The Legend of Kamui TP (2025)

At long last, manga titan Shirato Sanpei's groundbreaking epic makes its way into English. Celebrated as a watershed of both the Japanese counterculture and dramatic, longform storytelling in manga, The Legend of Kamui serves up clashing swords and class struggle to create a timeless political allegory set in feudal Japan. It's the 17th century in Japan. Child outcast Kamui lives on the fringes of a miserably stratified society. Fueled by pure grit, rage, and a dash of cunning, his only way out is to take up the mantle of ninja. Follow scrappy peasants, cold-blooded ninja, and disgraced and exalted warriors as they navigate the unforgiving hardships of a violent yet hopeful age. With its vivid and critical attention to social injustice and environmental issues against a backdrop of heart-pounding action and romance, this multilayered gekiga drama not only redefined ninja and samurai fantasy, it also offers astonishing parallels with the modern day.

More swords, more fighting, more deception...Shirato Sanpei’s epic feudal sword drama continues! In Shirato’s world, life is hard and every step forward is hard-won. But through that hardship comes strength. The Legend of Kamui: Volume 2 features more action and more intrigue as minor characters step into the light of this sweeping seventeenth-century social tapestry. Translated by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger

The greatest sword-and-samurai epic of all time continues! Our hero Kamui is fresh off his training and begins to infiltrate the delicate hierarchy oppressing the countryside in order to begin tearing it down, piece by piece. Shosuke faces off with a new assassin because of what he may—or may not have—witnessed. Ryunoshin’s vendetta befuddles the chief headman as well as his lord. Meanwhile, Kamui’s fellow outcast Saesa takes on a more prominent role. Revolution is in the air, and the sound of clashing swords rages on in Shirato Sanpei’s landmark manga epic—the first of its kind. Translated from the Japanese by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.

The plot thickens in Shirato Sanpei’s sweeping masterpiece! The outcast Kamui finally enters the order of the ninja. But soon, he is tasked with assassinating his teacher Akame who has joined forces with a high-powered merchant. Elsewhere, Shosuke’s hard work and innovative ideas have ingratiated him with the farmer class, beginning to bridge the gap with outcasts in a move towards collaboration—at least, until he is arrested for helping start the Tamate uprising. The Legend of Kamui remains the most exciting adventure comic on the stands today while also managing to be the single greatest source for understanding Edo-period Japan and how ALL modern civilizations are built. Translated by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.