Keiji (manga)

is a period manga authored by Tetsuo Hara, which was serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1990 to 1993. It is an adaptation of the novel  by Keiichiro Ryu and serves as a fictionalized account of the life of Keiji Maeda. 

Hana no Keiji is one of Weekly Shōnen Jumps best-selling manga series of all time, with over 17 million copies sold. An English adaptation was published in Raijin Comics under the shortened title Keiji'''.

Characters

A tall military commander who is said to be the best "kabukimono" on Earth. Although the son of Takigawa Kazumasu, he was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, Toshiie's older brother. Despite this, Toshiie dislikes him. A free-spirited warrior who lives by his own will. His beloved horse is named .

A pint-sized shinobi who formerly served Yotsui Shume. Even though his younger brother was trampled to death by Keiji and his horse Matsukaze, he becomes fascinated with Keiji to the point of infatuation and becomes his follower.

A character original to the manga. A resident from the Village of Seven Faces who has the face of an oni. He fought against Keiji at first in order to rescue his adoptive daughter Ofū, but comes to admire Keiji's character and eventually becomes one of his followers. He possesses enormous strength, as well as the ability to read minds.

Media
MangaHana no Keiji was originally published as a one-shot manga in issue #50 of 1989 of the Weekly Shōnen Jump, released on November 27. The regular serialization started in 1990 in Weekly Shōnen Jump from issue #13, published on March 12, and finished in 1993, in issue #33 published on August 2. 18 tankōbon volumes were published by Shueisha under the "Jump Comics" imprint between July 10, 1990 and November 4, 1993. The series was republished in a 10-volume bunkōban edition by Shueisha, published between March 18 and November 18, 1999. A 15-volume kanzenban edition by Tokuma Shoten was released from September 30, 2004 to October 29, 2005.

In 2003, an English version of the manga was serialized in the short-lived anthology Raijin Comics published by the now-defunct Gutsoon! Entertainment, where the first 26 chapters were printed, until Raijin Comics ceased its publication in 2004. No collected volumes were published.

Spin-offs
In 2008, a Keiji spin-off titled Gifū Dōdō!! Naoe Kanetsugu -Maeda Keiji Tsuki-gatari-, written by Tetsuo Hara and Nobuhiko Horie and illustrated by Yuji Takemura, began serialization in Shinchosha's Weekly Comic Bunch on November 7.  The series was stopped on August 27, 2010, after Weekly Comic Bunch ended its publication. Nine volumes were published. 

In 2010, a sequel entitled Gifū Dōdō!! Naoe Kanetsugu -Maeda Keiji Sake-gatari started in the brand new magazine Monthly Comic Zenon by Tokuma Shoten on October 25, 2010. The manga finished on January 27, 2014, with ten volumes being published. 

A final arc entitled Gifū Dōdō!! Naoe Kanetsugu -Maeda Keiji Hana-gatari, written by Hara and Horie and illustrated by  Masato Deguchi, was published in the May issue of Monthly Comic Zenon on March 24, 2014. The series finished on October 25, 2018. As of November 20, 2018, fourteen volumes have been published.

Related media
Shueisha released an audiobook version of Hana no Keiji on December 1993. The audiobook stars Akio Ōtsuka as the voice of Keiji Maeda.

A Hana no Keiji video game was developed by TOSE and published by Yojigen for the Super Famicom on November 18, 1994. It is a competitive weapon-based fighting game which adapts the storyline of the manga from the beginning and up until the Fūma Kotarō arc.Gifū Dōdō!! Naoe Kanetsugu -Maeda Keiji Sake-gatari has been adapted into an anime television series aired on TV Tokyo on July 2, 2013, entitled Gifū Dōdō!! Kanetsugu to Keiji'', and was streamed on Crunchyroll. The 25-episodes series aired until December 17, 2013.

References

External links
 Gifū Dōdō!! official website 
 

Category:1990 manga
Category:1994 video games
Category:Anime series based on manga
Category:Historical anime and manga
Category:Japan-exclusive video games
Category:Samurai in anime and manga
Category:Shinchosha manga
Category:Shōnen manga
Category:Shueisha franchises
Category:Shueisha manga
Category:Studio Deen
Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
Category:Tokuma Shoten manga
Category:Tose (company) games
Category:TV Tokyo shows
Category:Yojigen games
Category:Versus fighting games
Category:Video games based on anime and manga
Category:Video games developed in Japan