Revenger (TV series)

Revenger (stylized in all caps) is an original Japanese anime television series animated by Ajiado and produced by Nitroplus and Shochiku.[1] Set in Japan, the series follows a samurai named Raizo Kurima who crosses paths with hitmen known as Revengers after being betrayed by his superiors. It aired from January to March 2023.

Premise

Raizo Kurima is a hitman working for the organization Revengers, which takes revenge on behalf of those who have no power. The group works at the "Ribenjiya" store that acts as a general store on the outside, while hiding the Revengers organization beneath the surface. Kurima's coworkers include a physician with destructive impulses, a beautiful and androgynous young man who is both cruel and innocent, a gambler who loves money and alcohol, and an intelligent lacquer craftsman. The five men start to build a strange friendship through working together.

Characters

• Kurima Raizō (繰馬 雷蔵)
• The main protagonist, a master swordsman whose loyalty to his clan was used to manipulate him into murdering his own fiancée's father. He soon kills the man who arranged the plot, and with nowhere to go after his fiancée kills herself in despair, joins the Revengers who helped him.
• Usui Yūen (碓水 幽烟)
• A soft-spoken handyman whose day job is as a maki-e lacquerware artist. However, he secretly runs the Revengers, a gairaigo corruption of the word "revenge," to help settle the blood debts of those who normally cannot afford to hire a hitman. His preferred method of killing is slapping a sheet of gold lacquer over the target's face until they suffocate. Yuen has a large tattoo of the Virgin Mary covering his back, signifying his faith and his work for an underground Christian group.
• Murakami Teppa (叢上 徹破)
• A former pirate and current doctor who treats patients from all walks of life, regardless of their ability to pay. He creates and maintains a secret stash of weapons for Revengers, and his massive frame allows him to use heavier weaponry than most people cannot use.
• (鳰)
• A small, androgynous boy whose angelic face hides a cruel and calculating mind. His favorite method of assassination involves using kite strings covered in tiny glass shards.
• Sōji (惣二)
• A self-indulgent gambler who prizes money, alcohol, and women above all else. However, he is surprisingly compassionate when dealing with people he likes. His favorite weapon is a deck of hanafuda cards with thin iron pieces embedded in them, which he throws at enemies' vital points.
• Jerarudo Kanō (ジェラルド 嘉納)
• An underground Christian priest who preaches out of a half-destroyed chapel in Nagasaki, he gives spiritual guidance and funding to the members of the Revengers.
• Isarizawa Jinkurō (漁澤 陣九郎)
• A government official from the Nagasaki Magistrate's office who takes credit for cracking down on the opium trade within the region, and is known for cavorting with many prostitutes around town. He is quietly manipulating the Revengers for his own ends.
• Shishido Saimon (宍戸 斎門)
• Leader of the Nagasaki Trade Union who seems connected to the local opium trade.
• (劉文霖)
• Chinatown gang leader attempting to root out the source of the opium in Nagasaki before it spreads into his country. An extremely skilled martial artist who can even take on Kurima bare-handed.
• Henro no Sada (遍路の貞)
• A wandering priest who secretly runs a rival group of the Revengers and has fewer qualms about accepting jobs. His group includes Ippachi the Hawkeye, Yotaro the Shuriken and Sute the Tonfa.

Media

Reception

Anime Feminist and Anime News Network reviewed the series' premiere with both noting it uses several tropes which Gen Urobuchi is known for. While the setting was found interesting for mixing Oriental and Occidental content in a historical Japan, the lack of female characters was criticized especially due to the suicide of Kurima's fiancée at the end of first episode. Nevertheless, the character designs and animation were praised, fitting especially for the action scene.[25][26]

External links