Ginga Legend Weed

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Ginga Legend Weed


caption =
ja_name = 銀牙伝説ウィード
ja_name_trans = Ginga Densetsu Weed
genre = Drama, Action, AdventureInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Yoshihiro Takahashi
publisher = flagicon|Japan Nihon Bungeisha
publisher_en = flagicon|Canada flagicon|United States ComicsOne (former)
flagicon|United States DrMaster (former)
publisher_other =
demographic = Shōnen
magazine = Manga Goraku
first = 1999
last =
volumes = 51Infobox animanga/Anime
title =
director = Toshiyuki Kato
studio = Studio Deen
network = flagicon|Japan Animax
first = November 3 2005
last = May 11 2006
episodes = 26

nihongo|"Ginga Legend Weed"|銀牙伝説ウィード|Ginga Densetsu Wiido|lit. "Silver Fang Legend Weed" is an ongoing adventure manga series by Yoshihiro Takahashi. It has been published by Nihon Bungeisha in the magazine "Manga Goraku" since 1999, and collected in 51 bound volumes as of May 2008. It is a sequel to "", following the adventures of Weed, the son of Gin.

It has been adapted as an anime television series produced by Studio Deen, which was broadcast on Animax starting in November 2005. Future Film in Finland has translated the anime for Scandinavia, and released DVDs in November 2006. A complete box set is in the works. No plans to release the anime for English-speakers are in the works at present date.

Plot

Ginga Densetsu Weed (Silver Fang Legend Weed) follows the adventure of Weed, a blue and white Akita Inu pup. His father was a great warrior, and helped liberate the land while it was under the oppression of a large bear. Time has since past, and Weed is now left taking care of his ailing mother (Sakura). Through chance, Weed brings Smith (one of his father's companions) to see his mother. On her death bed, she requests Smith to take Weed to Gaoju, the paradise Gin (Weed's father) created. But an evil monster known as Kaibutsu (meaning "monster"), the result of five years of animal testing on a lab dog, is destroying the paradise Weed's father worked so hard to protect. With some new companions Weed finds his way to this paradise, and together they take down the beast Kaibutsu. However, they now have a new goal; Hougen, an evil Great Dane, is slowly taking over the lands to the West. While traveling back to Gaoju Weed's father was taken hostage by the evil dog and his followers. Hougen and his companions wish to take over all of Japan, and thus threaten the peace Weed's father, Gin, tried so hard to make. Weed gathers many friends, and sadly, some allies are lost. But Weed knows that he will do all that it takes to win back paradise and overthrow Hougen.

Characters

Protagonists

;Weed: (Akita Inu/Kishu (mix) The son unbeknownst to Gin. Weed was the only pup Sakura had in the anime and had to take care of her due to a starvation disease she had caught. When he spots the same flock of birds the English Setter GB is hunting, he tries to steal one and take it to his mother. GB gives him the bird and Weed thanks him, never telling him his name because he does not have one yet. Weed returns to his mother and leaves her the food, unaware that she is unable to eat. When leaving, he notices GB and his friend, Sasuke the Shiba Inu, going to steal some ducks for their boss, Nero. Weed tells them that they shouldn't steal from humans, but they ignore him. Later, Weed sees GB abandon Sasuke when a guard dog attacks him, and he bravely tries to save the Shiba Inu. He then is caught and GB hurries back to help him. The furious guard dog throws Weed through the wall of a chicken coop and assumes that he is dead. Weed then feels intense anger, and in his blind rage, attacks with the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, cutting off the dog's ear. The attack takes too much power, though, and Weed is knocked out after falling back to the ground. Smith eventually saves the group after frightening the guard dog with his bloodthirsty aura, and he asks Weed where Sakura is. They return, only to see Sakura weak but managing to tell Smith her dying wish for her only son. When she dies, Weed cries all night, but GB comforts him (in a rude sort of way) and decides to give him a name. He looks around and finally spots some weeds growing around the group, and decides to name the young Tora-ge Akita/Kishu after them. After defeating Kaibutsu and many other dogs in order to save his father from Hougen, Weed begins to use the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga--the attack of a wolf--after being mentored by Tesshin, who has not perfected the technique yet. However, after using it numerously in many occasions (especially with Hougen), Weed still cannot perfect it and usually misses the opponent's head (a vital area to hit with the Battouga.) In the last episode, however, Weed finally uses the wind to carry him straight over to Hougen's skull, breaking it open and only wounding him critically. That is when Gin and Weed truly confront one another and accept their bond as father and son.Weed is forgiving and kind-hearted almost to a fault, refusing to kill his enemies unless the situations are dire. Although he becomes known far and wide for his huge compassion, it is more of a weakness then it is respectful. This is the reason Jerome saves Weed by killing the Dobermans, Lecter and Thunder, and is later exiled from Weed's pack when the young Tora-ge states that this is not how the war should be. Voiced by Sachi Kokuryū.

