Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru is the next series after his Naruto series and it’s sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Kishimoto is responsible for the script, panel layout, word balloon placement, and rough draft of storyboards. He then passes all this to Akira Okubo, who then finalizes the art. Okubo worked on Naruto as an assistant starting with the 16th volume. Samurai 8 focuses on a galaxy that is heading towards its end. The only hope for saving it is to find Pandora’s Box. Within this box is the secret to saving the universe. However, the warrior god, Fudo Myo-o has made it so the box can only be opened with the Seven Keys.
Who is our main protagonists Hachimaru?
A sickly boy, Hachimaru dreams of becoming a samurai and exploring the galaxy. However, he is tethered to a life-supporting device created by his father, Furuta. He spends most of his days playing an online VR game while bickering with his father. Hayataro, Hachimaru’s pet dog with a cat AI, brings him Daruma. A blind robot cat, Daruma is known as the “wandering lone wolf.” A samurai trained in the ways of Kong-Yasha Style, he’s famous around the galaxy. Meanwhile, Furuta attempts to get parts for another machine to help Hachimaru. He tries to work with a ronin. However, the ronin notices that Furuta has the Samurai Soul of a legendary samurai around his neck.
What are samurai’s and how are they made?
In the Samurai 8 series, samurai are cyborg warriors. To become a samurai, one must commit seppuku with a small blade found in a Locker Ball. It’s possible that by doing this one’s body becomes a Key. A spinal shaped memory unit becomes the base of a new cybernetic samurai body. Each samurai’s cybernetic body can regenerate, allowing them to reattach limbs or regrow them altogether. When the ronin arrives at Furuta’s home to retrieve the Samurai Soul, Hachimaru commits seppuku. He becomes the samurai he’s dreamed of and defeats the ronin.
Is Samurai 8 any good?
It’s too early in the series to make any determination regarding this series quality. I like this series so far. The combination of sci-fi and samurai lore is interesting. I loved the designs of the samurai armor and the world by Akira Okubo. It’s only the first volume and if Bleach taught me anything it not just how you start but how you end. The character Nanashi being introduced as a part of Hachimaru’s team, only to be abandoned seems strange. The series pacing in the first 6 chapters is inconstant and I have to know the idea of how the power system functions. We only get a glimpse of the Princess that will join Hachimaru. Regardless, while many aspects of the story aren’t fleshed out yet I’m excited for what this series could bring.
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