Blue Eye Samurai has been the talk of the town since it debuted on Netflix with captivating animation, a compelling storyline, and fleshed-out characters. The animated series took some inspiration from some of the most beloved films and manga series of all time, one of which is the classic samurai manga, Lady Snowblood.
If you like Blue Eye Samurai, you might want to try reading the Lady Snowblood manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Kazuo Kamimura!
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Lady Snowblood Features a Vengeful Woman Named Yuki
I haven’t heard anything about Lady Snowblood, not until I researched Blue Eye Samurai’s inspirations.
I’m not a huge fan of samurai manga series, especially a classic one, so I was never aware that this manga series existed since 1972. For that, I apologize.
Just reading the title of this classic samurai manga made me curious about who Lady Snowblood is and how it influenced Blue Eye Samurai.
Some fans wrote that Lady Snowblood and Blue Eye Samurai’s Mizu are both vengeful women who want to return the favor to the people who wronged them.
There are a lot of films (I Spit On Your Grave, The Nightingale, Kill Bill) and manga series (Revenge Classroom, Candy, and Cigarettes) out there that belong to the vengeful-woman genre, so it’s understandable that some people wouldn’t be excited about the premise of both Lady Snowblood and Blue Eye Samurai.
Even so, Lady Snowblood excels at blending fiction with the dark history and culture of Japan, with beautiful action sequences, intricate art style, significant political themes, excellent setup, and more!
Lady Snowblood introduces a woman named Yuki (Oyuki), who is cursed by her dying mother. She inherits her mother's vengeance against the four people who wronged her and her husband.
Yuki was born in prison, and upon growing up, she was trained to become an assassin. Her weapon is a katana hidden in an umbrella, making it easier to kill her targets and those who come her way.
The name Yuki means “snow” in Japanese and, when combined with blood, makes a badass code name.
She has an unquenchable thirst for Okono Kitahama, Hanzo Takemura, and Gishiro Tsukamoto, who brought misfortune to her mother one after the other.
Luckily, the other culprit, Tokuchi Shoei, had already died at the hands of Yuki’s mother.
From disguising herself as a courtesan to an experienced gambler, Lady Snowblood will not stop at all costs to finish what her mother started!
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Lady Snowblood’s Influence on Blue Eye Samurai
From the get-go, both Lady Snowblood and Blue Eye Samurai belong to the vengeful-woman genre.
While Mizu wants to take revenge against four Westerners who made her a creature of shame, Lady Snowblood inherits her mother’s hatred and revenge towards the three other people who wronged her.
Upon growing up, both Mizu and Lady Snowblood trained extremely hard to face their targets and bring their revenge to success.
They are both skilled in swordsmanship, and their way of life is smeared by the blood of the very people they want to exterminate.
In addition, Lady Snowblood and Blue Eye Samurai have the same setup; it almost looks like Mizu and Yuki would encounter each other somewhere in Edo, Japan; at least that’s how I envisioned the two of them together.
Both Lady Snowblood and Blue Eye Samurai also have the same brutal and bloody action scenes that fans of the samurai genre will truly enjoy and appreciate.
Where to Read the Lady Snowblood Manga
All four English volumes of Lady Snowblood are available on the official website of Dark Horse Comics.
You can only read it online by purchasing its digital version. But if you want to purchase Lady Snowblood’s physical editions, you can opt to look for online manga retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more!
The Lady Snowblood manga series was published from February 29, 1972, to March 6, 1973, having released four volumes under Dark Horse Comics.
Here are the four volumes of Lady Snowblood:
- Lady Snowblood: The Deep-Seated Grudge, Part 1
- Lady Snowblood: The Deep-Seated Grudge, Part 2
- Lady Snowblood: Retribution, Part 1
- Lady Snowblood: Retribution, Part 2
Meanwhile, all eight episodes of Blue Eye Samurai are now available for streaming on Netflix in sub and dub!
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