;GB: (English Setter) Cowardly but good-hearted, GB was formerly a slave of the rogue boss dog, Nero. He was sent out by Nero to gather bird meat, and this is how he met Weed (presently un-named). When Weed steals his catch, GB catches him and tells him that what he is doing is wrong. Weed explains that his mother needs the food, and GB then gives the bird to Weed. He later is bullied by Nero, who sends him back out to hunt some ducks in a pond (or die upon returning without the ducks). He then sends the Shiba Inu, Sasuke, out to hunt with GB. The two go out and GB tricks Sasuke into going near the guard dog who watches the ducks for his human masters. Sasuke had not seen the dog yet and obliges to take the long route around, leading him right to the guard dog's den. Sasuke is quickly pinned down by the furious guard dog and begs for GB to save him. GB leaves, but Weed, who heard the commotion, runs over and helps Sasuke. When Weed cries out because Banken (the guard dog) grabbed his throat, GB runs back to save the pup. But as GB is being attacked he realizes they are all going to die, and Weed tries to save him (confusing? yes...). Luckily, Smith came to the rescue and the guard dog ran away in fear. After going to meet Sakura and then burying her after she died, GB decides to give Weed a "strong, but small name." He looks around and spots a group of weeds growing around, and proclaims that to be the name of the puppy. After the episode where Smith dies and they lay him out on the ground, GB explains that he was saved by Smith who lost his leg in the event several months before Weed was born. He is now Weed's godfather and closest friend, showing minor moments of bravery and courage. Voiced by Naru Kawamoto.

;Sasuke: (Shiba Inu) One of GB's friends. Weed saved him from a guard dog in the first episode, then he left on his own to find his old master. He turned up in episode 19, a slave of Hougen, and GB and Weed were able to bring him into the Ohu soldiers. Sasuke is shown to be a little absent-minded and slow to catch on, cheerfully revealing GB's identity to Hougen's soldiers in episode 19 and nearly resulting in both of their deaths. Voiced by Makoto Ueki.

;Mel: (Golden Retriever) A puppy younger than Weed, and formerly a slave of rogue boss dog Blue. He was ordered by Blue to kill Weed, but Weed told him that Mel must listen to his own heart and do what he thinks is right. Mel then gained his first movement of courage and attacked Blue, only being beaten in a few seconds and thus leaving Weed, Hook, GB, and Smith to save the day. When Weed and the two English Setters turn to leave, Mel changes his mind to stay and leaves Hook to go with the Akita/Kishu, stating that he wants to be as strong as Weed. He has shown considerable tenacity, especially in defense of Gajou when obviously outnumbered by Hougen's army. Voiced by Akiko Kobayashi.

;Hook: (Labrador Retriever mix) Formerly a pet, and a slave to Blue before that, he escaped to avenge his brother, Kuro's death. He is working for Weed independently. He is the one that told Gin about Weed, and helped Gin in secret during his detention by Hougen. He safely brought Reika to Gajou after Weed's first encounter with Hougen. Voiced by Kan Tanaka.

;Ken: (Great Dane/Saluki mix) One of the commanders of the Ohu Soldiers prior to Weed's arrival. He is the son of Ben and Cross, and seems to have a certain lack of faith in his parents' abilities, something which vexes Ben, as well as Kagetora's father Kurotora. Voiced by Teruaki Ogawa.

