Notes on Tokugawa Villainies (1992)

Shiro is an easygoing teenager content with just being a student—until his seemingly perfect life is halted when a bloodthirsty clan, glowing red with fire, attempts to kill him in the streets. Unbeknownst to Shiro, he is suspected of murdering a member of their clan and will need a miracle to escape their vengeance. Miraculously, a young man named Kurou Yatogami swings in and aids Shiro in his getaway, only to reveal he's also after Shiro's life. Now a hunted man, Shiro will have to evade the clans of seven powerful kings and desperately try to prove his innocence—before it’s too late!

Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny.

For a chance at a pardon, a ninja assassin joins other condemned criminals on a journey to a mysterious island to retrieve an elixir of immortality.

Jinta journeys through a century-spanning epic, all while questioning why he wields a sword.

Young Tatsumi travels to the capital of the Empire in order to earn money for his starving people and encounters a world of unimaginable depravity, dominated by the ruthless Prime Minister who controls the child Emperor. Tatsumi is recruited by Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to eliminating corruption by mercilessly killing officials and privileged nobles.

During the Warring States era, the feuding generals were suddenly struck down one after another by the demonic Kishin. In the 150 years since, groups of individuals have continued to resist Kishin control. They are called Bushi bands. When they were young, Musashi and Kojiro would hear tales about the Bushi from Kojiro's father, and the two of them dream to form the strongest Bushi band. One day, as Musashi struggles with his choices, he witnesses humans being torn apart by oni. Forced to face the truth, Musashi rises up against the powerful oni to make his dream with Kojiro come true!

Kagome Higurashi is a modern day young girl who lives with her family by the old Higure shrine. Unbeknownst to Kagome, she is the reincarnation of priestess Kikyo and posseses the "Jewel of Four Souls" (the Shikon jewel). One ill-fated day, Kagome locates an ancient well near her home and is abruptly transported through the well and into a feudal Japan, inhabited by demons. There, she encounters Inuyasha, son of a powerful demon father and a human mother, who is pinned to a tree by an enchanted arrow.

A young orphan named Biwa is taken in by the powerful Taira Clan—also known as the Heike—after their leader witnesses her extraordinary psychic abilities. Unfortunately, what she predicts is a future of bloodshed, violence, and civil war. Inspired by the 12th-century epic tale Heike Monogatari.

The legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki created 1,000 swords in his career. The more of the swords a country owns, the higher its chances are at winning a war. When the shogun emerged victorious, he collected 988 swords, but these were merely the “practice pieces”. The last twelve swords were the crowning achievements of Kiki’s career. Each one of them is so powerful that a single man could defeat an army with it. Togame, the shogun’s strategist, gets the order to collect these swords. At first she hired a ninja, but each of the swords’ value is so high that the entire ninja clan went rogue once they got hold of one. She then put her trust in another warrior, but he kept the sword for himself. Her final hope now is Shichika, the seventh and last student of the Kyotoryuu School.

During the Sengoku period, there are many factions constantly at war. One of these is led by a one-eyed man named Date Masamune and another by the imposing Takeda Shingen. The latter has a fiercely loyal subordinate named Sanada Yukimura who goes head to head against Date Masamune multiple times, but the battles between them tend to get interrupted. One such battle occurs when both men try to go after another leader named Imagawa, and they’re forced to break off their heated duel when Imagawa attempts to flee the scene with his body doubles. Yukimura and Masamune go after separate Imagawas, but all of the doubles are killed by a third party, and when their paths cross again, they are in front of the menacing Oda Nobunaga and his army. It was Nobunaga’s subordinates that killed those body doubles, and Nobunaga himself proceeds to kill the real Imagawa with a shotgun blast to the head.