Seinen Vagabond by Inoue Takehiko

[Dofla]

Vagabond 278 - 279 Discussion / 280 Prediction Thread

Chapter 278 is out, get it here.

You can discuss the chapter, and predict the next one!

 

[Dante Julius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Thanks for the raws, been a while since the last chapter. Just a heads up, as it says at the end of the chapter, ~"Vagabond will take a short break from the next issues. #278 is scheduled to be released in early September!"
edit:
Edited Manga out: http://mangahelpers.com/s/nihilsinenefas/details/45608

 

[DrTopo]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

damn, another break. Just when Ito is about to fight Musashi... Arrghhh. How am I supposed to sleep? Haha.

Look like Musashi is pulling his circle trick again. Ito is a beast and I'm really curious to see how this will play out.

Thanks for the raw.

 

[宮本寶藏]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

I'm worried for Takezo. Itousai is no joke, he is the sword saint for a reason. The circle thing Musashi drew just makes things real interesting, I was laughing when I saw Itousai's reaction, he's like "You're not gonna run away?" lol....

I'm not saying Musashi doesn't stand a chance... it's just he's not 100% recovered yet. It's not really a fair fight if your opponent is limping , where's the honor in winning a cripple?

If Musashi can get back to the state when he killed Yoshioka Seijūrō, he may have a chance. He attained a certain level of mind/body awareness during that time, which he did not understand at that point. He thought his own hand/arm disappeared when he dealt the fatal strike to Seijūrō. He's mind at that moment no longer have thoughts, he is purely reacting to his enemy's movements. He used his body perfectly and initiated an attack that was faster than his opponent.

Musashi needs to get back to that exact state to even have a chance against someone like Itousai. But judging from his current leg condition, I doubt he can use 100% of his body at full potential.

Then again, he's the main character, he won't die that's for sure.

 

[Aquarius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

I'm still thinking that duel won't be lethal to anyone, if it even takes place.
From the novel and history : those two are not even supposed to meet, nor to die in duels or fights. But, it's about time that Musashi gets defeated for the one time in his career, although it normally happened against Gonnosuke Muso, not against his master (in Vagabond only) Ittosai.
I'm thinking the Yagyu people will run in every direction within a few seconds when they'll understand Sekishusai just died, so that should interrupt the fight. Just guessing though...

 

[baboysai]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

I'm kinda confused. how are Otsuu and Yagyuu connected? And who's Ittousai again? hehe I'm so poor with names

 

[baboysai]

Re: Vagabond Hang Out Thread

man the art blows me every single time. Way to go, Takehiko Inoue! chapter after chapter they're all masterpieces.

The art is indeed awesome, but I couldn't help compare his writing style with Vagabond and Slam dunk- they're sooo different. Well it comes with the mood of the stories as well, one being historical, the other a sports manga in the 90s. But still, coming from the same brain, there should be some similarities along the line.

One thing I can just notice that might be similar is his heroes' undeterred focus. But isn't that common among all heroes, not just Inoue's?

Any of you guys noticed anything like that? Like maybe how he characterizes his leads, or sides, or concepts of good and evil, etc?

 

[Aquarius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Otsu came to the Yagyu following Takuan, in the early volumes of Vagabond. She arrived there a few days or weeks before Musashi's first visit. She got employed as a servant for old master Sekishusai, and came to consider him as her grand-father.
Soon after Musashi left the Yagyu she also left, and now she's coming back again.

As for Ittosai, he was the main pupil of Kanemaki Jisai. He defeated him and then went his own way. Following this defeat, Jisai stopped teaching swordsmanship, until he met and raised Kojiro. Then Ittosai came back, and took Kojiro away from Jisai. They travelled together until Sekigahara's battle. Both him and Kojiro are the only two men to have gotten a swordsmanship certifiate by Kanemaki Jisai.

 

[L0ki]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

From the novel and history : those two are not even supposed to meet, nor to die in duels or fights. But, it's about time that Musashi gets defeated for the one time in his career, although it normally happened against Gonnosuke Muso, not against his master (in Vagabond only) Ittosai.

I can't even imagine Musahsi losing against that wimp. He was portrayed as being on a completely different level than Musashi and Kojirou (in the manga, at least). Maybe I should read the novel...

 

[DrTopo]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

sure, you should read the novel, it's a great book. The Gonnosuke fight has actual historical background although there's some controversy on who won.
In the manga however, you're right, he was so far behind Musashi and Kojiro that it is doubtful he can give a challenge to Musashi.

I don't know if Itto will enter the circle. He takes a defensive position so maybe he's waiting for Musashi to attact. I'd be up for a classic showdown that ends up with both man backing out. Either way, the next few chapters will be really excitting.

 

[sharingan_kakashi]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

what the hell happened to Ittosai's other arm? i traced back to the chapter he first appeared (again) and he never did show his right hand. Even in his meeting with yagyu. He attacked with a hidden blade, which now that i think about it, is very unlike him.
It is weird.

 

[Aquarius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Would there be any chance that he'd have met an opponent who cut his arm ? I still think it's unlikely. Bar Musashi, who could do that to him ? Either one of the two Yagyu inheriters, either Kojiro.
Plus he's still carrying his sword the normal way (on his left hip), but he's only got his katana, I'm not sure whether he was using a short sword in addition before.

 

[DrTopo]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Plus he's still carrying his sword the normal way (on his left hip), but he's only got his katana, I'm not sure whether he was using a short sword in addition before.

Go back to the previous chapter, we can see in many drawings that he still carry two swords.
When we see his other arm, it's all dark, maybe to represent a sleeve withouth a member.

 

[Onomatopoeia]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Musashi with a crippled leg vs Ittosai with a missing arm(we think)

So basicly this fight will probablly to which of the two has the greater handicap(assuming it happens, which it probablly will). I'd assume that Musashi has the greater handicap with the loss of his mobility but if Ittosai is missing his strong arm...

What do you guys think?

From the novel and history : those two are not even supposed to meet, nor to die in duels or fights. But, it's about time that Musashi gets defeated for the one time in his career, although it normally happened against Gonnosuke Muso, not against his master (in Vagabond only) Ittosai.

Didn't Gonnosuke Muso fight twice with Musashi and lose the first time easily but win the second time?

So maybe it's still possible that Muso could reach Musashi's level...

 

[Aquarius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

In the novel : when both Musashi and Gonosuke first meet, Musashi manages to avoid all his opponents' blows, but never manages to draw. In the end I think he masters him with his bare hands. When they meet a second time, Gonosuke has shorten his staff (a jo), and Musashi is using both his words. His X (crossing swords to block the opponent's blade or staff) is inefficient, since the shortened staff keeps sliding between Musashi's swords and hits him in the stomach. Musashi recognises he got defeated and accepts Gonnosuke as his student (which is a bit paradoxal, ok).

IRL, I think the second meeting happened more or less the same way, except that Gonnosuke didn't become Musashi's student, as far as I know. The first meeting was a bit different. Musashi was sitting somewhere in a monastery, a temple or something, making a hand-size statue with his knife (like he often does in Vagabond), when Gonnosuke came one more time, begging for a duel. Then Musashi stood up and hit Gonnosuke in the forehead with the statue. Gonnosuke admitted he just got defeated.

I found all this browsing wikipedia and google, I suggest you do the same, there are a lot of interesting things to find about Musashi there.

***

As for Ittosai, I'm not sure at all about his arm. I think he may as well be hiding it in his kimono. When he attacked Sekishusai, he still thought he was the strongest man under Heavens. Which he probably wouldn't, had he a missing arm.
Other clue : he's still carrying his swords over his left hip, which makes drawing the long sword with the left hand a bit more difficult. I guess that with a missing right arm, he'd have carried his swords over the other hip.
Subsidiary question : in case he lost his arm, how did it happen ? Who cut it ? I mean who was strong enough to do it ?

 

[DrTopo]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Maybe a giant bear ate his arm and that why he backed out of killing the old Yagyu.

The only 2 other characters we've seen that are strong enough are Kojiro (we don't know if they met again) or Hyogonosuke. I doubt it's Hyogonosuke though as Itto would have came to the Yagyu castle with a personnal grudge.

So my guess is that Kojiro cut his arm. From what I understood of the Musashi-Kojiro duel with the sticks, Kojiro was further ahead at that time so he might had the skill to beat Itto.

 

[Black Lagoon]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

what the hell happened to Ittosai's other arm? i traced back to the chapter he first appeared (again) and he never did show his right hand. Even in his meeting with yagyu. He attacked with a hidden blade, which now that i think about it, is very unlike him.
It is weird.

I neither underestimate nor pull off credit from Ittosai, but Hyogonosuke seems to be strong and wasn't alone, so I think this fact may have some relation with Ittosai's arm. just a thought !

PS: I don't read posts that talk about the novel ...

 

[sharingan_kakashi]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

he is definitely strong. And he is capable of dong it. And he is in the vicinity so he is a good candidate. But if he did it then Inoue would show Ittosai's right arm in the flashback when he met with Muneyoshi Yagyu Sekishusai.
I can't wait to see the chapter when its released on september.

 

[Aquarius]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

I still think his arm is still there.
Musashi mentions it could be a trick, and I think it is. Might be something about balance, and it'd teach Musashi that two arms are needed to fight because he'd be like dead with only one arm if that arm got injured or cut. That could lead Musashi to develop his two swords style (he has used two swords at the same time in some occasions but not as a particular style).

I agree that Hyogonosuke would probably be strong enough to cut Itto's arm, but that couldn't have happened recently. It's very unlikely he did. Kojiro is much more likely to have done it, but then again, facing a worthy opponent with a real sword, Kojiro is rather the kind of guy to kill him instead of just cutting one arm.

 

[L0ki]

Re: Vagabond 278 Discussion / 279 Prediction Thread

Ten bucks says the arm's still there.