;Kagetora: (Kai Ken) Son of Kurotora, and one of the commanders of the Ohu Soldiers prior to Weed's arrival. Ken and Kagetora, like their parents Ben and Kurotora, are extremely close friends. Voiced by Eiji Takemoto.

;Jerome: (German Shepherd) A trained guard dog and assassin. He was sent after Kaibutsu by his creators in order to kill the mutant. He originally had 15 subordinates. The last four of them North, Robert, Rocca, and Heuler face Kaibutsu with Jerome at Gajou. He later becomes Weed's advisor, and teaches him to fight. Later he lost his left ear to the giant Kamakiri, one of Hougen's bosses, in episode 14. He also took a bullet to the leg from a rifle, Instead of having it removed, he left the bullet there as a crippling reminder for his willingness to sacrifice his subordinate's lives. He was driven out of the Ohu army by Weed when he murdered two of Hougen's assassins against Weed's orders (the doberman hitmen Lecter and Thunder) in episode 16. He supported Weed in secret from then on out. After Hougen threw him into a river, he drowned trying to save Weed in episode 25.(In the manga he does not die). As he dies, he awaits to meet his fallen comrades again as well as, interestingly, Kaibutsu, suggesting that he forgave the monstrous dog. Voiced by Masaya Takatsuka.

;Reika: (Akita Inu mix) Daughter of one of Gin's old comrades. She was captured with John and Gin by Hougen, but escaped with John and Hiro. A pet, she is unaccostomed to fighting, but in episode 24 she bravely attacks Hougen, and pushes him into an icy river in an attempt to drown him, also falling in in the process. Voiced by Eri Nakagawa.

;Rocket: (Borzoi) Formerly one of Hougen's spies, he defected and joined Weed's group. His loyalty was solidified when his brothers, Missile and Jet, were murdered by Hougen. Though Jerome and the others were hesitant to trust him, he proved himself by rescuing GB in episode 8. In episode 14, he led the pack to his hometown, Kishu, in hopes of recruiting some natives. But, instead, he was lost and was held captive by Kamakiri, only to be rescued by Jerome. Rocket is the fastest of the Ohu Warriors. Voiced by Tsuyoshi Maeda.

;Hiro: (Great Pyrenees) Nicknamed "the ballsnatcher" due to his signature attack of tearing the testicles from his enemies. He helped John and Reika escape from Hougen's clutches, then joined Weed's group. He seeks vengeance on Kamakiri for murdering his father and gouging out his right eye. He finally defeated Kamakiri and avenged his father in episode 22. Voiced by Kenji Nomura.

;Kyoushiro: (Kishu Inu) The leader of a large but strong group of juvenile dogs, all abused or abandoned by their parents. After several episodes of dispute, Weed wins his loyalty, and the entire pack comes under Weed's leadership. He was enraged by the loss of Jiro, one of his followers who was killed by a trio of boars in episode 15, showing that he cares deeply for all of his followers. He almost defected when Jerome was exiled, but Jerome convinced him to remain with Weed. In episode 20, he infiltrated Hougen's pack in an attempt to rescue Gin; he made his dogs believe he was really betraying Weed, to test their willingness to fight for Ohu. Voiced by Yūki Masuda.

;Tesshin: (Shikoku Inu?) Also commonly called "Little Brother" Tessin is the leader of the Kōga ninja dogs. Prior to Weed's birth, Gin chose him as the successor to Gajou to Futago Pass as he had the strength of Gin, the fangs of John, and the speed of Akame. He was hesitant to leave at first, stating that the Elder of his clan was ill, but aftee Weed's pack had left the Elder pursuaded him, he finally left. Now he and 20 of his ninja dogs are under Weed's leadership. Voiced by Kōsuke Takeuchi. (Note: Tesshin was the pup affectionately titled "Chibi" in Nagareboshi Gin.)

