Blade of the Immortal



Blade of the Immortal is published by Dark Horse Comics.

Last Issue

 * Blade of the Immortal Vol. 30: Vigilance: 29 Oct 2014

Current Issue

 * Blade of the Immortal Vol. 31: Final Curtain: 01 Apr 2015

Next Issue

 * none

Status
Final monthly issue was #131, after which the title transitioned to trade-only. The final volume was vol. 31.

Main Characters

 * Manji (卍) - WikiPedia

Allies

 * Rin Asano (浅野 凛)

Blade of the Immortal Vol. 20: Demon Lair
"Rin and Doa... make some shocking discoveries and finally find their missing companions! When Rin bumps into Toraemon, the unfortunate assistant to crazy Doc Burando and witness to his disgusting "immortality experiments," it seems that breaking Manji free will be a breeze. Not so. Getting Manji out of Edo's nightmarish underground cells and dank tunnel systems will be just as arduous as the ordeal of locating him was! More secrets about fan-favorite Döa's past are revealed, and we get a bittersweet glimpse at her early years traveling with her beloved Isaku. Several old teams are reunited, a mind-blowing battle quickly starts... and an old villain finally sees some pointed retribution at the hands of one of his prisoners." - Preview -

Badger Hole
Issues #128-131

Life in Death
Issue #127

Barefoot
Issues #122-126

The Sparrow
Issues #118-121

On the Perfection of Anatomy
Issues #112-117

Shortcut
Issues #107-111

Trade Paperbacks

 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 1: Blood of a Thousand - Collects #1-6. "'To end his eternal suffering, he must slay one thousand enemies!' Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men! His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents' killers . . . and his quest won't end until the blood of a thousand has spilled!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 2: Cry of the Worm - Collects #7-11. "'The curse of the bloodworm is what keeps Manji alive -- slit his throat or stab him in the heart and those mystical worms will force his body to heal. This immortal curse will not be lifted until Manji has killed one thousand evil men. Manji's female companion, Rin, finds the treasured sword of her destroyed Mutenichi-ryu dojo (school of swordsmanship). The ronin who has it must have been involved in the destruction of the school -- and that means that Manji could be one step closer to ending his curse. If you like ninja action, Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal will keep you on edge." - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 3: Dreamsong - Collects #12-18. "'To end his eternal suffering, he must slay one thousand enemies!' Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men! His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents' killers . . . and his quest won't end until the blood of a thousand has spilled!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 4: On Silent Wings - Collects #19-23. "'Manji, the immortal samurai, is condemned to a life of combat until he slays a thousand evil men. He works as bodyguard for Rin, a young woman who seeks to avenge her father's murder at the hands of the deadly Kagehisa Anotsu. But even with Manji's instruction, will Rin ever be able to stand against such a powerful and ruthless adversary? And in her consuming quest for vengeance, does she risk becoming like him?" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 5: On Silent Wings II - Collects #24-28. "'In her quest across feudal Japan to avenge the murder of her parents, Rin has seen too much death and agony. When she befriends a young boy, she is horrified to discover that his father is one of the band of assassins. Weary of blood, Rin now wishes only an apology from the killer, a mask maker whose only desire is to keep his evil past from his son and who will take up the sword again to protect his secret." - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 6: Dark Shadows - Collects #29-34. "'Anotsu Kagehisa has turned his Ittö-ryü into the most famous sword school in Japan, a dojo of outcasts and eccentrics who've slaughtered their way to the top of Japan's world of the blade. But as the old Japanese saying goes, "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down," and now Anotsu must relearn that ancient lesson when he discovers the existence of the Akagi, a mysterious organization formed from the survivors of the many rival sword schools destroyed by the ruthless Ittö-ryü. The Akagi are sworn to vengeance against Anotsu's dojo, but what Anotsu doesn't know is that the Akagi are wooing the immortal samurai, Manji, to join them in their war to exterminate the Ittö-ryü!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 7: Heart of Darkness - Collects #35-42. "'It is said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but couldn't he just be another enemy? Rin and her bodyguard, the immortal swordsman Manji, need to know the answer when they visit the headquarters of the mysterious Akagi assassins -- led by the beautiful and deadly Hyakurin -- who are out for vengeance against the Itto-Ryu, the rogue sword-school of Anotsu Kagehisa, the man responsible for the murder of Rin's parents. Can Rin and Manji hold to their own course once they've agreed to join forces with the misfit band of killers?" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 8: The Gathering - Collects #43-49. "'The immortal samurai, Manji, and his charge, Rin have lost their best chance to avenge the death of Rin's parents at the hands of Anotsu Kagehisa's renegade sword school, the deadly Itto-ryu. Manji and Rin's alliance with the mysterious Mugai-ryu assassins has failed, and now for Rin to pursue her parents' killer, she must pass through the Shogun's checkpoints that control the roads out of Edo, a task she must perform without Manji, who is one of the most wanted men in all Japan and she is sure to be detected. When Manji discovers Rin has gone, he faces the impossible choice of storming the checkpoint by force or leaving Rin to face Anotsu and his trained killers alone. And when Rin is falsely named as an accomplice in a savage murder, the stakes are raised ever higher as she faces even greater odds to fulfill her blood oath!