Nabari no Ou

Nabari no Ou
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Miharu Rokujou
隠の王
(Nabari no Ō)
Genre
Manga
Written byYuhki Kamatani
Published bySquare Enix
English publisher
MagazineMonthly GFantasy
English magazine
Original runMay 18, 2004 – August 18, 2010
Volumes14
Anime television series
Directed byKunihisa Sugishima
Produced by
  • Mie Ide
  • Yūji Matsukura
Written byMichiko Yokote
Music byMichiru Oshima
StudioJ.C.Staff
Licensed by
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
English network
Original run April 6, 2008 – September 28, 2008
Episodes26

Nabari no Ou (Japanese: 隠の王, Hepburn: Nabari no Ō; lit. 'King of Nabari') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuhki Kamatani. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy from May 2004 to August 2010, with its chapters collected in 14 tankōbon volumes. In North America, it was licensed for English release by Yen Press. A 26-episode anime television series animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Kunihisa Sugishima was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April to September 2008. In North America, the anime series was licensed by Funimation.

Plot

Main article: List of Nabari no Ou characters

Miharu Rokujou is a disaffected Japanese high school student who remains indifferent to the world around him. His life changes when he is rescued from an attack by Koichi Aizawa and Tobari Kumohira, ninja from Banten Village. They inform him that his body harbors the Shinra Bansho, a sacred scroll containing the most powerful secret art in the hidden world of Nabari. The Grey Wolves, a faction aligned with Iga Village, seek to claim the Shinra Bansho for their own ambitions, forcing Miharu into hiding as returning to his ordinary life becomes impossible. Though Miharu expresses no desire to engage with the ninja world, Tobari pledges to protect him until he ascends as Nabari's ruler. Miharu, however, requests the removal of the Shinra Bansho, a feat never before accomplished. Shortly afterward, Raimei Shimizu, a samurai from Fuuma Village, arrives to assess Miharu's capabilities. Recognizing his predicament, she invites the Banten ninja to consult Kotarou Fuuma, the leader of Fuuma Village and the foremost scholar of ninjutsu, who may hold the key to extracting the Shinra Bansho.

Upon arriving at Fuuma Village, they discover the Grey Wolves are also searching for the village's forbidden art. The group is ambushed by Yoite, a Grey Wolf operative who wields the forbidden Kira technique, capable of erasing a target's existence. After a brief confrontation, the assailants retreat, leading the Banten and Fuuma ninja to realize the Grey Wolves are gathering forbidden arts in hopes of forcibly removing the Shinra Bansho. Both factions resolve to do the same. After returning to Banten Village, Miharu is confronted by Yoite, who demands that his existence be erased. Threatened with the deaths of Tobari, Aizawa, and Raimei, Miharu reluctantly agrees to master the Shinra Bansho's power to fulfill Yoite's wish. As the factions continue their search for forbidden arts, Yoite defects from the Grey Wolves alongside his caretaker Kazuhiko Yukimi and physician Kazuho Amatsu after learning of the faction's intent to eliminate him. Meanwhile, Raiko Shimizu and Gau Meguro abandon the Grey Wolves as well, joining Raimei to revive the nearly extinct Shimizu clan.

Aizawa and Shijima Kurookano are revealed to have attained immortality long ago through the Shinra Bansho's power, and they subsequently sever ties with Banten. During an assault by the Grey Wolves, Yoite perishes after overusing Kira, a technique that consumes the user's lifespan. Honoring his final wish, Miharu erases Yoite's existence. Kotarou Fuuma is later exposed as a collaborator with the Grey Wolves, prompting Tobari to develop a ninjutsu capable of extracting the Shinra Bansho. Before doing so, he intends to restore the memories lost by all inhabitants of Nabari using Banten's forbidden art. A decade earlier, Tobari and his grandfather had attempted to remove the Shinra Bansho from Miharu's mother, Asahi. Before they could succeed, Miharu's father, Tobari's grandfather, and Miharu himself were slain by a mysterious assailant. Driven to madness, Asahi revived Miharu at the cost of her own life, inadvertently transferring the Shinra Bansho to him. In the present, as Tobari prepares to extract the scroll, the cloaked figure reappears—revealed to be Fuuma himself.

