Touken Ranbu 101 (Entry Guide)
((I originally wrote this for Anilist, but I made a modified version for tumblr just for more accessibility.))
So you wanna Touken Ranbu, but have No idea where to start? Don't worry, we've all been there before. This will be a brief yet extensive guide on where to even start here. Starting first with overall world explanation, then sorting through all the different media based on 1) Adaptation and 2) Entry Level Rating (Last updated: 01/13/2024)
Touken Ranbu started as an online browser game back in 2015, and later received a mobile phone application version around 2016. It is NOT a dating sim. TKRB fits under the Joseimuke demographic, in which the main target audience is older women, but don't feel discouraged from exploring if you don't fit the targeted range.
Synopsis: (from the tkrb wiki)
Touken Ranbu (刀剣乱舞) is an online web browser game by DMM and Nitroplus. Players assume the role of a Saniwa sage (審神者) who travels into the past to defeat evil forces that are trying to change the course of history. As a sage, you have the ability to bring famous historical swords to life as touken danshi (刀剣男士). Your duty is to bring these blades to life, create an army, and defeat the enemies!
Since then, Touken Ranbu has received various types of adaptations, ranging from anime, manga, novels, stage plays, musicals and live action movies, all of which are based on the universe created by the game. An important thing to note: None of the different series are related to one another. They all take place in their own citadels meaning that one sword from one version will not be the same in another citadel, aside from their base sword personality. Their base character traits and personalities can be gathered from their in-game dialogue, and are then refined and deepened based on the writer. In addition to this, Touken Ranbu just recently celebrated its 9th anniversary, and with that, a whole slew of new media to consume.
Starting with the first anime adaptation: TKRB Hanamaru (HNMR). TKRB HNMR focuses on sword life at home in the citadel and is heavy slice-of-life material. Ranging from family bonding, division of household chores, playing with animals and topics like this. It also includes some sortie and battle scenes, but nothing too heavy so it also makes it safe for people of all ages. Really the definition of "cute boys doing cute things".
So far it's also the longest anime/manga adaptation with 2 seasons (12 episodes each) and a 3 movie series (a 3rd season of sorts). As well as a manga adaptation, so far only based on the first season of the anime as well as one covering the events of the 3 movies. In addition to that, there’s also a novelization of the 3 movies. This adaptation also has the largest cast of swords, currently at 86 swords, so i rate it a 7/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale.
Reasoning: HNMR is a great place to start and slowly learn about the different swords, small bits of their history as well as their relations to one another. I would just recommend coming back to rewatch HNMR more than once to pick up on things once missed, as it also makes jokes based on some other sword related things not within the anime. In addition to that, the large number of cast may be intimidating to those diving right in, that is unless you are used to learning 40+ new characters in one go.
The next anime adaptation would be Katsugeki (KTGK). TKRB KTGK is the more Serious(tm) TKRB anime adaptation when compared to HNMR. It’s also shorter having only a 12 episode anime, one manga adaptation and an upcoming movie (currently still in limbo, thanks ufo-table)
KTGK focuses on the battle and timeline protection aspects of the game, but from a perspective that can be both inviting but also confusing to new viewers. On the other hand, it features only a certain number of swords so it’s easier to learn about the characters as you watch. For this reason I rate Katsugeki a 6/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale
Reasoning: KTGK may have a smaller cast, but many fans agree that their take on one of the swords in particular is out of character. Regardless, I’d say that KTGK is a good anime to first introduce people to the Concept of the universe. To show that it’s not just pretty boys posing with swords, show how every sword has a history and something that they want to protect.
The TKRB Anthologies require NO background knowledge but also ALL the background knowledge at the same time. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t as accessible for those who don’t know the swords. There are a large number of them and it doesn’t matter where you start with them.
Hibana Chirase Touken Danshi
Story wise, these have no stories. They’re all one-shots or shorter, just drawn by sword fans for sword fans. I rate the anthology series a 9/10 for the Entry Level Rating scale due to their easy to consume length as well as how many swords they manage to cover in one go. There’s no way you can go wrong with the anthologies. Don’t like a sword? Just keep browsing til you see a 4Koma of a sword that fits your tastes more then. Much like Hanamaru, I highly recommend coming back after you’ve absorbed more sword knowledge so those jokes can hit one more time.
Much like the anthologies, the 4-Koma chibi anthology series is Even Shorter and easier to consume. So far has 4 volumes.
Anthology Comic 4koma Ranbu
Entry level wise, I rate it an 8/10. Nearly up there with the rest of the anthologies, but still not high enough standalone to cover just as much. Still a cute series nonetheless.
Touken Ranbu Side Story: Tale of Ayakashi
The Tale of Ayakashi manga series is still releasing, but it’s a good read which features many different swords in different scenarios involving Spoopy Spirits.
Touken Ranbu Gaiden Ayakashi Tan
I rate it an entry score of 6/10 as you may need to do more reading on the side regarding the swords and their connections as well as the ayakashi featured. (they come with small snippets of info, but reading in depth is also fascinating)
Touken Ranbu ~Nihongo Tsurezure Sake~
Another manga currently releasing, this one focuses on Nihongo, one of the heaviest drinkers of the citadel, cooking meals for his fellow swords in the citadel. The focus here being mostly on food that tastes great with a side of alcohol (usually sake). This one gains an entry score of __5/10__. It features other swords, yes, but the main focus is still the meals so I’d say it hits better after you get to know them all first.
The TKRB Musical is one of the 2.5D adaptations that TKRB has spawned. Not to be confused with the stage play series, which I’ll get into later. Currently TouMyu as a franchise has well over 30 productions, including unique stories, reruns, solo shows, duo shows, and live concerts, in just under 8 years. Over the years, TouMyu has grown to inspire and create more adaptations based on their individual plays, including (currently) 2 manga adaptations, and 6 official novelizations.
TouMyu manga adaptations are just 2 volumes and pretty fast reads. As for whether they can substitute for the Musicals themselves, I’d say yes. They do a fantastic job adapting the main story into an action packed manga. However, I’d also recommend the musicals themselves, at least to try the medium out but also to experience them in their original form. For this reason, I rate the Musical manga adaptations a 6/10
As some Myu samples, the latest 2 MVs featuring Tsurumaru and Ookurikara:
Much like TouMyu, the TKRB Stage Plays are another 2.5D project that started at the same time as TouMyu and takes place in its own universe and timeline. So far, there have been no manga adaptations, however, there is an anime series in the works to adapt the first TouSute stage play. It’s now set to release in April 2024!
Touken Ranbu Kyouden Moyuru Honnouji
Just like TouMyu, TouSute has multiple entries for the series as a whole. Running also since around 2016, the stage play adaptation features 12 unique productions as well as one pseudo live event. Rating this based on the stages themselves, I’d give TouSute a beginner level of 4/10.
Reasoning: This is not because it’s a bad adaptation, in fact it’s an amazing series ((I’m biased)), It’s just that it can all be overwhelming to take in at one time. What I recommend is trying another series or two first before diving straight into TouSute, as they require you to know a bit more about the characters when going in other than just basic facts. This really requires you to understand their history and Why they act the way they do when faced with certain obstacles and challenges. If you ever do plan to watch the stage plays though, I recommend going in release order!
Because most of Sute’s youtube videos are region locked to Japan, I have come with a BD pv video. Here, have a stage PV for Tenden:
Not to be confused with any of the other 2.5D series, the TouEiga is as well another citadel of its own. The cast is majority the same from TouSute, however, so it may confuse those just starting out. So far, only the first movie has one manga adaptation. There is a total of two movies, one from 2019 and one from 2023. Both feature a lot of the same swords, but the 2nd movie adds a few more to the roster as well as mixes in some sentai-esque elements so I feel that it may appeal to a wider audience who may not understand a lot of the sword mechanics.
Since this movie is a one off, it and the manga adaptation both rank in at a 7/10 for entry level reasons. I’d say for this all you really need to know is who Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi are and you’re good to go. The second movie keeps the ranking still at a 7/10 since both are really a non-committal piece of media. You can go in and just vibe and decide if you wanna look into it more later.
Our newest live action adaptation will be a Kabuki adaptation of Touken Ranbu: TouBuki. The one and only show ran back in July in 2023. Kabuki, being a traditional theater art in Japan, may seem intimidating at first to someone who has never watched it (this is coming from personal experience), but the adaptation in general was an enjoyable watch and very engaging. Written from the perspective of: If Touken Ranbu were to receive an adaptation written back in the day, there’s a great authentic feel to the production. For a starting point, just due to the hurdle, I rate TouBuki a 5/10 for beginners.
Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken Camp
In this spin off, it’s a whole manga where the swords go camping with each other but also cook food. So sorta like Yuru Camp only with sword men.
Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken-Camp
So also like the Nihongo cooking manga, just a different artist and aesthetic. So cause it also is food based, and also camping based, I rank it a similar 5/10 for beginners. Start someplace more… Sword.
Ok, ok so this series is gonna be an anime, unknown at this time if it will be a full 23 min anime or a short 5, 10 or 15 mins each episode (my bet is on a short form but MAN imagine if they give us something like Uchitama), that is based on a plush toy line series of the Touken Danshi made in collaboration with Sanrio, which explains why they’re all just so cute!
Since this still has no other news out, I can’t rate it on if it’ll be a good intro to the series or not but surely it’ll be a good light watch for any saniwa out there.
I hope that this guide was helpful for those trying to get into the series. As always, a great place to start as well is the game itself, which is available to download in Japanese on both mobile devices as well as straight in your browser.
