The Kouga Manjidani and the Iga Tsubagakure ninja clans have been sworn enemies for centuries, with only the Hanzo Hattori truce maintaining a tenuous peace between the two families. But years later, when former shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa faces a dispute to determine which of his two grandsons shall succeed their father, he decides to settle the matter through a proxy war. Selected to represent the respective candidates, the Kouga and Iga send 10 of their best fighters into a deadly battle, with the winning party deciding the rightful successor. Thus, the truce is revoked and the ruthless bloodshed begins. But not all approve the truce's end. Gennosuke of Kouga and Oboro of Iga were to be married in hopes of ensuring lasting peace. However, unlike typical arranged marriages, they were already deeply in love. As preparations for the war ensue, Gennosuke questions his loyalties while Oboro refuses to fight. Fueled by their reawakened feud, will the two clans be consumed by hatred, or have their destinies changed by genuine love? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou is an adaptation of the 1958 historical fantasy novel Kouga Ninpouchou. It won the 2004 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. Masaki Segawa used real images for the manga's backgrounds, superimposing his hand-drawn characters over them. Each chapter was named after the number of ninjas alive on each side. The manga was published in English as Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Del Ray Manga from May 30, 2006, to May 29, 2007. In the UK, Tanoshimi released the series under the same title from August 3, 2006, to June 7, 2007. It was also published in German by Heyne; in Italian and Portuguese by Panini Comics; in French by Kurokawa; in Spanish by Editorial Ivrea.