# From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Discples Are All Grown Up Now and They Won't Leave Me Alone (片田舎のおっさん、剣聖になる ～ただの田舎の剣術師範だったのに、大成した弟子たちが俺を放ってくれない件～, Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken) is a Japanese light novel series written by Shigeru Sagazaki and illustrated by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. It initially began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in November 2020. It was later acquired by Square Enix who began publishing it under their SQEX Novel imprint in April 2021. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kazuki Satō began serialization in Akita Shoten's seinen manga web magazine Dokodemo Young Champion in August 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Passione and Hayabusa Film is set to premiere in April 2025.

## Plot

Beryl Gardinant is a skilled swordsman from a small village. Upon a visit from one of his former pupils, Beryl is invited to be a instructor at the capital city. The story follows Beryl as he reunites with other former pupils and faces many challenges.

## Characters
### Beryl Gardinant (ベリル・ガーデナント, Beriru Gādenanto)

    Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata

### Allucia Citrus (アリューシア・シトラス, Aryūshia Shitorasu)

    Voiced by: Nao Tōyama

### Surena Lysandra (スレナ・リサンデラ, Surena Risandera)

    Voiced by: Hitomi Ueda

### Curuni Crueciel (クルニ・クルーシエル, Kuruni Kurūshieru)

    Voiced by: Yuuki Hirose

### Ficelle Harbeller (フィッセル・ハーベラー, Fisseru Hāberā)

    Voiced by: Hinaki Yano

### Lucy Diamond (ルーシー・ダイアモンド, Rūshī Daiamondo)

    Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō

### Henbritz Drought (ヘンブリッツ・ドラウト, Henburittsu Dorauto)

    Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa

### Mewi Freya (ミュイ・フレイア, Myui Fureia)

    Voiced by: Arisa Nakada [ja]

### Spur (シュプール, Shupūru)

    Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka

## Media
### Light novel

Written by Shigeru Sagazaki, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Discples Are All Grown Up Now and They Won't Leave Me Alone began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on November 17, 2020. It was later acquired by Square Enix who began publishing it as a light novel with illustrations by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima under their SQEX Novel imprint on April 7, 2021. Eight volumes have been released as of August 2024. The light novel is licensed in English by J-Novel Club.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | North American release date | North American ISBN |
| 1 | April 7, 2021 | 978-4-7575-7190-7 | November 22, 2023 | 978-1-7183-2470-1 |
| 2 | September 7, 2021 | 978-4-7575-7462-5 | February 28, 2024 | 978-1-7183-2472-5 |
| 3 | February 7, 2022 | 978-4-7575-7732-9 | May 15, 2024 | 978-1-7183-2474-9 |
| 4 | July 7, 2022 | 978-4-7575-8022-0 | November 4, 2024 | 978-1-7183-2476-3 |
| 5 | December 7, 2022 | 978-4-7575-8300-9 | January 15, 2025 | 978-1-7183-2478-7 |
| 6 | June 7, 2023 | 978-4-7575-8605-5 | April 2, 2025 | 978-1-7183-2480-0 |
| 7 | January 6, 2024 | 978-4-7575-8997-1 | — | — |
| 8 | August 6, 2024 | 978-4-7575-9345-9 | — | — |
| 9 | March 27, 2025 | 978-4-7575-9776-1 | — | — |

### Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Kazuki Satō began serialization in Akita Shoten's seinen manga web magazine Dokodemo Young Champion on August 24, 2021. The manga's chapters have been collected into six tankōbon volumes as of August 2024.
During their panel at Sakura-Con 2024, Yen Press announced that they licensed the manga adaptation.
A spin-off manga series written by Itsuki Watanabe and illustrated by Megumu Soramichi, titled Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru Gaiden: Hajimari no Mahō Kenshi, began serialization on Square Enix's Manga Up! manga service on November 29, 2024.
Another spin-off manga series, titled Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru Gaiden: Ryūsōken no Kiseki, began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine on February 7, 2025. The series is written by Zenji Yotsuya and illustrated by Sasami Hazama and is centered around the character Surena Lysandra.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | February 18, 2022 | 978-4-253-30691-1 | September 17, 2024 | 979-8-855-40189-9 |
| 2 | June 20, 2022 | 978-4-253-30692-8 | January 21, 2025 | 979-8-855-40191-2 |
| 3 | March 20, 2023 | 978-4-253-30693-5 | May 27, 2025 | 979-8-855-40193-6 |
| 4 | August 24, 2023 | 978-4-253-30694-2 | — | — |
| 5 | January 26, 2024 | 978-4-253-30695-9 | — | — |
| 6 | August 6, 2024 | 978-4-253-30696-6 | — | — |
| 7 | March 27, 2025 | 978-4-253-30697-3 | — | — |

#### Gaiden: Hajimari no Mahō Kenshi

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | March 27, 2025 | 978-4-7575-9775-4 | — | — |

#### Gaiden: Ryūsōken no Kiseki

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | March 27, 2025 | 978-4-7575-9776-1 | — | — |

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 1, 2024. The series is produced by Passione and Hayabusa Film and directed by Akio Kazumi, with scripts written by Kunihiko Okada, characters designed by Satsuki Hayasaka who is also serving as chief animation director, and music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. It is set to premiere on April 5, 2025 on TV Asahi's IMAnimation [ja] programming block. The opening theme song is "Heroes" performed by Takanori Nishikawa, while the ending theme song is "Alright!!!" performed by Flow. The series will be streamed worldwide by Amazon Prime Video.

## Reception

By January 2024, the series had over 4 million copies in circulation. By August 2024, the series had over 5.5 million copies in circulation.
The manga adaptation was ranked third in the "I Want to Read it Now!" category at Rakuten Kobo's 1st E-book Manga Awards in 2023. The manga, alongside When Marriages Fracture and The Great Snake's Bride, won the 2023 Piccoma Award in the manga category. The manga was also ranked thirteenth at the 9th Next Manga Awards in the web category in 2023. The manga was also ranked second in the 2023 Tsutaya Comic Awards. The manga was also ranked thirteenth in Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics list of 2024.