Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls

バジリスク～甲賀忍法帖～

Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou

For generations, the Kouga Manjidani and Iga Tsubagakure ninja clans have been locked in a bitter conflict, a rivalry only temporarily paused by the Hanzo Hattori ceasefire. This fragile peace collapses when former shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa chooses to resolve a dispute over his grandson's succession by pitting these opposing clans against each other. Each side selects ten of their finest warriors to fight until only one clan remains, with the victor deciding the next shogun. Despite the renewed hostilities, not everyone supports the end of the truce. Gennosuke of the Kouga and Oboro of the Iga were once betrothed in hopes of uniting their clans, and their bond has deepened into genuine love. As war draws nearer, Gennosuke wrestles with his sense of duty, while Oboro resolutely refuses to take part. With their clans' ancient feud rekindled, can true affection overcome the rising tide of hatred, or will both sides be consumed by it?

Adapted to anime

Basilisk

Background

Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou is an adaptation of the 1958 historical fantasy novel Kouga Ninpouchou. It won the 2004 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. Masaki Segawa used real images for the manga's backgrounds, superimposing his hand-drawn characters over them. Each chapter was named after the number of ninjas alive on each side. The manga was published in English as Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Del Ray Manga from May 30, 2006, to May 29, 2007. In the UK, Tanoshimi released the series under the same title from August 3, 2006, to June 7, 2007. It was also published in German by Heyne; in Italian and Portuguese by Panini Comics; in French by Kurokawa; in Spanish by Editorial Ivrea.

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