# The Blue Wolves of Mibu

The Blue Wolves of Mibu (Japanese: 青のミブロ, Hepburn: Ao no Miburo) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsuyoshi Yasuda. It has been serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 2021; its first part finished in April 2024 and the second part, Shinsengumi Arc, started in the same month.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Maho Film, marketed in English under the title Blue Miburo, premiered in October 2024.

## Plot

The story starts in 1863, in Kyoto. Chirinu Nio is a docile and kind boy, devoted to his family, but deep down inside he burns with a fervent desire for justice. His turbulent "blue spring" (a Japanese idiom referring to one's adolescence) begins when he meets Hijikata Toshizō and Okita Sōji of the Miburo, a group of hated rōnin. Moved by his pure and sincere wish to change the world, Nio joins the Miburo—abbreviation of Mibu Rōshigumi (壬生浪士組)—one of the most dangerous group of swordsmen, which eventually would become the Shinsengumi.

## Characters
### Chirinu Nio (ちりぬ にお)

    Voiced by: Shūichirō Umeda
    He meets Hijikata and Okita and decides to enter Miburo. He has a strong sense of justice and is kind and honest.

### Hijikata Toshizō (土方 歳三)

    Voiced by: Yōhei Azakami
    A member of the Miburo and the person who invited Nio to join them. Rigorous expression, quite handsome appearance. Skilled in swordsmanship and scheming, he is a skilled swordsman and strategist.

### Okita Sōji (沖田 総司)

    Voiced by: Kensho Ono
    A member of the Miburo and is a skilled in swordsmanship. Extremely delicate and handsome in appearance. A friendly and gentle warrior who always smiles and only wants to fight against the strong.

### Saitō Hajime (斎藤 はじめ)

    Voiced by: Chiaki Kobayashi
    A member of the Miburo and is one of the three wolves. He is good at swordsmanship and is left-handed. His real name is Jiro (次郎（じろう）), and he was entrusted to Kondō Isami by the "first generation" Saitō Hajime who brought him up, and began to call himself "second generation Saitō Hajime".

### Tanaka Tarō (田中 太郎)

    Voiced by: Shun Horie
    He is the same age as Nio, and was found and brought in by Serizawa.

### Serizawa Kamo (芹沢 鴨)

    Voiced by: Ryōta Takeuchi
    A member of the Miburo. He has been slaying and purging his fellow Roshigumi members.

### Kondō Isami (近藤 勇)

    Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
    A member of the Miburo. He has an innocent and upright character, but his swordsmanship is one of the best in the Mibu Rōshigumi.

### Nagakura Shinpachi (永倉 新八)

    Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
    A member of the Miburo. The narrator of the story, he is serious and polite.

### Harada Sanosuke (原田 左之助)

    Voiced by: Ryota Iwasaki
    A member of the Miburo. A passionate man who is better at using spears than Japanese swords.

### Yamanami Keisuke (山南 敬助)

    Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi
    A member of the Miburo. He has a warm personality, but when he loses his temper, he also has a terrible side.

### Todo Heisuke (藤堂 平助)

    Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya
    A member of the Miburo.

### Inoue Genzaburo (井上 源三郎)

    Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama
    A member of the Miburo.

### Niimi Nishiki (新見 錦)

    Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara
    A member of the Miburo.

### Noguchi Kenji (野口 健司)

    Voiced by: Tomohiro Ōno
    A member of the Miburo.

### Hirama Jusuke (平間 重助)

    Voiced by: Yū Maeda
    A member of the Miburo.

### Hirayama Gorō (平山 五郎)

    Voiced by: Kenji Nomura
    A member of the Miburo.

### Granny (婆ちゃん, Bāchan)

    Voiced by: Sayuri Sadaoka
    The old woman who runs the Dango store "Chirinu".

### Chirinu Iroha (ちりぬ いろは)

    Voiced by: Yūko Natsuyoshi
    Nio's young sister.

