Kurogane

Story & Art by Kei Toume

Set in the Tokugawa era of feudal Japan, Kurogane is the story of Jintetsu - a wandering samurai with a difference. Initially a feared assassin and a wanted man, Jintetsu dies at the hands of his pursuers only to be "repaired" by a maverick inventor who brings Jintetsu back to life as a sort of pre-industrial cyborg. Jintetsu, however, is something of an unfinished product and never regains the power of speech following his resurrection - instead his sentient sword does the talking for him and accompanies him on his travels as he strives to deal with his painful memories and his hollow and artificial existance. Along the way, Jintetsu encounters friends, foes and figures from his past resulting in a story that's a combination of drama, combat and introspection.

Volumes

5 in the canonical sequence

English packaging

5 books, 5 releases

Publishers

Del Rey Manga

Also known as

Black Steel, 黒鉄