;Gin: (Akita Inu) Weed's father. The hero of the battle with the bear demon Akakabuto 14 years ago, and now the ruler of Futago Pass. Gin was captured and held hostage by Hougen, but later rescued by Kyōushirō and Toubē. He then recovered and gave up leadership to his son Weed. Voiced by Hiroki Touchi.

;Akame: (Kishu Inu) One of Gin's direct lieutenants. The last living Iga ninja dog. He assists in the defense of Gajou after escaping during Gin and John's capture by Hougen. In the manga, he stated that if Gin send him to Ohu instead of John, it was because John would have stayed and fought to the death. Voiced by Takashi Matsuyama.

;John: (German Shepherd) Gin's other direct lieutenant. He was killed by Hougen in episode 9 after escaping with Reika and Hiro. Voiced by Tōru Ōkawa.

;Smith: (French Spaniel Mix) One of Gin's commanders. He lost his leg after saving GB from being hit by a car. He was sent off during Kaibutsu's invasion to protect Sakura and tell Gin of the attack. He was killed by Kaibutsu in episode 4 in attempt to save Weed. Voiced by Ryūsei Nakao.

;Ben: (Great Dane) One of the oldest of the surviving Ohu soldiers from the battle with Akakabuto. Ken's father. He's still very strong despite advanced age, but virtually blind, due to poison. He has to be guided by his mate, Cross. Voiced by Katsuhisa Hōki.

;Cross: (Saluki) The only female Soldier of Ohu, with a fierce temper. Ben's mate, and Ken's mother. She serves as Ben's eyes in his old age. Voiced by Keiko Mizutani.

;Kurotora: (Kai Ken) One of Gin's commanders and the only surviving one of three Kai brothers. Kagetora's father and Shigure's uncle. Voiced by Tadashi Miyazawa.

;Buru, Dodo, Shouji: (Kai Ken) Three of Kurotora's nephews they died in episode 13 in the fight with Genba's army when they tried to take over Futago Pass in Ohu. The fourth brother, Shigure survived, he ran away from the fight to give a message to the Big Four of Mutsu. When the fight was over Genba felt like they were taunting him, he said, "How annoying. They died laughing at us" and when two of his followers asked him if they should treat the bodies with courtesy due to their bravery, speaking as though they were praising them, Genba became even more enraged, grabbing the corpses by the scruff of the neck he then hurled their bodies into the river below, claiming that there was "no need to honour the enemy". Kurotora vowed to avenge them

;Moss: (English Mastiff) One of Gin's closets allies and the half-brother of Ben. He and Musashi came to Ohu from Shikoku after hearing the situation in Futago Pass from Jerome.

;Musashi: (Tosa Inu) Musashi was the champion of the fighting dog middle weight division. Musashi went up against Toube in the ring and lost. He came to Ohu with Moss to help Weed rescue Gin and defeat Hougen.

;Toube: (Tosa Inu) Toube was the champion of the fighting dog middle weight division after he defeated Musashi in a match, but came to Hougen as a soldier. Toube accompinied Genba, Hougen's little brother, and was punished by Hougen by having his eye ripped out for not protecting Genba. Hougen then throws Toube off a cliff, assuming he would drown. Weed rescued Toube from drowning and eventually developed an alliance with the hesistant dog. After Kyoushiro went to Hougen, Toube went to set the leader free and also to see whet Kyoushiro's true intetions were. He froze to death after fighting for his last time against Kamakiri in episode 21, Toube was saying that he will never fall, and Jerome helped him stand till frozen.

Antagonists

;Kaibutsu: Also known as experiment P4, he is a genetically altered dog created by humans from a DNA sample. After years of painful treatment he became an enormous beast that weighs almost 600 pounds. During his torturous creation he often cried out to the other dogs through a small vent shaft, but Jerome was the only dog who ever stopped to comfort him. After escaping the laboratory, Jerome and his corps were sent to destroy him. Kaibutsu eventually took shelter in Gajou where he massacred dogs and devoured the traveling humans as he pleased. With the combined strength of Weed, Ken, Kagetora and Jerome, Kaibutsu's suffering finally came to an end when he fell from a cliff and was impaled on a fallen tree limb in episode 6. Voiced by Kong Kuwata.

