Vagabond: Top 10 Strongest Characters In The Series
Vagabond is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series following the journey of Mushashi as he sets on a path to become “Invincible Under The Heavens”. Vagabond is one of the greatest Manga series ever written by Takehiko Inoue. The art, plot, character writing, etc are some of the best the medium has provided ever.
Ranking the strongest characters in the series is quite difficult. I have put the top 10 characters in the series.
10. Kanemaki Jisai
Jisai Kanemaki is the master of the Chujo-Ryu sword style, teacher of Ittousai Itou, and the adoptive father of Kojiro Sasaki. Jisai is approached by the village elder to kill a feared swordsman, Fudo Yugetsusai, who has been reigning as the savior of the village and demanding tributes of food/young girls.
In the fight, Jisai and Fudo attack each other. In the process, Jisai gets his right arm cut deeply to the point that he would not be able to use it correctly again but ultimately succeeds in taking Fudo down. After taking Fudo down his reputation grew and was able to start his own martial arts school.
9. Inshun Hozoin
Shinnosuke Mitsuda also known as Inshun Hozoin after being renamed by the first master, Inei Hozoin. He at the age of 15 was the strongest monk in the temple and later was announced Second Generation Master of the Hozoin Spear Technique. While his immense skill and natural talent led the other monks to want to befriend him, Inshun only focused on training and rejected their attempts.
This caused him to become hated by his peers, along with their jealousy of his talent. Seijuro Yoshioka was the only person he would call his equal. He was also constantly talking throughout his first fight with Musashi. Defeating Musashi so easily even after him training for 4 straight years makes him one of the strongest characters in the manga.
8. Yoshioka Seijuro
Yoshioka Seijuro is the eldest son of the great Yoshioka Kempo the founder of Yoshioka school. After the death of Yoshioka, He was named head of the Yoshioka School in Kyoto, Seijuro has a carefree personality and he prefers to visit his lover Akemi at the brothel or play around with girls than take responsibility for the Yoshioka school.
Despite his careless attitude he was extremely talented and was considered a rival by Inshun Hozoin. During Munisai’s first visit to Kyoto, he refused to fight him as he considers that it was not worth his time. But his movement speed and swordsmanship made Musashi acknowledge him as a strong opponent.
7. Shinmen Munisai
Munisai Shinmen is the father of Musashi Miyamoto. He was a renowned samurai, as he was known as “Invincible under the heavens” he was the only one to defeat Kempo Yoshioka the master and founder of the Yoshioka school. People of the village were afraid of him and consider him a devil. He was a very strict person and treated his son very badly, he considers his son as his rival just because he had his blood and was destined to become great.
Young Musashi tried to kill his father multiple times while he was asleep but always failed. Although there are not any fighting scenes of him in the manga but with all the hype and the role that he played in the character development of our main protagonist Musashi it is safe to say that he was the strongest man in his village.
6. Sasaki Kojiro
Sasaki Kojiro is one of the main characters of Vagabond. He is the legendary arch-rival of Miyamoto Musashi. In Vagabond he is portrayed as a deaf-mute. Kojiro’s parents both died during the Battle of Shizugatake he was raised by Jisai. Kojiro’s eyes have become better developed to compensate for his lack of hearing. This is shown when Gonnosuke Muso attempts to attack Kojiro from behind but Kojiro sees the attack and fights off Gonnosuke.
Kojiro was renowned for his Tsubame-Gaeshi, or “Swallow Cut” technique, inspired by the movement of a swallow in flight. Kojiro is also believed to possess the ability to communicate through the mind as those who fight Kojiro are able to understand what Kojiro wants to say.
5. Shinmen Takezo/Mushashi
Shinmen Takezo also known as Musashi Miyamoto is the main protagonist of the manga, he was considered a devil/ demon’s son from a young age after he killed a challenger while he was just 13. At the start of the series, he was portrayed as a hot-headed young man wanting to become the best in the world. One of the foremost reasons that drive Musashi to excel in sword-fighting, is his desire to overcome his father for all the harsh treatment given during his childhood and Musashi’s incapability to rebel.
In the series, he was obsessed with being “Invincible under the Heavens” until he realizes that it was simply an empty title and how limited he was. He has defeated Inshun Hozoin, Yoshioka Seijuro, his younger brother, and 70 other members of Yoshioka school, he was able to break through the security of Yagyu temple easily. He is easily one of the strongest characters in the series.
We can assume he will become the strongest by the end of the series, but for now, he isn’t yet there.
4. Ittosai Ito
Ito Ittosai formerly known as Ito Yagoro is a legendary swordsman and master of the Itto Ryu. Ittosaii is a skilled swordsman who is seen with inhuman strength and speed. Able to cut a firearm in half and draw his sword before his adversaries with little effort. He was the head disciple of Kanemaki Jisai even going as far as defeating Jisai in swordplay.
Later he took Kojiro as his disciple, his method of teaching was unique as once he left Kojiro in the middle of a war battlefield, under the “learn or die” mentality of teaching the way of the sword. He is defiantly the strongest man alive currently in the series as others were either too old, deceased, or too young to fight him.
3. Kakuzenbo Hozoin
Inei Hozoin is a historical figure who is famous for having founded a school of Sojutsu called Hozoin-Ryu as well as being a monk. Before he became the Hozoin Temple master, his original name was Inei Kakuzenbo. Inei was a light hearted and humorous person.
He was able to sense the bloodthirst and potential of Musashi in his first meeting later his guidance was vital for Musashi’s growth as a person and swordsman and helped Musashi realize his fatal flaws and the consequences of his actions and thought process. He was the student of great Kami’zumi is no kami.
2. Yagyu sekishusai
Yagyu Tajima no Kami Muneyoshi is considered the strongest and greatest swordsman in Japan. As an old man who has a very playful and careless personality, He is an incredible swordsman. His swordsman skills are shown when he cuts a flower and the cut was extremely clean that it caught the attention of Musashi. Even when Sekishusai was sick and sleeping, Musashi was intimidated by Sekishusai’s prowess.
Sekishusai was able to fend off Musashi’s attacks even when he was sleeping and thought it was his nephew playing around. In Manga, we don’t have many of his fighting scenes but with the amount of respect he has and the fact that he learned from the best of the best Kamizumi he deserves this second spot.
1. Kami’zumi Ise
Kami Izumi Ise no Kami Hidetsuna was known as the greatest Kengo of the time and a master swordsman superior to all others, when offered the position of feudal by Daimyo, lord Kami declined, stating that he was only dedicated to the way of his sword and not to titles. In his fifties, he was challenged by young Yagyu Sekishusai and Hozoin he defeated both of them unarmed once Yagyu sees Kami, and he is intimidated believing that he could sense Kami’s blood-thirst.
However, the bloodthirst Yagyu sense was not Kami’s, it was a reflection of himself and his bloodthirst as Kami possessed no bloodthirst. Yagyu felt completely overwhelmed by Kami’s presence and attacks rather impulsively. Instead of defending himself, Kami resorts to grabbing the sword right out of Yagyu’s hands in an incredibly fast motion and he drops the sword to the ground. Yagyu continuously challenges Kami but the results of the duel were always the same: Yagyu lost every time. He deservedly has the number 1 spot on our list.
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