The Elusive Samurai
The Elusive Samurai (Japanese: 逃げ上手の若君, Hepburn: Nige Jōzu no Wakagimi, lit. "The Young Lord Who Is Skilled at Escaping") is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump since January 2021, with its chapters collected in twelve tankōbon volumes as of September 2023. An anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks is set to premiere in 2024.
The Elusive Samurai | |
![]() First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Hojo Tokiyuki | |
逃げ上手の若君 (Nige Jōzu no Wakagimi) | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by | Yusei Matsui |
Published by | Shueisha |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Jump Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | January 25, 2021 – present |
Volumes | 12 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yuta Yamazaki |
Written by | Yoriko Tomita |
Studio | CloverWorks |
Original run | 2024 – scheduled |
Premise
Set between the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, during the Kenmu Restoration, the story follows the tale of Hojo Tokiyuki, a boy on the run after his family is overthrown by Ashikaga Takauji. With his only allies being a shady priest and his followers, the young lord must seek revenge and regain his glory, with his only weapon: a superhuman ability to flee and hide.
Characters
- Hōjō Tokiyuki (北条時行)
- Voiced by: Asaki Yuikawa[3]
- Suwa Yorishige (諏訪頼重)
- Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura[3]
- Shizuku (雫)
- Voiced by: Hinaki Yano[4]
- Kojirō (弧次郎)
- Voiced by: Mari Hino[4]
- Ayako (亜也子)
- Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro[4]
- Kazama Genba (風間玄蕃)
- Voiced by: Aoi Yūki[4]
- Fubuki (吹雪)
- Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya[4]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui,[5] The Elusive Samurai started in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 25, 2021.[6][7] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on July 2, 2021.[8] As of September 4, 2023, twelve volumes have been released.[9]
In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media, who simultaneously publishes the chapters digitally as they are released in Japan on its Shonen Jump website.[10] In October 2021, Viz Media announced that they would publish its volumes starting in Q2 of 2022.[11] Shueisha also simulpublishes the series in English and Spanish for free on the Manga Plus app and website.[12]
Volumes
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | July 2, 2021[13] | 978-4-08-882710-0 | July 5, 2022[14] | 978-1-9747-3251-7 | ||
| ||||||
2 | August 4, 2021[15] | 978-4-08-882734-6 | September 6, 2022[16] | 978-1-9747-3397-2 | ||
| ||||||
3 | November 4, 2021[17] | 978-4-08-882793-3 | November 1, 2022[18] | 978-1-9747-3398-9 | ||
| ||||||
4 | January 4, 2022[19] | 978-4-08-883010-0 | January 3, 2023[20] | 978-1-9747-3438-2 | ||
| ||||||
5 | April 4, 2022[21] | 978-4-08-883073-5 | March 7, 2023[22] | 978-1-9747-3629-4 | ||
| ||||||
6 | June 3, 2022[23] | 978-4-08-883184-8 | May 2, 2023[24] | 978-1-9747-3696-6 | ||
| ||||||
7 | August 4, 2022[25] | 978-4-08-883198-5 | July 4, 2023[26] | 978-1-9747-3871-7 | ||
| ||||||
8 | November 4, 2022[27] | 978-4-08-883291-3 | September 5, 2023[28] | 978-1-9747-4092-5 | ||
| ||||||
9 | January 4, 2023[29] | 978-4-08-883423-8 | November 7, 2023[30] | 978-1-9747-4121-2 | ||
| ||||||
10 | April 4, 2023[31] | 978-4-08-883438-2 | February 6, 2024[32] | 978-1-9747-4380-3 | ||
| ||||||
11 | June 2, 2023[33] | 978-4-08-883561-7 | — | — | ||
| ||||||
12 | September 4, 2023[9] | 978-4-08-883635-5 | — | — | ||
| ||||||
13 | November 2, 2023[34] | 978-4-08-883693-5 | — | — |
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
- "Follower 1335" (郎党1335, Rōtō 1335)
- "Elusive 1335" (逃げ上手1335, Nige Jōzu 1335)
- "Successor 1335" (受け継ぐ1335, Uketsugu 1335)
- "History 1335" (歴史 1335, Rekishi 1335)
- "Intermission 1336, Part 1" (インターミッション 1336 1, Intāmisshon 1336 1)
- "Intermission 1336, Part 2" (インターミッション 1336 2, Intāmisshon 1336 2)
- "Intermission 1336, Part 3" (インターミッション 1336 3, Intāmisshon 1336 3)
- "Intermission 1336, Final Part" (インターミッション1336(終), Intāmisshon 1336 tsui)
- "The Elusive Warriors 1337" (逃者党1337, Nigeshatō 1337)
- "U.N.K. 1337" (U.N.K. 1337)
- "Confirmation 1337" (見極め 1337, Mikiwame 1337)
- "Student Confrontation 1337" (学生対決 1337, Gakusei Taiketsu 1337)
- "Tone River 1337" (利根川 1337, Tonegawa 1337)
- "Introductions 1337" (利根川 1337, Kaoawase 1337)
- "Youthful Days 1337" (少年時代 1337, Shōnen Jidai 1337)
- "New Techniques 1337" (新技 1337, Shinwaza 1337)
- "How a Noble Fights 1337" (公家の戦 1337, Kuge no Sen 1337)
- "Brute Force 1337" (力攻め 1337, Chikarazeme 1337)
- "Reunion 1337" (再開 1337, Saikai 1337)
- "Special Move 1337" (絶技 1337, Zetsugi 1337)
- "The Future 1337" (未来 1337, Mirai 1337)
- "Destiny 1337" (宿命 1337, Shukumei 1337)
- "Shiba Ienaga 1337" (斯波家長 1337, Shiba Ienaga 1337)
- "Kamakura 1337" (鎌倉 1337, Kamakura 1337)