;Hougen: (Great Dane) A rogue boss dog in the Southern Alps. His ears are cut short either for dog fighting or from frostbite. He took the injured Gin captive and intended to take over Futago Pass using Gin as trump card. In the past, he and his brother Genba were man-eaters, and cannibals as well, devouring their comrades one by one when they were left in a shed by a careless breeder. When he came back, they devoured him as well. It is said this is the direct cause of his cruelty. In episode 26, Weed and Hougen battle for Ohu, and though Weed is nearly killed, the young dog succeeds in gravely wounding Hougen. As Hougen lies in the snow, Gin and the other dogs move forward to finish him off, but are stopped by Weed, who passionately tells them that if they cannot forgive their enemies, the war will never end. Hougen uses this opportunity to climb to the top of Gajou, screaming down at the dogs that he will kill them yet. As he gloats, he is struck by a bolt of lightning and killed instantly. Voiced by Kōji Ishii.

;Genba: (Great Dane) Hougen's younger brother. He looks almost identical to Hougen, except he has longer ears. He leads Hougen's invasion of the Futago Pass in episode 13. The two brothers had made a promise after devouring their cruel owner that they only ever wanted to be killed ny each other's fangs. Hougen fulfilled this promise in episode 18 out of mercy after he went insane due to a massive head injury after being thrown off a cliff by Tesshin and Shigure. Voiced by Masami Iwasaki.

;Lector and Thunder: (Doberman Pinschers) Brothers that are Hougen's top assassins. Their teeth are essentially steel. Weed used a branch on one's fangs, knocking them out. He later knocked out the other's fangs in episode 16. Jerome killed both of them in episode 16. Jerome killed Lector by knocking him over, whereas he fell on the ice and died. Jerome also kills Thunder, biting him to death as Weed watches and orders him to stop. His disobedience leads to Jerome's exile from the Ohu Soldiers. Lector is voiced by Teruaki Ogawa, and Thunder is voiced by Susumu Akagi.

;Kamakiri: (Irish Wolfhound) He allies with Hougen in the takeover of Futago Pass. After Genba's death, however, he develops ambitions of his own. Kamakiri is also the murderer of Hiro's father Yukimasa, he tore out Hiro's right eye. He claims he does not even remember such a thing. He ripped off Jerome's left ear in episode 14. Later on in episode 22, he was defeated by the vengeful Hiro, with his fangs and testicles ripped off. Before Hiro leaves, however, he told Kamakiri to head south where there was a high population of rats - prey easy to catch with no fangs. As Hiro leaves, Kamakiri attempts to bite Hiro on the back, but without his long upper fangs, he immediatly loses his grip and slides to the ground crying in pain, despair and defeat. It is later implied he may have died, as Hougen mentions seeing brids circle the area where he had last been seen. Voiced by Yoshitaka Kaizu.

;Buruge: (Retriever mix) One of Hougen's three generals. He was once a fighting dog who, because of his unyielding determination, earned such monikers as the Death God and the Demonic Warrior. During the Battle of Gajou, he fights and is defeated by Kyoushiro. When Kyoushiro shows kindness to him by letting him live he cries tears of regret and decides to leave Hougen's forces.

;Bat: (most likely Labrador Retriever) Another of Hougen's generals. He is a blind dog with extremely sharp senses, which he calls his "mind's eye." Like with Buruge, Bat was fighting with Ohu soldiers, Ken and Kagetora, and was defeated. When Ken and Kagetora showed him kindness by sparing his life, he also shed tears.

;Kite: Another of Hougen's generals. His front legs were replaced by indestructible metal legs by humans who wanted to make him an assassin dog. During the Battle of Gajou, he fought Tesshin and lost. Just as with Bat and Buruge, Tesshin showed him kindness and he cried. When he, Bat, and Buruge were brought to the healing springs by Sasuke, they were shown even more kindness from Gin when he demanded they heal their wounds by joining him in the hot spring. They cry tears of regret and vow to never ally themselves with the likes of Hougen again.