Miharu retreats inward, where Asahi confronts the Shinra Bansho within his consciousness. The scroll urges Miharu to remain isolated, while Asahi implores him to trust others again. Ultimately, Miharu overcomes his apathy, embracing newfound confidence. Satisfied, Asahi fades away, and the Shinra Bansho restores the lost memories of the past decade, though it notes lingering "lies" within Miharu's heart. Elsewhere, Ichiki regains her memories of the incident ten years prior, leading her to kill Hattori under unexplained circumstances. For the first time, she opens her eyes, revealing she was never blind, and departs with an undisclosed agenda. Meanwhile, Fuuma declares his ambition to transcend human understanding and attain godlike wisdom. Betrayed, Tobari attacks him, joined by Raimei and Raiko, who renounce their allegiance to Fuuma. Shijima and Aizawa likewise sever their long-standing alliance with him. The confrontation ends with Tobari grievously wounded, though he manages to stab Fuuma, causing him to wither away. Aizawa and Shijima then take the Shinra Bansho, vowing to sleep eternally "with their mother". Before parting, Miharu is granted a final glimpse of Yoite.

The story concludes with a celebration of Tobari's recovery. Gathered in Hana's backyard, Miharu expresses his desire to speak openly of Aizawa, Shijima, and Yoite. Holding a new cat named Yoi, he gazes toward the sun, finally free to live without fear, his loved ones at peace.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Nabari no Ou chapters

Written and illustrated by Yuhki Kamatani, Nabari no Ou was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy from May 18, 2004, to August 18, 2010.[3][4] Square Enix collected its chapters in fourteen tankōbon volumes from November 27, 2004, to January 27, 2011.[5][6]

In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Yen Press. The manga was serialized in Yen Press' Yen Plus anthology magazine, from its first issue, released on July 29, 2008.[7] The fourteen volumes were published from May 12, 2009 to July 23, 2013.[8][9]

Anime

Main article: List of Nabari no Ou episodes

An anime adaptation directed by Kunihisa Sugishima, and animated by J.C.Staff premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 6, 2008. The series aired weekly, with each episode subsequently airing on various other TXN networks, including TV Aichi, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, and TV Hokkaido.[10] The series ran for a total of twenty-six episodes.[11]

On August 19, 2008 Funimation, on the behalf of d-rights, sent cease and desist orders to the fansub groups who were subtitling the series, to prevent copyright infringement, although the company did not have licensing rights at the time.[12]

On December 24, 2008, Funimation announced that they will be releasing the English dub of the anime in 2009. At Otakon 2009, the first episode was shown in English at a Funimation panel.[13] The first DVD was released on September 22, 2009.[14]

The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the Funimation Channel on March 29, 2010.[15]

Reception

Nabari no Ou was a finalist in the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival and was a recommended title.[16]

References

  1. ^ Davidson, Danica. "Nabari no Ou Volumes 1 & 2". About.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012.
  2. ^ "Funimation Announces Cast of Nabari No Ou". Funimation via Anime News Network. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2020. FUNimation® Entertainment today announced the cast and crew for the 26 episode supernatural action anime series "Nabari no Ou".
  3. ^ 『月刊Ｇファンタジー』 6月 (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  4. ^ 隠の王：Gファンタジー9月号で最終回 最強の秘術巡る戦いに決着. Mantan Web (in Japanese). August 18, 2010. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  5. ^ 隠の王 1 (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ^ 隠の王 14 (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Koulikov, Mikhail (April 19, 2008). "Yen Press Announces Titles to Run in Anthology Mag". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  8. ^ "Nabari No Ou, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 23, 2013). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, July 21-27". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "Official Nabari no Ou site - 放送情報 (Broadcasting information)". nabari.tv (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  11. ^ "Official Nabari no Ou site - 各話紹介 (Episode introductions)". nabari.tv (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  12. ^ "3 Titles' Fansubs Pulled on Behalf of Japan's d-rights". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  13. ^ "New Show A-Go-Go: A Ten Day Countdown of New Anime for the New Year". Funimation. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  14. ^ "Nabari no Ou DVD Complete Series Part 1 (Hyb)". rightstuf.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  15. ^ http://www.funimationchannel.com/schedule/1_e014.htm
  16. ^ "2005 Japan Media Arts Festival". Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
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