Drifters (manga)

For other uses, see Drifter.

Drifters
Drifters cover released in Japan
ドリフターズ (Dorifutāzu)
Genre	Fantasy, Action, Science Fiction
Manga
Written by	Kouta Hirano
Published by	Shōnen Gahosha
English publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Young King OURs
Original run	April 30, 2009 – ongoing
Volumes	2
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Drifters (ドリフターズ, Dorifutazu^?) is a fantasy, alternate history Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. The manga started serialization in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine, Young King Ours on April 30, 2009.^[1] It centers on various historical figures summoned to an unknown world where their skills and techniques are needed by magicians in order to save their worlds from total destruction.

Plot

Shimazu Toyohisa, while involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically wounded in the process. As he walks from the field wounded and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. This man, Murasaki, sends Toyohisa into the nearest door where he wakes up in another world. There, Toyohisa meets other great warriors like him who have been transported as well, to be part of a group known as "Drifters". This world contains both native humans and a number of fantastical races, including elves, dwarves, and hobbits. However, the world is at war, with the humans waging a losing war against another group of great warriors, the "Ends", who wish to take over the world and kill all of the Drifters. Under the Ends' command are many terrible creatures, including dragons, which they use to destroy everything in their wake. At the start of the series, the Ends' army has control of the northern part of the continent, and are currently trying to invade the south through a pivotal fortress at the northernmost tip of a nation called Carneades. Meanwhile, the "Octobrist Organization", a group of human magicians native to this world, attempt to bring together the many individual Drifters to save their world from the brutal Ends.

Characters

Drifters

Shimazu Toyohisa (島津 豊久^?) 

The protagonist. Historically he died in 1600. When he first arrived in the world, he was critically injured, only to be brought to the hideout of Nobunaga and Yoichi by some young "elves". Of the three Drifters in the group, Toyohisa is the most willing to help the elves, first by attacking the humans massacring them and then by convincing them to kill the leader of those humans. He uses a long sword and is seen carrying a short sword as well. He's also shown carrying a rifle, which he only uses when his swords are infeasible.

Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長^?) 

A famous warlord who conquered most of Japan during Sengoku period. Historically he is known for being the daimyo who took the first step of unification of the Japan, and the first Japanese military commander to utilize arquebuses in battles. Perhaps because of this, as a Drifter he uses an arquebus in battle. He died twenty years before Toyohisa (1582). As a Drifter, he has only aged six months since arriving in the new world.

Nasu no Yoichi (那須与一^?) 

A very effeminate man of nineteen. Although he died many years before Nobunaga and Toyohisa, Yoichi is the youngest in the group. His historical death date is unclear, yet some records indicate that he either died on August 8 in 1189 or in October of 1190. Historically he is known as a powerful warrior who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune during the Genpei War, and he also appears in the Tale of the Heike. However, Nobunaga notes that Yoichi is very different from historical accounts. Yoichi acts as the group's archer, killing fleeing enemies.

Hannibal 

A famous Carthiginian military commander, who died in either 183 or 181 BC. Now a Drifter and elderly, he is seen arguing with Scipio Africanus over the latter's "plagiarism" of Cannae at the Battle of Zama. After nearly being killed by the Black King's army, Hannibal insists that victory is still possible.

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus 

Hannibal's Roman adversary during the Second Punic War, who is believed to have died around 183 BC. As a Drifter, he is as old as Hannibal, who he is seen constantly arguing with, claiming that "a winner takes all" since he won at Zama. Nevertheless, Scipio respects Hannibal greatly, saying he is worth a million men, because though a million men would not budge Rome, Hannibal nearly tore it down.

The Wild Bunch 

Transported from the Wild West, the outlaws now fight against the Black King and his armies. They carry a large amount of firearms including machine guns and pistols. Two members of the bunch are Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

Naoshi Kanno (菅野直) 

During a battle with the Black King, with the Drifters' side under attack by dragons, World War II fighter pilot Naoshi Kanno is transported into the world in his plane. He decides to attack the dragons when their attacks remind him of the US bombing of Tokyo. He is addressed as Sugano Nao in the Dark Horse translation.