Manga-only characters

As the manga is much longer and more detailed than the anime, certain characters did not make it into the TV show. There are new characters as well as reapperances from "Ginga Nagareboshi Gin". Please note that these are only a very small few of the characters who appear in the manga, but not in the anime.

;Joe & Yukimura: :(Akita Inu/Kishu Inu mix) Joe and Yukimura are Weed's siblings. Joe inherited his father's silver fur, while Yukimura had the red/brown coat of his grandfather, Riki. After their mother, Sakura, contracted an illness, she asked a dog named Saheiji to look after two of her pups, as she could not hunt to feed all three of them. Saheiji agreed and took them in as his own sons. After months pass, tragedy strikes. A clan of monkeys lead by an albino gelada baboon named Shougun try to take over Saheiji's territory in the Southern Alps. Yukimura is attacked by Shougun and receives three scars across his right eye. Saheiji tries to protect them, but is paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. Shougun and his clan take Joe away, and he is thought to be dead. It has been recently revealed that Joe is alive, having been rescued from the monkeys by a human, who kept him as a pet - and that he has a son. Yukimura vows revenge and will kill any monkey that crosses him. Months pass and Yukimura is a platoon leader in Saheiji's pack. He then crosses paths with his brother, Weed. Though Yukimura recognizes Weed as his sibling, Weed has no idea who Yukimura is. Together they learn of a rebellion group lead by the monkey Ishizaru. He and his followers want revenge on Shougun for ruining their lives. Weed and Yukimura agree to help them. The final battle is fierce. Shougun stabs a sharp branch into the side of Yukimura's stomach. The mortally injured dog then jumps and attacks Shougun with Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, wounding him badly. Yukimura watches as the remaining monkeys stab and pound Shougun to death. Yukimura dies shortly after from his wounds. Saheiji tells Weed that Yukimura was his brother and that Yukimura refrained from telling him that he was his brother in order to protect him from the battle against Shougun.

;Lydia:: (German Shepherd) The sister of Maxime and a pack member of Victor's. Her father is the leader of the large German Shepherd army. In the battle between Victor and Weed, she pretends to be injured so she can be taken away by Weed's army and gathering information. However, she quickly forgets all about it and falls in love with Jerome.

;George::(Great Dane/Saluki mix) Ken's brother and Ben and Cross' son. He more resembles his mother than his father. He meets up with his brother and Weed while they look for the Koga dog Tesshin. He blames himself for his sister Minnie's (also not shown in the anime) death when she jumped across a river to reach him and drowned.

;Daisuke::(Human) Gin's former owner and best friend. Daisuke has grown from an "adventurous little kid" into a young man. He hears about a monster (Kaibutsu) in Futago Pass that's been attacking people and killing them. Daisuke drives up to the mountain to see if it is true. On the way, he finds Weed, riddled with bullet wounds, and is speechless: The young dog is a Tora-ge, just like Gin. Positive that the puppy is Gin's son, Daisuke goes after him but then runs into Kaibutsu. Weed saves him and Kaibutsu is driven off by hunters and their rifles. Daisuke then takes Weed home and treats his wounds. After Weed is fully recovored, Daisuke lets him return to Futago Pass.

;Shouji Sudou::(Human) Shouji is a one-eyed retired policeman who has an intense hatred for Hougen. Long ago, he and his partner, Tanuma, were in the Southern Alps on a mission to capture a criminal. There they found an abandoned kennel. As they inspect it inside, they saw Hougen and Genba with an army of their kin, eating a human. Then the dogs attacked the policemen. Though Shouji only lost his left eye, Tanuma was mercilessly torn apart by Hougen. Fuelled with hatred, Shouji swore to hunt down and kill Hougen and Kamakiri for the loss of Tanuma. In the end, he finally found Hougen, heavily wounded and tired from the battle with Weed. Without an ounce of mercy for the defeated dog, Shouji shoots Hougen straight through the head with his rifle and avenges his friend. He is nicknamed "Shouji the Mamushi" for his tenacious spirit of hunting down criminals.

;Jaguar::(English Mastiff) Moss' son. He accompanies his father and the fighting dog Musashi to Ohu after hearing about Hougen's invasion on Futago Pass.

