Danica Davidson
April 25, 2025 
Vagabond is a beautifully illustrated and fictionalized biography about Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman and writer of The Five Rings. This manga is an adaptation done by Slam Dunk mangaka Takehiko Inoue and is based on the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.
It opens in full color at the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, where Takezo, who will someday be Miyamoto Musashi, has survived with his friend Matahachi. The two young men end up going in very different directions in life, and Miyamoto wants to be strong. But this Miyamoto is not the wise man of The Five Rings; he’s still a youth figuring things out, though at the same time he’s amazingly skilled with a sword. People dismiss him as a country hick until they see what he can do with a wooden blade.
VIZ Media has published Vagabond before, but now it’s coming out with massive hardcover omnibuses. This book contains the first three manga volumes, and that includes quite a few pages in full color, though the majority of the book is in black and white. The pages are larger than usual, letting people really appreciate the detailed artwork. Inoue’s art is masterful, precise and amazing to see.
The mood in this first book is dark, violent and provocative. There is quite a bit of blood, and the violence coupled with a few suggestive bedroom scenes earns the manga a Mature rating from VIZ.
There’s not always a whole lot of explanation about what’s going on, with the impression that people in Japan will already know enough about Miyamoto and his legends to follow along. VIZ does supply some background information in the back, but it might also be helpful to check out a biography on the real man.
As some nice added bonuses, the back of the book includes early sketches and an interview with Inoue from 2008. Anyone who’s a fan of Inoue’s work, Miyamoto Musashi or darker seinen manga would probably really enjoy Vagabond.
Story & Art: Takehiko Inoue
Publisher: VIZ Media
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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