Samurai Deeper Kyo Series by Akimine Kamijyo

1604 A.D. Four years after a devastating civil war, Yuya Shiina earns a living by hunting outlaws. When she captures Mibu Kyoshiro for a small bounty, she has no idea about the dark secret he carries within. Kyoshiro shares his body with the spirit of Onime-no-Kyo, a legendary assassin who has killed a thousand men.

*Anime Available on DVD *A consistent Bookscan top seller *Over 20,000 internet fansites are dedicated to Samurai Deeper Kyo Yuya discovers that the man before her is no longer Kyoshiro, but Onime-no-Kyo. Kyo defeats the Bantouji brothers easily and viciously and turns to face the last person alive: Yuya. Kyo spares her, promising to watch as she hunts for her brother's killer and to kill her if she fails. Once he puts his sword away, Kyo is gone and the spirit of Kyoshiro returns to his body... more*Anime Available on DVD *A consistent Bookscan top seller *Over 20,000 internet fansites are dedicated to Samurai Deeper Kyo Yuya discovers that the man before her is no longer Kyoshiro, but Onime-no-Kyo. Kyo defeats the Bantouji brothers easily and viciously and turns to face the last person alive: Yuya. Kyo spares her, promising to watch as she hunts for her brother's killer and to kill her if she fails. Once he puts his sword away, Kyo is gone and the spirit of Kyoshiro returns to his body. Kyooshiroo leaves the town before the spirit of Kyo can harm his friends, but Yuya insists on traveling with him since there is a huge bounty on Kyo. less

1604 A.D. Four years after a devastating civil war, Yuya Shiina earns a living by hunting outiaws. When she captures Mibu Kyoshiro for a small bounty, she has no idea about the dark secret he carries within. Kyoshiro then shares his body with the spirit of Onime-no-Kyo, a legendary assassin who has slain a thousand men.

*Anime Available on DVD *A consistent Bookscan top seller *Over 20,000 internet fansites are dedicated to Samurai Deeper Kyo Yuya is attacked by a pack of wolves, but is rescued by a group of rebels who kill the wolves and take her away. When Kyooshiroo awakens, he discovers that both Yuya and Okuni are gone. While searching for them, Kyooshiroo rescues a young girl from a pack of wolves and ends up in the rebels' secret village... more*Anime Available on DVD *A consistent Bookscan top seller *Over 20,000 internet fansites are dedicated to Samurai Deeper Kyo Yuya is attacked by a pack of wolves, but is rescued by a group of rebels who kill the wolves and take her away. When Kyooshiroo awakens, he discovers that both Yuya and Okuni are gone. While searching for them, Kyooshiroo rescues a young girl from a pack of wolves and ends up in the rebels' secret village. He discovers Yuya is safe and that the rumors of the rebels and their treasure are unfortunately false. less

Book by Kamijyo, Akimine

Forest of the Damned Aokigahara, the forest at the base of Mt. Fuji, is said to be home to bloodthirsty monsters; no mortal man dare walk these woods. But today Aokigahara has become quite crowded. Demon Eyes Kyo is here in search of his body, as are his greatest enemies, The Master and the 12 God Shoguns. The stakes are higher, the combatants deadlier, and blood will be shed this day.

A showdown of epic propoortions is about to take place as Sasuke realizes that he and Kyo share more than the murderous intent in their eyes! They both two wield the same Muramasa sword that was rumored to have slain thousands of men. As their duel heats up, a ferocious foe from Kyo's past appears and adds fuel to the fire.

