Drifters / Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War (ドリフターズ, Dorifutāzu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. The manga started serialization in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine Young King Ours in April 2009. It focuses on various historical figures summoned to an unknown world where their skills and techniques are needed by magicians in order to save their world from total destruction. An anime television series adaptation aired between October and December 2016; three additional original video animation (OVA) episodes were released from December 2017 to November 2018.
Drifters has been published in English by Dark Horse since August 24, 2011; in Brazilian Portuguese by Nova Sampa since June 2014; in Spanish by Norma Editorial since April 14, 2011; and in Polish by J.P.Fantastica since June 2016.
Synopsis[]
Shimazu Toyohisa, while involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically injured in the process. As he walks from the field wounded and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. This man, Murasaki, sends Toyohisa through the nearest door where he wakes up in another world. There, Toyohisa meets other great warriors like him who have been transported as well, to be part of a group known as "Drifters".
This world contains both native humans and a number of fantastical races, including elves, dwarves, and hobbits. However, the world is at war, with the humans waging a losing conflict against another group of great warriors, the "Ends", who wish to take over the world and kill all of the Drifters. Under the Ends' command are many horrible creatures, including giants and dragons, which they use to destroy everything in their path. At the start of the series, the Ends' army has control of the northern part of the continent, and are trying to invade the south through a pivotal fortress at the northernmost tip of a nation called Carneades. Meanwhile, the "Octobrist Organization", a group of human magicians native to this world, attempts to bring together the many individual Drifters to save their world from the brutal Ends.
Bibliographic Information[]
Written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano, Drifters debuted in Shōnen Gahosha's seinen manga magazine Young King Ours on April 30, 2009. It is licensed in North America by Dark Horse Comics, in France by Éditions Tonkam, in Germany by Panini Comics, in Italy by J-POP, in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics and in Poland by Japonica Polonica Fantastica.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 7, 2010 | 978-4-08-877725-2 | August 24, 2011 | 978-1-5958-2769-2 |
| 2 | October 13, 2011 | 978-4-78-593714-0 | July 25, 2012 | 978-1-5958-2933-7 |
| 3 | March 18, 2013 | 978-4-78-595043-9 | March 12, 2014 | 978-1-6165-5339-5 |
| 4 | October 27, 2014 | 978-4-78-595436-9 | August 9, 2017 | 978-1-6165-5574-0 |
| 5 | June 6, 2016 | 978-4-78-595790-2 | December 20, 2017 | 978-1-5067-0379-4 |
| 6 | November 30, 2018 | 978-4-78-596344-6 | December 18, 2019 | 978-1-50671-546-9 |
| 7 | August 10, 2023 | 978-4-7859-7497-8 | — | — |
The front cover under the cover is a parody of existing manga works using characters from this work, the back cover is a cartoon introducing historical figures and others titled "Drift & Waste Koho," and a two-page cartoon titled "Afterword: The Black King's Madness" is included as a new drawing.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10, 2023 | 978-4-7859-7495-4 | — | — |
| 2 | August 10, 2023 | 978-4-7859-7496-1 | — | — |
This is a convenience store comic book edition released simultaneously with the seventh volume of the comics, which is the first new issue in about five years, so that the episodes up to that point can be read together. In addition to the contents of Comics Volumes 1-6, it also includes "THE DAWN" (6 episodes), an outside story of HELLSING that is not included in the Comics, half of which is included in each of the two volumes.
Character[]
The protagonist of this work. He is a warlord of the Shimazu family in the Warring States period. He is called “the strongest samurai in the Warring States period” in the work. He is 30 years old and his official name is Nakamitsu Shosuke. He speaks in the Satsuma dialect.
He is a warrior who is as strong as a demon god on the battlefield. He uses the Taisute style of swordsmanship, in which he cuts down his opponents with a long sword, along with his armor and horses, as well as kumite armor techniques and a firelock short tsutsu, at will. He is also an excellent front-line commander, and has won many group battles through the use of disguised retreat tactics. He is also a natural talent in battle, always making the best choices at the critical points of a battle based on instinct, and excelling in ideas and inspiration that make use of otherworldly techniques and goods. Nobunaga called him “a natural-born warrior” and “a man born to defeat his enemies,” and Yoichi even described him as “omniscient and omnipotent, but specializing in warfare. Although he is not a learned man, he has made strategically sound statements and actions at key points. He is especially astonishingly precise when it comes to the inner thoughts of people, especially the belly, and Nobunaga believes that he has formed a personality that is useful only in warfare as a result of his “desperate self-discipline. He has a strong obsession with raising the head, and has received the nickname of “yokai (specter) ‘head otekeke’” from Orminu.
He has a hot-blooded and single-minded personality, just like a Satsuma Hayato. His fighting instincts and his own morals are the only things that surprise people around him, both friend and foe alike. He is described by Nobunaga as being “unable to read the air,” largely because he was born and raised in the belligerent Shimazu family, and Toyohisa himself admits, “There is no one among the Satsuma soldiers who is not bloodthirsty. He is regarded by Nobunaga as “a man of the king's caliber” because of his belief in his own beliefs, his “zealousness” in motivating others to fight, and his ability to unite people of different races and values. However, he is not aware of this, and although he is in a position where he should not die, he has no hesitation in using his own life as bait to achieve success and victory in battle, and people around him are becoming concerned. He never forgets the favors he has received, and he has a strong sense of chivalry. He has defended the elves who saved him and joined them in their fight, and he is outraged at the atrocities committed against women and children. He leaves the governing to Nobunaga and others, and usually wanders around town with Hannibal and Yoichi or takes a nap. He is said by those around him to be “more difficult to watch than an infant,” but he is also compared to Liu Bang, who succeeded in founding the country, simply because he cannot be left alone.
He is called “Toyo-san” by the villagers of Shala and is adored by them. Nobunaga calls him “Yutaka” or “Oyoyo.
Abilities[]
"I don't know if this is a dream or reality!! the only left for me is to charge forward!!"
― Shimazu Toyohisa
His brain isn't bad, but he doesn't use his brain much for anything other than fighting and taking heads (stupid, but not stupid, though he's a war idiot). His words and deeds often stand out without reading the air, but this is something he learned from an early age. Nobunaga Oda said, "It's not that I can't read the atmosphere, I don't read it." This undermines the enemy's tactics and stubbornness, and conversely increases the morale of allies. He is very belligerent, and even himself admits that "There is not a single Satsuma soldier who is lost in blood".
However, on the other hand, he protects the elves who helped him, and he resents the cruelty of women and children. No matter what happens, he acts based on his own convictions and does not waver for better or for worse. Even though he is charismatic in his single-minded attitude and brings together humans, dwarves, and elves, he himself believes that he is a cannon ball, and even though he is a general, he doesn't hesitate to throw away pieces if necessary, so it's not a bad thing for those around him. His relatives are the four Shimazu brothers. That's why I can't help but be aware of the difference in my ability as a general compared to them, and since I'm not in a position to succeed the head family, I guess there was a carefree place that didn't have anything to do with family or government affairs.
Although he is obsessed with taking the heads of his enemies, he slashes generals who commit outrageous deeds not even worth taking their heads, telling them to "just save their lives." In addition, he said, "A girl's neck is not a credit," and he did not kill Jeanne d'Arc by taking it easy. The level that he just didn't kill it. Regarding this action, Anastasia and Rasputin , who have experienced losing to the descendants of those who had been killing each other every day in this narrow Japan, said, "I took it easy, but I didn't know what would happen to my opponent after that. is a collection of self -satisfaction . For the dwarves who were emaciated by brutal hard labor, they fed the provisions of the food storage and battle horses, and taught the elves the Shimazu-style one-hit-kill swordsmanship, saying, "(If you remove it) you will die quickly. It's the vanguard. It's an honor." He treats the corpses of enemies as raw materials for gunpowder, and says, "There's no way a soul can dwell in a meat bag, not a neck."
It is both intriguing and awe-inspiring. He absolutely believed in the power of Shimazu, and was convinced that his descendants of Shimazu would destroy the shogunate after Sekigahara (in other words, Takamori Saigo 's Meiji Restoration).
A 「Nodachi」 that is as tall as his body, a wakizashi that accompanies it, and a short barrel that seems to be a horseman's barrel are hung from his waist. Nodachi is not a famous katana with a name, but because of the refining technique peculiar to Japanese swords, it makes dwarves who are good at blacksmiths hesitate to repair it, and it is said to be "the work of a perverted country". In the recollection, he wore armor, but in the main story, he wears props that look like a gauntlet and Manchira engraved with the Shimazu family crest . This is thought to be due to the fact that Toyohisa's extant relics are armor only. When he invaded the castle, he wore locally procured armor in order to infiltrate, but after infiltration, he immediately took it off while saying, "It's hot! It's hard to move!"
"We are Humans. We follow our own principles."
― Shimazu Toyohisa
Toyohisa is a great swordsman, capable of defeating, slaughtering enemies in seconds. Whether they're fully armed, or not armed, Toyohisa's confident in his abilities and his excellent swordsmanship can defeat them. He's also effortlessly sliced a head while they were riding a horse, rushing at him, sliced three, fully armed people with a single swing and sliced one in half; all of that was done in a few seconds. He was also shown defeating Aram, who's a true knight, without bleeding and in seconds. His combat ability priority:
- Kill a cavalryman with his horse
- The armored knight is cut in half along with the armor, cutting into thickest part of the armor
- Cut off the head along with the sword that struck
- High-speed & self-injection using the soil wall of Olmine as a launch pad
- Make the opponent shoot themselves with a shotgun with his speed
And so on, disturbing the battlefield with an unpredictable rampage, as well as a warrior who demonstrates god-like strength on the battlefield.
His main weapon is a large nodachi sword, and he specializes in one-hit kill attacks based on the Taisatsu-ryu style in which he cuts down his opponents with a long sword, along with his armor and horses, as well as Kumitse style, including the Jigen-ryu technique. Regardless of one-on-one sword fighting, he utilizes everything that can be used in battle, such as grappling with kumite armor and follow-up attacks with scabbards.
He doesn't use the wakizashi or short cylinder he wears much, but he is also good at handling firearms such as explosives. He is naturally endowed with the atmosphere and ability to drive people into battle, and when fighting, he considers not only the placement and weapons of his soldiers, but also the psychological effects that it will have on the enemy soldiers.
According to him, the speed of Shimazu's advance was unusually fast, and Nobunaga Oda called him a "warrior race." During the one-on-one fight with Toshizo Hijikata , he threw food while hiding in a building, and Hijikata scolded him, saying, "There is no samurai." In response, Toyohisa said, "This is a battle. He talks about the original Bushido" before the Sengoku period, where challenging the battle is the etiquette of the samurai, and has a sense of values that does not apply to the glorified Shido of later years.