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 9: The Gathering II - Collects #50-57. "'While the immortal samurai, Manji, has his hands full with a trio of skillful and merciless killers of the renegade Ittö-ryü sword school, Manji's charge, Rin, prepares to make her way through government checkpoints to leave Edo and find Anotsu Kagehisa -- lord of the Ittö-ryü and murderer of her parents -- and fulfill her quest of vengeance. Unjustly wanted for murder, Rin must try to pass in disguise, but the checkpoint officers are no fools, and she will not pass without a thorough interrogation -- and one slip will mean Rin's execution!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 10: Secrets - Collects #58-65. "'Anotsu Kagehisa, murderous leader of the rogue Ittö-ryü, has journeyed to the mountains far from Edo to the romote Shingyötö-ryü dojo under invitation to bring the sword school under his wing. But instead of a warm welcome, Anotsu finds a dojo full of angry young men who don't want to take orders from an upstart, unless he can proves he's tougher than the best of them! That sits just fine with Anotsu, who has dedicated his life to putting the killing back into Japan's formalized sword schools, but Anotsu suspects that something more than proof of his worthiness lies beneath the challenge. Meanwhile, the immortal swordsman, Manji, is recovering from a battle that left him literally cut to pieces. His charge, Rin, is till nowhere to be found, bound for vengeance against Anotsu, but soon his troubles may become a bit more immediate, troubles that even an immortal may not survive!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 11: Beasts - Collects #66-72. "'After traveling a long and perilous road together, Rin and her immoral bodyguard, Manji, have become separated, Rin risking life and limb in her pursuit of her family's murderer, the ruthless Anotsu Kagehisa, leader of the outlaw Itto-Ryu sword school. Manji is slowly recovering -- and reassembling -- after being dismembered by Itto-ryu thugs, and has set off to find Rin. Meanwhile, both friends and enemies are also assembling. Manji's ally, the beautiful assassin Hyakurin has put a lot of Itto-ryu swordsmen under the dirt, but the tides are turned when she falls under the hands of a group of Itto-ryu killers who will go to any length -- and spare no agonies -- to get her to talk. Collecting issues #66-72 of the ongoing series." - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 12: Autumn Frost - Collects #73-80. "'You'd think that Manji, the immortal swordsman, would have dispatched just about every sinister personality in feudal Japan on his mission to slay a thousand evil men. But instead of thinning out the vicious herd, he's only shaken loose the most vicious and depraved. Now, Manji and his pal Magatsu are on the trail of one of the baddest apples in the barrel, Shira, old enemy of Manji -- and a one-handed enemy, courtesy of the immortal's blade. But while Manji and Magatsu are hunting Shira, the crafty killer has hired a pack of hunters of his own, and if he can't kill Manji, he's hoping for the next best thing: to cut Manji to pieces on a daily basis." - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 13: Mirror of the Soul - Collects #81-89. "'Anotsu Kagehisa, master swordsman and leader of the rogue Itto-ryu dojo, has sheathed his blade for the moment to join in marriage with the daughter of a swordmaster whose dojo is to be brought under Onotsus’ dark wing. But for a man of action, the formal traditions of feudal Japan can be just as tense and fraught with hidden agendas as the battlefield. And while Anotsu may indulge in a moment of peace, his enemies are not at rest, among them Rin, who has stalked him for years to take revenge for the murder of her parents. Anotsu had best make sure that if he stops to smell the flowers, he doesn’t end up losing his head!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 14: Last Blood - Collects #90-98. - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 15: Trickster - Collects #99-105. "'Kidnapped and bound by three Ittoryu warriors, Rin is unable to warn her bodyguard Manji, the immortal swordsman, that he's heading into a trap. To make matters worse, the Itto-ryu possess a large dose of kessen-satsu, the only poison known to damage Manji's blood and severely cripple his regenerative abilities. And is Mugai-ryu assassin Giichi following Manji in order to help rescue Rin … or will he just stick around long enough to finish off any survivors?" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 16: Shortcut - Collects #106-111. "'As Rin frets over her bodyguard Manji's disappearance, she is surprised by the arrival of two traveling warriors, the feisty, headstrong Döa Yoshino and her huge, brutish companion, Isaku Yasono-ökami. Rin quickly regrets her decision to let this strange couple stay with her, but her detective work takes priority when she returns to the stronghold of Habaki Kagamura to search for Manji. Meanwhile, Kagimura's medical examiners begin to test the seemingly immortal Manji, who is imprisoned, chained, and a very unwilling toy in their merciless hands!" - Preview -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 17: On the Perfection of Anatomy - Collects 112-???. "Manji, the immortal swordsman, lies imprisoned in the bakufu stronghold of the mysterious Habaki Kagimura. Seeking to impart the life-extending powers of Manji's kessen-chu bloodworms to other humans, Kagimura orders his medical examiners to discover the secrets of Manji's amazing regenerative abilities. Using a series of convicts as live subjects in an increasingly grisly series of twisted experiments, Burando, Kagimura's lead medical examiner, begins to grow more desperate and sickened with each horrifying failure. And through it all, Manji lives, and regenerates, and bides his time for the moment that he can pay back his tormentors... limb by limb!" -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 18: The Sparrow Net - "The immortality of the captive Manji is being sorely tested, as the horrifying experiments commanded by Habaki Kagimura in the dungeons below Edo castle continue. One of Kagimura's doctors, Ayame Burando, has already gone half-mad, tormented by the sickening mutilations intended to unlock the secret of passing Manji's amazing regenerative powers to others, and Burando's replacements have upped the ante with their utter incompetence. Meanwhile, Manji's charge, Rin, is desperately trying to find him, but Edo's brutal police are on her trail, and the race is on for Rin to free her immortal bodyguard before she joins him behind bars!" -


