History Manga / BladeOfTheImmortal

A {{Samurai}} epic with vividly realistic art and well-crafted characters, ''Blade of the Immortal'' also explores many thoughtful issues relating to death, immortality, revenge, forgiveness, and redemption.

** Success that passed over to other coutries as well, ''A Lamina do Imortal'' in Brazil, ''La Espada del Inmortal'' in Spain and ''Miecz nieśmiertelnego'' in Poland are direct translations of Blade of the Immortal; the German version doesn't even bother with a translation and goes with the English title. It seems only France has taken up the original Japanese title with ''L'Habitant de L'Infini''
* MistakenIdentity -- Manji is introduced to the Rokki when, thanks to sharing similar {{Distinguishing Mark}}s with their target, they mistake him for Itto-Ryu member Sukezane Baro.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone -- Burando again.

* [[spoiler: PregnantBadass]] -- Hyakurin, after [[spoiler: her rape]] in "Beasts".
* PsychoForHire -- Shira, oh my God, Shira.

Two years prior to the beginning of the story, Rin's father (a swordsmanship teacher) was murdered and her mother was brutally raped in front of her eyes by the members of the Itto-ryuu -- a renegade sword school led by Anotsu Kagehisa. Rin vowed to track Anotsu down and kill him in revenge, and so she hired Manji to help her fulfill her quest. The series follows Rin and Manji as they travel through feudal Japan, fighting members of the Ittou-ryuu and other enemies, and meeting comrades with questionable morality of their own.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking -- Kagimura Habaki, a government official badass enough to [[spoiler:rip off his own pierced (with a poisoned hair pin) eye from the socket]] without barely flinching.

* BoxedCrook -- [[spoiler:All of the members of the Mugai-Ryu, as well as most of the Rokki.]]

* CreatorCameo -- The mangaka Hiroaki Samura appears as a pinewheel seller in epsiode 10. He also did key animation for two episodes and provided a scroll painting in the 13th episode of the series.
* CurbStompBattle -- Anytime Makie get serious. Also, in a great KickTheSonOfABitch moment, [[spoiler:Rin VS Burando]].
* CursedWithAwesome -- The Kessen-chu. Manji was originally given them solely to keep him from committing seppuku and leaving Machi alone and his original motive was to get rid of them by killing 1000 evil men. Of course, he would have died in the first volume without them.

* DrivenToSuicide -- Since the story takes place in a feudal japan this happens a lot, most notably in form of Seppuku. However several characters openly criticizes this, especially how common it is in their society.

** And, in a weird case of LaserGuidedKarma, [[spoiler: he [[RasputinianDeath finally]] dies by being [[JustDesserts eaten '''by''' dogs]].]]

* {{Foreshadowing}} -- [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone While dwelling on the atrocities he's committed trying to find a way to transfer Manji's immortality]], Dr. Brando mentions [[spoiler:that he successfully transfered it to one patient]] before abandoning the goal entirely. Some twenty chapters later, [[spoiler:Shira's not just back from the apparent dead -- he's immortal]].
* GoMadFromTheRevelation -- Manji's sister, after her brother kills her husband.

*** Manji's body is virtually MADE of scars (most obvious when he is [[spoiler:poisoned with Kessen-satsu and all his old wounds open up.]]

* HarmlessLadyDisguise -- A plot point revolves around the fact that Anotsu plans on traveling to Kaga undetected by disguising himself as a woman. [[spoiler:It's then subverted, as Anotsu turns out to have simply leaked some false information and then hired several prostitutes to pose as his decoys]].

* KatanasAreJustBetter -- Averted hard. While some great swordsmen use the vanilla Katana almost every serious threat uses a personal weapon that often have dishonorable or subtle movements to them. Tellingly the greatest fighter in the series uses a combination of a pike and three section staff. The ''BigBad'' (sorta, see ''GrayAndGrayMorality'') explicitly chose a Chinese sword and a enormous and deadly axe as his weapons to prove that the Katana is worthless, and has so far succeeded. Particularly when a poor samurai gets a head crushing object lesson on why a thin sliver of metal isn't the best shield against a twenty kilo axe.