;Kisaragi::(Siberian Husky) The former leader of the four Mutsu Generals. After hearing about Hougen and Genba from Chutora's son Shigure, he sends his six sons to Ohu to aid Weed and the others in battle. Kisaragi stays behind because he fears he would not be of any help because of his old age.

;Takeshi::A young puppy in Kyoushiro's pack. He slipped into a river and was rescued by Toube, who was forced to bring the pup to Kamakiri as a hostage in order to spare his life. Takeshi later escapes Hougen with Kyoushiro as Toube fights off Kamakiri's pack.

;Wilson::(Rough Collie) A veteran from the battle against Akakabuto. He stays in Ohu and meets Weed during the Kaibutsu arc. At first, he doesn't believe that Weed is the son of Gin.

;Koyuki::(Kishu Inu) A female pet dog. When her younger brother, Kotetsu, goes missing, she goes out looks for him on her own. While walking along, she gets caught in a hunter's trap. Weed hears her cries and rescues her. Koyuki then develops a crush on Weed. When gets home, she tells her half-sister Chako what happened. Chako tells Koyuki that she was also rescued by a Shiba Inu named Sasuke. Suddenly, Koyuki's owner desides to send her away to become a breeding dog. Weed hears the news from her brother Kotetsu, he runs after the truck that's carrying her. He frees her and then Weed realizes his feelings toward Koyuki.

;Chako:(a Shiba Inu/Kishu Inu mix) Chako is the half-sister of Koyuki and Kotetsu. She was saved by the Shiba Inu, Sasuke, and has a crush on him, but later discovers that he was not the strong warrior he was lying to her about.

Media

Manga

Yoshihiro Takahashi wrote "Ginga Densetsu Weed" as a sequel to his original work "Ginga Nagareboshi Gin" that is set two years after the original and that focuses on Gin's son Weed. It was initially serialized in Manga Goraku, premiering in 1999. The chapters have been published in collected volumes by Nihonbungeisha. As of March 2008, fifty volumes have been published in Japan. [cite web |url=http://www.nihonbungeisha.co.jp/books/pages/ISBN978-4-537-10797-5.html |title=Ginga Densetsu Weed, volume 50 page |publisher=Nihonbungeisha |accessdate=2008-03-21 |language=Japanese ]

The manga was licensed for an English language release by ComicsOne. [cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=2284 |title=Ginga Densetsu Weed (manga) |publisher=Anime News Network |accessdate=2008-03-21 |language=English ] Three volumes were released on April 1, 2001 under the shortened name "Weed" before ComicsOne quietly canceled the series due to low sales. All three volumes are now out-of-print. In 2004, ComicsOne went out of business and DrMaster acquired all of the company's manga licenses. [cite web |url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/6632.html |title=ComicsOne Titles Back from DrMaster |publisher=ICv2 |date=2005-03-25 |accessdate=2008-03-21 ] [cite web |url=http://www.animeondvd.com/specials/year-in-review/2005/2005inreviewmanga.php?view=62 |publisher=AnimeOnDVD.com |title=Year in Review 2005: DrMaster |first=Ed |last=Chavez |year=2006 |accessdate=2008-03-21 ] However, DrMaster did not chose to continue the "Ginga Legend Weed" series.

Anime

In 2005, Studio DEEN produced 26 Ginga Densetsu Weed episodes. [cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5814 |title=Ginga Densetsu Weed (TV) |publisher=Anime News Network |accessdate=2008-03-21 |language=English ] Several incidents were changed, including how Akakabuto was killed. The series ended after the death of Hougen. So far, there is no indication that the anime will be translated into English.

* Opening: "Ginga Densetsu WEED" by Dohatsuten
* Ending : "Tsuki Akari" by Dohatsuten

References

External links

* [http://www.animax.co.jp/feature/index.php?program=NN10000088 Animax's official "Ginga Densetsu WEED" website] ja icon
* [http://www.gingasite.net/ GingaSite.net] - the biggest site of Youshihiro Takahashi's work