Samurai Crusader

Samurai Crusader was published in 1995 as one of the many stories collected monthly in an anthology called Manga Vizion. This is the story of a young man, Kumomaru Oritsuin, who uses his martial art skill to stem the rising tide of the Nazis and fascists. It is historical-fiction and features such figures as Pablo Picasso, Adolf Hitler, and Ernest Hemingway.



The story begins as young Kumo, heir to the influential Oritsuin family, comes to the aid of some Japanese civilians being harassed by local soldiers. Humiliating them, Kumo leaves Japan to go to France in order to avoid trouble for his father.



When Kumo arrives in Paris, he meets Ernest Hemingway - an aspiring writer. At a formal ceremony at the airport, one of Japan's national treasures - the sword of Kusanagi - is being presented for public display. During the ceremony, a robot is used in an attempt to steal the sword. Kumo is able to disable the robot and save the sword. In a secret meeting later, it is revealed that Major General Kamishima of the Japanese army has allied himself with the Nazis and is working with them to obtain major spiritual artifacts.

Hemingway and Kumo are taken into custody where they are questioned and released. Kumo accompanies Hemingway to his place of lodging - a brothel - and he meets a girl named Gigi. While spending the night in Gigi's room, Kumo overhears the occupants in the next room discussing a plan to steal the Kusangi sword the following day at an official reception.



At the reception, Kumo uses his family status to attend. While he is downstairs, a ninja, Juzo, is upstairs trying to steal the sword for Kamishima. Kumo hears the struggle upstairs and rushes up and chases Juzo off. As he leaves, he mistakenly takes the Kusanagi sword with him. Outside in the courtyard, he uses the sword to stop yet another attack. Taking the sword with him to protect it, Kumo returns to the brothel and is arrested by the French police for stealing the sword.

Later that night, Hemingway and Gigi break Kumo out of jail. They go after the sword and are able to get it back from Juzo. As they return to the city, they come across an assassination attempt on a Chinese spy. As she lay dying, she hands Kumo a piece of paper and asks him to deliver it to her contact, Getsukin, in London. The future of the Chinese people depends on getting the code on the note. They take the girl to the hospital and head to London.



They find the man identified by the injured woman, but fearing treachery, they are poisoned. Fighting to stay alive, they convince Getsukin to read the note. After learning what they did for his daughter, they are given the antidote and Getsukin tells them of Kamishima's plans to take over Asia.



They follow Kamishima to Shanghai where they run into Gigi who has followed their trail. Learning that Kumo is after him, Kamishima convinces the Japanese government to brand Kumo's father as a traitor and take him into custody. Meanwhile Juzo enlists the help of a little boy who has extraordinary power (he is possessed by an ogre).

The ogre is sent after Kumo and he find he cannot beat it. Fortunately, the boy is knocked unconscious and Kumo is able to escape. Before he can capture the boy, Juzo escapes with him. Kumo is told that he cannot defeat the ogre with the anger and fear in his heart. He goes on a quest to find a master who will teach him the secret to defeating it. He is trained to clear his heart of all negative emotions and becomes prepared to face the demon. In their next confrontation, the ogre is defeated.



Kumo returns to Japan, frees his father from jail, and Kamishima is killed in the final battle.