* KnightTemplar -- Habaki. He was certainly obsessed with eliminating the Itto-ryu before, but now that [[spoiler:his ''seppuku'' is coming closer]], the man is ''obsessed'' with erasing not only the Ittoryu, but anything and ''anyone'' that gets in his way.
* LadyOfWar -- Makie is arguably the strongest fighter in the series, is graceful and quick enough to avoid the blood spray from all of her attacks, and is lovely enough to inspire Rin to jealousy.
** Arguably? Anotsu has said she's the greatest swordsman alive at least twice, and the only one who could defeat him.

* MadScientist -- Burando, or more precisely a MadDoctor

* PlayingWithSyringes -- human experiments on immortality.

* SinsOfOurFathers -- Rin wants revenge on Anotsu for killing her father, whoose ''grand''father expelled Anotsu's grandfather from his school, while promoting his own son -- Rin's grandfather -- which is why Anotsu killed Rin's father in the first place.

* TheStoic -- Giichi, until [[spoiler:his son dies and he is "released" from the Mugai-ryu]], after which he finds no reason to live anymore. Interestingly, his eyes were never shown before this.

* YourDaysAreNumbered -- In the aftermath of the Prison Arc, [[spoiler:Habaki]] has been given a month to settle his affairs before he must commit seppuku. Additionally, [[spoiler:Makie]] seems to have contracted [[IncurableCoughOfDeath tuberculosis]] in more recent chapters.

''Blade of the Immortal'' is set in 18th-century Japan and is the story of a young girl named Asano Rin and [[MeaningfulName Manji]], her {{badass}} bodyguard. Manji is [[CursedWithAwesome immortal]] thanks to an infestation of ''kessen-chu'', sacred worms that pervade his system and knit together any injuries he sustains. He can die only by beheading or by coming into contact with a particularly rare poison. His goal in the series is to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever remove the curse of his immortality]], which will happen if he kills 1000 evil men in reparation for the 100 innocents he killed as an outlaw.

* SinsiterMinister -- The priest who tries to kill Manji in the prologue. Also Eiku, who dresses as a monk.

** Unusually, it's actually explained by Magatsu that in order for them to attack effectively they need to learn how to utilise their body weight, since they don't have the sheer physical strength needed to inflict damage on opponents (usually bigger and heftier than they are) otherwise.
* WellIntentionedExtremist -- Burando. He does it all for common good, right?

* RoaringRampageOfRescue: [[spoiler: Rin when Manji is captured by the shogunate]].

* SceneryPorn --

* AffablyEvil -- Anotsu is quite genteel.

** Unusually, it's actually explained that in order for them to attack effectively they need to learn to utilise their body weight, since they don't have the sheer physical strength needed to inflict damage on opponents (usually bigger and heftier than they are) otherwise.

* CreatorCameo -- the mangaka Hiroaki Samura appears as a pinewheel seller in epsiode 10. He also did key animation for two episodes and provided a scroll painting in the 13th episode of the series.

* DanceBattler -- Makie.

* TheEeyore -- whatever her choices, Makie always end up depressed.

* HannibalLecture -- Anotsu administers one (including a NotSoDifferent demonstration) to Rin during their first encounter

So, in summation, Shira has created a situation in which Manji has to either try futilely to save Rin's life (only for them ''both'' to drown) or realize that it's hopeless and ''willingly allow the most important person to die in order to save himself''. [[XanatosGambit Shira wins either way]], but he'd be especially happy to see Manji abandon her and then come back to kill Shira himself in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.]]

* AppendageAssimilation

* ImprobableWeaponUser -- The mangaka admits that most of Manji's weapons are of his own design and have no historical precedent

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3023_76011a.jpg]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3023_76011a.jpg

This show provides examples of:

* IllGirl -- Isoka
* ImportantHaircut -- Makie

* CreatorCameo -- Blade's Mangaka HiroakiSamura appears as a pinewheel seller in epsiode 10. He also did key animation for two episodes and provided a scroll painting in the 13th episode of the series.

* KnightTemplar -- Habaki. He was certainly obsessed with eliminating the Ittoryu before, but now that [[spoiler:his ''seppuku'' is coming closer]], the man is ''obsessed'' with erasing not only the Ittoryu, but anything and ''anyone'' that gets in his way.