### Kikuchiyo (菊千代) / Tokugawa Iemochi (徳川 家茂)

    Voiced by: Megumi Ogata
    A kind person who thinks of others regardless of their status.

### Seto (世都)

    Voiced by: Ayumu Murase
    The son of the large satin shop "Nijo-dori no Tsuruya". His mother is British, so he has blonde hair and blue eyes.

### Matsudaira Katamori (松平容保)

    Voiced by: Makoto Ishii
    Lead the samurai to Kyoto to maintain public order in Kyoto.

### Fujita (藤田)

    Voiced by: Kenji Hamada
    A samurai from the Aizu Domain.

### Kimura Jutarō (木村寿太郎)

    Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto
    A patriotic activist from Choshu who attempted to overthrow the shogunate. In a duel with Okita Sōji, he was killed by the opponent's lightning-fast swordsmanship.

### Kyōshirō (京四郎)

    Voiced by: Tōru Sakurai
    A patriotic Satsuma warrior who attempted to overthrow the shogunate.

### Naozumi Kyohachi (京八直純)

    Voiced by: Tetsu Inada
    The eldest son of the long-standing Kyohachi swordsmanship dojo in Kyoto.

### Ayame (彩芽)

    Voiced by: Yūto Uemura
    He like to wear rose colored kimono and sometimes show a cold side.

### Kyōhachi Yōtarō (京八 陽太郎)

    Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
    Naozumi's younger brother, the head of the Kyōhachi-ryū dojo "Kyōhachikan".

### Kyōhachi Nagi (京八 ナギ)

    Voiced by: Chika Anzai
    Naozumi's sister-in-law, Yotaro's wife. She became pregnant with Yotaro's child and gave birth, but died for the sake of the child's birth.

### Sakura (さくら)

    Voiced by: Rie Takahashi
    A woman who is an apprentice blacksmith (bladesmith). She learned the technique of forging high-quality katana.

### Hebi (蛇)

    Voiced by: Kujira
    A tall and mysterious person who knows the secret of Saitō Hajime.

### Kagemaru (影丸)

    Voiced by: Takuto Yoshinaga
    He served as Kikuchiyo (Tokugawa Iemochi)'s stand-in.

### Yaksha (夜叉, Yasha)

    Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura

### Sendō (扇動)

    Voiced by: Yoshiki Nakajima

### Ryōken (猟犬)

    Voiced by: Yoku Shioya

### Hanabishi (花火師)

    Voiced by: Masashi Yamane

### Anegakōji Kintomo (姉小路公知)

    Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa

### Saitō Hajime (斎藤 一)

    Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka
    A person known in history as "Saitō Hajime of the Shinsengumi".

