Have you ever wanted to be a hero? I know that when I was little, I wanted to be a hero that seemed larger than life. A little bit like Superman, a little bit like Batman, and just as cool as Indiana Jones seemed like the perfect hero to me – just a normal person doing something extraordinary.

Enter Hero Tales (which is also known as Juushin Enbu in Japanese), which I had recently picked up since Hiromu Arakawa is one of my favorite manga-ka. Hero Tales is a simple story about the birth of a legendary hero.  In volume one, we’re introduced to Taitou Shirei, a brash and headstrong sixteen-year-old boy who is the last person to participate in his village’s coming-of-age ceremony. Despite the constant teasing from his little sister Laila, Taitou undertakes the ceremony (a dual with eighteen-year-old Ryuukou Mouten) in which he is soundly beaten. Taitou is then presented with the Kenka Ranbu, an ancient sword that can only be drawn by a true hero. Immediately, Taitou tries to draw the sword but finds that he cannot when his village comes under attack by a thief who has come for the Kenka Ranbu. During the ensuing battle, Taitou is able to tap into a hidden power (known as soukihou) and draw the Kenka Ranbu from its scabbard but begins to lose himself to his power. The thief is able to make off with the sword while Laila and Ryuukou try to bring Taitou back. Once Taitou regains his senses, he, Ryuukou, and Laila (who insisted on going) set out on a journey to not only retrieve the Kenka Ranbu.

The first thing that drew me into reading this story was Hiromu Arakawa’s artwork, which is extremely distinctive – especially since I’m a huge fan of Fullmetal Alchemist. Once I finished reading volume one, I knew that I had to read the other volumes. So, if you’re willing to take a chance on a manga that may be not in your favorite genre, give Hero Tales a chance.

Currently, there are only three volumes available from Yen Press while volume four will be released in October.

Tags: Hero Tales, impressions