Seen Last Samura Standing? Now Read the Manga!
by 
July 21, 2025
Whether you’re looking forward to Last Samurai Standing already or just heard the hype, there’s no denying it’s pretty big. And if you want to get ahead of the curve, you’re in luck! Tomorrow, Kodansha is releasing the first volume of the manga, based (like the Netflix series) on Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami. Now, you don’t have to wait to get immersed in this stunning series. Death games, intense battles, and unlikely alliances await.
Join us as we dive into the first volume, getting to know the competitor at the center of this deadly battle.
A Dangerous Game
Last Samurai Standing takes place during the Meiji Restoration and starts with a strange offer: take home 100,000 yen in gold, provided you’re a sufficiently able warrior. The offer is listed anonymously, with only an address to report to and a date to report there. But 292 warriors show up, among them our hero, Shujiro Saga. Once the rules of the competition are revealed, it almost starts to seem more dangerous than it’s worth.
The competitors have one month to make it from Kyoto to Tokyo. Each competitor also carries a numbered wooden tag. There are seven checkpoints along the way, which require points to traverse. Wooden tags equal points. And provided you don’t harm the people running the game or tell anyone about it, anything goes when it comes to getting those tags. It’s a battle royale… but why?
Unlikely Allies
While Last Samurai Standing may start with nearly 300 competitors, it doesn’t stay that way for long. This battle royale kills off more than a hundred of its warriors before they even leave the courtyard. Fortunately, Shujiro makes an unlikely friend in a girl named Futaba, whose daughter taught her the way of the sword.
The first volume is mostly about setting up the scenario, but the handful of characters we meet (the ones that survive, at least) are already interesting. There’s more to Shujiro than meets the eye, for one: he’s married with a child, and his wife sounds amazing. He’d also hoped to leave killing behind. But 100,000 yen in gold is nothing to sneeze at. While we’ll certainly get to meet a lot of interesting characters, from ninja to samurai, it’s Shujiro we’re most excited to learn more about.
The Journey Ahead
Artist TATSUZ does an amazing job bringing the drama, action, and gore of Last Samurai Standing to the manga page. The fights are brutal, and this adaptation pulls no punches. You’ll see a man beheaded in the first chapter. But just as there are intense battle scenes, there are also moments of beauty and sweetness. The best samurai adventures center humanity amidst brutality, and this one looks like it will be no different.
There’s a lot to enjoy in this story, no matter what kind of narrative you prefer. If you like samurai action… well, this is obviously for you. But fans of battle royale and death games will enjoy following this particular challenge to its end. And if you like a human story, keep your eyes on Shujiro — there’s a lot of story, and a lot of history, to be revealed.
