Manji (Blade of the Immortal)

Manji is the protagonist of the Japanese manga series Blade of the Immortal. In the story, he's known infamously both as the "Hundred Man Killer," for the number of men he's killed by the beginning of the series, and "Mister Twelve Blades" for the number of weapons he carries. He is most easily identified by the manji symbol he wears from which he derives his name and the scars across his face, and as the title of the manga implies, he's been given immortality by the means of the kessen-chu, which prevent him (for the most part) from dying.

Story

Backstory

The fallen samurai Manji served the Hatamoto Horii Shigenobu, a local daimyo, unknowingly enforcing his brutal rule on the local populace until he found out his lord was corrupt and killed him. From that moment on he was considered an outlaw and hunted down by the same daimyo clan, eventually gaining the nickname "Hundred Man Murderer". He fled to his sister, to Machi's house forgetting that she had married an officer of the law, Saitō Tatsumasa. While evading pursuers Manji encountered Saitō Tatsumasa and the two faced off preparing to do battle when suddenly Machi appeared on the scene. Her arrival distracted Manji, who finally realised who his opponent was, giving Saitō an opening to attack. Saitō seized the opportunity and lunged forward attacking Manji. In desperation Manji defended himself, but was unable to fully avoid Saitō's attack. The confrontation resulted in Manji's loss of an eye, Machi's mental breakdown and the death of Saitō Tatsumasa, who became the 100th man to be killed by Manji. From then on Manji dedicated himself to taking care of his sister. The exact events between then and the beginning of the series are not known, but at some point during this time, he encountered Yaobikuni (her name literally means "nun of eight hundred years"), a mysterious nun, who offered him the kessen-chu, or sacred bloodworms, which would provide him with immortality. The best indication of Manji's age is that he is at least ten years older than Rin (which would make him twenty-six). However, as it is known that the Kessen-chu freezes the aging process and that Manji has had the worms for at least a year, he may technically be older than that.

Relationships

Rin

Rin - being the pivotal character of Blade of the Immortal, in which every other character has some kind of connection or relationship to - has a well-developed companionship with Manji. During the first two story-arcs she is nearly inseparable from Manji, employing him as a bodyguard. At first the relationship can be described as that of sister-brother or possibly father-daughter (as evidenced in Dreamsong where she makes a decision based on said family values in terms of how to deal with Manji), as well as a strong mentor feel as he starts training her. Manji treats her as a child, often teasing Rin about her immaturity in some situations, while over-thinking in others. However in the 14th volume, Last Blood, Rin kisses Manji whilst he is asleep, thinking about how she would like to cuddle him as a 'reward'. This suggests that Samura has plans for the characters that transcends that of sister-brother.

Itto-ryu

Manji's relationship with the Itto-ryu is, for the most part, non-existent. He not only fights and often kills Itto-ryu members, but he usually engages in some type of dialogue before or during the fight. While he kills most members in order to protect Rin or his own life, Manji does seem to find himself fighting people with the same values as his own and has thus developed an uneasy 'friendship' with Magatsu Taito (albeit briefly) and an apparent respect for Otono-Tachibana Makie. However Anotsu himself and many other members do not mean much to Manji yet they serve to reinforce his own values and the reasons for which he is fighting.

Mugai-ryu

Apart from Shira, Manji is on friendly terms with the Mugai-ryu. Apart from a short fight with Giichi, there isn't any sign that this comradeship will change. Suspecting a hidden agenda and finding out about their origins from Sori, Manji still seems hesitant to trust them completely. His relationship with Hyakurin shows this perfectly: during the course of the series they talk numerous times and both acknowledge that, in terms of defeating the Itto-ryu, they need each other and help each other several times. Yet Manji does not fully commit to wanting to hang around Hyakurin, and often keeps her at arms length.

Story Arcs

These refer to the English editions published by Dark Horse Comics. Blade of the Immortal can be (so far) roughly divided into four main storyarcs:

1) Introduction: Volume 1 (Blood of a Thousand) ~ Volume 5 (On Silent Wings, part 2)

As the series opens Manji and Machi have somewhat settled down in Edo with Yaobikuni and O-Yō. After an encounter with Shido "Johnny" Goybutsu, a bounty hunter disguised as a priest, Manji begins to question the purpose of his immortality. That same night he awakens to discover that Shido Hishiyasu, brother of "Johnny" Goybutsu, has kidnapped Machi in an attempt to force a confrontation between himself and Manji so that he can avenge his brother. Manji arrives on the scene and denies his instinct to immediately cut down Shido Hishiyasu and his gang, instead offering to fight them barehanded. Feeling insulted Hishiyasu murders Machi before impaling a stunned Manji. Manji, thanks to the Kessen-Chu, quickly rises and realises what he has to do. Making quick work of Hishiyasu and his gang, Manji returns to Yaobikuni the next day with a proposal, to make amends for the 100 "good men" that he killed before, Manji will kill 1000 "evil men" and then the Kessen-Chu will leave his body.

Some time later a young woman, Asano Rin, arrives at Manji's hut seeking his aid in avenging the murder of her parents at the hands of a renegade sword school, the Itto-Ryu. At first Manji declines, explaining that he has no way of knowing if the men are truly evil and stating that since he made this vow Yaobikuni's been sending everyone with a sob story his way. Eventually, due to the fact that Rin bears a resembalance to his deceased sister, Manji does agree to protect her on her quest.

