impressive swordsmanship displayed throughout both these volumes, Sadakore's demise was beautifully done, the raven used as symbolism of death, the eye representing the vision, it was done so so well ! I really enjoyed the sequence where Koun understands the sound of his body, and realises Kojirō has been attuned to this melody his whole existence. So humbling to see and experience, it really helps you understand the complexity of human consciousness and how much depth contributed to ideal swordsmanship. There definitely is a profound quality to Sasaki, however I can't imagine how much of Kojirō's skill Musashi already has, or maybe even vice versa, they're both beasts.
I loved these volumes, and although I'm really missing Musashi I'm greatly enjoying this endeavour :)

Volume 21 - 4 Stars
That ending was epic, I feel as if this series will need to be reread and reread for it to completely resonate with me, I want it too be something I know like my own mind, something that helps me along my own enlightening journey. It was so so good to be back in Musashi's present, and I guess I was right Kojirō is alive and thriving, I'm very intrigued to see where both of these mens lives will lead them and I can't wait to see Matahachi fall and burn in his misery - I despise the hell out of him, It was cool too see Takuan and Otsū again and to experience a Japanese new year, it made the experience a whole lot more lively. I love this series, this journey is becoming more and more profound with each volume, the character development is astonishingly real, I love Takehiko his charisma is completely evident in all his works of Vagabond, a manga series of which has become my favourite !

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kojiro is such an interesting character. Being deaf and mute, we never hear his inner thoughts, we never really hear him express much of anything outside of his love for the sword.

He's basically an abuse victim. The man who raised him was a reclusive samurai that did teach him to read and write, but little else. It doesn't seem like he expressed any affection for him, and the one thing Kojiro was interested in, swordplay, he did his best to keep him away from. And since his mentor never bothered to explain why, it just drove Kojiro right into it.

So when a wandering samurai showed some interest, Kojiro happily left with him. And he later abandoned Kojiro to what seemed like a continuous three day fight, because if he survives he'll be able to come back and challenge him.

Jesus Christ, this series is filled with selfish, psychopaths.

Speaking of, Musashi finally returns after being last featured in volume five. It's funny, I missed him but I immediately missed Kojiro, now that his story is done for now. So, good work Takehiko Inoue in getting me to like these two characters despite their constant bloodlust.

Thankfully Otsu, Musashi's love interest also returns, although only for a few pages, long enough for her and Jotaro to learn that Musashi is once again up to his old tricks fighting in duels.

The artwork is still beautiful, but I worry I've reach a point where I'm losing interest in the overall narrative. I don't mind the slow build, but Musashi evolves as a glacial pace to the point where yet another duel becomes less and less interesting to read.

[Helmut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Des Schwertkämpfers Facebook
Nun nutzt sich halt irgendwann alles ab. Und in diesem Band sieht man eigentlich dieselben Bilder immer wieder - besonders Großaufnahmen von Kojiro Sasakis Gesicht (und später von Musashi und Yoshioka Junior) finden sich auf praktisch jeder zweiten Seite. Den Rest nehmen Großaufnahmen von anderen Gesichtern ein. Ein Fotoalbum.

Inzwischen habe ich auch den idealen Lesestil für diesen Manga gefunden: Man blättert wie ein Verrückter über die Seiten, damit man das Zeitlupen-Erzähltempo ausgleichen kann. Da der Detailgrad der Zeichnungen inzwischen auch leicht abnimmt, und man in den müden Dialogen eh nichts verpassen kann, verliert man auch nicht viel dabei.

Leider kann ich mich nicht mehr so sehr für diese Reihe begeistern wie zu Beginn, dem Autor fällt nichts neues ein, man sieht immer wieder die gleichen Bilder, die gleichen Geschichten, die gleichen (etwas platten) philosophischen Gedanken. Und das, obwohl er sich zwischen Ausgabe 20 und 21 eine kreative Pause genommen hatte.

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vagabond (VizBig edition) volume 7 is the best ever book yet I have ever read in this series. I absolutely loved everything in the final chapters of the Kojiro arc except that it ended so abruptly, the duels against the members of the Sadakore squad are beautiful choreographed and executed. Inoue's clean yet extremely detailed art style explodes with beauty.