Tamon Yamaguchi

An admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He is first seen in Chapter 19 destroying Orte Empire ships.

Ends

The Black King

The Black King is the apparent leader of the Ends. He claims that he once tried to "save" humans but he has since shifted his agenda towards nonhumans after humans "denied" his efforts. His identity has yet to be established but he is shown to possess healing powers.

Hijikata Toshizō (土方 歳三^?)

The former vice-commander of the Shinsengumi who died fighting in the name of the Tokugawa Bakufu during the Boshin War. Hijikata has the ability to use smoke in order to manifest ghostly images of members of the Shinsengumi and uses them to cut apart his enemies.

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)

The hero of the Hundred Years War between France and England. Joan, who was driven insane after being burned at the stake, now desires nothing more than to see the world burn. As an Ends- with her Christian crosses now upside down - she has manifested the ability to manipulate fire. Surprisingly, she seems to be self-conscious of her (lacking) femininity, though this could be another result of her insanity. In Chapter 24, Joan is defeated by Toyohisa in battle; however, she is able to flee the scene alive due to Toyohisa's personal vow to never kill a woman.

Gilles de Rais

A French nobleman who was once one of Joan's companions-in-arms, but was later executed for multiple cases of murder, sodomy, and heresy. He wields an incredible strength and continued to accompany Joan to battle even in death until he was defeated by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, whereafter he disintegrated into salt.

Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova (Анастасия Николаевна Романова)

The youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. Anastasia and her family were shot by a Bolshevik firing squad when Anastasia was seventeen. Now she has the supernatural ability to create blizzards.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経^?)

While he fights for the Ends, Minamoto is allowed by the Black King to fight when he wants to and against whom. Although he was Yoichi's leader in the past, it is unknown what their dynamic will be like in this world.

Grigori Rasputin (Григорий Ефимович Распутин)

A famous Russian mystic who once held a great influence over the Russian Imperial Court because of his ability to supposedly heal the Romanov's hemophiliac heir, Alexei. He now serves the Black King.

Orte Empire

Adolf Hitler

The infamous Führer and Chancellor of Nazi Germany. Though it is unknown whether he is/was a Drifter or Ends, Hitler ended up appearing in the current world fifty years before the current storyline and inspiring the local humans through speeches at a tavern to rise up and form the Orte Empire. He mysteriously committed suicide soon after, however, his followers continued to revere him as the "Father" of their country long after his death.

Count Saint-Germi

A homosexual nobleman who owns a quarter of the Empire and was Hitler's closest ally in its formation. It is said that the Empire could not have existed without his "betrayal", and as such he is free to live as he pleases without criticism from any of his peers. Despite this position however, he is not loyal to the Empire and knows that its demise is near; as such, he plans to reach out to the elves and the Drifters that accompany them. As a side note, in spite of the fact he is well over fifty years old, as the Orte Empire was formed fifty years before the current storyline, Saint-Germi appears as a youthful drag queen with an effeminate personality. Likely the Count of St. Germain as a Drifter or Ends.

Aram

A knight of the Orte Empire who was killed by the elves.

The Octobrist Organization

Olminu/Sem

A young magician of the Octobrists. She was charged with watching Toyohisa's group of Drifters. She seems to be quite incompetent at reconnaissance, and is terrified of the Drifters she must follow. After she is discovered and kidnapped by Toyohisa's group, she tells them the story of the Drifters and Ends.

Abe no Seimei 

A Japanese magician who is one of the heads of the Octobrist Organization, an anti-Ends group. He has recently been revealed to be a Drifter as well.

Ham

The grand-master's assistant.

Others

Murasaki (紫) 

A Caucasian, bespectacled man who constantly wears a suit. He is apparently the one responsible for the appearance of the Drifters, using them as a means to right the wrong of the Ends' conquest of the magical world. He is often seen sitting in the middle of the door corridor, smoking, and reading a newspaper that gives news of the events relating to the Drifters. In the corridor he is associated with and accompanied by light.