Soon after, the duo have their first encounter with a member of the Itto-Ryu. For the past two years love letters had been arriving at the Asano dojo addressed to Rin, using these the two track down Kuroi Sabato, a tall Itto-Ryu swordsmen covered head to toe in armor and a long cloak, and confront him one night. Initially Manji hangs back, allowing Rin a chance to confront and get a confession from Kuroi. With his identity confirmed Manji enters the scene, attempting to engage Kuroi in battle only to find that the swordsmen is utterly obsessed with Rin to such a point that he completely ignores Manji. He pushes past Manji, leaving his back wide open for an attack. Manji takes the opening and quickly finds himself cut in two at the waist as Kuroi reveals that he has the ability to rotate his body completely backwards. Stunned and legless Manji watches as Rin attempts to fend off Kuroi using her multiple throwing knives in her patented attack "Flight of the Golden Wasps, Curtain of Death". Kuroi deftly blocks all the knives from hitting his body, but enough manage to strip the armor from his body revealing the horror beneath. As the armor and cloak fall away his faces become visible for the first time. His actual face and head are heavily scarred and completely bald, while sewn onto both of his shoulders are the stuffed and preserved heads of his ex-wife and Rin's mother. Shocked by this horrorific reveleation, Rin breaks down and is almost talked into committing suicide by Kuroi, who promises to remove his ex-wife's head and replace it with Rins, killing himself afterwards. Thankfully before she can go through with it, Manji manages to crawl up behind Kuroi and literally cut him to ribbons.

Shortly after his encounter with Kuroi Sabato, Manji is dragged to the house of a painter by the name of Master Sori. Sori is a long time friend of Rin's family, and she hopes to convince him to lend his sword to her cause. Manji's no frills blunt manners clash with Sori's more refined and cultured attitude almost instantly and the two exchange verbal jabs at each other several time. At first Sori refuses stating that a humble artist would be of no use, then Rin reveals that she knows the truth behind Sori, that he's not just a painter but a member of Shogunates secret police. This revelation leaves both Sorii and Manji stunned, but again he refuses, this time citing shame at how tainted his sword is due to the various illegal and immoral acts his used it in over the years. Manji sees right this facade and eventually gets Sori to admit that he just can't be bothered to risk his life while all he wants to do is paint. The two exchange insults again and almost come to blows at one point. The encounter ends with Manji storming off in a huff leaving Rin to spend the night in Sori's place.

The truth behind Manji's departure is revealed early the next morning as a group of Itto Ryu members led by Hage sneak into Sorii's residence and attempt to kill Rin. Manji arrives in time to save Rin and reveals that he knew that Hage had been spying on them, and that he stormed off to lure the group in. Together, Manji and Rin battle off the Itto Ryu horde and seem to be in control of the situation until Hage ensares Manji in an elaborate trap. He forces Manji back against a tree which is covered in a netting of rusty hooks, which sink into Manji's back and hold him there while Hage turns his attention to Rin. While Manji manages to tear himself off the hooks, he's too injured to make it to Rin on time. Thankfully Sorii, who had spent the entire battle inside attempting to paint, finally steps in. Sorii, enraged at Hage for destroying a painting he was working on during the battle, makes short work of Hage, cutting him to ribbons before the amazed eyes of Manji. A few hours later the duo head out on the road again, but not before Sori gives them 30 ryo to help them on their way.

2) Mugai-Ryu: Volume 6 (Dark Shadows) ~ Volume 9 (The Gathering, part 2)

3) Aftermath / Last Blood: Volume 10 (Secrets) ~ Volume 14 (Last Blood)

4) Prison: Volume 14 (Last Blood) ~ present

Weapons

Aside from his high bodycount, one of the most notorious things about Manji is the number of weapons he carries with him at all times, earning him the nickname "Mister Twelve Blades." In addition to owning a number of his own, he sometimes takes weapons off his defeated opponents and tends to name them after their previous owners. Below is a listing of his weapons including a short description of each and their previous owners.

• Karasu (The Crow) - A pair of weapons that resemble large throwing stars, but with a hole in their centers allowing them to be spun on a finger for parrying or attacks. One has four blades while the other has three, though they are both used in exactly the same way. They were previously owned by Kuroi Sabato.

• Shido (The Four Paths) - A pair of forked blades (sort of resembling bladed jitte) with holes at the pommel and hilt areas allowing them to be spun similar to the Karasu, or to be linked by a chain. They were previously owned by Shido Hishiyasu.

• Imo-No-Kami Tatsumasa (Sister Defender Tatsumasa) - A pair of katana forged by famed swordsmith Toratoru Kotetsu. The handles are removable, allowing for one blade to be attached to the pommel of the other. Previously owned by Saitō Tatsumasa.

• Aun - A collapsable double bladed spear. Previously owned by Hage, a member of the Itto-Ryu.

• No Name - A pair of sickle-like blades linked by a seven-foot length of chain that's fitted into their handles. Manji will occasionally attach them to the ends of other weapons, like the Shido. Taken by Giichi when Manji breaks the Mito-no-Kami.

• Sukehiro Ametsubaki (Rain Camellia) - A nihon-to forged by the master swordsmith Sukehiro.

• Kotengu (Little Devil) - A short forked blade, almost dagger sized, with one of the blades forming a hook. Frequently used by Manji for climbing things.

• Okorobi (Man Toppler) - A large straight sword (club?) with multiple hooks coming off it.

• Merabi (Lady Gadfly) - A heavy looking sword with an odd wave like blade.

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