Gamaran: Shura

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Gamaran: Shura (我間乱 修羅) is the sequel of the Manga series Gamaran by Nakamaru Yosuke, started in 2018 and currently still running at over 200 chapters.

The story is set two years later and this time focus on the Ogame Ryuu member Iori Sengoku, as he's invited to join the Bakka Hyakken, the Hundred Swords of the Shogunate, a cadre of extremely skilled warriors who are to compete in a tournament to obtain a fief, two thousand Koku and, most importantly, the title of "Strongest in the Country". Alongside the young swordswoman wannabe, Ran Ichinose, Iori starts a journey towards the peak of military arts, unaware that a more sinister plot is secretly taking place, both by the Shogunate itself and from the legacy of Kurogane Jinsuke, Iori's former mentor and enemy.

Gamaran Shura keeps the same style as the previous manga, focusing on martial arts, combats and plots in Edo Japan, while also introducing new elements, such as the big focus around the idea of a female warrior, Ran, competing in a world of men.

Tropes used in Gamaran: Shura include:

• Action Girl: New entry and protagonist Ran Ichinose, Zenmaru's sister, is extremely talented with a sword and able to win easily against normal practictioners. She's however overshadowed by far stronger characters like Iori, but still fights to compete in the Bakufu Tournament.
  • Genkai Tenpei member Homare is a huge, well-muscled woman who's one of the strongest members of the organization and able to match some of the strongest male characters blow for blow with either fists or her sword.
• All for Nothing: Jinkuu fakes his death to enter the Shogun's castle with the help of a mole to assassinate the Shogun. The plan ends up failing, as his accomplice Ryogo is slain by Genra and Jinku only manages to kill Kaido Rin and a body double of the Shogun, making his entire plan fail.
• Aluminum Christmas Trees: Hyogo Shakujii wields the unusual combo of a buckler shield and a katana. While it may sound absurd, shields were actually used in medieval Japan, albeit not extensively and they were usually rectangular and small. Still, fighting with a katana and a shield in combo was not an impossibility.
• An Arm and a Leg: At the end of their battle, Iori cuts off Raio's hand, forcing him to flee. He later reappears with an openeable katar blade embedded on the wrist.
  • Much later in the story, Gajiara reveals that he personally punished the captive Tojo by severing his right arm, showing the severed limb to Iori, Tadaie and Isami.
• Artistic License Martial Arts: Shiro Momose's sword is referred to as a "Longsword", despite being only the size of a standard arming sword (he does wield it with both hands, however).
  • As with many other examples of Whip Sword, the efficiency of Raio's Urumi blades is vastly exaggerated, to the point that his three blades can cleanly chop through a person's head unhindered.
• Ax Crazy: Raio Magami literally goes on a killing spree of civilians just because he couldn't find immediately an opponent to challenge. And as expected by anyone who finds love in Sasuke Sakakibara, Kitaro Mashima is just as unhinged and bloodthirsty.
• Badass Crew: The Genkai Tenpei (Limit-removed Divine Soldiers) are a team of Shogunate warriors, all the elites are picked up for their strength, skill and unusual bodies and trained extensively in all kinds of martial arts, including use of foreign weapons from Europe, China or India. Their strength is shown to be superior even to the Muhou Ryuu's elite and their leader alone was able to infiltrate Unabara during the final battle and slay over 100 officers unaided
• Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Genra's backstory, big time.
• Berserk Button: Homare is usually affable and calm, but God help you if you dare interrupt a duel she's throughfully enjoying to steal her kill, even if it's to save her life. The second time this happens, she downright turns on her own companions and agrees to let the heroes pass (and save Zenmaru's life) out of spite.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Ouka looks like a caricature of Astroboy with a rather low IQ and tendendcy to make pidgeron-like sounds even when alone. He hides a rather scary Slasher Smile and is skilled enough to give Tsuchiryuu (who fought the extremely powerful Gensai Kizaki unscathed) a good fight.