Yukimura makes short work of Haira and his throwing knife techniques, prompting Kyo to comment that Yukimura has gotten stronger. The remaining General, Makora, still has confidence in killing Kyo's whole group on his own, claiming to be a lone wolf. He uses Ninja techniques involving the group's shadows to stop them dead in their tracks, but Sasuke avoids the techniques and fights him one on one... moreYukimura makes short work of Haira and his throwing knife techniques, prompting Kyo to comment that Yukimura has gotten stronger. The remaining General, Makora, still has confidence in killing Kyo's whole group on his own, claiming to be a lone wolf. He uses Ninja techniques involving the group's shadows to stop them dead in their tracks, but Sasuke avoids the techniques and fights him one on one. Sasuke shortly realizes however that Makora's true identity is that of his childhood friend, Kotaro, with whom he made a pact that one of them would become the Crimson King (Aka no Ou) who rules the Sea of Trees. Kotaro is angered with Sasuke, claiming he betrayed him, but as Kyo and the others become able to move again, Kotaro retreats. Elsewhere, Basara is walking with "that Man" and a newly introduced General, a glasses-wearing, innocent-looking girl named Santera. Santera seems to have some sort of information gathering ability, and reports the latest news of the other Generals to "That Man," who is shown for the first time as a good-looking man with long, light colored hair, wearing a cross. In the Hades Plain, Yuya hallucinates, flashing back to her 12th birthday, the day her brother was killed. As the killing is relived, she sees the killer's face clearly as Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro begins speaking "I won't make excuses...but...I..." but Yuya can't hear the rest, as she is awakened from the hallucination by Akira. Akira reveals that Hades Plain is filled with poppy flowers, and the effect of the pollen causes hallucinations in those who walk through it, get lost, and eventually die. The blind Akira can't see the hallucinations, so he is unaffected and able to lead the rest of the group through the Plain. Soon, Akira leads the group to the Crimson Lotus (or Blazing Red) Pure Land (Guren Jodo) which Yuya expects to be a scary place deep in the Sea of Trees, but it turns out in actuality to look like Paradise. Kotaro having run away, Yukimura discusses with Kyo and the others his plan to reach the Crimson Lotus Pure Land by going the straight method...through "Hell's Gate," the Crimson King's entrance, which they can pass through by obtaining the keys from the five guards of the gate. After the group agrees, Kyo questions Yukimura's motives, suspecting that Sakuya asked him to help them, but Yukimura dismisses Kyo's perception. The group reaches what seems to be the gate, but they are welcomed through it by beautiful maidens offering food and wine. In the end, however, the maidens turn out to be monsters, the first guards of the Gate, and try to eat the group. They are no match for Kyo however, and the Village Elder, the only one to have met the Crimson King, stops them and leads Kyo to the real gate. Kyo passes the trial of defeating four sword-wielding stone statues with such prowess that the elder questions if Kyo is really the Crimson King. Meanwhile, Basara, Santer, and "That Man" also enter through the fake gate and approach Kyo and company. Kyo and "That Man's" reunion doesn't last long before That Man declares his intention to kill Kyo. Before the fight begins, however, Basara thanks Okuni, who is revealed to be the General Indara, for her help in information gathering. The elder gives Kyo the final key (he got the other four from defeating the statues) and tells him to go through the gate, willing to sacrifice her life to stall "That Man." "That Man" isn't stalled, however, as the elder is killed by him instantly. The true battle then begins, with Kyo facing off with That Man, who is still on his horse, and the rest of the group facing Basara. As That Man is about to deliver a finishing slash of his sword to an outclassed Kyo, Okuni steps in the way of the sword, sacrificing her life for Kyo's sake and redeeming herself. Kyo tells Benitora to tend to Okuni as he challenges "That Man" once again, calling him out as the presumed-dead Oda Kazusanosuke Nobunaga and swearing to not let him have his way (ruling the Earth). less

The most feared General of all time has returned! His name is Oda Kazusa-no-suke Nobunaga! Even more shocking than the master's identity is the demonic power that drives him. Can Kyo the thousand-killer find a way to defeat an enemy who has conquered death itself?