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by Tsuyoshi Yasuda, The Blue Wolves of Mibu started in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine on October 13, 2021. The series ended its first part on April 17, 2024, and resumed the following week with its second part, Shinsengumi Arc (新選組編, Shinsengumi-hen), on April 24. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes; the first part was collected in fourteen volumes, released from February 17, 2022, to July 17, 2024. The first volume of the second part was released on September 17, 2024. As of March 17, 2025, four volumes have been released.
At Anime Expo 2023, Kodansha USA announced that it had licensed the series for English publication. The first volume was released on February 27, 2024.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| Part 1 |||||
| 1 | February 17, 2022 | 978-4-06-526646-5 | February 27, 2024 | 979-8-88-877083-2 |
| 01. "The Miburo and the Boy" 02. "Wavering Shades of Gray" 03. "A World That Accepts Tears" 04. "Friends" 05. "Whereabouts of the Soul" |||||
| 2 | April 15, 2022 | 978-4-06-527527-6 | May 28, 2024 | 979-8-88-877084-9 |
| 06. "Face-Off" 07. "The Devil's Proof" 08. "Out of Place" 09. "Iai" 10. "The Name of Our Enemy" 11. "For Certain" 12. "Our Hearts as One" 13. "Honesty" 14. "Outsider" |||||
| 3 | June 17, 2022 | 978-4-06-528177-2 | August 27, 2024 | 979-8-88-877085-6 |
| 15. "Each One's Creed" 16. "Youthful Fury" 17. "Small World" 18. "The Weight of a Katana" 19. "Strange Things" 20. "Promise" 21. "Evil and Pride" 22. "Palms" 23. "A Smile" |||||
| 4 | August 17, 2022 | 978-4-06-528655-5 | February 25, 2025 | 979-8-88-877086-3 |
| 5 | October 17, 2022 | 978-4-06-529485-7 | April 22, 2025 | 979-8-88-877087-0 |
| 6 | December 16, 2022 | 978-4-06-529940-1 | July 15, 2025 | 979-8-88-877088-7 |
| 7 | February 17, 2023 | 978-4-06-530525-6 | October 21, 2025 | 979-8-88-877089-4 |
| 8 | April 17, 2023 | 978-4-06-531237-7 | — | — |
| 9 | June 15, 2023 | 978-4-06-531891-1 | — | — |
| 10 | September 14, 2023 | 978-4-06-532889-7 | — | — |
| 11 | November 16, 2023 | 978-4-06-533546-8 | — | — |
| 12 | February 16, 2024 | 978-4-06-534557-3 | — | — |
| 13 | April 17, 2024 | 978-4-06-535178-9 | — | — |
| 14 | July 17, 2024 | 978-4-06-536160-3 | — | — |
| Part 2: Shinsengumi Arc |||||
| 1 (15) | September 17, 2024 | 978-4-06-536761-2 | — | — |
| 2 (16) | November 15, 2024 | 978-4-06-537425-2 | — | — |
| 3 (17) | January 17, 2025 | 978-4-06-538074-1 | — | — |
| 4 (18) | March 17, 2025 | 978-4-06-538711-5 | — | — |