• BFS: The first opponent of the Hakka Bakken fought is Hien Shiba, who wields the long zanmato "Monohoshizao Masamune". Unlike Zenmaru's heavy and powerful sword, the Shiba sword relies mostly of speed, grace and dexterity to be used in combat and has an extra area of handle to be used for half-swording.
  • Genkai Tenpei's woman warrior Homare is introduced in combat carrying a large western-sized greatsword. She later reveals that the blade is a Montante (spanish for generic longswords).
  • The second in command of the Genkai Tenpei, Genra, uses a huge iron oar as his personal weapon. It's surprisingly deadly.
  • In the same group we have Unbo Yokuro, who wields a rather large falchion with an entirely fully armored plated back that he calls the "Fallen Star Sword". Due to the weapon's massive weight, its specialty are downward slashes.
  • During the final arc we finally learn that the oblong bag carried by Jinkuu back in Unabara contained his real weapon: a nodachi, identical to the Monohoshizao Masamune.
• Big Bad: In a case of Evil Versus Evil, the series features two main antagonists: the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunamitsu, who organized the tournament to hire potential warriors and get rid of all potential threats, and the Daimyo of Suruga and Tsunamitsu's half-brother Tadaie Hiramatsu, a natural born, inhumanly strong fighter whose presence is a living threat to the Bakufu and ends up being Iori and Gama's enemy. Both are forced to join forces when the actual villain, Ise Ramon, starts his coup against the Bakufu and successfully assassinate Tokugawa Tsunamitsu, putting in his place his half-brother Shibusawa Kan.
• Blade Lock: Weaponized by users of western swords (Shiro, Karai and Homare), who all employ the "Bind" technique to lock their sword against the opponent's blade and make them lose their balance. Kyoyasai Yagira has a similar technique with his katana, called Tsubazeriai (Hilt-Crushing Stance)
• Blade on a Stick: The chapter 0 opens with Iori being ambushed by the spearmaster Shima Ichiriki and easily trumping his so-called "Divine Speed Spear".
  • In the second round alone we have three notable spearmen: Gen'u Yoshimori, wielder of a large Omi-yari and able to pierce through entire trees with ease, Seiya Zoin, wielder of a western halberd (depicted as more similar to the historiical deals than the previous one used by the Muhou Ryuu) and Mashima Kitaro, wielder of the Divine Spear Beninuki.
  • Sendo of the Genkai Tenpei can dual-wield partisans in wide circular motions, alternating between slashing attacks and sudden thrusts.
  • When not using a sword or crushing his opponents bare-handed, Tadaie will choose a simple spear as his other weapon of choice.
  • Jiba Renji wields a rather mundane-looking spear with sharp, triangular blades at each end. He also frequently refers to himself as a "hunter". Turns out that, in case of dire necessity, he can split the spear in two, revealing a long connecting chain that makes the weapon a bladed nunchaku.
  • Shibasawa Jushiro of the Tenpei wields a simple-looking naginata with an oddly squared shaft, but he's dodged and mowed down by Jinkuu before he can reveal its style.
• Blood Knight: Tadaie first touched a sword when he was 2 and since he was 12 he was able to fight on par with adults. Unlike Jinsuke, who showed a philosophical side and desire to establish his own government, Tadaie's only concern is fighting.
• Boring but Practical: Jiba Renji of the Genkai Tenpei: While all his companions seems to focus on unusual or foreign weapons, he relies exclusively on a custom Japanese spear with an oval blade and a secondary smaller blade at the butt end.
• Break the Badass: During the first round of the tournament, Tadaie inflicts a crushing defeat to Iori and has his right-hand man Bihoumaru take Ran away from him. This utter defeat and the loss of Ran, towards whom he was actually developing feelings, push Iori to put his entire heart and self into the combat, finally accepting both Riko Murasame's lessons on defense and Hanjiro's teaching on Jinsuke's Tenchi no Kata.
