Summary
- Vagabond is a masterpiece manga on indefinite hiatus, but other titles like Monster and REAL offer similar experiences and life lessons.
- Fans seeking historical and character-driven manga can explore titles like REAL, Blade of the Immortal, and Shigurui for a captivating read.
- Manga like Dororo, Mushishi, and Lone Wolf and Cub provide intricate narratives and stunning artwork similar to Vagabond for fans to enjoy.
Vagabond is considered to be one of the best manga of all time. The manga has been written by Takehiko Inoue. He has also written other famous manga, namely Slam Dunk and REAL. Vagabond is a historical manga that follows a samurai named Miyamoto Musashi.
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 as a human on his journey. 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 that will offer a similar experience.
Updated on June 16th, 2024, by Suzail Ahmad: Vagabond has been on an indefinite hiatus for years, and one would assume that it would cause its popularity to diminish, but it has been the complete opposite. Vagabond is still treated as a masterpiece that everyone should read at least once. Vagabond is one of the few manga titles that are extremely well-balanced. The story is phenomenal, and the characters are just as good.
The story provides the readers with valuable life lessons that they can implement in their daily lives. Unfortunately, the manga's return is not in sight, so naturally fans miss reading it. However, there are other titles out there that can fill the void created by the absence of Vagabond.
19 Monster
MyAnimeList Rating: 9.16
Monster is a phenomenal manga written by the great Naoki Urasawa, who has created other famous titles such as 20th Century Boys and Pluto. Monster started serializing in 1994, and it concluded in 2001. The manga received a great deal of acclaim from the readers, which is reflected in its high rating on MyAnimeList. With a rating of 9.16, only four other titles are in a higher place than Monster.
Monster manga does not have any swordsmen, but it has a fantastic story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The characters in the story are unique, and they have a certain level of depth to them, making it easy to appreciate them. The manga also has an anime adaptation, and viewers shouldn't miss out on it.
18 REAL
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.94
REAL is another manga written by Takehiko Inoue, who started writing it in 1999. Unlike Vagabond, REAL is not on hiatus and occasionally releases new chapters. The story focuses on various characters, with each one dealing with different blockades. In order to get better, they have to overcome their physiological limitations.
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In this sense, REAL and Vagabond are rather similar as they help readers understand new perspectives, which in turn allows them to improve their own lives. REAL does not have violence or fighting, but it offers invaluable life lessons to the readers, which more than makes up for it.
17 Tokyo Ghoul
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.53
Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul is an outstanding Seinen manga that takes readers on an adventure through a world infested with man-eating creatures known as ghouls. Initially, one feels hatred towards these creatures as they are responsible for the deaths of many people, but Kaneki's transformation into something similar lulls people into a rather profound debate.
Kaneki becomes something more than a human, but he feels stuck between the two worlds. This constant dilemma puts strain on his mind, and to find the answers, he embarks on a journey on which he meets all kinds of people. While it does have elements of fantasy, Tokyo Ghoul ensures that a person looks at the philosophical side of things.
16 Innocent
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.19
Innocent has been written by Shin-ichi Sakamoto. It is based on Masakatsu Adachi's book, "The Executioner Sanson." Innocent was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump from January 2013 to April 2015. It covers the story of the Sansons, a family of renowned executioners.
It is set in 18th-century France, where tensions are at an all-time high. At the center of the series are siblings Charles-Henri Sanson and Marie-Joseph Sanson. As the head of the Sanson family, Charles has to make many important decisions that affect the future of his family. Even with the odds stacked against him, Charles maintains his calm and faces his fate fearlessly.
15 Green Blood
MyAnimeList Rating: 7.58
Green Blood was part of Weekly Young Magazine's lineup from 2011 to 2013. Masasumi Kakizaki worked hard on the series, which was pivotal to its success. Green Blood is a seinen manga with a lot of action, which is something Vagabond fans will enjoy a lot.
Green Blood is based in America, where poverty is at an all-time high due to the Industrial Revolution. With crimes taking place all over the country, it is almost impossible for people to live a normal life. The story follows Brad Burns and his younger brother, Luke. Brad becomes an assassin who is renowned for his skill with weapons. Luke, on the other hand, is honest and knows the reason for people's suffering is tied to the mob.
14 Shinobi no Kuni
MyAnimeList Rating: 7.62
Ryō Wada wrote Shinobi no Kuni as a novel series, and it was published in Shinchosha. The novel was turned into a manga series at a later date. Mutsumi Banno did the illustrations for Shinobi no Kuni. The manga started publishing in 2009 and ended in 2011.
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Like Vagabond, the manga blends history and fiction. It highlights the events that took place in the region of Iga, a place made famous by the ninjas living there. Despite being a shonen series, it does not shy away from delving into gore and violence. However, it does try to balance it out with humor from time to time. Due to this reason, some people may prefer Shinobi no Kuni over the other recommendations.
13 Kokou no Hito
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.78
Kokou no Hito is vastly different from Vagabond in terms of the setting, but it shares many themes. Both protagonists become mature with time and often engage in deep conversations internally. They retrospect in hopes of becoming better people and rising above the rest.
Kokuo no Hito is loosely based on the life of Buntarō Katō, a great mountain climber. The manga helps fans learn the story of an excellent athlete, and how he dealt with the biggest problems in his life. It adds more details to make the story interesting, and enjoyable. It also has great illustrations to make sure that fans don't take their eyes off the pages, even for a second. Every Vagabond fan should definitely pick up Kokou no Hito at some point.
12 Kingdom
MyAnimeList Rating: 9.01
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
MyAnimeList Rating: 7.58
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 starts losing parts of his humanity, and he ends up becoming nothing short of a monster. In a way, Musashi and Ryo are alike as both of them become ruthless killing machines.
10 Dororo
MyAnimeList Rating: 7.28
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 births 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.