Yaiba (stylized as Y∀IBA) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 1988 to December 1993, with its chapters collected in 24 tankōbon volumes. The manga has been licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.
A 52-episode anime television series adaptation by Pastel, titled Kenyū Densetsu Yaiba, aired on TV Tokyo and Television Hokkaido from April 1993 to April 1994. A second anime television series adaptation produced by Wit Studio, titled Yaiba: Samurai Legend, has been announced. The second anime television series adaptation has been licensed by Viz Media.
By May 2024, the manga had over 17 million copies in circulation. In 1993, Yaiba received the 38th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category.
Yaiba Kurogane is an adventuring boy who knows how to be a samurai and little else. Yaiba lives with his father, Kenjurou, in the forest. One day, while Yaiba was eating, a troop of gorillas came to attack. Yaiba and his father escaped and hid inside a box, but they did not know that the box was full of pineapples and was going to be transported into the city. In the city, Yaiba finds out that he is a legendary warrior and has to fight the evil of a demonic looking high-school student named Takeshi Onimaru.
The people that Yaiba meets along his journey to become a true samurai encourage him, train him, or inspire him to greatness, though at heart he is still a child, and his incredible skill with a sword is matched only by his kindness towards his friends. Though he tends to leap before he looks, and his thick-headedness tends to turn potential allies into enemies, his friends soon clobber him, and salvage the situation. This unlikely group embarks on a host of incredible adventures where they meet legendary figures from Japanese history, and finally overcome impossible odds, and put everything on the line, to save the entire planet from a threat not of this world.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama, Yaiba was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 7, 1988, to December 1, 1993.[1][2] Shogakukan collected its chapters in twenty-four tankōbon volumes, released between April 18, 1989,[3] and February 18, 1994.[4] Shogakukan republished the series in a 10-volume bunkoban edition from December 14, 2001,[5] to August 10, 2002.[6] Shogakukan launched a second edition of the original 24-volume from July 15, 2004,[7] to April 18, 2005.[8]
In October 2024, Viz Media announced at New York Comic Con that it has licensed the manga for English release in North America, with the first volume set to be released in July 2025.[9]
An 52-episode anime television series, titled Kenyū Densetsu Yaiba (剣勇伝説YAIBA, lit.'Brave Sword Legend Yaiba'), produced by Pastel, aired on TV Tokyo from April 9, 1993, to April 1, 1994. The opening and ending theme songs were performed by Kabuki Rocks [ja]; "Yuuki ga Areba" (勇気があれば, lit.'If You Have Courage') and "Shinjigakunaki Tatakai" (神智学無き戦い, lit.'Battle Without Theosophy') respectively.[32]
A second anime adaptation, with supervision from Aoyama, was announced in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 8, 2024.[33][34] Titled Yaiba: Samurai Legend (真・侍伝YAIBA, Shin Samurai-den Yaiba, lit.'True Samurai Legend Yaiba'), the television series is produced by Wit Studio and directed by Takahiro Hasui, with Touko Machida writing series scripts, Yoshimichi Kameda designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, Maiko Okada serving as animation producer, and Yutaka Yamada and Yoshiaki Dewa composing the music. Minami Takayama will reprise her role as the voice of Yaiba Kurogane from the original series.[35][36]
