# Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru

Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru (Japanese: サムライ8 八丸伝, Hepburn: Samurai Eito Hachimaruden) is a Japanese manga written by Masashi Kishimoto and illustrated by Akira Okubo [ja]. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from May 2019 to March 2020, with its chapters collected in five tankōbon volumes. In North America, Viz Media published the series on the Shonen Jump platform, and started the print release of the series in March 2020. Shueisha published it on the Manga Plus platform.

## Production

In an interview published in the October issue of Kadokawa's Entermix on August 20, 2015, Kishimoto discussed the ideas for his next work after finishing his famous long-running series Naruto in November 2014. He stated that his new work would be a science fiction manga and he had already finalized the character designs. In the same interview he stated that his next work possibly would not be a weekly serialization, due to a muscle strain put on him by the weekly serialization of Naruto. In an interview published by Jump Giga in August 2016, Kishimoto stated that he already planned his next work and he has already done research for it. In December 2017, at the Jump Festa '18 Boruto: Naruto Next Generations stage panel, Kishimoto displayed several layouts art sequences that he drew for his new work, with a planned 2018 debut for the Weekly Shōnen Jump's 50th anniversary.
During the Jump Festa 2019 event in December 2018, Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru was formally announced. The new collaboration between Kishimoto and his former assistant Akira Okubo [ja] was set to debut in Weekly Shōnen Jump in Q2 2019. At the event, Naruto's voice actress Junko Takeuchi read a comment from Kishimoto, which stated that the new manga would combine his love for Japanese culture and aesthetics with his love for science fiction settings and technology. In March 2019, Kishimoto held a press conference at Shueisha to share information about his new work, regarding as how long Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru would be, Kishimoto expected to publish ten volumes or more, stating "I remember saying one time that Naruto would be 15 volumes. It always ends up being longer". Despite Kishimoto's expectations, the series finished with 43 chapters published on March 23, 2020.

## Publication

Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru was created, written, and storyboarded by Masashi Kishimoto, and illustrated by Akira Okubo [ja], who had been an assistant of Kishimoto's on Naruto from the early 2000s till the series' end. A four page preview of the manga was released in Weekly Shōnen Jump's combined issue #22–23 on April 27, 2019, being the final issue published in the Heisei period. Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump's 24th issue on May 13, 2019, being the first series in the magazine published in the Japanese Reiwa period. The series finished on March 23, 2020. The first two tankōbon volumes were published on October 4, 2019, while the fifth and final volume was published on May 13, 2020.
In North America, Viz Media published the preview chapter and published the chapters simultaneously with the releases in Japan on the Shonen Jump platform, while Shueisha published it on the Manga Plus platform. In October 2019, Viz Media announced that the series would be released in early 2020.

### Volumes

| No. | Title | Original release date | English release date |
| 1 | The First Key Hito-tsume no Kagi (1つめの鍵) | October 4, 2019 978-4-08-882022-4 | March 3, 2020 978-1-97-471502-2 |
| "The First Key" (1つめの鍵, Hito-tsume no Kagi)"Visitor from the Sky" (空からの訪問者, Sora kara no Hōmon-sha)"Cutting the Tank" (戦車入刀, Sensha Nyūtō) "Family Argument" (親子ゲンカ, Oyako Genka)"Departure" (出発, Shuppatsu)"Samurai of Fate" (運命の侍様, Unmei no Samurai-sama) ||||
| 2 | For Whom and For What Dare no Tame ni, Nan no Tame ni (誰のために、何のために) | October 4, 2019 978-4-08-882082-8 | May 5, 2020 978-1-9747-1538-1 |
| "Encounter" (出会い, Deai)"Take It Slowly" (ゆっくりでよい, Yukkuri Deyoi)"Together..." (ふたりで…, Futari de...)"Target Acquired" (ターゲット捕捉, Tāgetto Hosoku)"How Dare You" (ふざけたマネを, Fuzaketa Mane o) "For Whom and For What" (誰のために、何のために, Dare no Tame ni, Nan no Tame ni)"I Saw a Hero" (勇を見た, Yū o Mita)"Father's Secret" (父の秘密, Chichi no Himitsu)"Hachimaru's Calling" (八丸の「義」, Hachimaru no "Gi") ||||
| 3 | Kotsuga & Ryu Kotsuga to Ryū (コツガとリュウ) | January 4, 2020 978-4-08-882175-7 | August 4, 2020 978-1-97-471808-5 |
| "Star-Breaker" (星砕き, Hoshi Kudaki)"Kotsuga & Ryu" (コツガとリュウ, Kotsuga to Ryū)"Always Shop Responsibly" (ご利用は計画的に, Go Riyō wa Keikaku-teki ni)"Whatever It Takes!!!" (何が何でも!!!, Nani ga Nandemo!!!)"Partner" (相棒, Aibō) "Shining White Blade" (白く輝く牙, Shiroku Kagayaku Yaiba)"Ann and Her Brother" (アンと兄, An to Ani)"What Good Will That Do You?!" (それが何の役に立つ!, Sore ga Nan no Yaku ni Tatsu!)"Hachimaru vs. Ryu, Rematch!!" (八丸VS竜、再戦!!, Hachimaru bāsasu Ryū, Saisen!!) ||||
| 4 | Partner Aibō (相棒) | March 4, 2020 978-4-08-882227-3 | November 3, 2020 978-1-97-471815-3 |
| "Encounter" (遭遇, Sōgū)"Like a Samurai" (侍らしく, Samurai-rashiku)"Awakening" (目覚め, Mezame)"Daruma the Initiate" (免許皆伝 達麻, Menkyokaiden Daruma)"Yoshitsune's Calling" (義常の義, Yoshitsune no Gi) "Infiltration" (潜入, Sen'nyū)"This Wasn't the Deal!" (話が違う!!, Hanashi ga Chigau!!)"Time Limit" (タイムリミット, Taimu Rimitto)"Partner" (相棒, Aibō) ||||
| 5 | The Next Shooting Star Tsugi no Nagareboshi (次の流れ星) | May 13, 2020 978-4-08-882281-5 | February 2, 2021 978-1-97-472102-3 |
| "License Download" (免許ダウンロード, Menkyo Daunrōdo)"Wabi-Sabi" (侘び寂び)"Hanaichi and Goku" (花一と五空, Hanaichi to Gokū)"Rivals" (好敵手（ライバル）, Raibaru)"Ann and Hachimaru and Goku" (アンと八丸と五空, An to Hachimaru to Gokū) "Sneak Attack" (奇襲, Kishū)"Loss of Support" (支えの喪失, Sasae no Sōshitsu)"Nanashi the Samurai" (侍・七志, Samurai Nanashi)"The Next Shooting Star" (次の流れ星, Tsugi no Nagareboshi)"Pandora's Box" (パンドラの箱, Pandora no Hako) ||||

## Reception

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network ranked the first volume as a B−. Silverman considered that the series appeals to younger readers although the good-hearted nature of the series could appeal to older readers as well. She praised Okubo's art but considered the world's lore largely underdeveloped and felt that there are too noticeable gaps in the story's continuity. Karen Maeda of Sequential Tart gave the first volume a 8 out of 10. Maeda said that the manga has many elements which make it interesting and concluded: "The creator of Naruto plays a lot in the fantasy landscape. I think this is going to be a pretty fun ride! I highly recommend picking this one up if you want something fun that is pure manga, and if you like dogs that meow."