A heroic figure who called himself the Sixth Heavenly Demon King during the Warring States period and fought under the banner of “Tenka Fubu,” he was 49 years old when the Honnoji Incident occurred, and since more than half a year had passed since his first appearance, he was 50 years old. He is also known as “Oda Mae-Ufu” (Oda Sakino Ufu) because of his position as Minister of the Right, which he had resigned four years prior to the Honnoji Incident. He wears an eye patch over his right eye.
Although his mischievous antics stand out even in battle, his true nature is that of a cunning and cool-headed strategist. As he says, “Battles themselves are the result of what we have done until then,” and “It is what we do until we reach a battle that is the battle,” he constructs strategies and tactics from an extremely realistic and long-term perspective. He has a habit of cursing as much as he can in response to the anger in front of him, but once he crosses a certain line, he decides not to let them live out of pathological rationality and stinginess as a monarch, and keeps silent. He is also an excellent commander, having led an army of inexperienced elven serfs to destroy an army of Orte regulars who outnumbered and outgunned him, and he responds immediately to Hannibal's gestures and gives efficient instructions. He is also extremely perceptive and imaginative in military matters, realizing that firearms such as revolver guns and Gatling guns, and tools such as crystal balls for communication, can transform the style of warfare. He was one of the first to recognize that “castaways are the visitors of technology and thinkers,” mainly because of the differences in the use and application of technology in the world during battles. As a former eccentric, he likes to stage his performances with flamboyance and theatricality to the extent that those around him are taken aback.
The events that followed his death, such as the death of his heir to the throne, the loss of 50 years of his life, and the fall of the Oda family, came as a great shock to him. As Toyohisa said, it seems that he can make people's heads dance in the palms of his hands, motivated by profit and greed, but he keenly felt that he could not read people's gut, which is not accompanied by feelings and resentment. He feels that he is not qualified to be a monarch, so he decides to make Toyohisa, whom he admires for his ability, the “king,” and he himself takes on the role of general counsel and all the dirty jobs.
He is already approaching old age, so he rarely fights directly, but he maintains enough strength to run alongside Toyohisa and Yoichi from the abandoned castle to the elf village, even though he is running behind. He is good at writing sentences that “caress and manipulate the emotions of the reader,” and he rallies the elves just by sending out a proclamation. He also shows his ingenuity by having the third and fourth Orte armies fight each other and destroy them with only two letters and a few ambush soldiers after the capture of Verlina.
In addition to using the flintlock rifles that he originally possessed as weapons, he is also promoting mass production, including logistics, by producing nitre, which is the material for black powder, procuring sulfur, and manufacturing the flintlock rifles themselves. In addition to using the soil from latrines and earthen floors and the bodies of the dead to refine nitre to make nitre hills, they also used feces as a tactic, throwing it into wells to disable the use of water during the first battle of the Elven village, when supplies were scarce, and applying it to arrowheads and other objects to cause tetanus. In the battle against the Black King's army at Verlina, he took charge of the elite soldiers of the Count of St. Germi's territory and formed them into a gun line and commanded them.
He is called “Nobu” by Toyohisa and “Nobu-san” by the villagers of Shara, and is recognized as a real commander. However, he has a hard time with Toyohisa's self-concerned behavior, and although he would like to pretend that he is Zhang Liang, who supported Liu Bang, he is likened to Chen Gong by St. Germi, who saw him in action.
Abilities[]
"The fire still looks good! It reminds me of Ise Nagashima."
― Oda Nobunaga
At the age of 50, he is a middle-aged man who shouts loudly about the title of "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven" and is obsessed with directing. He is a hard worker who laments the lack of rice, the staple food of the Japanese, every day because he is always swayed by the unpredictable youkai head and the old man who loves wooden is getting more and more stupid. The Count of Saint-Germi likened him to Chengong. Zhang Liang seems to be good as a person. As mentioned at the beginning, he has been betrayed many times, and has also experienced considerable hardships such as the Ikko Ikki and the supply attack. He often shows off his strategies based on that lesson, mixed with self-deprecation. He was furious when he found out that the Wastes could have unlimited food with the power of the Black King. He is an old man who stands out for his pranks and pranks on the battlefield, but in reality he is a cunning and cold -hearted realist. He said, "What you do before the battle starts is the battle," and he has both an excellent eye for observation and careful preparation. While Toyohisa trusts his abilities, It is said that "I can see through the "heads" of people who are driven by profit and greed, but I cannot read the 'hearts' of people who are driven by resentment and emotion." He himself is aware of this due to the numerous betrayals mentioned above.
"Once I've made a decision on something, I won't stop until I get it done."
― Oda Nobunaga
"I thought profit and fear controlled one's actions. However, the hearts of men doesn't seem to work like that..."
― Oda Nobunaga
The staff officer of the flotsam who moves the battle by mobilizing all the experience and knowledge that he has cultivated in his life. As typified by the Battle of Nagashino, he is a strategist who always prepares the situation to his advantage. He can inspire and rally elves from all over the world with just a document, and he can make his opponents attack each other with only the minimum amount of troops, showing a wit that rolls the opponent's psychology with the palm of his hand. He prepares the environment to make black powder from the corpses of enemy soldiers, collects feces from the village toilets and feeds them into arrows to cause tetanus. After freeing the dwarves from the mines, they used their technology and the gunpowder prepared in advance to secure a production line for matchlock guns. By training the elite under the Count of Saint-Germi, he organized the matchlock corps and further strengthened his fighting strength. He is already 50 years old, so his physical strength is declining, but he is in good health enough to catch up with Toyohisa and Yoichi's sprinting despite being out of breath. Although his direct combat strength is inferior to those of the two, he is usually stronger than other soldiers, such as firing a matchlock with one hand and shooting the enemy in the eyebrows.
A legendary master of the bow in the Genpei wars. Aged 19, he is a beautiful boy who could easily pass for a woman.
He has an inedible personality that is quite different from the one described in military tales, but he also has a side as a battle fanatic who enjoys fighting with Gildreth. His skill with the bow far surpasses that of the elves, a race originally skilled with bows.
He has taught himself the language of the elves, and even attempts to converse with them, albeit in a broken language. However, his efforts were in vain, as he was able to communicate easily with them using the October Organization's code.
He was not pleased with Yoshitsune's military strategy, which did not hesitate to resort to despicable means, because of his own values as a samurai. At first, he compared Toyohisa and Nobunaga, who used devious and even despicable strategies, with Yoshitsune, but he came to like Toyohisa, who, unlike Yoshitsune, did not force him to do anything.
Yoichi is a common name which denotes the tenth or eleventh son. Sanada Yoshitada and Asari Yoshito were contemporaries who also called themselves Yoichi. They and Nasu no Yoichi are collectively called the "three Yoichi of Genji."
Abilities[]
He possesses the best good looks of all the characters in the work, even including the same elves as the symbol of beauty, which is a self-same thing. During training at the palace, the elves admire his good looks, so much so that they regret that he is a human and not an elf. However, Yoshikazu says that he is the youngest and ugliest of Nasuno's eleven brothers, and that his own brothers are so good-looking that every time they step on the ground a flower blooms, the sea sinks, and gold pollen is blown in the sky, and that to that extent one can argue about their beauty.
But apart from this solid characterization and contested ability, he is the one who has not had any noteworthy activity in the production. Perhaps because his position is one-deal, or perhaps because he does not have any major prominent combat scenes, his activity seems a bit weak, as in the duel with the vagina that still took place, he was steeled by the makuta.
He is the second head of the Nasu clan. From an early age, he was a gifted archer and left many legends behind. Together with his older brother, he joined the Minamoto clan and fought against the Taira clan. A beautiful boy who can be mistaken for a woman in Drifters. He has an insufferable personality that is completely different from what is told in Genpei's war chronicles, but he was not pleased with Yoshitsune's tactics, which did not choose any means. After he met Nobunaga Oda and Toyohisa Shimazu in another world, the three of them started robbing the country of Orte and made a furious attack.
His pride in his bow and his own archery is strong. When the elves who had just shot their bows were shown to be hijo gekijo, he chanted 'arrow cracking with arrows' so as not to lose, and was proud of his palace. He was also a man before the advent of guns, and he sometimes showed his unfamiliarity with the old husband's optical obsession with firearms. This question was understood theoretically by Toyohisa, and later by witnessing firsthand the power of actual mass-produced firearms. However, even at this time, we were eventually determined not to be outdone.
Of all the characters in the film, he is the youngest in age. He is 19 years old in the year of his release. There are quite a few characters who have similar looks of the same age, but they are between everyone and not really young in age.
He has a taste for a bit of laughter. With the old husband, they become a gag duo of no two people, with Yutaka, they turn into a runaway and a normal person, and with others, they turn into a fine lucky guy.
He is the one who is not well injected. When he showed his shoulders and boasted of his sensual beauty. He granted the dwarf who was by his side and devoured all his functions. As he is known to the general public, he is a master of the bow, and his skill far surpasses that of the elves, who were originally a race of archers, because his skills of targeting the vital parts of the opponents he became most fearsome in the battle. He gathers elves who are good archers and organizes something like a sniper unit and undertakes various special missions.
TV Anime[]
A 150-second anime adaptation of Drifters was packaged with the final volume of the Hellsing Ultimate video series in December 2012. The short, produced under the supervision of Ryoji Nakamori, technical director Kazuya Miura, and animation director Masayori Komine, featured the voices of Yūichi Nakamura as Shimazu Toyohisa and Mitsuru Miyamoto as Murasaki, with music composed by Yasushi Ishii.
In the May 2015 issue of Young King OURs, it was announced that a Drifters anime adaptation was in the works. A production site for the anime has been released. The anime was directed by Kenichi Suzuki, produced by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, animated by Hoods Drifters Studio, written by Hideyuki Kurata and Yōsuke Kuroda, featuring character designs by Ryoji Nakamori. Yasushi Ishii and Hayato Matsuo composed the music together. The opening theme, "Gospel Of The Throttle 狂奔REMIX ver.", is performed by Minutes til Midnight, while the ending theme, "Vermillion", is performed by Maon Kurosaki.
The 12-episode series began airing on October 7, 2016, on Tokyo MX. A specially edited version of the first and second episodes with a runtime of 36 minutes was bundled with the manga's fifth volume, and released on June 6, 2016. A special limited-pressing Blu-ray box set was released on December 30, 2016. The box set includes all twelve episodes (with added unaired footage), an exclusive box illustrated by Hirano, a 200-page animation sketch collection by chief animation director Ryoji Nakamori, a 52-page booklet, a bonus extras disc, and a two-CD original soundtrack. The bonus extras disc contained an omake titled "Kokuō-sama Go-Ranshin (黒王様御乱心)", promotional videos, and other materials. Customers who pre-ordered the box set from participating retailers before November 6, 2016, would receive an exclusive illustration card set. Additionally, the box set included a form for advance ticket sales for an event that was held on April 2, 2017, at Maihama Amphitheater in Chiba.
In Japan, the anime is exclusively streamed on the AbemaTV service simultaneously as the anime aired on Japanese television, starting on October 7 at 11 p.m. The series has been licensed by Funimation for streaming in English-speaking countries and home video and on-demand distribution for the U.S. Additionally, Funimation streamed Drifters in English beginning on November 6, 2016, at 10:00 p.m. ET. As part of Funimation's partnership with Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll also streamed Drifters as it aired in Japan. Drifters was also broadcast on Aniplus Asia. Funimation released a DVD/Blu-ray combo package for Drifters on October 3, 2017. Universal Pictures UK acquired the series for the United Kingdom and Ireland and released it on October 8, 2018. Universal Sony classified the series for release in Australia and New Zealand and released it on October 17, 2018.
- Staff
- Original work - Kouta Hirano
- Director - Kenichi Suzuki (TV, OVA 1-2)
- Animation Director - Hitomi Ezoe (OVA 3)
- Series composition - Hideyuki Kurata
- Character design/chief drawing director - Ryoji Nakamori
- Setting investigation - Haruichi Shirato
- Calligraphy Design - Setta
- Art Director - Kenichi Tateto
- Color design - Haruko Nobori
- Director of Photography - Yasuhiko Abe (TV, OVA 1-2)
- CG Director - Tomoyuki Takae (TV, OVA 1-2)
- Editing - Kiyoshi Hirose
- Acoustic Director - Yota Tsuruoka
- Music - Yasushi Ishii, Hayato Matsuo
- Music Producer - Toshiaki Ota
- Producer - ueda yasuyuki, Fudetani Yoshiyuki
- Animation Producer - Shinya Ueda
- Animation production - HOODS DRIFTERS STUDIO
- Production - DRIFTERS Production Committee (NBCUniversal Entertainment, Shonen Gahosha, Hoods Entertainment)
At the end of the anime's twelfth episode, a second season was announced with the message "See You Again, Tokyo 20XX". On October 10, 2017, it was announced the thirteenth and fourteenth episodes, and the first two episodes of the second season were released on December 23, 2017, on Blu-ray discs in regular and limited-edition versions. The limited edition includes an outer case illustrated by manga creator Kouta Hirano, a jacket illustrated by character designer and chief animation director Ryoji Nakamori, a bonus video, a drama CD, a 72-page booklet, and a "mystery disc." A fifteenth-episode was released on DVD with the manga's 6th volume special edition on November 30, 2018.
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fight Song" | October 7, 2016 |
| During the Battle of Sekigahara against Ii Naomasa and his army, Shimazu Toyohisa manages to mortally injure Naomasa, but is critically wounded in the process. Naomasa's army is forced to retreat due to Toyohisa's perseverance and resilience. As he walks from the battlefield wounded and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. As he is about to attack the bespectacled man, Toyohisa is sucked into one of the doors and dropped into a field, unconscious. Two elven children, speaking in a strange language, find Toyohisa and decide bring him to a castle ruins, the hideout for two other Drifters. Toyohisa's wounds are stitched up and after waking up from a dream, he meets Oda Nobunaga, a daimyō who was killed eighteen years prior to Toyohisa's involvement in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Nasu Suketaka Yoichi, an effeminate archer who died almost four centuries ago. The trio discuss how they met the same bespectacled man who brought them to the unknown world. Outside of their hideout, a female spy monitors the Drifters and is contacted by a man via a magical crystal ball to check on her status. The man in white decides to meet the Drifters and mobilize their men, known as the Octobrist Organization, to prepare for the upcoming war with the Ends, an opposing force advocating for the destruction of the world. | ||
| 2 | "Footsteps" Transcription: "Kakato Naru" (Japanese: 踵鳴る) |
October 14, 2016 |
| In a desert wasteland, Hannibal and Scipio Africanus are in the middle of a heated argument while a member from the Octobrist Organization, Ham, observes them from afar. Ham is ordered by the man in white, Abe no Seimei, to bring the Drifters to him in preparations for the war against the Ends. Meanwhile, the elven village located near Toyohisa's group of Drifters is attacked and set on fire by soldiers from the Orte Empire for associating with the Drifters. Alerted by smell of battle, Toyohisa heads to the village to rescue the elves to repay his debt to the young elves, Marsha and Mark, for helping him earlier. Joined by Nobunaga and Yoichi, they easily defeat the elves' human oppressors. Enraged by the carnage and cruelty inflicted upon the elves by the Empire's soldiers, Toyohisa brutally beats Aram, the commander knight charged with massacring the elves, with the sheath of his sword before convincing the elves to kill Aram themselves. In the corridor of doors, the bespectacled man, Murasaki, is visited by his nemesis, EASY, who mocks his efforts to send Drifters to the unknown world to combat her Ends, who have begun invading the southern regions of the world. | ||
| 3 | "Army of Ours—Sortie at Dawn" Transcription: "Ore-gun Akatsuki no Shutsugeki" (Japanese: 俺軍 暁の出撃) |
October 21, 2016 |
| In the Kingdom of Carneades, Seimei and Ham try to convince the commanders of the defensive troops to let Scipio and Hannibal take charge of their army. However, the leaders refuse to give the two Drifters command over their troops, seeing them as nothing more than useless old men. Unable to reason with the Carneades soldiers, Seimei decides to withdraw the Octobrists and the Drifters from the country as the Ends and their army, consisting of dragons, goblins, and other non-human races, begin their attack. The leader of the Ends, the Black King, sends Hijikata Toshizō, Jeanne d'Arc, and Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova into the battlefield, and questions Minamoto no Yoshitsune if his allegiance is with the Drifters or the Ends. Yoshitsune vaguely states he will go the side that interests him the most. World War II fighter pilot Naoshi Kanno descends into the world via a corridor inside his aircraft. Though bewildered by the circumstances, Naoshi engages the Black King's dragons, thus indicating himself as a Drifter. With the aid of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, Seimei, Ham, Scipio, and Hannibal escape from Carneades to join up with Toyohisa's group. The Black King orders the Ends to find the Drifters and kill them. Meanwhile, the female spy monitoring Toyohisa's group is discovered by him and his companions. The spy, Olminu, informs the Drifters that they have been brought to the new world to fight against the Ends, though the trio quickly reject the idea, much to her shock. | ||
| 4 | "Active Heart"
Transcription: "Akutibu Hāto" (Japanese: アクティブハート) |
October 28, 2016 |
| Olminu explains to Toyohisa, Nobunaga, and Yoichi that their purpose as Drifters is to save the world from being annihilated by the Ends. To accomplish this, she informs them that the Octobrists are tasked with gathering the Drifters together and appealing to the kings and feudal lords of the various states and countries to give command over their armies to the Drifters. However, Nobunaga is skeptical that the lords would allow outsiders to take charge of their armies. Instead, he proposes that the Drifters, led by Toyohisa, take over the Orte Empire, much to Olminu's initial horror. Meanwhile, following his success at Carneades, the Black King tends to his wounded troops and orders Grigori Rasputin to spread the news of Carneades's defeat to recruit more soldiers in their army. Back in the elven village, Toyohisa's group offer to assist the elves with their fight against Orte to reclaim their state, though Toyohisa and Nobunaga fight over the leadership arrangements. Shara, the eldest son of the murdered village's chief, interrupts them and pleads for their help. Toyohisa agrees to take the role of the commander, and begins to set a trap for the Orte punitive forces set to arrive in three days. On the third day, a force of 200 Orte troops march into the village, only to find it uninhabited. Encamped in the trees outside of the village, the Drifters and elves prepare to strike the Orte soldiers at nightfall. | ||
| 5 | "Bring Back Love" Transcription: "Ai o Torimodose" (Japanese: 愛をとりもどせ) |
November 4, 2016 |
| Prior to the ambush planned by the Drifters, Nobunaga uses corpses and various human wastes to create a saltpeter pit after Toyohisa buries the heads of the deceased as a sign of respect. Meanwhile, Yoichi begins to train the elves in archery, and is surprised to learn that they have an innate aptitude for it. As night sinks in, the Orte troops notice that the village's water well was dumped with excrement. At nightfall, Toyohisa and the elves launch their attack on the Orte soldiers as Nobunaga forms an enclosure to trap the Orte troops and continuously bombards them with waste-laden arrows. Toyohisa beheads the commander of the troops, prompting the remaining soldiers to flee. In the forest, Yoichi kills the fleeing soldiers, who fall victim to excrement-infested traps. After their successful battle, Toyohisa urges the elves to rescue the female elves. Disguised as Orte troops, the Drifters and elves make their way to the local magistrate's fort and locate the women. Much to his horror and disgust, Toyohisa discovers that the women have been used as sex slaves by the Orte soldiers and vows to slaughter them all in retribution. | ||
| 6 | "Men of Destiny" | November 11, 2016 |
| After successfully taking over the fortress, Nobunaga rummages through the magistrate's office for vital documents. At his inquiry, Olminu reveals to Nobunaga that the founder of the Orte Empire was Adolf Hitler, who committed suicide shortly after establishing the country fifty years ago. Receiving word that Toyohisa plans to execute the Orte soldiers for raping the female elves, Nobunaga stops him and gives the execution order himself, not wanting the latter to dirty his hands with blood. Toyohisa punches Nobunaga for his interference, and the two reach an agreement to let Toyohisa do whatever he feels is right in the future. The Drifters return the women back to their respective villages with a proclamation, which contains information about the heavy losses Orte is suffering from waging wars with numerous states. As a result, elven villages across the land begin to revolt and join the Drifters. In Orte's capital city, the city's council discusses the losing wars in neighboring states, particularly their war against the merchant guild of Gu-Binnen. Count Saint-Germi, a powerful nobleman and former ally to Hitler, realizes Orte's impending downfall and chooses to seek an alliance with the Drifters. At nightfall, Jeanne d'Arc, Gilles de Rais, and several soldiers of the Black King's army approach the Drifters' hideout. | ||
| 7 | "Chaos Diver" Transcription: "Kaosu Daibā" (Japanese: カオスダイバー) |
November 18, 2016 |
| Jeanne d'Arc, Gilles de Rais, and a cavalry of the Black King's army attack the Drifters' camp. After evacuating the elven women and children, Toyohisa confronts Jeanne, who he mistakes for a man, while Yoichi faces off against Gilles. In the forest, Nobunaga and the elves take care of the cavalry. With Olminu's assistance, Toyohisa is able to defeat Jeanne, but refuses to kill her when he realizes that she is a woman. Meanwhile, Yoichi struggles in his battle against Gilles due to the latter's inhuman strength and durability. Before Yoichi is nearly killed, Butch and the Sundance Kid arrive at the scene, using their Gatling gun to destroy Gilles's body and save Yoichi. Gilles barely survives the brutal onslaught, much to the Drifters' shock. Seeing Jeanne being rescued by the dragon riders in the Back King's army, Gilles dies with a smile, and promises to wait for Jeanne to join him in the afterlife as he disintegrates into salt. After reuniting with Olminu, Seimei introduces himself to the Drifters as the leader of the Octobrist Organization. | ||
| 8 | "Mystery - Call Me" Transcription: "Fushigi CALL ME" (Japanese: 不思議CALL ME) |
November 25, 2016 |
| In a secluded area, Yoichi reflects on his battle with Gilles de Rais when he is approached by Yoshitsune, who mocks his former subordinate for following Bushido despite committing dishonorable acts during the Genpei War while under his command. A distressed Yoichi tells Yoshitsune he will never take orders from him again, but Yoshitsune merely laughs at him before he departs. Meanwhile, Seimei tells Nobunaga he was brought to the new world to help combat the Ends. Toyohisa returns and informs the group that he knocked Jeanne unconscious in a nearby well. Seimei reprimands Toyohisa for allowing Jeanne to escape due to her gender, but Toyohisa is determined to uphold his principles and not become Murasaki's pawn. The next day, Scipio, who was separated from Seimei's group during the ride to rendezvous with Toyohisa's group, encounters Naoshi, who has been appointed the "sky god" to a tribe of anthropomorphic dogs. Back at the Drifters' camp, Butch and Sundance Kid explain the mechanics behind their firearms to Nobunaga, who becomes ecstatic at the notion of producing more modern firearms. Nobunaga reveals to a concerned Seimei that he wish to create a multiracial federation with Toyohisa as their leader. At nightfall, Toyohisa leads his group to free the dwarves from Orte while Seimei, Butch, and Sundance Kid leave to search for Scipio and continue their investigation on the Ends. | ||
| 9 | "Serious Bomber" Transcription: "Honki Bonbā" (Japanese: 本気ボンバー) |
December 2, 2016 |
| While Count Saint-Germi and his aides journey to the elven village to meet with the Drifters, Toyohisa's group attacks the Orte Empire's largest armory in Gadolka to save the dwarves. Utilizing the gunpowder that Nobunaga has concocted with the elves' assistance, Toyohisa leads the charge against the troops stationed there. However, they are unable to enter the walled town after the Orte soldiers closed the entrance gate. Hannibal gives Nobunaga the idea to use Yoichi's arrows and Olminu's stone wall spells to cast a staircase alongside the gate, enabling Toyohisa's group to invade the town and free the dwarves. Since the dwarves have been suffering from starvation during their captivity, Toyohisa orders meals to be prepared for them instead of taking down the castle defenders. Toyohisa negotiates with the remaining Orte troops to surrender peacefully and allows them to escape, though he slays the commander. When Yoichi prepares to pursue the fleeing troops, a habit he developed when serving Yoshitsune in the past, Toyohisa stops him and tells him that he does not have to follow dishonorable orders anymore since this is their war, much to Yoichi's delight. Meanwhile, a member of the Octobrist Organization and his partner, Doug, spy on the Ends at Carneades. They are horrified to learn that the Black King taught primitive agriculture to the monsters that will some day replace the humans once the Ends have eliminated mankind. | ||
| 10 | "Baba Yetu" | December 9, 2016 |
| The Black King attempts to recruit one of the six Great Dragons, the Bronze Dragon, into joining his army, but is met with contempt and refusal by the latter for subjugating his dragon brethren as "pets" in his army. Using his ability to replicate the cells of any life form, the Black King tortures the Bronze Dragon by causing his body to suffer from cancerous growth to gain his compliance. Afterwards, Rasputin presents the completion of a simple alphabet and a syncretic religion for the demihumans to learn to help establish a unified, multiracial community, as per the Black King's wishes. Meanwhile, Jeanne awakens from her coma after her fight with Toyohisa and is informed by Anastasia that Gilles de Rais is dead. An enraged Jeanne vows to avenge her fallen comrade by killing Toyohisa, to which Anastasia scolds her for her recklessness before promising to let her do as she pleases when the time comes. In Gadolka, Nobunaga requests that the dwarves begin forging muskets for their army to use in future battles. The next day, Count Saint-Germi and his companions arrive in Gadolka to meet with the Drifters, sending his aides to test Toyohisa to see if they are worthy to form an alliance with. Saint-Germi reveals to Olminu that he is a Drifter, and that he wants to sell the Orte Empire to the Drifters before Orte is destroyed by other warring countries. In order to accomplish this, Saint-Germi recommends that the Drifters plan a coup d'état to seize Orte as their territory. | ||
| 11 | "The Adventure of the Pistol Daimyō ~Bullet Counting Song~" Transcription: "Pisutoru Daimyō no Bōken 〜Hinawa Maru Kazoeuta〜" (Japanese: ピストル大名の冒険 〜火縄丸数え歌〜) |
December 16, 2016 |
| While Saint-Germi's aides sneak the Drifters and their army into the Orte Empire's capital city, Saint-Germi holds an emergency council meeting with the lords charged with overseeing Orte and informs them that he is selling the country to the Drifters. His attempt to coerce the noblemen to surrender peacefully, however, is disrupted by Rasputin, who possesses two of the nobles to reveal that the Black King is also planning to seize the Orte Empire for his campaign. After being humiliated by Toyohisa and Nobunaga, Rasputin retreats, and the Black King sends Hijikata and his troops to combat the Drifters in the capital, shifting their focus from seizing Orte to destroying it to prevent the Drifters from obtaining it. To assist with the ensuing battle, Saint-Germi gives his personal army, the Sacred Band of Thebes, over to Nobunaga to act as the army's gunner squad while Toyohisa and Yoichi lead the dwarves and elves, respectively, into the fray. After the Drifters successfully take out the Ends' vanguard, an angered Hijikata heads onto the battlefield. | ||