  • In turn, this happens to Tadaie himself, whose ego and spirit suffers a major blow as, in spite of his allmight strength and power, he loses in a handful of days his loyal companions Bihoumaru and Rando, but also the brother he sworn to protect and Ichinose Ran, plunging him in an abyss of despair and apathy. Luckily, his combat skills are unhindered.
• Breaking Speech: Iori tries to pull one on Ran to check her determination, pointing out that if she really enters the Competition as a swordfighter she'll probably die like a dog and achieve nothing. She's still willing to try.
• The Brute: Bihoumaru for Tadaie: enormous and savage-looking? Check. Rough speech? Check. So though he can ignore sword wounds? Check. Carries an enormous axe and later a massive Chinese hammer? Check.
• Call Back: Several to the previous series:
  • Once again, the heroes join a tournament where not all is what it seems.
  • One of the early opponents is a shinobi using an atypical technique to compensate his lack of offensive skills.
  • The Beninuki Divine Spear makes a reappearence, this time wielded by its original user Kitaro Mashima, Sasuke's lover looking for revenge.
  • The warriors partecipating to the first round of the Tournament include a massive warrior with unusual hair using a Omi-yari (large-bladed spear) and a spearman using a western halberd.
  • One of the shogunate eites uses a nagamaki, just like Ango Kuryuu did. He's later confirmed to actually be Ryogo Kuryuu, Ango's brother.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Tadaie is so powerful he can literally break skulls open with his fists and snap a man's arm by punching it really hard.
• Co-Dragons: Tadaie has his closest friends and vassals, his sword instructor Rando Shakujii and the extremely strong Bihoumaru. Similarly, the Shogun can count on his own sword teacher Kyoyasai Yagira and the current leader of the Genkai Tenpei, Ise Ramon.
• Combat Pragmatist: Due to her lack of physical power, Ran Ichinose has to spend the entirety of her duel with the much more physically formidable Burai Udo resorting to skills, such as using both swords at once, taking full advantage of Udo's prejudice and using shurikens to wound him.
  • When it comes to fighting, no trick is too underhanded for Ise Ramon, best seen when he punches Bihoumaru with enough strength to send him to the ground: as it's later revealed, he hid a nail-like shuriken in his fist and stabbed him right in the solar plexus.
  • Despite being a sword instructor, Shakujii Rando will make use of any advantage he can during a fight to the death, from wielding a spear alongside his sword to hide steel needles in his mouth for a sudden attack.
• Cool Sword: A number of peculiar swords are used in the series:
  • Raio Magami employs two different urumi in combat, one with three blades and one with a single, bigger blade.
  • After defeating Shinnojo in a sparring match, Gama earns the treasure sword of the Ogame Ryuu, the Senka Muramasa.
  • Shiro Momose learnt western swordsmanship on his own and uses a Longsword in battle.
  • Ouka wields a tsurugi, a very old Japanese sword with a straight blade and a big pommel, having a different center of balance; thanks to this feature, Ouka can perform peculiar sword attacks and swings.
  • Karai of the Genkai Tenpei uses a falchion with great skill, paired with his fast movements and athletic attacks.
  • Homare of the same group as Karai uses a massive Montante as her sword of choice.
  • Another Genkai Tenpei member, Unbo Yokuro, wields an humongous sword with the back covered in metal plating, resembling a Ram-Dao sword. Deconstructed in that's so heavy that Shimon's able to kill him after a missed attack because of it's incredible weight.
  • Tessa of the Tenpei wields Butterfly Swords, short cutlasses of Chinese origin with the handguard acting as a knuckleduster and a parrying fork.
  • As Tokugawa Kangetsu, Shibusawa Kan now sports two magnificent katana, the tsuba built to resemble the mon of the Tokugawa clan and long string tassels dangling from the sword's tsuka.
• Creepy Souvenir: Kitaro carries around Sasuke's severed ear (likely preserved, given that it has not rotten after three years and half) as a memento of both his lover and his vendetta. He ends up swallowing the ear whole to achieve his full potential, going so insane he can seemingly channel Sasuke and mimic his speech.
