Manji (Blade of the Immortal)
| Manji | |
|---|---|
| Blade of the Immortal character | |
Manji as illustrated by Hiroaki Samura | |
| First appearance | Blade of the Immortal – "Antelude: Criminal" (1994) |
| Created by | Hiroaki Samura |
| Voiced by |
|
| Portrayed by | Takuya Kimura (2017 film) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Manji |
| Title | The Immortal Mr. Murderhands |
| Family | Machi Saitō (sister) |
| Relatives | Tatsumasa Saitō (brother-in-law) |
Manji, also known as The Immortal, is a character from the manga series Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura. A swordsman who was cursed by worms that give him immortality, Manji goes on a journey to get rid of his immortality and acts as a bodyguard for the orphan Rin due to how similar he finds her to his late sister. In addition to appearing in the manga, Manji has appeared in two animated adaptations of the series in 2008 and 2019, where he is respectively voiced by Tomokazu Seki and Kenjiro Tsuda in Japanese, and Keith Silverstein and Andrew Love in English, as well in as a live-action film in 2017, played by Takuya Kimura.
Samura created Manji as an ideal hero who would show always his strong form rather than a weakness. Critical reception to the character has been generally positive, aimed towards his fight scenes and relationship with Rin. He has also been compared with Marvel Comics' character Wolverine based on their similar traits like their rapid regeneration, and adapted as Wolverine in the American comic book series Spider-Gwen.