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 20, 2023. It is produced by CloverWorks and directed by Yuta Yamazaki, with scripts supervised by Yoriko Tomita, and character designs handled by Yasushi Nishiya.[35][36] The series is set to premiere in 2024.[4]
Reception
By May 2022, the manga had over 1 million copies in circulation,[37] and over 1.5 million copies in circulation by April 2023.[38]
In June 2021, The Elusive Samurai was nominated for the seventh Next Manga Award in the Best Printed Manga category and placed sixth out of 50 nominees.[39][40] The series ranked eighth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022.[41]
Anthony Gramuglia of Comic Book Resources wrote that the series has become one of the "highlights of [Weekly] Shōnen Jump's newer titles", adding that "[it] is not only surprisingly emotional but also surprisingly intense, starting with all cylinders at full-throttle and never letting up".[42]
References
- "The Official Website for The Elusive Samurai". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- "北条時行"検索する人続出 ジャンプ新連載の主人公で史実描き話題 作者は『暗殺教室』松井優征氏. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. January 25, 2021. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 24, 2023). "The Elusive Samurai TV Anime Reveals Main Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 9, 2023). "The Elusive Samurai Anime Reveals More Cast, 2024 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- Ryoko, Fukuda (July 19, 2021). 南北朝時代を斬新な切り口で描く『逃げ上手の若君』 魅力は松井優征の前作『暗殺教室』に通ずる"成長"?. Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 17, 2021). "Shonen Jump Launches New Manga by Assassination Classroom & Astra Lost in Space Creators, 2 Others". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- 松井優征の新作は歴史の狭間で"逃げる"英雄を描く逃亡譚、. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 25, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- 逃げ上手の若君:「暗殺教室」松井優征の5年ぶり新連載 コミックス第1巻 日本画家が着物や背景描く. Mantan Web (in Japanese). November 26, 2022. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- 逃げ上手の若君 12 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- Hazra, Adriana (January 22, 2021). "Viz Media to Publish Yusei Matsui's New Manga in English". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 10, 2021). "Viz Announces Summer 2022 Book Releases Including Junji Ito's The Liminal Zone, Takashi Shiina's Yashahime Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- Manga Plus [@MangaPlusENG] (January 24, 2021). "🇬🇧 New series! Yusei Matsui, the genius behind Neuro and Assassination Classroom, is now back with The Elusive Samurai! 🇪🇸 ¡Nueva serie! ¡Yusei Matsui, el genio detrás de Neuro y Assassination Classroom, vuelve con El Héroe Fugitivo!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Twitter.
- 逃げ上手の若君 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- 逃げ上手の若君 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- 逃げ上手の若君 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- 逃げ上手の若君 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- 逃げ上手の若君 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- 逃げ上手の若君 6 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 7 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 8 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 8". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 9". Viz Media. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 10 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- "The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 10". Viz Media. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 11 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- 逃げ上手の若君 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 19, 2023). "Yusei Matsui's The Elusive Samurai Manga Gets TV Anime at Cloverworks". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- 漫画『逃げ上手の若君』テレビアニメ化決定 制作はCloverWorksでPV公開 (in Japanese). Oricon. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- 『逃げ上手の若君』(松井優征作品)公式 [@ansatsu_k] (May 30, 2022). #逃げ上手の若君 第6巻が 6/3(金)発売‼️ 累計発行部数は100万部突破🎉 6巻発売を記念して イラストカードを作成しました✨ ⬇️配布書店リストはこちら⬇️ https://shu-sales.box.com/s/1jimwmb02kmflrk7hi56i4ehxkd6jyhl ※配布方法は書店により異なります。 ※配布物は数量に限りがあります。なくなり次第終了いたします。 (Tweet). Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
- 『逃げ上手の若君』(松井優征作品)公式 [@ansatsu_k] (April 4, 2023). #逃げ若 最新10巻や各巻を購入(画像の帯が目印)すると 時行パーカープレゼントに応募できます❗️ ⚠️応募締切は2023年5月8日(月)まで❗️ 帯についている応募券をハガキに 貼って応募要項のあて先に送ってください👍 外れても和紙シールが 当たるWチャンス✨ #逃げ上手の若君 (Tweet). Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (June 21, 2021). "Voting Opens for Tsugi ni Kuru Manga 2021 Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- 書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2022、第1位は龍幸伸「ダンダダン」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- Gramuglia, Anthony (June 18, 2021). "Shonen Jump's 5 Newest Manga, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
External links
- The Elusive Samurai official manga website at Weekly Shōnen Jump (in Japanese)
- The Elusive Samurai official manga website at Viz Media
- The Elusive Samurai on Manga Plus
- The Elusive Samurai official anime website (in Japanese)
- The Elusive Samurai (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia