Manji has been the best assassin but after so many assassinations, he got frustrated of all the violence. He found a way to break the curse as told by the witch who cursed him, but it’s not an easy way. In order to break the curse he has to kill one hundred evil men for each innocent person he killed, which makes him kill thousand evil men. In his journey of breaking the curse he encounters a young girl, Rin who wants to avenge a swordsman who slaughtered his family and they explore the consequences of revenge.
Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL is the manga that has been adapted into anime twice and this is the second one which gives an insight about how someone becomes ‘human’. It tells the story about morality and the price of a revenge with the main character who is inhuman. This is not the first anime with such theme, there are some other anime that share some similarities.
Table of Contents
Dororo
Hyakkimaru had to lose his nose, eyes, ears, limbs and skin once he was born. It was due to the sacrifice that his father made to 12 demons so that he could gain some incredible powers in exchange. His parents left him and he was found by a man who gave him the lessons of survival along with weapons and prosthetics so that he could kill the demons to whom his father gave his parts because in that way he could transform into a human form. Dororo accompanies him in his journey. He is orphan and tries to stay happy in life.
Hyakkimaru is the same as Manji but in a different way. Manji has to regain his humanity by killing some bad guys and in the process he become closer to humanity but in Dororo, Hyakkimaru is loses his humanity as he gets confused in the process if the real monsters are human or demons. Other big similarity is the companionship. Both Rin and Dororo are great companions and both are orphans and make their partners realize what the life is all about.
Stranger: Mukou Hadan (Sword of the Stranger)
Nanashi was not troubled with the young boy, Kotarou and his dog Tobimaru, that he met in the temple, he decided to live for a while. But, things started to get troublesome when he finds out that the boy is burglar and is hunted by a group of Chinese Assassins. Tobimaru is poisoned by them as a tactic to catch them. When Nanashi fights with the first group of assassins, he decides to stay with them until Tonimaru gets better. But, Kotaru provides him the gems that he robbed and requests Nanashi to stay by his side as a bodyguard because he knows that sue to a prophecy this is not going to end soon.
Stranger: Mukou Hadan may not be as deep as Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL but there are certain level of similarities when it comes to the connection between a tough, worn-out fighter and a young companion with some principles. Although Rin is more ethical in comparison to Kotarou, both of them make their partner see the life from a better perspective.
Peace Maker Kurogane
Ichimura Tetsunosuke is just fifteen years old and has only one agenda in his life to get in Shinsengumi and take revenge Choushuu, for his parents’ murder. But, he is not capable enough and despite of the assistance of the people in the Shinsengumi and his elder brother Tatsunosuke, he is emotionally not strong to kill those who are threatening to others.
The idea of how revenge can come with a great cost can be seen in both Peace Maker Kurogane and Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL. Although in Kurogane and Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL, Majin is unable to make Rin realize this as his mind is twisted with violence but in Peace Maker Kurogane, Tetsunosuke is accompanied by many friends to support him. In this way both anime are fascinating to watch.
Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Tanjirou Komoda’s calm and happy life was ruined when his mother and siblings were slayed by a demon while he was trying to earn money for his family, selling charcoal in the town. Nezuko, his younger sister was the only one who survived the massacre but she was converted into a demon in that incident. Tanjiro choses to become a Demon Slayer in order to protect the only family he had left and to search the demon who started this havoc and find a cure to turn his sister back to human.
Yet again, we have found ourselves in another anime which features a young fighter trying to protect younger girl. Only change here is it’s the opposite in Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL, where the main fighter/protector is human, while the person who is being protected is the one struggling to turn into human again. The bond between the two siblings is different than the one Manji and Rin shares, but since the setting are similar, both anime are a counterpart of each other.
Onihei
Terrorism was at peak at the Tenmei era of Japan, as criminals control the streets of Edo. Earning the title of ‘Onihei’ which is Japanese for devil, Heizou Hasegawa, served as the chief officer of the police department, making sure all the terrorist and arsonists would face justice. He became the fear for all the criminals whatever their status, even though he would show sympathy to those who turn virtous. Heizou and his men made sure to maintain the peace of the city, while the innocent citizens of Edo rest.
Out of all, Onihei is the least supernatural show but the story plays in the same era of Mugen no Juunin: Immortal, but rather than small villages it takes place in a city instead. This difference is very engaging, as Majin and Rin refrain from stepping into big cities, so we can observe the difference in Japanese society if we pay a close attention to both the series. Some of the investigations Onihei chronicles has to handle with the threat of vengeance and obsession, and the graphics is pretty sweet so it’s worth the time.
Shigurui (Shigurui: Death Frenzy)
What force a guy to want revenge against a former ally and friend? What is worse than to face the situation to contest in the deadly competition ordered by the daimyo Tokugawa Tadanaga, their only objective is to murder their old friend? That is the question presented to us by Shigurui when we are introduced to Fujiki Gennosuke and Irako Seigen who are arm short and blind respectively. They are ready to duel till death using sharp swords. Afterwards we are showed backstory which reveals the reason of the situation they are stuck into and their bond was destroyed by the conspiracy, betrayal and not to mention the lust for vengeance.
Shigurui, just like Mugen no Juunin: IMMORTAL, reveals the inner demon of a human. Just like Majin, young girl who lead both Irako and Fujiki: Irako by Iku and Fujiki by Iwamoto Mie, who also seeks help as his instructing sight. Aside from being honest to Fujiki, Iwamoto also despises Iku. As the plot continues with all the battle going on, we can observe how this hate transcends into something so important, the only thing that matters in life.
Topics like betrayal, revenge and love are mostly seen in the most interesting stories. They are very essential parts of human emotions. This could be the one reason why Mugen no Juunin and the other similar to this anime are very interesting. It gives the idea of how revenge looks like and what redemption is, that comes with the positive emotion of protecting someone. Apart of these anime, there is also a very interesting manga Lone Wolf and Cub which should be read by the fans of Mugen no Juunin.
