Legend of the Dragon Warrior

Story Arc
 Last page date
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***Legend of the Dragon Warrior***is the first chapter of the *Dragons of Azuma* webcomic. It was entirely released on 16th June 2015 and it serves as an extra-large pilot chapter to the series.

## Plot

In a mountain dojo,a yound martial arts attendant, Cropper is called to the dojo's master, Inu. The master tells Cropper to leave the dojo before his former martial arts techer will arrive. The youngster argues with Inu only to insult his master and be chased away from the dojo. Before leaving the dojo's yard, he is called by Rakuda, Inu's best student. Rakuda tries to annoy Cropper, with the fact that (most probably) he will be chosed by the mysterious martial artist only to be annoyed by Cropper. Cropper leaves the dojo.

In a forrest outside the dojo (as Inu told the youngster to leave the dojo under the guise of bringing some wood) Cropper decides to cut down a tree. As he didn't take anything for it, he decides to do it with his bare hands, what ends with almous being smashed by the tree. The whole situation is watched by someone who comments on it. Cropper hears that and walks to the tree from where he heard something. The person reveals himself as a swordbandit, who is looking for a man called 'Momo'. Cropper offences the bandit and bandits overall what provokes the bandit to show the young martial artist a lesson.

Meanwhile, an old man recalls a memory about reciving a prophency in his youth, about becoming a teacher to the greatest warrior of all time.

Then, he hears the noise of Cropper's and th Bandit's fight. Cropper dodges Taka's atacks, annoying him even more. When Taka tries to attack once more, Cropper delivers a kick to the bandit's stomach, which makes him fall on the ground. In revange for that, Taka attacks the youngster with his Tamashī energy, which almost hits him. Shocked with the attack's destructive power, Cropper decides to use a 'last chance technique'. When the bandit attacks for the second time Cropper (using his Tamashī) disappears. While invisible, Cropper attacks Taka, but doesn't manage to deafeat him before he runs out of energy. Taka prepars to attack one more time but Cropper decides to attack first and sends the bandit in the trees. He falls down just behind the old man, who he recognize's as Momo. The old man sends the bandit up in the air by his Iwaken technique.

Short after the fight, Cropper and Momo talks about who each of them are. Cropper recognizes Momo, as the legendary master that was heading to Inu's dojo and tells him that he is a student from that dojo. Momo, after a brief analysis of the fight and Cropper himself, suspects that Cropper might be his prophency student. He decides to take Cropper with him back to Kudamono to train him. Cropper returns with Momo to Inu's dojo for his things. To everyone's shock, Momo declares to Inu and his other studnets, that Cropper will be his new student. Whe Cropper comes back the two starts their journey to Kudamono.

## Characters (in order of appearance)

* Inu (first appearance)
* Senpai (first appearance)
* Cropper (first appearance)
* Rakuda (first appearance)
* Inu's Students (first appearance)
* Taka (first appearance)
* Momo (first appearance)
* Mountain Oracle (first appearance)(flashback)

## Others

* This is the first chapter of *Dragons of Azuma.* To date, the only one to be released entirely in one day, and the only one to have more than 16 pages.
* This chapter introdouces Tamashi Energy and the different abilities that comes from using the energy. Also SwordBandits and swordbanditism is introdouced.
* As stated by the author, General Taka might return to the series.

## References

1. ↑ [1]http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/1/
2. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/5/
3. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/8/
4. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/11/
5. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/16/
6. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/18/
7. ↑ Cropper, after Taka's attack is shown with a cutting line on his suit, but it isn't said that he got wounded by the attack http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/26/
8. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/28/
9. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/34/
10. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/35
11. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/40/
12. ↑ http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/comics/45/
13. ↑ *(...)Taka, like Buta, came unnamed, but he started the idea that Swordbandits (there – 'Mercenaries') (...). when starting tRD, never planed to give him any major role in the series. The idea came when at the end of tRD #3 where i got still 2 pages unscripted and the story for #3 actually enden. Then i decided to bring Taka 'back to life'(...).* http://dragonsofazuma.thecomicseries.com/blogarchive/21764