• Dual-Wielding: To make up for her lack of sheer strength, Ran is not above using two swords at once when she fights, or wield a sword in one hand and thrown shuriken in the other.
  • Raio Magami can wield two different Urumi in his hands: in one hand he has the light, three-bladed Brahma, in the other he has the massive, heavier Shiva. One of his attacks consist in a simultaneous slash from both arms, resulting in four blades swinging at the victim from different sides.
  • Sanjin of the Genkai Tenpei fights with dual bhuj, Indian axes with a knife-ike blade. They even hide a dagger in the handle for emergencies.
  • Genkai Tenpei member Sendo's true fighting style is called "Partisan Twin Sojutsu", which involves him wielding two partisans at the same time (holding them in the middle) and using them in tandem for a series of slashing and stabbing motions.
  • An enormous shogunate officer dual wields swords in a style he christened the "Evershifting Demon Sword Style". How this work is unknown since he's mowed down by Tojo before he can draw his blades.
• Epic Flail: Ise Ramon's main weapon is a large pair of Comet Hammers, a weapon from China consisting in two large metal weights united by a length of chain. However, despite being his main form of attack, it's far from being his only card to play, as he's expert in using bare-handed kung fu, claws and probably more weapons.Sendo's first weapon is a western, long-shafted flail that's easily destroyed by Tadaie.
• Evil All Along: Turns out, Nachi was actually on the Bakufu's paycheck this entire time, being introduced at the Shogun's side.
• Exotic Weapon Supremacy: New entry Raio Magami employs Indian weapons in combat, mostly flexible urumi swords alongside traditional daggers and a katar to replace his missing hand during his second appearence. Later we get to meet the Genkai Tenpei, a cadre of incredibly powerful warriors serving the Shogunate, each trained to use foreign weapons, which give them an edge against fighters used to deal with standard weapons from Japan.
• Faking the Dead: Jinkuu pretends to have been killed by Shinzo Kariya to avoid control and try to assassinate the Shogun.
• The Hero Dies: Tragically, Ran is shot by a mook and despite Tadaie's best efforts to bring her to safety she seemingly dies, motivating Iori, Tadaie and her brothers to seek revenge.
• Heel Face Turn: During the final arc, Homare already feels touchy in regards to the Genkai Tenpei who got in her way too many times. As a result, when Apanosuke, her suitor among the Tenpei, jumps into her fight against Zenmaru (which she was enjoying through and through, despite risking her life), she sends him flying with a punch and forsakes her companions, ordering her subordinates to stop fighting and doing all she can to save Zenmaru's life.
• Hollywood Darkness: In the prison break miniarc, the underground prison where Shimon has to face the three Tenpei is very dark, to the point that he mentally notices how the darkness gives his much more agile opponent an edge over him. The reader, however, can perfectly see everything, to better follow the battle.
• Hostage Situation: In the final arc, Shibusawa Kangetsu sends a letter to the heroes, revealing that he's planning to execute not only Shungaku Tojo and Kurose Ryuu/Tsuchiryuu, but also the entire Ogame Ryuu he had captured (Oizumi Kamedenbo, Senka and the Hyuga Brothers). This forces them to challenge the "Walls of Flesh" of the Genkai Tenpei to reach Kangetsu and slay him before the hostages are killed.
• I Let You Win: The reason Shimon survives his encounter with Renji, Yokuro and Tessa is that Renji is impressed by the fact that Shimon was able to wound him with the Manjinuki and, as a sign of respect, allows him to leave the palace unhindered, on the condition that he leaves Tsuchiryuu behind.
• Impossibly Cool Weapon: Ikki Obayashi's Enmiyabi, a Three-sectioned Battleaxe: it's like a three-section staff, except that one "stick" is actually a large, machete-like blade bending in an axe-like tip, resembling overall a glaive.
• Improbable Weapon User: Genra's weapon of choice is an Iron Eiku (Steel Oar): a big oar made entirely of iron. Despite sounding incredibly heavy and impractical, it's portrayed as deadly in his hands, as he can swing that beast with enough strength to actually cut his victims.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Bihoumaru is introduced fighting Ran Ichinose and overpowering her with ease with his enormous stamina and power. In the pre-second round preliminaries he's attacked by the warrior woman Homare and swiftly beaten at his own game by the amazon, who ends the fight by chopping his head off.
• Knight of Cerebus: Raio Magami is the first single-digit Hakken we see in action and gives Iori a hard time in combat, while later on Mashima Kitaro really shows the true strength and danger posed by the Hakken. For Gama it's his battle against Karai, the falchion-wielder of the Genkai Tenpei, who forces him to use his ace in the sleeve to survive.
• Meaningful Rename: After killing his half-brother Tsunamitsu and taking the throne of Japan, Shibusawa Kan reveals his true identity and throws away his former name, taking the surname of Tokugawa and his original name of Kangetsu.
• Megaton Punch: Bihoumaru is extremely proud of his punches, being so strong that even back when he was 12 he could kill a man with a single strike. He's left in utter amazement when Homare manages to tank his punch despite getting hit right on the side of the jaw. She later pays him back by striking the solar plexus, liver and throat in one swift counterattack.
• The Mole: Shinzo Kariya is actually not a member of the Bakufu forces, but Ryogo Kuryuu, Ango's brother and former member of the Gaun Ryuu, sent by Jinsuke to infiltrate the enemy base. He helps Jinkuu infiltrate the castle in an attempt to assassinate the Shogun before the end of the Tournament, after faking his death in combat.
• Mythology Gag: The opening fight of the final arc pits Jushiro, who uses a naginata (the weapon of choice of the "starter antagonist" of Gamaran), against Jinkuu, who reveals that his true weapon is a nodachi, the weapon of choice of the starter antagonist of Gamaran Shura.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Hien Shiba could be a deadringer for the swordsman Sasaki Kojiro, while Kyoyasai Yagira's ability, reputation and status as swordmaster of the Tokugawa makes him a lookalike for the Yagyu clan leader and master swordsman Munenori Tajimanokami.
• Not Just a Tournament: This time, while the main plot features a tournament, it's clear from the start that there's a lot of political intrigue weaved in.
• One-Man Army: The Genkai Tenpei, being even superior in skills to the likes of Kurogane Jinsuke's Special Corps.
• Poisoned Weapons: During the second round of the tournament, Tsunamitsu offers medical treatment to the injured Zenmaru on the condition that Gama and Kyoyasai Yagira fight the next round poisoning their swords with deadly viper venom, so that one nick could spell death.
• The Remnant: A sideplot of the series features the survivors of the Muhou Ryuu trying to regroup to carry on Jinsuke's legacy, wanting to make Gama their new leader. Gama eventually agrees to side with them, but he makes it clear that he has no intention to follow Jinsuke's desire to wage war to the Bakufu to turn Japan into a militarized country where martial artists can get all they want.
• The Reveal: An important one later on, when we learn that Hanjiro Okamoto is actually Hanjiro Ooizumi, Kamedenbo's son and one of Jinsuke's companions. He was spared because he left the Ogame Ryuu, but still Jinsuke entrusted him with his own kata, the Tenchi Kata (Heaven and Earth Form), asking him to teach this style to either Gama or Iori when the time's right.
  • We also learn something about the two mysterious shinobi of the Muhou Ryuu, Tsuchiryuu and Jinkuu: Tsuchiryuu went by the name of Kokuryuu and used to be one of the Genkai Tenpei and Ramon's disciple, until he was defeated by Jinsuke during an assassination attempt and hired to form his Muhou Ryuu. Meanwhile Jinkuu's actually the third son of the dreaded Fuji clan of Onmitsu (Ninjas) working for the Shogunate, his actual name being Fuji Kuugetsu. As a result, he's incredibly strong and in possess of many, underhanded techniques that makes him extremely dangerous.