Chapter One: Starts off with Kyoshiro still battling against Nobunaga, and is unbelievably calm in battle. The onlookers also see how he is able to use the same sword techniques as Kyo, such as the Mumyoujinburyuu. Kyou seems to have the upper hand at the end of the chapter. Chapter Two: Kyoshiro hesitates in killing off Nobunaga, overcome by a flood of flashbacks. Kyo's spirit urges him to do it, and Kyoshiro is ripped apart by the internal struggle of two spirits in his mind... moreChapter One: Starts off with Kyoshiro still battling against Nobunaga, and is unbelievably calm in battle. The onlookers also see how he is able to use the same sword techniques as Kyo, such as the Mumyoujinburyuu. Kyou seems to have the upper hand at the end of the chapter. Chapter Two: Kyoshiro hesitates in killing off Nobunaga, overcome by a flood of flashbacks. Kyo's spirit urges him to do it, and Kyoshiro is ripped apart by the internal struggle of two spirits in his mind. Just as Nobunaga takes this opportunity to kill off Kyoshiro/Kyo, the Gate of Hell opens and Akira appears!! He reveals that he is in possession of both Kyo's body, as well as Shiina Yuya's life (soul)! Chapter Three: Akira gives a gun which belonged to Yuya-san to Kyoshiro, and Kyoshiro lashes out. When Akira reveals the bloody (and NAKED) body of Yuya-san, Kyoshiro flips out, despite the fact that he should've spent all of his energy fighting with Nobunaga. It looks like Kyo's spirit takes over as he faces off with Akira, as Akira tells the bitter tale of his past: Kyo found Akira as a child after destroying his village, and offers to take him in and make him the SECOND strongest man in the world. Nobunaga jumps in to kill Akira, but is frozen with Akira's freezing powers. Shindara interrupts to introduce...Yuya-san! She's alive and walking out of the Gate. Chapter Four: Yuya-san's fine and we find out that she aided Shindara in escaping from Akira's ice trap. When Kyoshiro confronts Akira about his lying before, Akira says that he just wants to make him suffer and that Yuya-san is his obvious weak point. He then disappears into thin air, and tells them that if they can find him, he'll give back Kyo's body. Then, Kyo and Nobunaga get back into their fight, determined to finish it once and for all. Chapter Five: Nobunaga is the loser and his head blows off. Before anyone can come and check on Kyo they find that they can't move their bodies, thanks to...Kotarou, an accomplice of Shindara. Everyone starts to leave the scene of the bloody battle when Yuki's brother, Nobuyuki, shows up to say hi. But BAM, they notice that Nobunaga's head is gone!! We find that Shindara has taken it and is bringing it to "Shatora" who has been waiting a long time for it, in order to revive Nobunaga. Chapter Six: Bath scene of Yuya-san thinking over the past battle and events. The Gate of Hell apparently won't open again, and she feels guilty for causing so much trouble for Kyoshiro (getting caught, helping the bad guys, etc). Previously, Akira had proposed to Yuya to come with him and "be his woman" but she refused. She's also worried and afraid about how Kyoshiro killed her brother. Now Kyo and all his buddies decide to go and find Akira! Chapter Seven: Chapter opens with Okuni telling Yuya that she might want to consider killing Kyo to get revenge on her murdered brother, but Yuya is confident that Kyoshiro will return to his normal self. Nobuyuki leaves for Edo, but Yukimura discovers it's only under Ieyasu-sama (Tanuki)'s orders, that he came in the first place. And also that, if they had lost against Nobunaga, Ieyasu probably would've had them all wiped out. In that army of 20,000 men, there are two specific people that they should look out for, Nobunaga warns. Just as Nobuyuki leaves, Shindara shows up to talk with Yukimura. Yukimura reveals that he used to go by the name "Sarutobi Sasuke". Chapter Eight: Shindara reveals the "Guren Joudo'"s plan to resurrect Nobunaga, as well as to wipe out Kyoshiro. Kyo threatens that when he gets his body back, he's gonna kill all of Shindara's people out. With that, Shindara leaves, and Yukimura revelas to the others that he was never fighting alongside them as a friend, but simply because he feels that Kyo can serve as some benefit to him. He then tells them that Akira is hiding Kyo's body in the royal castle in the capital! And they all head out for it! Chapter Nine: The troupe's camping out in the forest. Nothing much except that Sasuke's a bit peeved thinking how Shindara's stronger than him and whatnot. Toro tries to get a peek into the girls bathing. Bontenmaru shows up, and he's also off to the capital to kill Ieyasu and become the next ruler. less

Long, long ago... Bontenmaru commanded the Oou, but now he has joined the Shiseiten! He joined the dark side because they were far stronger than any troupes he had ever led. Now he is extending Kyo an offer to join his side. Regardless of Kyo's decision, he will need to return to his master and the one that forged his sword... the legendary Toushou Muramasa!

The battle between Kyo and Shinrei begins! Shinrei unleashes his devastating dancing-sword technique, penetrating the blind spots in Kyo's defenses. Believing victory to be within his grasp, Shinrei taunts Kyo by bringing up a painful chapter from his past. Kyo desperately tries to shut out the traumatic memories by violently hacking into Shinrei--but the attack backfires as Shinrei uses his own blood to forge a powerful magic sword! Will Kyo survive against this deadly new weapon?

The battle for Yuya's life begins! As Benitora faces the steel-skinned Jaki-sama, Sasuke tests his new Muramasa blade against the vicious Maki-sama. Meanwhile, Yuya and Bontenmaru encounter the deadly assassin, Keikoku the Firefly.... What is the true nature of this mysterious new foe? And how will our heroes survive the Mibu onslaught?!

In the midst of Bontenmaru's battle with the Mibu assassin Firefly, Goyousei Chinmei suddenly appears! With his sights set on the Mibu headquarters, the time comes when Kyo and Muramasa must part... As the gang begins its hurried journey, Akira appears, carrying the ultimate prize: Kyo's true body!

Kyo and company finally penetrate the Mibu headquarters. Later, while fighting off an onslaught of Mibu assassins, Bontenmaru and Akira fall into an enemy trap! But when Bontenmaru encounters Tokito of the Four Elders, he learns an amazing secret.... The action-packed samurai epic continues!

Kyo and Hotaru begin a fight to the death at the first of the Five Shining Gates. The two collide in a sizzling-hot flame that burns up both their bodies--and makes the ground tremble! Then Kyo's ultimate technique, Suzaku, rises up into the sky...The action-packed samurai epic continues!

