Garouden

What does it mean to be strong? What attracts men to fight in hand to hand combat? These and many other questions are explained and detailed in Garouden, a novel series by Yumemakura Baku (illustrated by celebrity manga author Itagaki Keisuke). Fighting expert Bunshichi Tanba enjoys defeating TV fighting champions and celebrities on the street, until he stumbles upon the underground wrestling club known as FAW (Federation of Amateur Wrestling), and unfortunately he is defeated by one of the underdogs of the wrestling world. He forces himself to improve and looks for a rematch. Years later, he returns better than ever, and his fights attract the attention of the two "monsters" of the fighting world who are in constant competition, Makoto "the Great" Tatsumi, owner of the FAW and possessing a power and charisma unrivaled in the ring, and "the Demon of Karate" Matsuo Shozan, owner of the best Karate schools in Japan and possessing a power and speed that's almost godlike. Both will try to recruit Tanba to their own side, and Tanba will experience a wold of fighting like he has never seen, with friends and rivals everywhere, and he will have to step up to the many challenges that confront him. Features other martial arts characters from his other fighting novel series, The Gate of the Lions. Currently the best "serious" martial arts manga title in Japan, this is another of Baku's masterpieces that, unlike his other fantasy epic titles, has surprising realism in its deep exploration of martial arts and those who use it.