Yaiba

Y∀IBA is the second manga series created by Gosho Aoyama. It ran from 1988 to 1993 in Shonen Sunday and later had an anime that ran from April 9, 1993 to April 1, 1994.

The story was about a young samurai and his adventures in modern day Japan. There have been numerous references to it in Detective Conan.

Characters

• Yaiba Kurogane - The protagonist. A young boy who was raised in a jungle, being taught the way of the samurai by his father. After coming to Japan, he lives with Sayaka and her family. Yaiba fights using the legendary Raijin (Thunder God) blade.
• Sayaka Mine - The heroine of the story, a middle school student who goes with Yaiba on his adventures, often playing straightman to the other characters.
• Musashi Miyamoto - The famous historical samurai has lived for centuries guarding the Raijin-ken and now trains Yaiba on how to use it. Over the years he has become less of a stoic hero and more of a nutty old man.
• Takeshi Onimaru - A third year at Sayaka's school and the central antagonist of the story. His pride as a kendo fighter is hurt when he fights Yaiba to a draw, so he thus trains with his family's Fuujin (Wind God) blade and ends up becoming cursed. He soon gains control over all of Japan all for the purpose of crushing Yaiba.
• Kagetora & Shonosuke - Yaiba's pet tiger and vulture respectively. Yaiba meets (and nearly eats) Kagetora in the first chapter before leaving the jungle, but how he met Shonosuke is never explained.
• Kenjuro Kurogane - Yaiba's father, a kendo master. After arriving in Japan with Yaiba he quickly sees his old rival Raizo (Sayaka's father) and invites himself to stay with them. He later leaves, returning every now and then to check on Yaiba, but in the anime he only appears in the first episode and doesn't even go to Japan with his son. Kenjuro loves to drink and is largely considered a bad influence on Yaiba, despite training him so well in kendo.
• Sayaka's Grandmother - Raizo's mother who runs the household. She is very knowledgable in kendo and even trains Yaiba a bit before Musashi appears.
• Gerozaemon - A frog man, originally one of Onimaru's minions, revived by using a normal frog as the host body. After losing to Yaiba and learning from another minion that Onimaru views him as expendable, he reforms and joins Yaiba for the remainder of the series. Although mostly comical, he has been shown to be a skilled fighter, mainly using his sticky tongue and a battle axe to fight.
• Kumo-Otoko (Spider Man) - Another of Onimaru's minions, he ends up becoming his right hand man and secretary. After his introduction, he mostly comical and is rarely shown to be competant at anything.*Namako-Otoko (Sea cucumber man) - Another one of Onimaru's former minions who sides with Yaiba. He is mostly inactive after reforming but is usually seen on Sayaka's shoulder.
• Kojiro Sasaki - Musashi's famous rival, revived by Onimaru to defeat Yaiba. Kojiro makes several attempts to defeat Yaiba or at least steal the Raijin-ken, but ultimately he ends up joining him against Onimaru. He fights using an extendable sword and is a notorious womanizer.
• Jubei Yagyu - The famous historical one-eyed samurai, revived by Onimaru using a wolf as the host body. Though he usually looks normal, he becomes an uncontrollable werewolf when drunk. Because they have the same master (Musashi), he reforms and joins Yaiba after losing to him.
• Kaguya - The bunny princess of the moon and second major antagonist of the series. Awakened by Yaiba using the dragon orbs, she and her army seek to invade the earth. Her kiss can drain a person's youth.
• Gekko - Kaguya's most powerful warrior, an antropomorphic rabbit with a scar over one eye. He is ruthless and so powerful Yaiba and Onimaru have to team up to stop him.
• Moroha Kurogane - Yaiba long lost little sister, raiseb by their mother to hate Kenjuro. She joins her brother for the final arc.
• Soshi Okita - The final villian of the series.