At the second gate, the battle between Akira and Saisei begins! As the blind genius Akira falls before the might of the beautiful and mysterious Saisei, she reveals her true identity to him. Is there any way that Akira can survive this confrontation with another timeless samurai master?

After his battle with Saishi, Akira collapses! Bontenmaru can carry him through the Second Gate, but there they must choose between two doors... Meanwhile, Izumo-no-Okuni searches for the same mysterious jewel that Kyo seeks. But then she runs into Taihaku of the Five Stars, who makes her an offer she can't refuse...

Kyo is offered the title of Crimson King as the action-packed Jekyll and Hydestory continues. Rated for older teens.

Benitora and Taihaku face off at the Fourth Gate--Benitora's dedication to protecting his friends just might give him the edge he needs to kill Taihaku. But when Taihaku gives a devastating revelation to Yuya, her life and Sakuya's will change...forever!

Kyo and his party face off at the Fifth Gate--in the battle to kill off Shinrei, Kyo uses Mizuchi and Suzaku, his most powerful attacks, but they aren't enough. With waterwyrms squeezing the life out of Yuya and Shinrei refusing to take it out of her body, the only way to save her now is to kill Shinrei!

Hotaru's fight against his half-brother Shinrei continues! In a blind rage, Kyoshiro gives complete control of his body to Kyo and a deadly fight with Shinrei begins. Hotaru must choose between protecting his brother or joining Kyo in killing him. But before the battle is finished, the last of the Four Emperors, Akari, makes a grand entrance...

Akari has returned! Now the Four Emperors are reunited for the first time in four years. Together, they defeat an army of thousands--alive and undead alike. But as they clear a path to the four doors that block the way to the Onmyo Shrine, there is a catch: Only one door actually leads to the shrine...

Akari battles Mekira, a wielder of an ancient Mibu weapon that can turn enemies to stone. Enraged by Mekira's treatment of Santera, Akari reveals a secret of his own! Meanwhile, Sasuke and Izumo travel to the peak of Mt. Fuji, where Kotaro stands in their way--and Kotaro and Sasuke begin a battle that may shatter their friendship forever.

Akira, Benitora, and Hotaru continue to fight against Kubira's deadly Phantom Phase until Antera enters the scene. While Antera reveals the secrets of her past, Kyo and Bontenmaru reach the final gates, only to be stopped by another of the powerful 12 Shogun!

In order to put a stop to Haira of the Twelve God Shogun, Bontenmaru must resort to his "Beast" mode if he wants to come out victorious--and alive. Meanwhile, Yukimura sets out to defend his men against the unstoppable Shindara, which results in a heart-touching revelation. And at last...the identity of the Former Crimson King is revealed!

As Yukimura is on the verge of defeating the traitor Shindara, Kosuke rushes in to reveal the shocking truth behind Shindara's betrayal. Just as the misunderstandings are put to rest, the Four Elders appear...to welcome in Kyo and the gang into Onmyo Palace! What secrets are hidden within, and more importantly, will our heroes survive them?

Shihodo, guardian of the Onmyo Palace's labyrinth, allows Kyo and Sasuke to leave on one condition: they retrieve the fourth cursed blade of Muramasa, believed to be held by the famed blacksmith Julian, once mentor to Muramasa himself! Later, the reunited group of Kyo, Sasuke, Yuya and Akari run into Yuya's "dead" brother Nozomu again. But this time, what they discover about him has the potential to disrupt the balance of the entire world...

Kyo faces his most formidable foe yet--Oda Nobunagas soul, trapped inside the shaman Nozomu's body! And when Nobunaga raises the souls of the former Twelve God Shogun, Kyo finds himself face-to-face with an old foe, the likes of which he thought would never cross his path again...

Kyoshiro and Kyo--one a peaceful medicine seller, the other a merciless red-eyed samurai--are two spirits fighting for dominance of the same body as they travel with Yuya, a bounty hunter who helps them look for Kyo's true body.

"First published in Japan in 2005 by Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo"--t.p. verso.

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"First published in Japan in 2005 by Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo"--t.p. verso.

THE END IS NIGHThe stakes are higher than ever before, as the final two Elders emerge to prevent Kyo from reaching the former Crimson King. Even more dangerous is the return of Kyoshiro’s burning vengeance. Terrible secrets, hidden motivations, driving desires–all are brought into the open as the ultimate climax approaches in this white-knuckle, double-stuffed volume!Includes special extras after the story!

ALL PATHS LEAD HOME The mad former Crimson King threatens to destroy all creation—and only Kyoshiro stands between Demon Eyes Kyo and his ultimate foe. Beliefs are on the line as the two friends and rivals cross blades for the final time. All secrets are revealed, all scores are settled, and all life hangs in the balance. At long last, the epic conclusion of Samurai Deeper Kyo is here! Final volume.