Samurai 8 Gets Anime Makeover

Naruto, and its sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, have brought the eyes of the world onto the Hidden Leaf Village of Konoha. Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of these popular series, has returned with his newest manga that follows the story of the samurai, rather than the ninja. Samurai 8, though debuting as a manga this month, has already had fans chomping at the bit for an anime version with one fan even giving it an anime makeover.

Twitter User and Artist Amanomoon got to work on bringing the manga adaptation to life, showing us a detailed look at what the main character of Samurai 8, Hachimaru, would look like in an anime adaptation:

While obviously, with only the first volume being released recently, we still have a ways to go before the characters and world of Samurai 8 are fully fleshed out, we were given a good view of the character of Hachimaru. The would-be samurai has a personality similar to that of Naruto, wherein his dream is to become a great Samurai but forces out of his controls are impending his path. Hachimaru suffers from a physical disability that requires the use of prosthetics in order to move, though this has not stopped him from attempting to learn what he can about the life of the samurai.

The world established in Samurai 8 is also similar to Naruto in many ways, but is able to establish a number of differences that set it apart. The use of technology here for example is far more advanced than Naruto was, showing a culture that is able to play virtual reality video games and drive technologically advanced vehicles. Hachimaru finds himself in a new, interesting situation at the end of the chapter than where he was at the beginning and it should be interesting to follow his continued journey as a samurai.

Written by Kishimoto and illustrated by Akira Okubo, the official synopsis for Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru reads as such:

“The galaxy is headed towards the end of its existence: It can’t withstand any longer than for another century. A Samurai was given the mission to try and save all of the scattered planets and their respective inhabitants by finding ‘Pandora’s Box’. The God of Warriors, Fudo Myo-o, sealed a secret that will save the entire world inside of ‘Pandora’s Box’. In order to open it, someone will need to find the seven keys first. Hachimaru, a feeble boy who’s required medical assistance since birth, might just be one of them!”