Samurai Deeper Kyo (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 1999 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 38 tankōbon volumes. Set during the Edo period, the series follows Demon Eyes Kyo, a feared samurai seeking to regain his body after his soul is sealed inside the body of his rival, Mibu Kyoshiro. Kyo is joined in his search by the bounty-hunter Shiina Yuya, the heir to the Tokugawa shogunate Benitora; and Sanada Yukimura, a known rival of the Tokugawa. The manga was licensed in North America by Tokyopop (vol. 1–34) and Del Rey Manga (vol. 35–38; released in two omnibus volumes). A 26-episode anime television series produced by Studio Deen was broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to December 2002. The series was licensed by Media Blasters and released on home video under its AnimeWorks label in 2003–04. It was broadcast in the United States on Encore Wam in 2006.

Plot

Set in Edo period, Shiina Yuya, a bounty hunter, is searching for her brother's murderer. However, Yuya quickly meets a medicine peddler named Mibu Kyoshiro, who turns out to be sharing a body with the feared samurai Demon Eyes Kyo. Kyo's only stated wish is to regain his own body. Following this path leads Kyo, Yuya and a variety of fellow travelers into conflict with both the Tokugawa shogunate and the Mibu tribe, a race of violent superhumans who have run Japan from the shadows for millennia.

Characters

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo, Samurai Deeper Kyo was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 25, 1999, to May 10, 2006. Kodansha collected its chapters in 38 tankōbon volumes, released from October 15, 1999, to July 14, 2006. In North America, the manga was first licensed for English release by Tokyopop; they released 34 volumes from June 10, 2003, to April 7, 2009. In August 2009, Tokyopop announced that their manga licensing contracts with Kodansha had expired. The series was then acquired by Del Rey Manga; the remaining chapters were released in two omnibus volumes; volume 35/36 was released on December 15, 2009, and volume 37/38 was released on July 27, 2010.

Anime

A 26-episode anime television series produced by Studio Deen, directed by Junji Nishimura with screenplay by Shō Aikawa, was broadcast on TV Tokyo from July 2 to December 24, 2002. The opening and ending themes, "Aoi no Requiem" (青のレクイエム) and "Love Deeper", respectively, are both performed by Yuiko Tsubokura. The series was licensed in North America by Media Blasters. They released it on six DVD sets, under their AnimeWorks label, from June 24, 2003, to May 11, 2004. A complete box set was released on November 16, 2004. The series premiered in the United States on Encore Wam on July 31, 2006.

Episodes

Video games

Two video games based on Samurai Deeper Kyo have been published by Bandai. The first, a versus fighting game for the PlayStation, was released in Japan on December 12, 2002. Alongside the regular edition of the game, Bandai released a "Limited Edition" bundled with a Samurai Deeper Kyo collectible card game. The second, an action-adventure game for the Game Boy Advance (GBA), was developed by Marvelous Entertainment and released in Japan on December 27, 2002. The game was later localized for North America by Destineer and bundled with a re-release of the anime series box set in 2008; it was the last game to be released for the GBA before the system’s discontinuation in North America. Kyo is a playable character in the 2009 fighting game Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen, released by Konami for the PlayStation Portable.