SEKIRO Reading Guide
With the news that Sekiro is being adapted into an anime, I have written an introduction to the manga and novel works that are said to have inspired the game.
In a Game Informer interview on January 25, 2019, Sekiro director Hidetaka Miyazaki mentioned regarding Lady Butterfly, one of the game's bosses, that he wanted to include an incredibly strong elderly ninja, like those found in Futaro Yamada's Ninpocho series, in his game. In that interview, Miyazaki cited Futaro Yamada's novel 'Koga Ninpocho' and its manga adaptation, which has also been adapted into an anime, 'Basilisk: The Koga Ninja Scrolls' (5 volumes total), as examples of his work.
Furthermore, he stated that he was influenced to some extent by Hiroaki Samura's 'Blade of the Immortal' (30 volumes total), which also influenced Bloodborne. Miyazaki noted that the weapons appearing in 'Blade of the Immortal' are very cool.
Reference URL https://gameinformer.com/2019/01/25/our-full-hidetaka-miyazaki-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-interview Our Full Hidetaka Miyazaki Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Interview by Game Informer Editorial on Jan 25, 2019 at 02:00 PM
Additionally, when Sekiro won the Excellence Award at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival, Hidetaka Miyazaki stated in a written response for a video released on YouTube (currently private) that while he did not refer to or draw strong influence from any specific work, he cited Futaro Yamada's 'Ninpocho' series, Norio Nanjo's 'Surugajo Gozen Jiai', and Hiroaki Samura's 'Blade of the Immortal' as period dramas that emphasize theatrical flair. Note that Norio Nanjo's 'Surugajo Gozen Jiai' has a masterpiece manga adaptation by Takayuki Yamaguchi titled 'Shigurui'.
Reference URL https://jp.ign.com/sekiro-shadows-die-twice/47001/news/sekiro-shadows-die-twice
Pursuing the theme of difficulty and the sense of accomplishment born from overcoming it: Director Miyazaki of 'SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE' reveals in an interview at the Japan Media Arts Festival
Also, in an interview at the Taipei Game Show 2019 before the release of Sekiro, Hidetaka Miyazaki mentioned that his vision for the ninja in Sekiro was in the direction of Futaro Yamada's style.
Reference https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2019/01/27/120126.html
Futaro Yamada is a master of legendary fiction, and in recent years, he has been known for the Ninpocho series and 'Makai Tensho', which influenced various authors as a pioneer of ability-battle stories. The manga version of Basilisk depicts battles between ninjas with various abilities. I have also read the original novels, and since Futaro Yamada's works tend to have all the characters perish, I feel there are aspects that resemble FromSoftware games.
Norio Nanjo's 'Surugajo Gozen Jiai' is a series of short stories set in the early Edo period where the tyrant daimyo Tadanaga Tokugawa holds a match with real swords, and swordsmen with various connections face off using their respective sword techniques. 'Shigurui', based on this original work, can be called one of the masterpieces of seinen manga history. As it is billed as a cruel period drama, the depictions are extreme, but it is so interesting that you cannot stop reading.
'Blade of the Immortal' is an epic ensemble drama about swordsmen in the Edo period, centered on an immortal protagonist with bugs embedded in his body. In particular, the 'Immortal Unraveling Arc' (volumes 15-20) will feel like the inspiration for a certain part of the game to anyone who has played Sekiro. It is not just about extreme depictions; it also has aspects that make you feel a moral ambiguity that deviates from traditional concepts of good and evil, so those who are sensitive to such things should be careful. While I was taken aback by the behavior of the characters, I was moved to tears by the tumultuous developments from the middle to the end. A masterpiece.
All of these works are period dramas that take ninjutsu and swordsmanship as their themes and focus on intense combat depictions, but unlike games, they contain many extreme depictions, so those who are sensitive should be careful. However, all of them are works that can be called unconventional masterpieces, so if you are interested, please pick them up.