### Anime

In September 2023, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation. It is produced by Maho Film and directed by Kumiko Habara, with scripts written by Kenta Ihara, character designs handled by Yūko Ōba and Miyako Nishida, and music composed by Yuki Hayashi. The series premiered on October 19, 2024, on all NNS affiliate stations, including ytv and Nippon TV, and is set to run for two consecutive cours for a half-year run. The first opening theme is "Ao" (青, 'Blue'), performed by Spyair, while the first ending theme is "Unbreakable", performed by The Jet Boy Bangerz. The second opening theme is "Ookami", performed by Umeda Cypher [ja], while the second ending theme is "Fragment" (フラグメント, Furagumento), performed by Osage [ja].
The series is marketed in English under the title Blue Miburo. Crunchyroll is streaming the series.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "The Wolves of Mibu and a Boy" Transliteration: "Mibu Nami to Shōnen" (Japanese: 壬生浪と少年) | Kumiko Habara & Tadayoshi Kusaka | Kenta Ihara | Kumiko Habara | October 19, 2024 (2024-10-19) |
| 2 | "A World Where It's Okay to Cry" Transliteration: "Naite Iī Sekai" (Japanese: 泣いていい世界) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Kenta Ihara | Takeshi Mori | October 26, 2024 (2024-10-26) |
| 3 | "Where the Soul Dwells" Transliteration: "Tamashī no Ari Sho" (Japanese: 魂の在り処) | Kyohei Ohkasu | Kenta Ihara | Takeshi Mori | November 2, 2024 (2024-11-2) |
| 4 | "The Name of the Enemy" Transliteration: "Teki no Namae" (Japanese: 敵の名前) | Tomihiko Ohkubo | Takayo Igami | Tomihiko Ohkubo | November 9, 2024 (2024-11-9) |
| 5 | "United in Purpose" Transliteration: "Kokorozashi wa Hitotsu" (Japanese: 志は一つ) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Haryo Shunme | Dojagagen | November 16, 2024 (2024-11-16) |
| 6 | "To Each His Own Justice" Transliteration: "Sorezore no Seigi" (Japanese: それぞれの正義) | Hiromichi Matano | Kenta Ihara | Takeshi Mori | November 23, 2024 (2024-11-23) |
| 7 | "Pride" Transliteration: "Kinji" (Japanese: 矜持) | Masayuki Iimura | Takayo Igami | Masayuki Iimura | November 30, 2024 (2024-11-30) |
| 8 | "Palm of the Hand" Transliteration: "Tenohira" (Japanese: 掌) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Kunihiko Okada | Dojagagen | December 7, 2024 (2024-12-7) |
| 9 | "Treasure" Transliteration: "Takara" (Japanese: 宝) | Tomihiko Ohkubo | Haryo Shunme | Tomihiko Ohkubo | December 14, 2024 (2024-12-14) |
| 10 | "The Weakest Shogun" Transliteration: "Saijaku no Shōgun" (Japanese: 最弱の将軍) | Kyohei Oyabu | Kenta Ihara | Takeshi Mori | December 21, 2024 (2024-12-21) |
| 11 | "True Strength" Transliteration: "Shin no Tsuyo sa" (Japanese: 真の強さ) | Shigeki Awai | Kunihiko Okada | Takeshi Mori | December 28, 2024 (2024-12-28) |
| 12 | "Eight Heads" Transliteration: "Yattsu no Atama" (Japanese: 八つの頭) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Takayo Igami | Dojagagen | January 4, 2025 (2025-1-4) |
| 13 | "Sharing the Same Dream" Transliteration: "Onaji Yume o Egaite" (Japanese: 同じ夢を描いて) | Masayuki Iimura | Kenta Ihara | Dojagagen | January 11, 2025 (2025-1-11) |
| 14 | "The Race to Raise Money" Transliteration: "Kinsaku Honsō" (Japanese: 金策奔走) | Tomihiko Ohkubo | Kenta Ihara | Tomihiko Ohkubo | January 18, 2025 (2025-1-18) |
| 15 | "Like a River's Flow" Transliteration: "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" (Japanese: 川の流れのように) | Hiromichi Matano | Kunihiko Okada | Yoshihisa Matsumoto | January 25, 2025 (2025-1-25) |
| 16 | "To Battle" Transliteration: "Shutsujin" (Japanese: 出陣) | Kyohei Taisu | Takayo Igami | Takeshi Mori | February 1, 2025 (2025-2-1) |
| 17 | "A Place to Belong" Transliteration: "Ibasho" (Japanese: 居場所) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Haryo Shunme | Dojagagen | February 8, 2025 (2025-2-8) |
| 18 | "Man of the Soil" Transliteration: "Tsuchi no Ningen" (Japanese: 土の人間) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Kenta Ihara | Koichi Ohata | February 15, 2025 (2025-2-15) |
| 19 | "Successor" Transliteration: "Keishōsha" (Japanese: 継承者) | Shigeki Awai & Fumio Maezono | Kunihiko Okada | Takeshi Mori | February 22, 2025 (2025-2-22) |
| 20 | "Prepared for What Comes" Transliteration: "Kakugo no Ue" (Japanese: 覚悟の上) | Hiromichi Matano | Takayo Igami | Takeshi Mori | March 1, 2025 (2025-3-1) |
| 21 | "Crime and Fortune" Transliteration: "Tsumi to Miyuki" (Japanese: 罪と幸) | Tadayoshi Kusaka | Kenta Ihara | Dojagagen | March 8, 2025 (2025-3-8) |
| 22 | "Those Who Struggle" Transliteration: "Aragau Monotachi" (Japanese: 抗う者たち) | TBA | TBA | TBA | March 15, 2025 (2025-3-15) |
| 23 | "Ties" Transliteration: "Tsunagari" (Japanese: 繋がり) | TBA | TBA | TBA | March 22, 2025 (2025-3-22) |