Sword Gaiソードガイ(Sōdo Gai)GenreDark fantasy[1] MangaWritten byToshiki InoueIllustrated byPublished byHero’s Inc.MagazineMonthly Hero’s [ja]Original runNovember 1, 2012 – June 1, 2019Volumes13 Series titles
- Sword Gai (2012-15, 6 volumes)
- Sword Gai Evolve (2015-19, 7 volumes)
Original net animationSword Gai: The AnimationDirected byWritten byToshiki InoueMusic byKotaro NakagawaStudioLandQ StudiosLicensed byReleasedRuntime22 minutesEpisodes24 Anime and manga portal
Sword Gai (Japanese: ソードガイ, Hepburn: Sōdo Gai) is a Japanese manga series written by Toshiki Inoue with original character design by Keita Amemiya and scenario by Wosamu Kine [ja]. The first twelve episodes (“Part I”) of an anime adaptation titled Sword Gai: The Animation were released on Netflix worldwide on March 23, 2018. Part II was released on July 30, 2018.[2][3]
Gai is a young man who is an apprentice to the blacksmith Amon, who found him as a newborn with the legendary katana Shiryū, revealed to be one of many cursed weapons found worldwide that turn their wielder, who is known as a Chrysalis, into a thrall who embodies their murderous impulses. On the night Amon found Gai, the katana had sent one of its keepers on one such murderous spree with it, during which he confronted Gai’s parents. After killing Gai’s father, Gai’s mother, who was pregnant with him, used Shiryū to kill the attacker and committed suicide rather than be consumed herself by the weapon’s bloodlust. After Gai loses his right arm when a ceremony to subdue Shiryū goes wrong, Amon forges it into a prosthetic limb for Gai. What makes matters worse is a Chrysalis will gradually lose their humanity until finally transforming into armored monsters called Busoma, making them that much harder to stop. Becoming a Chrysalis with the ability to fuse with his weapon, Gai attempts to retain his humanity while fighting the Busoma, whose drive to seek combat threatens to exterminate humanity.
Gai Ogata (緒方 凱) Voiced by: Yūto Uemura[4] (Japanese); Khoi Dao (English) User of Demonic Sword Shiryū. When he was born, his mother committed suicide to avoid being consumed by Shiryū’s bloodlust. Soon after, Amon found and adopted him, taking him in as his apprentice. After losing his right arm in a failed ceremony meant to subdue Shiryū, he gains the ability to fuse with it after Amon forges it into a prosthetic limb to replace his arm. Seiya Ichijō (一条晴也) Voiced by: Yuichiro Umehara[4] (Japanese); Billy Kametz (English) User of Chakram. Sayaka Ogata (緒方 さやか) Voiced by: Yuka Aisaka[4] (Japanese); Kayli Mills (English) Amon’s daughter. Amon Ogata (緒方 亜門) Voiced by: Jouji Nakata[5] (Japanese); Taylor Henry (English) Gai’s adoptive father, who adopted him during infancy and took him in as his apprentice following his mother’s death. Kigetsu Voiced by: Masaharu Sato (Japanese); John DeMita (English) Naoki Miki (三木 直樹) Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[5] (Japanese); Greg Chun (English) User of Fallgon Sword. Marcus Lithos (マーカス・リートス) Voiced by: Hiro Shimono[5] (Japanese); Zach Aguilar (English) User of Azoth Sword. Mina Haraya Voiced by: Yu Shimamura (Japanese); Mela Lee (English) Takuma Miura (三浦 琢磨) Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki[5] (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English) Former administrator of the Shoshidai, User of Zsoltgewinn. Kyōka Kagami (鏡 京香) Voiced by: Rina Satou[5] (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English) Current administrator of the Shoshidai. Midoriko Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Faye Mata (English) An Underground Idol and User of Flanberge Sword. Yasuko Tanaka Voiced by: Urara Takano[4] (Japanese); Jessica Gee (English) User of Gallon’s Hammer. Issei Ariga Voiced by: Kohei Murakami (Japanese); Steve Staley (English) User of Nebestigma. Arnys Voiced by: Michiko Neya[4] (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English) Shin Matoba Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese); Griffin Burns (English) Kazuma Matoba Voiced by: Takaya Hahi (Japanese); Richard Epcar (English) Rie Matoba Voiced by: Maria Naganawa (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh (English) Kuromaru Voiced by: Ayumu Murase (Japanese); Laura Stahl (English) Kagatsuka Voiced by: Junichi Yanagita (Japanese); Jordan Reynolds (English) Himiko Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (Japanese); Lauren Landa (English) Leader of the Gabi. Kazumo Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese); Xander Mobus (English) Grimms (グリムス) Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda[5] (Japanese); Chris Tergliafera (English) Hakim Voiced by: Kousuke Toriumi (Japanese); Chris Hackney (English) Tatsumi Voiced by: Kenji Hamada (Japanese); Austin Lee Matthews (English) Kiyomi Voiced by: Hitomi Harada (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English) Kei Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (Japanese); Philece Sampler (English)
Written by Toshiki Inoue and illustrated by Keita Amemiya (characters) and Wosamu Kine [ja] (scenario), Sword Gai started in Hero’s Inc.’s seinen manga magazine Monthly Hero’s [ja] from November 1, 2012, to September 1, 2015.[6][7] Shogakukan Creative collected its chapters in six tankōbon volumes, released from June 5, 2013, to November 5, 2015.[8][9]
A direct sequel by the same author, titled Sword Gai Evolve (ソードガイ エヴォルヴ, Sōdo Gai Evolve), was serialized in the same magazine from October 31, 2015, to June 1, 2019.[10][11] Its chapters were collected in seven tankōbon volumes, released from May 22, 2016, to August 5, 2019.[12][13]
An anime adaptation originally developed by DLE and Fields was scheduled to air in April 2016,[14] but it was delayed indefinitely until Netflix streamed the series worldwide on March 23, 2018.[15][16] Tomohito Naka directed the series while Takahiro Ikezoe served as the chief director, Inoue himself handled series composition and wrote the episode scripts, Atsuko Nakajima designed the characters, Toshiki Kameyama was the sound designer, and Kotaro Nakagawa composed the music. Sword Gai: The Animation was animated by LandQ Studios.[17] The opening theme song is “Sadame Goto” (サダメゴト, What is Predestined) by Yūto Uemura.[5] Sentai Filmworks will release the series on home video.[18]
No. Title Original air date 1″Episode 1″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 2″Episode 2″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 3″Episode 3″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 4″Episode 4″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 5″Episode 5″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 6″Episode 6″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 7″Episode 7″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 8″Episode 8″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 9″Episode 9″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 10″Episode 10″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 11″Episode 11″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) 12″Episode 12″March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) No. Title Original air date 13″Episode 1″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 14″Episode 2″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 15″Episode 3″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 16″Episode 4″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 17″Episode 5″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 18″Episode 6″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 19″Episode 7″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 20″Episode 8″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 21″Episode 9″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 22″Episode 10″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 23″Episode 11″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30) 24″Episode 12″July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30)
- Official manga website (in Japanese)
- Sword Gai (manga) at Anime News Network’s encyclopedia