One thing that I also noticed is that there is m0re, but just the right amount of humor injected in the story, which are actually good additions that reflects Inoue's impeccable timing in humor with what he did in Slam Dunk. I love it when Takehiko plays around and opens up a bit with a wider spectrum of emotions, and he plays it so well with Miyamoto and Kojiro, building up their characters and fleshing out their motivations on why they take the way of the sword.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more of this series in my life. It's beautiful and awesome in a way that needs to be experienced to be known. While this part is the side story of the "nemesis" (if it can really be classified that way), it is still one of the best manga I've encountered.

[Stardust · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was in another level. Loved it

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inoue has masterfully created a character who damn near perfectly juxtaposes musashi and his inner conflict.

musashi is a product of a hate filled father, living in a hate filled village. the constant verbal torment of his village is a key part of his internal struggle. he honed his skills in the rigid forest, channeling anger to survive his journey.

kojiro on the other hand was born deaf, unable to hear the torment of others. he was raised by a loving, caring surrogate father who gave him a safe place to grow. he honed his skills in the flow of the ocean; however kojiro appears to not exhibit normal human emotional. he shows internal curiosity, and can respond to physical pain; but he does not feel loss, or pain or even internal confusion, he is in complete balance with his emotions.

I think this perfectly juxtaposes mushasi and his journey. he has been damaged by emotions and uses emotions to fight. and this has caused his conflict. however I personally think kojiro will also face conflict because he is too emotionaless, and does not feel emotions when fighting.

there is still lots to unpack on the qualities and relationships between musashi and kojiro and I firmly believe I won't fully understand until I have completely read through this story several times.

5/5

[Nicholas Dehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must be the best Vagabond omnibus yet and had me dying for more. Vagabond has been in my top ten manga since the first omnibus, but these recent volumes have made it a strong contender for the top spot… it is undoubtedly one of the greatest stories I’ve read and as an art piece it excels even further. Kojiro’s experience after the battle of Sekigahara was electrifying to read. Both as a writer and an artist, Inoue was at the top of his game in this arc and it has been I think my favorite part of Vagabond so far. This leads into Musashi’s return to Kyoto to face the Yoshioka. After being away from Musashi for the past handful of volumes, it was exhilarating to see him again and notice how he’s changed. I was even more excited when Kojiro showed up in Kyoto as well. I’ve been eagerly anticipating their meeting as well as both of their rematches against Denshichiro. I did not expect Seijuro to take on Musashi before his brother got the chance, and the ending of this book was shocking. This book is unbelievable. I really can’t wait to read the next one

[Joshua Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic once again. We learn more of Kojiro and what he was up to at the start of musashi’s story.

It’s great that musashi and Kojiro nearly bump into each other in Kyoto but just miss.

It’s nice to get back to musashi story now. I’ve missed him. However having nearly 2 books (second half of book 5 all of book 6 and first half of book 7) I kind of forgot the story was centred around musashi as Kojiro took centre stage. Till you too meet again.

[Rakesh Unnithan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasaki Kojiro continues to impress with such amazing instances and encounters, I am just to overwhelmed how Takehiko Inoue plants some characters in out minds whom have such conviction and believability about why they do what they do and how!..

Im sensing the musashi and kojiro encounter would soon come in.. although left in a cliff hanger, i guess kojiro is going to be all right ;)

[Filozofifi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent guy is great written. Everyone reading it knew that we will get amazing emotions while reading . One problem is there is much really too much of one character in this whole story is good but we need back to main character a little bit to make this manga more enjoyable. We got this fight and this volume was cooked.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always the art is amazing.

I liked Kojiro story, but its cut in a cliffhanger, guess we have to wait until another volumen to see how he defeated Kuon.

Then is back to Musashi and he receives the formal duel notice of the big Yoshioka brothers and each prepare for it in its own way.

[Stuart Collie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would give this 6 stars if I could. Cried twice and yelled “OH MY GOD” 3 times. Some amazing character development and little vignettes in here to just round everyone out. Kuon & co are heroes and I love how their story fleshes our Kojiro as a foil for Musashi. Shits so wild xoxo

[Wouter K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! The vividness with which Inoue can tell us a story of a deaf mute guy is amazing. Full of beautiful panels and feelings. This series really wrought a tale of swordmanship, learning and friendship and I can't wait to continue on this journey.

[Kaleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My face is in genuine pain from smiling the entire time. I feel an indescribable glee at looking at Kojiro's innocent smile. It is truly captivating. The fights are pretty cool too, I guess.

[M.D. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. More to come later.

[Drizztl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[Gergő Esze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, micsoda felvezetés! Alig várom a Denshichirō v. Musashi párbajt!

[Lewis Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

can you see the entire movement of the sword arm?