Anime and manga fans looking for a historical adventure series will be happy to know about Samurai Deeper Kyo. While the manga and anime feature significant differences from one another, both offer a thrilling, supernaturally charged chanbara -- or sword fighting -- series.
Samurai Deeper Kyo is a Tokugawa-era action-adventure series with the added stakes of a powerful, dormant entity living within a medicine man and the bounty on that entity's head. Filled with special abilities and fast-paced battles, there's plenty of excitement and intrigue for fans to explore in Samurai Deeper Kyo.
The Plot of Samurai Deeper Kyo
Samurai Deeper Kyo takes place in early 17th century Japan. It follows the feared samurai, Demon Eyes Kyo, on his quest to regain his body following the sealing of his soul in the body of rival swordsman, Kyoshiro Mibu. Young bounty hunter Yuya Shiina is on a hunt to find the person who killed her brother, and also to collect the largest bounty available. Luck is on her side, however, after she runs into Kyoshiro because Kyo happens to have the highest bounty on his head.
As Kyo begins to gain more control over Kyoshiro's body, the story mostly focuses on his journey to get his own body back, with the help of Yuya and other fellow travelers they meet along the way. As Kyo's search goes on, the secrets about both his and Kyoshiro's origins are slowly revealed to show how their lives would become forever intertwined.
Where to Read the Samurai Deeper Kyo Manga
Akimine Kamijyo created Samurai Deeper Kyo in 1999. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1999 until its completion in 2006, later collected into thirty-eight tankobon volumes. Most of the manga was licensed for a western release by Tokyopop until the expiration of their license, leaving volumes 35 through 38 to be picked up and released by Del Rey Manga.
It's unfortunately become hard to come by for anyone looking to add the series to their collection. There aren't any digital editions currently available, and physical editions are primarily second-hand. Stores that currently carry the series include Powell's City of Books starting at $3.95, Thriftbooks starting at $4.09, Abebooks starting at $2.50, and Amazon starting at $9.99.
Where to Watch the Samurai Deeper Kyo Anime
Samurai Deeper Kyo was adapted into an anime that premiered in 2002. The series ran for twenty-six episodes. The plot of the Samurai Deeper Kyo anime differs from that of the manga, with one of the biggest differences being the characters of Kyo and Kyoshiro. In the manga, they're different characters entirely, but in the anime Kyo is actually Kyoshiro's suppressed Id. This creates more of a Jekyll & Hyde dynamic in the story compared to the standard rivalry established in the manga.
While the anime may not currently be available on any streaming services, DVD box sets are available for purchase. There are six DVD volumes available, each bundling anywhere from 3-5 episodes of the series, with subs and dubs available in each set. Almost all bundles for Samurai Deeper Kyo are available for purchase through Amazon.
Whether a fan is looking for an epic sword fight, or a perilous journey against the backdrop of history -- Samurai Deeper Kyo is a shonen series that delivers on all that and more.
