Vinland Saga may not be a series that takes place in Japan with samurai and katana action, but while it had little to do with those ideals it does share a lot with it samurai compatriot. Young man Thorfinn, son to a legendary warrior, finds his life filled with revenge as he tries to better himself to one day take on another warrior by the name of Askeladd. Author Yukimura Makoto has made one of the strongest series thanks to the fact that this series isn’t just another story about samurai or ninjas.

Besides being a great story, Vinland Saga has some of the greatest art ever scene in a manga. Every volume bursts with strong and unique visuals bringing this epic Viking story to life. Similar to Samurai Deeper Kyo, the action on every page is visceral and strong never shying away from showing blood or carnage. We also can add that the volumes themselves are amazing with hardcover bandings. Thorfinn’s story of revenge may not take place in the land of the rising sun, but the open seas and harsh winter environments make the reader forget about the samurai and venture into the mind of the Viking elites.

Going back to the land of the rising sun we enter the story of Gamaran from Mangaka Nakammaru Yousuke. We enter the tale of Kurogane Gama who hails from a famous swordsman who legend states killed one thousand martial artists. Similar to Samurai Deeper Kyo, the stories have warriors known for killing mass amounts of talent warriors. Can Gama become legendary like his father from the past leaving his mark on the land? You will have to read to learn of the end result.

Gamaran leans heavily on vary visually strong battles and deep combat. Both Kyo and Jinsuke, the father of Gama and in this case the legendary warrior, share a similar tale indeed. Samurai combat and a different look on the historical Edo period of Japan leads to some, albeit small, amount of real life martial arts and ideologies. Trust us here, you will want to read this amazing story and feel as the swords and fists collide in equal measure. Did we also mention this story is complete so you can binge the manga series at your heart’s content.

Do you like the supernatural elements that are in Samurai Deeper Kyo? Did you like the whole concept of Mibu harboring a demon like warrior inside of himself? Well then here’s your manga recommendation in the form of Segawa Masaki’s Onikiri Juuzo or the English title Eye of the Dog, Jyuzo. Onikiri Juuzo has it all, action, samurai, demon killing and let’s not forget a man who harbors a demon inside of him. Yet we must ask the age old question, what is this manga series even about?

Samurai warrior Jyuzo is tasked, for various reason we won’t spoil, with the job to hunt down a human. The reason Jyuzo must track down this man is because this once normal human is now being possessed by a demon who has been sealed away in a sword for eight hundred years! While Onikiri Juuzo lacks the sometimes comical nature of Samurai Deeper Kyo, it does have a very dark story and loads of epic scale samurai battles. Top that off the art is very strong with dark tones and overly strong dark backgrounds making the series feel ominous and epic. Now can we hope for a battle between Kyo and the Demon in maybe a possible collaboration…probably won’t happen but we can wish for it.

While Mibu Kyoushirou is the center stage to samurai Deeper Kyo, we can’t forget to mention the bounty hunter that accompanies him for a moment. Yuya Shinna, the main female lead of Samurai Deeper Kyo follows Mibu because he does have a rather large bounty on his head which can earn her some much needed funds. That being said the reason why we mention this is because her fate harkens to Karasu’s main characters Taichi and Souji, brothers who are trying to earn some means of survival like Yuya. The only means to do so however comes in the form of joining a fighting band named Crows as samurai. Karasu’s story may have a different focus besides revenge plots and demons but it doesn’t need those concepts to wow the reader.

Created by Machida Kazuya and Yanagi Yukisuke, Karasu is surely a series few have heard of and that’s unfortunate because we feel it is an amazing story. The art is sheer beautiful glory and in many ways some character designs actually do remind us of Samurai Deeper Kyo’s characters, which you won’t hear us complain there. Karasu may not be a well-known franchise but don’t let that stop you from following these brothers as they enter a world of samurai to just scrape by. We here at Honey’s Anime will stick with writing articles instead of joining a dangerous profession such as these brothers.

Do the following recommendations lack something for you? Maybe from Samurai Deeper Kyo you wanted more zany like character such as Tokugawa Hidetada or Sanada Yukimura, allies to Mibu and his plight. Don’t fret we didn’t forget to mention Sengoku Youko on this list for that exact reason. While still filled to the brim with katana action and some demon battles, Sengoku Youko tries to also to have fun with its odd cast of samurai. Plus we also made sure to have a little diversity with the main character of this story being a female unlike the other recommendations.

Following sibling pair Youko Tama and Junka Sendou, these two decide to follow a righteous path of action. Despite being demons, they wish to help people and go around defeating those who do ill deeds. Also ironically enough in their adventure they meet a man named Hyoudou Shinsuke who seems to almost be an exact copy of Mibu Kyoshirou. This tale of siblings versus the world is fun and frenetic with some great illustrations and deep bold storytelling. Don’t be like the cowardly Junka Sendou and give Sengoku Youko a whirl to fulfill that Samurai Deeper Kyo itch.

Rounding off this list we look at Adabana an amazing one shot from Shirasaya. Let us return to our main character Mibu Kyoshirou, while Mibu is a very weak looking individual he does harbor the deadly warrior Kyo inside of him which makes him a capable fighter. Similar to this our main story of Adabana focusing on a young girl named Lilia who meets a weak man may make you realize where we are going with this. That’s right the apparently weak man is anything but, yet going into any more detail will spoil this short one shot so we won’t do that.

Adabana may have no length in comparison to these other titles, but within this amazing one shot is a small but well-crafted story. Added to this unique title is illustrations and strong character/art designs that breathe a breath of fresh air into the usual samurai stories of most manga. You’ll want the story to continue but unfortunately it does come to a quick closing leaving the reader with many wants and desires. Yet maybe that was a legit tactic in its own right. We can speculate on the short nature of this title but we don’t need to in terms of recommending it.