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The manga gives a fictionalized account of Musashi’s life as he travels throughout Japan to become stronger, Musashi grows both as a fighter and a human on his journey being. The manga follows his development closely and takes the readers to a completely different period. Unfortunately, Vagabond is on an extended hiatus, and it won’t be coming back soon. So, here are some other manga that fans can read which will offer a similar experience.
Updated on September 30, 2022, by Suzail Ahmad: Vagabond is a fascinating manga that offers an insight into the life of the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. The riveting story and beautiful illustrations make it stand out from other historical manga. Despite the story being far from over, Vagabond occupies the fourth spot on MyAnimeList’s highest-rated manga series, which shows how highly the fans rate it. It remains unclear when the series will return from hiatus, and for the readers that are caught up on the story, it is excruciatingly painful to wait. So, to fill the void left by the series, more manga similar to Vagabond have been added to the list.
12 Kingdom
Kingdom is a very popular manga series that has been written by Yasuhisa Hara. While the Vagabond manga takes place in ancient Japan, Kingdom is based in China. The manga follows the story of Xin and Piao, who dream of becoming great generals.
Unfortunately, Piao is taken by the royal soldiers to act as a double for Ying Zheng. After finding out Piao’s actual fate, Xin gets furious. However, Xin decides to continue pursuing his goal for the sake of his friend, so he helps Ying survive.
11 Shamo
Shamo is a very dark manga series that is focused on the life of Ryo Narushima. Born a genius, Ryo had no trouble trying to fit in with the elites of society. Everything seemed to be going well until one day, Ryo snapped and ended up killing both of his parents.
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He abandoned his ordinary life to pursue a career as a martial artist. On his journey to gain power, Ryo started losing parts of his humanity, and he ended up becoming nothing short of a monster. In a way, Musashi and Ryo are alike as both of them became ruthless killing machines.
10 Dororo
Dororo started serializing in 1967, and the story was wrapped up in 1969. The series was created by Osamu Tezuka, and it follows Hyakkimaru and Dororo. The two of them meet each other in odd circumstances, and they end up going on a journey that ended up birthing an epic story.
Both Hyakkimaru and Musashi are feared swordsmen, and they make a name for themselves with their swordsmanship. Also, Dororo is set in ancient Japan, so it gives the readers an idea of how things were in the past.
9 Claymore
Claymore is an epic action series that explores the relationship between Claymores and humans. The Claymores were created by a mysterious organization to get rid of Yoma, which are shape-shifting creatures that consume humans.
The manga follows a claymore named Clare and Raiki, a human who decides to travel with her along after being banished from his home. Just like the Vagabond manga, Claymore is filled with grueling duels that ensure that the fans stay on the edge of their seats.
8 Berserk
Written by the late Kentarou Miura, Berserk is an all-time classic. Berserk is currently the highest-ranked manga on MyAnimeList, which shows how highly the manga is rated. The manga follows the story of Guts, who is a wandering mercenary.
After going through numerous trials and tribulations, Guts finally finds a place to call home, but he loses it all because of a person, whom he used to call a friend. Both Vagabond and Berserk take the readers through historical times. While the Vagabond manga is set in medieval Japan, Berserk is set in a medieval fantasy world.
7 Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga has been written by Makoto Yukimura, and it is published by Kodansha. The manga received an anime adaptation in 2019, and it became extremely popular. The manga follows a young boy named, Thorfinn, who seeks revenge for the death of his parent.
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After the death of his parent’s killer, Thorfinn suffers from a major breakdown, which causes him to change his ways. Both Musashi and Thorfinn go on a journey to find their inner self. Also, both manga are historical, so it offers a great insight into two different eras.
6 Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal is a seinen manga that has been created by Hiroaki Samura. It features a cursed samurai named Manji, who has to slaughter a thousand wicked men, in order to lose his immortality. With almost no weakness, Manji’s goal of redemption seems easy, but he has to fight his inner demons as well.
This constant struggle going inside him offers a similar experience to that of the Vagabond manga. Blade of the Immortal takes the readers through the samurai era in Japan, which is similar to the setting of Vagabond.
5 Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin is one of the most popular manga series. The manga has been written by Nobuhiro Watsuki, and it has sold over 70 million copies. Rurouni Kenshin focuses on the life of Himura Kenshin, a former assassin. After years of killing people, Kenshin grew tired of the bloodshed and became a wandering samurai.
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He eventually meets a girl, who was struggling with her father’s dojo, and when she offers him a place to stay, Kenshin accepts and starts to form bonds with other people. Both Rurouni Kenshin and Vagabond mangashare a few themes, however, the former has lighter themes as well.
4 Mushishi
Mushishi is a seinen manga that started serializing in 1998 and ended in 2008. The manga is famous because of its incredible artwork and themes. It follows a young man named Ginko, who helps people deal with “Mushi”. The mushi resemble supernatural creatures, as they have powers that can affect the lives of other beings.
Mushi have different abilities, and without proper knowledge, they can cause serious harm to people. Ginko’s journey takes him to many mushi-infested places, and he uses his experience to solve the problems. Mushishi and Vagabond manga are highly detailed and the artwork is simply astounding. Also, both protagonists are on the move all the time.
3 Gamaran
Gamaran is a manga about Gama Kurogane, who dreams of becoming the greatest swordsman in the land. At the behest of one of the princes, Gama ends up participating in the Grand Tournament of Unabara. The tournament is filled with fighters from all over the land.
With all the different styles on the show, Gama uses his talent to surpass everyone else to achieve his dream. Gamaran takes many elements from Vagabond and adds a shonen twist to it.
2 Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub started its serialization in 1970, and it reached its conclusion in 1976. It is a seinen manga, and it follows the life of Ogami Itto. Itto held a position of power, but the people around him became jealous of his success, so they tried to ruin his whole life.
His enemies slaughter his entire family, except for his son, and then they frame him for their heinous crimes. Ogami runs away with his son and becomes an assassin. In a very short time, he gains a lot of fame and everyone grows wary of him. But, Ogami only cares about avenging the death of his wife and the rest of his family.
1 Shigurui
Shigurui is a seinen manga just like Vagabond. Both of them have extremely violent themes. Shigurui is set in the year 1629 when feudal lords held a lot of power. In a certain place, a feudal lord decides to have a competition where the participants are allowed to use real swords instead of wooden swords.
The story follows Fujiki Gennosuke and Irako Seigen. Both of them are top-notch swordsmen, but they suffer from different handicaps- Genosuke only has one arm and Seigen is blind. The manga offers a great reading experience and it follows the journey of these two unique samurai.
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