Description
Vagabond begins in Japan in 1600, after the Battle of Sekigahara. Shinmen Takezō, a violent young survivor, sets out to become the strongest swordsman in the land. Taking the name Miyamoto Musashi, he challenges established schools and renowned fighters. Takehiko Inoue freely adapts Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel Musashi, turning the historical swordsman’s life into a fictional story about ambition, fear, and what strength is for.
The duels are tense and physically brutal, but long stretches focus on training, relationships, and quiet reflection. Musashi’s pursuit of victory gradually becomes a harder question: how can he live without being ruled by the need to defeat others? Detailed ink drawings give weight to both a blade’s movement and a moment of stillness. This is a serious, often heavy read, with graphic wounds, dismemberment, sexual violence, and nudity. Humor, tenderness, and personal growth keep it from being relentlessly bleak.
Pros
- Expressive brushwork captures both quiet emotion and the force of a sword fight.
- Carefully paced duels make distance, hesitation, and fear matter.
- Musashi’s gradual growth gives the quieter chapters emotional weight.
Cons
- Long reflective passages can feel slow or repetitive.
- The story remains unfinished after a long hiatus.
Editor’s notes: This manga contains scenes of rape. One scene may be especially distressing: a teenage boy kills an adult woman’s entire family and then rapes her. Be prepared: this manga is about more than sword fights.
Awards
Main characters
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Miyamoto Musashi
宮本武蔵
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Sasaki Kojirō
佐々木小次郎
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Hon’iden Matahachi
本位田又八
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Otsū
おつう
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Takuan Sōhō
沢庵宗彭
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Jōtarō
城太郎
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Hōzōin Inshun
宝蔵院胤舜
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Yagyū Sekishūsai
柳生石舟斎
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Yoshioka Seijūrō
吉岡清十郎
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Yoshioka Denshichirō
吉岡伝七郎