The concluding volume of the director’s cut of the classic manga, featuring a specially commissioned cover by creator Takashi Okazaki. Japan has become a land of warriors, warlords and assassins, where the technology of the future exists alongside the brutal traditions of the past. This world is ruled by whoever possesses the legendary No.1 headband. After having defeated the Empty Seven Clan, Afro is forced to face a new threat: a deadly warrior who wears a teddy mask called Jinno. Will his bloodthirsty campaign of vengeance be thwarted, or will he finally face Justice, the man who killed his father, and claim the No.1 headband? Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Afro Samurai anime starring Samuel L. Jackson!

In a feudal, futuristic Japan, samurai battle to become the No. 1 and rule the world. But when his father, who holds the coveted position, is challenged and killed, the young Afro Samurai vows vengeance. Relentlessly pursued by murderous assassins, will he stay alive long enough to keep his promise? In the first two volumes, witness the beginnings of young Afro’s quest, his battles with an array of assassins and warlords, that climaxes in the epic confrontation with the powerful Empty Seven Clan and a showdown with an old enemy… Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Afro Samurai anime starring Samuel L. Jackson.

This biography of the first foreign-born samurai and his journey from Africa to Japan is “a readable, compassionate account of an extraordinary life” (The Washington Post). When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan’s martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society. In the four hundred years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. Now African Samurai presents the never-before-told biography of this unique figure of the sixteenth century, one whose travels between countries and cultures offers a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan. “Fast-paced, action-packed writing. . . . A new and important biography and an incredibly moving study of medieval Japan and solid perspective on its unification. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review) “Eminently readable. . . . a worthwhile and entertaining work.” —Publishers Weekly “A unique story of a unique man, and yet someone with whom we can all identify.” —Jack Weatherford, New York Times–bestselling author of Genghis Khan

Seven Seas and Tor are proud to present Afro-Samurai, the manga that inspired the hit Spike TV anime!

For fans of the original Afro Samurai manga and anime, this new “director’s cut” edition of the out-of-print cult classic book features a specially commissioned custom cover and a brand-new foreword by creator Takashi Okazaki. In a feudal, futuristic Japan, samurai battle to become No.1 and rule the world, but when his father, who holds the coveted position, is challenged and killed, the young Afro Samurai vows vengeance. Relentlessly pursued by murderous assassins, will he stay alive long enough to keep his promise? In the first of two volumes, we see the beginnings of young Afro’s quest, his battles with an array of assassins and warlords, that climaxes in the epic confrontation with the powerful Empty Seven Clan and a showdown with an old enemy…

Afro Samurai closes in on Justice, but the mysterious and powerful Kuma stands in his way...

The first biography of Asian American activist and Black Panther Party member Richard Aoki