* LittleMissBadass -- Doa

* MarketBasedTitle -- You know how successful the title change is when even the hardcore otaku doesn't refer the series as Mugen no Juunin (Inhabitant of Infinity), which is the original title.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone -- Burando again

** In the German version they had to remove the [[strike:swastika]] manji on Manji's back and made it a simple cross, since it's forbidden in Germany to show it anywhere, despite the fact that the story takes place centuries before the rise of the Nazis. [[http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=681&tbm=isch&tbnid=xsQjiCW2hKdFXM:&imgrefurl=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/11/08/glory-pigs-swastika-censorship-germany/&docid=vJVCKZB3az8E9M&imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/11/untitled-2-1320782409.jpg&w=371&h=258&ei=CrJfT9WwO4fV0QHknvWPBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=559&vpy=169&dur=617&hovh=158&hovw=233&tx=185&ty=78&sig=111901091765628668117&page=1&tbnh=151&tbnw=225&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0 For comparison]]

* PluckyGirl -- Rin.
* [[spoiler: PregnantBadass]] : Hyakurin, after [[spoiler: her rape]] in "Beasts".
* PsychoForHire -- Shira, oh my god, Shira.

* SanitySlippage -- Blando, who starts out as an idealistic (if immoral) doctor who ''actually believes'' that subjecting inmates to horrific experiments will bring progress. After he is locked away, he comes back... different (still a hypocrite, though).

* StalkerWithACrush -- Kuroi Sabato

''BladeOfTheImmortal'' is set in 18th-century Japan and is the story of Asano Rin and [[MeaningfulName Manji]], her BadAss bodyguard. Manji is [[CursedWithAwesome immortal]] thanks to an infestation of ''kessen-chu'', sacred worms that pervade his system and knit together any injuries he sustains. He can die only by beheading or by coming into contact with a particular rare poison. His goal in the series is to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever remove the curse of his immortality]], which will happen if he kills 1000 evil men in reparation for the 100 men he killed as an outlaw. Two years prior to the beginning of the story, Rin's father (a swordsmanship teacher) was murdered and her mother was brutally raped in front of her eyes by the members of the Itto-ryuu -- a renegade sword school led by Anotsu Kagehisa. Rin vowed to track Anotsu down and kill him in revenge, and so she hired Manji as her bodyguard to help her fulfill her quest. The series follows Rin and Manji as they travel through feudal Japan, fighting members of the Ittou-ryuu and other enemies, and meeting comrades with questionable morality of their own.

* NoSwastikas -- Subversion: The name Manji refers to the Japanese symbol that looks like a backwards "swastika" or ''sauvastika''. He wears the symbol on his back, which is one of the reasons they didn't "reverse the art" in the US publication. [[http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=681&tbm=isch&tbnid=xsQjiCW2hKdFXM:&imgrefurl=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/11/08/glory-pigs-swastika-censorship-germany/&docid=vJVCKZB3az8E9M&imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/11/untitled-2-1320782409.jpg&w=371&h=258&ei=CrJfT9WwO4fV0QHknvWPBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=559&vpy=169&dur=617&hovh=158&hovw=233&tx=185&ty=78&sig=111901091765628668117&page=1&tbnh=151&tbnw=225&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0 For comparison]]
** In the German version they had to remove the [[strike:swastika]] manji on Manji's back and made it a simple cross, since it's forbidden in Germany to show it anywhere, despite the fact that the story takes place centuries before the rise of the Nazis.

* NoSwastikas -- Subversion: The name Manji refers to the Japanese symbol that looks like a backwards "swastika" or ''sauvastika''. He wears the symbol on his back, which is one of the reasons they didn't "reverse the art" in the US publication.

* SceneryPorn -- [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/blade-of-the-immortal-chapter-144.html?ch=Volume+12&page=62 Just]] [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/blade-of-the-immortal-chapter-144.html?ch=Volume+10&page=2 take]] [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/blade-of-the-immortal-chapter-144.html?ch=Volume+10&page=7 a look]]...

* [[spoiler: PregnantBadass]] : Hyakurin, after "Beasts".

* [[spoiler: PregnantBadass]] : Hyakurin, after her kidnapping/interrogation.

* SerratedBladeOfPain -- Shinra possesses a large cleaver-like sword with barbs, which he usually use to maim, shred and sometimes rape his (frequently female) opponents.

* Foreshadowing -- [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone While dwelling on the atrocities he's committed trying to find a way to transfer Manji's immortality]], Dr. Brando mentions [[spoiler:that he successfully transfered it to one patient]] before abandoning the goal entirely. Some twenty chapters later, [[spoiler:Shira's not just back from the apparent dead -- he's immortal]].

* TheEeyore -- whatever her choices, Makie always end up depressed.

* [[spoiler: PregnantBadass]] : Hyakurin