Mushibugyo

Plot

In an alternate Feudal Era Japan, giant insects known as "Mushi" started appearing and attacking people 100 years before and since then they bring terror and death to the country. To counter the threat of the Mushi, the Shogunate establishes the City Patrol who acts under the Mushi Magistrate (Mushibugyō) to assemble warriors strong enough to fight them. The story follows Jinbei Tsukishima, a young and cheerful samurai who is the newest member of the City Patrol answering a summon to his father by the Magistrate, but as he is not able to fight anymore, Jinbei takes the burden of protecting Edo from the Mushi in his place.

Mushi Magistrate City Patrol

Jinbei Tsukishima (月島仁兵衛, Tsukishima Jinbei)

Voiced by: KENN The main character and newest member of the City Patrol. The son of a samurai whose father was forced to cut off his own leg in repentance for an incident involving Jinbei and the son of his master, despite not being his fault. When his father is summoned to join Mushibugyō, Jinbei departs to Edo to join the magistrate in his place to make up for his sacrifice and restore the honor of his family. Despite being far stronger than a normal human, Jinbei is the weakest member of the team, making up for his inexperience with determination and an unyielding spirit that ends up earning him the respect and admiration of his peers.

Mugai (無涯)

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima The strongest warrior in the City Patrol, Mugai is swordsman capable of feats that seem impossible for a human. Fittingly, his name means "limitless". Mugai was once the leader of a group called Mushigari, or the "Insects Hunters", but for some reason he abandoned it to join the magistrate. Both Jinbei and Hibachi look up to him and dream of being one day as strong as him to repay the several occasions he saved their lives. He seem to be emotionless and ruthless on the surface, but sometimes his actions show otherwise. His sword is as big as him and has the ability to absorb insects and imitate or adapt their strength and abilities.

Hibachi (火鉢)

Voiced by: Rumi Ōkubo A female ninja specialized in explosives, Hibachi is determined to prove her worth as a successor of her grandfather's techniques, despite the fact that he does not accept them being inherited by a woman. She admired Mugai greatly, but might have developed feelings for Jinbei too, as shown in Episode 15 where she showed hidden jealousy at the idea of him marrying Haru.

Shungiku Koikawa (恋川春菊, Koikawa Shungiku)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi A man covered in scars known as the "Killer of 99", Shungiku is a convicted murderer who joins the City Patrol as an act of repentance. The son of a bandit, he tried to avoid a life of crime until his mother is murdered, and blaming his father for it, he slays his gang and everyone else in his way in a killing frenzy that ends with him facing his father, begging for mercy. At this moment, Koikawa learns that his mother died by the hands of a member of Mushigari. Since then he looks for the man responsible for her death to avenge her. After finally avenging his mother, Shungiku changes his title to "Killer of 100".

Tenma Ichinotani (一乃谷天間, Ichinotani Tenma)

Voiced by: Yū Serizawa The youngest member of the team, Tenma is an onmyouji capable of summoning two powerful familiars contained in paper dolls that can enlarge themselves to giant size and deal powerful blows. He is afraid of many things, mostly crawling bugs but he has a strong will and always does his best and got over his fear a little

Kotori Matsunohara (松ノ原小鳥, Matsunohara Kotori)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano The commander of the City Patrol who answers directly to the magistrate herself. His skills and abilities are a mystery until he uses them on one of the Mushigari's member, who is found killed by a sword blow, which also cut the stone behind him. He doesn't often go on the field with the patrol, but he must be very skilled to be its commander.

Kuroageha (黒揚羽)

Voiced by: Megumi Han The mysterious Magistrate of Mushibugyō, whose body can produce a powerful poison capable to kill any living being who touches her skin. When using her powers to the fullest, she manifests giant butterfly-like wings, hence her alias, which means "black butterfly". She is the main enemy of Mushigari, who seeks to kill her at all costs. Jinbei befriends her unaware of her true identity and she eventually develops feelings for him.

Other Characters

Haru ("Oharu", 春)

Voiced by: Satomi Akesaka A beautiful and busty young lady whose family owns a restaurant. She is the first person who greets Jinbei when he arrives in Edo and ever since he saved her life, she has held affection for him.

Nagatomimaru (長福丸)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama A handsome masked bookworm who loses his faith in people and dedicates his life to the pursuit of knowledge. He befriends Jinbei after his failed attempt to infiltrate the magistrate to have access to its documents as he seems to be the only person who respects his wisdom. He is actually the son of the Shogun and the first in the line of succession, a fact that is kept a secret from Jinbei and almost everyone else.

Manga

Mushibugyo began as a Japanese manga series by Hiroshi Fukuda and was first published in Shōnen Sunday Super 's September 2009 issue. Three tankōbon volumes of the manga were released between April 16, 2010 and January 18, 2011. A second series, Jōjū Senjin!! Mushibugyō, a retelling of the original series, started in 2011. Twenty-eight tankōbon volumes of the manga were released from June 17, 2011 to February 17, 2017.

Anime

An anime television series directed by Takayuki Hamana and produced by Seven Arcs Pictures aired on TX Network stations from April 8, 2013, to September, 30 and ran for 26 episodes. The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll. An additional OVA episode was bundled with the 15th volume of the manga on July 18, 2014.

The series uses four pieces of theme music. The two opening themes are "Tomoyo" by Gagaga SP and "Denshin∞Unchained" by FREE Hebi&M, while the two ending themes are "Ichizu" by i☆Ris and "Through All Eternity" by ayami.

Video games

Namco Bandai Games announced on June, 2013 that a video game adaptation of Mushibugyo is in development for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is an Action RPG featuring all of the mushibugyo members as a playable characters. The game was released in Japan on September 19, 2013.