Is Musashi from Onimusha the same as the Vagabond protagonist? Explained

Miyamoto Musashi, the protagonist of Vagabond, is one of the most recognizable faces in all of anime and manga. Due to how legendary Vagabond is in the world of manga, the average anime fan would have come across that name. The name is commonly associated with sword brilliance and martial arts prowess, and many anime have not hesitated to adopt the name.

While the Musashi from Vagabond is the most famous, various iterations have reached the public zeitgeist. He appears in Ninja Resurrection, Samurai Champloo, Yaiba, and Record of Ragnarok; he also has many other characters based on his persona. Roronoa Zoro from One Piece was loosely based on Miyamoto Musashi, and even the protagonist, Orient, is also based on Musashi.

The reason the name Miyamoto Musashi is constantly revered is its significance in Japanese Culture. Musashi existed in real life during the Sengoku Era, and many of his writings can still be found today. Apart from the words of wisdom he dispersed, Musashi was a phenomenal swordsman, and a huge chunk of that is captured in Vagabond. There is an anime that premiered in 2023 where the protagonist also bears the name Musashi. This has led fans to ask, Is the Musashi from Onimusha the same as the one from Vagabond? The answer is yes.

Here is an in-depth dive into the two characters. Keep reading!

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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How Musashi from Vagabond is the same as the one in Onimusha

Sasaki Kojiro and Musashi still battle each other in Onimusha (Image via Sublimation)

While the worlds of Vagabond and Onimusha are different in every sense, they still have base similarities. The first similarity is that they are both based in Japan. Another similarity is that the two stories cover the same period—the Sengoku Era. This period was rife with war and strife, and the two series heavily reflect that. The biggest similarity between the two series comes with their main characters, Miyamoto Musashi.

Many anime fans wonder whether the Musashi from Vagabond is the same as the one from Onimusha, and the answer is yes. It is the same Miyamoto Musashi, but the difference lies in how the characters are portrayed.

In Vagabond, viewers follow Musashi from his teenage years, when he went by the name Takezo, and it chronicles his journey from a brash, angry youth to one who became a devotee of the sword. Musashi keeps challenging different dojos to get better at his craft and to be the strongest.

Takehiko Inoue's Miyamoto Musashi (Image via Viz Media)

Where Musashi’s life takes a turn is when he gets a huge injury that costs him his mobility. This injury makes Musashi question his journey to sword mastery. He realizes that his journey towards the sword stemmed from one emotion—fear. This is where he goes through the farmland arc and prepares for his battle with Sasaki Kojiro.

The Musashi in Onimusha is a different case. In Onimusha, Musashi is aged, not old enough to lose his abilities as a prodigious swordsman, but old enough for the signs of aging to show on him. He is trying to save Japan from an evil supernatural threat, and for him to do that, he must also use a weapon borne from evil. This is a major point of tension throughout the series as Musashi tries to balance the light and dark within himself and vanquish evil.

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Final thoughts

The Musashi’s from the two stories are at various points in their lives, and that is a huge reason why their characters are so different. The Miyamoto Musashi, created by Takehiko Inoue, is hellbent on looking inward and saving himself, while the one from Onimusha is focused on the world.

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