Product Description

The real Ieyasu is revealed to be Hanzo Hattori, the leader of the Iga ninja, who promptly kills his imposter for being useless. Ieyasu (Hanzo) has his ninja attack Kyo as the palace crumbles in flames. Kyo emerges victorious, but Ieyasu also emerges unscathed. Ieyasu tells Yukimura he may kill the Sanada clan out of whim someday, unless Yukimura becomes a Tokugawa servant like his brother. Ieyasu lets Kyo and Yukimura's groups live however as he leaves, an action Yukimura swears he will someday regret. Ieyasu gone without being killed, Yukimura offers Kyo another opportunity to learn the location of his body...defeating Yukimura. Kyo and Yukimura fight, ending with Yukimura acknowledging he is one step behind Kyo. A defeated Yukimura reveals Kyo's body is hidden in an icy cave deep within the Aokigahara Sea of Trees (Jukai) at the base of Mt. Fuji. Kyo prepares to head there, determined to get his body back, defeat Kyoshiro, and regain his name as the strongest. Before they begin the journey to the Sea of Trees, Yukimura tells Kyo that he is exactly the man 'Sakuya-san' said he was and also that Sakuya is pained over the thought that Kyo and Kyoshiro may fight again. The relationship between Sakuya, Kyo, and Kyoshiro is still a mystery to the reader. Meanwhile, Mahiro on order of Ieyasu confronts Benitora alone, who is revealed to be Hidetada Tokugawa, Ieyasu's son. Benitora refuses to become a slave to his father, however, and says he'll continue traveling with his love, Yuya, and Kyo. The next day, Yukimura parts paths with the group, telling Kyo not to die before he kills Kyo. Not long afterwards, Okuni finds Kyo, knowing he would be in Edo looking for Sakuya. Okuni brings the information that 'That Man' and the 12 God Generals that serve him are also after Kyo's body. The first three Generals are shown meeting up, the young girl Antera, the huge bald-headed Bikara, and the long black-haired Shindara, who seems superior to the others. Okuni in the meantime discusses things with Kyo. Yuya's resemblance to Sakuya and the fact that a former member of the Four Sacred Heavens (Shiseiten) with Kyo, the 'Twin Headed Dragon' Akira is now a 12 God General under the codename Ajira. In the meanwhile, Yuya meets a blind man who claims to be a friend of Kyo's. Benitora shows up before Kyo, and sensing the blind man's killing intent tells Yuya to run away. As Kyo shows up, it is revealed the blind man is Akira, who asks why Kyo back-stabbed the Four Sacred Heavens four years earlier. Just after Akira asks the question, however, Benitora picks a fight with Akira, but is hopelessly outclassed. Benitora manages a cut on Akira, but their fight is interrupted as Shindara, Antera, and Bikara arrive. The 12 God Generals leave, telling Kyo to come to the Sea of Trees, where Akira says he'll ask Kyo again. Before going, however, Akira tells Yuya he and Kyo know who the man that killed her brother is. As the group reaches the Sea of Trees, Yuya refuses to be left behind at the entrance by Kyo. Going in to the deadly forest on her own, she is attacked by some of the forest's inhabitants, but is rescued by Kyo. Much to Yuya's surprise however, visible through a hole in the back of Kyo's shirt is a Red Cross on Kyo's back...the same as on her brother's killer. The cross disappears as Kyo finishes fighting, but Yuya points her gun at Kyo, asking whether Kyo or Kyoshiro killed her brother and saying she'll kill him if it's one of them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #797733 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-10
• Released on: 2004-02-10
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Customer Reviews

All Star Manga
Worthy series to own! Action, action, action! Lots of plots, and some philosophy too. Enjoy!

Recycled Goodness
If there's anything that Kamijyo-san can do well, it's the recycling of the same plotline over and over and over and over...well, you get the idea. Following where the last book left off, after Kyo's defeat of Hotaru, the gang are now at the Second Gate. Akira is pitted against two sickeningly pathetic villains: twin nurses Saishi and Saisei.

This is the oddest attempt yet by Kamijyo-san to appeal to fanboy fantasies. The action does pick up, however, once it becomes apparent that Saisei is not as one-dimensional as she seems. While this series is rife with our favorite characters getting "serious" and the constant hint that Kyo is simply waiting to unleash his inner demon, Kamijyo-san manages the astounding feat of holding the reader's attention after 16 trite yet addictive volumes.

The plot is absolutely absurd most of the time and Yuya is constantly dangled as the damsel-in-distress. This time, her life hangs in the balance as the clock ticks and her life will soon be snuffed out by a waterwyrm (created by Shinrei and exacerbated by the aforementioned nurses) in her heart. The only morsels keeping the reader's appetite alive are the promises of revealing Kyo's past (including more of his connections with the Crimson King, Kyoshiro, Sakuya, and the Four Emperors), his terrible power, and the potential romantic interest in Yuya.

Tension and anticipation are what sell Samurai Deeper Kyo yet after pages and pages building up Saishi's fantastic powers, Akira's relatively easy victory seems more afterthought than actual climactic battle. Too much time is spent lamenting Saisei's "tragic" past and the attempt to infuse humanity into Akira is touching but forced.

Why do I rate this volume four stars out of five? Akimine Kamijyo accomplishes the only thing he set out to do: hook readers and keep them on board. Yes, this story is much too drawn out. Yes, the plot is repetitive. Yes, so many boss fights in succession without sufficient character development has reduced SDK to a dull, "tournament"-style manga. Yet, he must be doing something right. I bought it, didn't I?

Its Great
Ive only gotten to book five and episode 8 but I love the story line and the characters. Its just al around awesome! Akimine-san is an awesome artist and story writer and i look up to her as those.