• Simple Staff: Nagoshi Sakutaro is one of the Hyakken, a master of Jojutsu: he fights with a steel jo (a type of staff shorter than the 6 foot bo) and specializes in snapping the swords of his enemies.
• Split Personality: Genra, Ramon's second in comand. Normally he's very calm and analytical and wears a veil on his face adorned with several Tao symbols. When he removes the veil, this triggers his second personality, the ruthless and blood-thirsty Zenra. As a later chapter reveals, it was the result of being subjected to inhuman tortures alongside his comrade. He also has a third personality, called "Gajiara", which merges the logical restraint of Genra with the vicious bloodthirst of Zenra in one deadly package.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Explored trope with Ran: on one hand she's quite skilled and far more competent with the sword than many other male warriors, but against monsters such as those found among the Bakka Hyakken she's hopelessly outmatched. Despite Iori's warnings though, she still braves the battlefield alongside him and even manages to win a one-on-one match against the bigger and more imposing Burai Udo.
• Storming the Castle: The final arc has the combined forces of the Muhou Ryuu, alongside the Ichinose brothers Zenmaru and Isami, Iori and Tadaie, joining forces to attack the castle to crush the Genkai Tenpei and slay Shibusawa Kan.
• Taking You with Me: One of the technique employed by the Genkai Tenpei's footsoldiers is called "Tenpei Kassatsu no Dan" (Divine Soldier's Life or Death Row), which consist in four or five of them simultaneously stabbing at the victim from multiple sides going all out, not worrying at all about defense.
• Touch of Death: Zenmaru's first opponent is the former Iga shinobi Sanpeita Momochi, who has turned his left hand into a deadly tool by imbuing it with a special Chinese venom he uses with impunity.
• Undying Loyalty: Both Rando Shakujii and Bihoumaru have nothing but utter respect and loyalty for their liege Tadaie.
• Verbal Tic: Tenpei member Tessa will occasionally stop acting serious and only talk to Renji by frantically shouting "On!" over and over again. Funnily enough, Renji seems to be able to perfectly understand him.
• Villainous Valor: Rando and Bihoumaru are extremely loyal to their master and friend Tadaie, to the point of referring to him as a walking god of war, and will go to extreme lengths to protect him. Likewise, Kyoyasai Yagira is extremely loyal to the Shogun, even if said loyalty is misplaced, and genuinaly loves his underling Rin like a son.
• Warrior Monk: Ise Ramon, while not being a real monk, has the looks of one, wearing a massive robe typical of buddhist priests and sporting a bald head. He's also a master of kung fu and exotic weapons.
• Wham! Episode: The climax of the second turn arc has the Genkai Tenpei turn on the Shogun, managing to kill Kyoyasai Yagira and Tsunamitsu, revealing that they actually take order from Shibusawa Kan, who's in truth the bastard child of the former Shogun and the Genkai Tenpei former head Ise Gataku, making him related to both Tsunamitsu and Tadaie. Furthermore, Ran Ichinose is injured by a sniper, later succumbing to her wounds despite Tadaie's best efforts to save her, Tsuchiryuu and Tojo are captured by the enemy and Hanjiro Okamoto, ousted as a traitor, gives his life to allow the Ogame Ryuu's escape.
• Wham! Shot: The seemingly foreign Hanjiro Okamoto, cornered by Sakutaro and his sword-snapping iron cane, decides to resort to his ace in the sleeve: one of the Five Forms of the Ogame Ryuu, third technique of the Doukou Kata, Iwasakunesaku, revealing that he's a former member of the Ogame Ryuu.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Ikki Obayashi thinks he can get the drop on Iori by bringing along thirty warriors with him, with different styles to boot. Unfortunately, Iori is able to easily beat them all and repeal his attacks.
• You Shall Not Pass: The climax of the second turn arc has Hanjiro, Tsuchiryuu and Tojo trying to stop the pursuing Tenpei forces so that the heroes can get to safety.