| 12 | "Staring at Shinsengumi ~The Song of the Fervid Kyūshū Man~" Transcription: "Mitsumete Shinsengumi 〜 Nekketsu Kyūshū Danji no Uta 〜" (Japanese: みつめて新選組 〜熱血九州男児の唄〜) |
December 23, 2016 |
| As the Drifters and their army decimate the Ends' troops, Hijikata gives orders for his soldiers to break into smaller units and disperse into the streets setting the city ablaze while heading to Orte's capitol buildings. Hijikata and Toyohisa meet in the street and engage one another in a deadly duel, with Hijikata using the ghostly images of dead Shinsengumi to attack Toyohisa. Meanwhile, Nobunaga and Hannibal decide that instead of chasing the Ends' troops, they will trap their enemies in the capitol buildings when they arrive and kill them with Yoichi's squad and Olminu's reluctant assistance. With their army destroyed, the Black King orders Hijikata to withdraw from his fight against Toyohisa, who is left badly injured. Back in Carneades, Rasputin apologizes to the Black King for their failure for seizing Orte, though the Black King is pleased that they were able to cripple the capital city and gauge the Drifters' strength. Akechi Mitsuhide thinks back to hearing Nobunaga's voice during his encounter with Rasputin and decides to join the Ends in the hope of killing Nobunaga in the next battle. | ||
| 13 (OVA) | "Rewrite" Transcription: "Riraito" (Japanese: リライト) |
December 23, 2017 (DVD/Blu-ray) |
| Following the battle of Orte, Yoichi stitches up the badly injured Toyohisa. Nobunaga and Count Saint-Germi discuss their next move, while Abe no Haruakira and Doug observe the events in Orte's north. They sneak in disguised as scouts and observe trade being carried out by orcs and goblins, using smelted metal from the Bronze Dragon. They also see humans being sold as slaves or as livestock for food, and are surprised at the fast advancement in building a society and an economy. However, they are discovered by Yoshitsune, who kills Doug and then shows Seimei the advancing Ends army. The Black King appears and tells Seimei that he plans to destroy all humans, because of their continued development of ever more powerful weapons, planning for a new Dark Age. Back in Orte, Nobunaga demands more money from the nobles to fund his war. He considers that winning over the Third and Fourth Armies of the west will be a challenge, but it appears that Second Army in the north has been overrun by beasts commanded by Naoshi. Nobunaga addresses the nobles, with some smoke effects for emphasis, but interrupted by the recovering Toyohisa desperately looking for food. | ||
| 14 (OVA) | "Bring On a War" | December 23, 2017 (DVD/Blu-ray) |
| 500 miles east of Orte lies Gu-Binnen, a nation ruled by seven guilds and led by the secretary of the Shylock Bank & Trading House, Banzelmashin Shylock VIII. The United Gu-Binnen's marine fleet, with the aid of the Admiral of Japan's Imperial Navy, Drifter Tamon Yamaguchi, has defeated the Orte fifth fleet and now controls the sea trading routes. With the Second Army in the north occupied with Naoshi, and the Orte navy to the east defeated, Nobunaga's only concerns are the Third and Fourth Orte Armies in the west. Nobunaga sends a message to General Jigmente of the Third Army and General Lemek of the Fourth Army, offering the long vacant position of the Nation's Father, to the first to arrive in Berlina. Taking the bait, Jigmente's troops ambush and kill Lemek, while Yoichi ambushes Jigmente and kills him, leaving the two leaderless armies effectively neutralized. Meanwhile, Count Saint-Germi meets Shylock, whose navy has control of the sea. They discuss peace terms, and Saint-Germi offers him rifles and trade in exchange for a truce, which he accepts. | ||
| 15 (OVA) | "The Outlandish Knight" | November 30, 2018 (only DVD) |
| TRAILERS | |
Collaboration[]
"Sengoku Taisen -1600 Sekigahara Prelude, Aoi strikes-"
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"Nobunaga's Ambition Creation Power Up Kit"
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"Sekigahara Battle Festival 2013"
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"The 30th National Cultural Festival Kagoshima 2015"
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"Drifters Original Art Exhibition in Senganen"
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Reception[]
The manga has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in five different languages. Drifters has been nominated twice for the annual Manga Taishō Awards, once in the year 2011 and again in the year 2012. The manga was also received well by BAMFAS, saying that the "action paces itself throughout the volume, making sure to include only enough to keep readers moving quickly through the event until the next transition hits." Writers for Crunchyroll note that "Drifters has all but jumped the shark by belligerently knocking over all the narrative pillars of the genre." The Inquisitr agrees with this assessment, writing that "anime fans have been treated to a steady stream of the Isekai subgenre…but Drifters pretty much turns our expectations on its head."
In a survey by the Japanese website Anime Anime!, Drifters won fifth place among top 10 manga properties to have an animated adaptation.
External Link[]
- Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War on Dark Horse Comics website
- TV Anime "Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War" Official Website (in Japanese)
- Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War Official (@DriftersAnime) - Twitter
- TV Anime Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War ─ Funimation
- ENDStheBLACKLORD Official (@ENDStheBL) - Twitter (official character account)
- Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War ─ Wikipedia (in Japanese)
- Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War ─ Wikipedia (in English)
Trivia[]
to be added.