Easy 

A young woman with long-black hair. Apparently at odds with Murasaki, she is responsible for the Ends, an opposing force similar in origin to the Drifters. In the corridor she is associated with and accompanied by darkness.

Shara

One of the elves that has two brothers

Marsha 

One of the elf brothers that discovers Toyohisa.

Mark

The Younger elf

Organizations

Drifters 

Many heroes and great warriors from different eras and cultures seem to have been brought to this new world by Murasaki, where they are meant to fight the Ends. A common element to the Drifters is that although they are driven by violence, victory, and conquest, they are not cruel; they love to fight and win, but do not care about hurting innocents.

Ends 

The opposing force in this world, the Ends are, like the Drifters, mainly composed of powerful historical figures who died under unorthodox and often violent circumstances. Unlike the Drifters, however, the Ends are humans that have forsaken their humanity, and are thus capable of using supernatural powers. Now, Ends are driven completely by an intense hate for everything. They seem to have been brought into the new world by Easy, who is at odds with Murasaki.

The Octobrist Organization 

A group of humans, known as magicians, native to the world whose duty is to observe and gather Drifters together to fight the Ends. Unlike many humans in this world, Octobrists do not subjugate the demihumans. It is lead by Abe no Seimei who is a Drifter against the Ends. Known as Oct in the Dark Horse translation.

Orte Empire

The Orte Empire is a country that was established by Hitler. It expanded through the conquest of neighboring territories and continues to adhere to Hitler's principles, which involves the persecution of non-human races. Its capital is Verlina.

Manga

In Japan, Drifters is serialized in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine, Young King Ours magazine and sold under the same publisher.^[2] The manga is also published in North America by Dark Horse Comics^[3] and in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics.^[4] The manga is published in France by Éditions Tonkam for the French-speaking market.^[5]

No.	Japan		North America
	Release date	ISBN	Release date	ISBN
1	July 7, 2010	ISBN 978-4-08-877725-2	September 13, 2011	ISBN 978-1595827692
1. "Fight Song" 2. "Transcending Times" 3. "The Devil Lord of the 6th Heaven" 4. "The Moon Over the Castle in Ruins" 5. "Footsteps" 6. "The Powerless Ones" 7. "Hurry Go Round" 8. "Army of Mine" 9. "Burn My Dread" 10. "My Boyfriend Is a Pilot" 11. "Samurai Heart"

No.	Japan		North America
	Release date	ISBN	Release date	ISBN
2	October 10, 2011[6]	ISBN 978-4785937140
12. "Active Heart" 13. "Stand up to the Victory" 14. "Ready Steady Go" 15. "Monkey Magic" 16. "Sucker" 17. "Bring Love Back" 18. "Men of Destiny" 19. "Dive for You" 20. "SearchLight" 21. "Chaos Diver" 22. "Tatakai no Collateral"

Chapters not yet in graphic novel format

• 23. "Touch and Go!!"
• 24. "Kick It Out"
• 25: "Fushigi CALL ME"

References

1. ^ "Hellsing Creator Hirano's New Manga Will Be Drifters". Anime News Network. 2009-03-30. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-30/hellsing-creator-hirano-new-manga-will-be-drifters. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
2. ^ "アワーズ連載" (in Japanese). Shonen Gahosa. http://www.shonengahosha.jp/comics/index.php?c=202043-01. Retrieved 2011-03-25. 
3. ^ "Dark Horse Adds Bloodline Battlefront, Drifters, Shinjuku Azul". Anime News Network. 2010-10-08. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-10-08/dark-horse-adds-shinjuku-azul-bloodline-battlefront-drifters. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
4. ^ "漂流武士" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2011-03-24. http://liveweb.waybackmachine.org/http://www.tongli.com.tw/BookDetail.aspx?Bd=BC0420001. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
5. ^ "Drifters". Éditions Tonkam. http://www.webcitation.org/63Iwc9V7w. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
6. ^ "Amazon.co.jp： ドリフターズ 2巻 (ヤングキングコミックス): 平野 耕太: 本" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4785937149/. Retrieved November 11, 2011.