 * Blade of the Immortal Volume 19: Badger Hole - Collects #127-131. "The time for reconnaissance, planning, and waiting is over! Rin and Döa, 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-ryü 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 dark passageway that leads to an underground tunnel system beneath Edo Castle." -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 1 - Collects #1-18. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 2 - Collects #19-34. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 3 - Collects #35-57. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 4 - Collects #58-80. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 5 - Collects #81-105. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 6 - Collects #106-131. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 7 - Collects vols. 20-22. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 8 - Collects vols. 23-25. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 9 - Collects vols. 26-28. -


 * Blade of the Immortal Omnibus, vol. 10 - Collects vols. 29-31. -

Hardcovers

 * Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition, vol. 1 - Collects #1-18. - -


 * Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition, vol. 2 - Collects #19-34. - -


 * Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition, vol. 3 - Collects #35-57. - -


 * Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition, vol. 4 - Collects #58-80. - -

Creative Team
Writer/Artist/Creator: Hiroaki Samura (沙村 広明).

Publishing History
First published in English in 1996.

Originally published in Japan as Mugen-no-Jūnin (無限の住人) ( lit. "Inhabitant of Infinity") in 1994.

News & Features

 * 18 Oct 2007 - Philip Simon on Blade of the Immortal

Links

 * Dark Horse Comics - Publisher's Website
 * Blade of the Immortal