History Manga / Buddha

''Buddha'' is a manga by OsamuTezuka. It is an eight-volume, highly embellished account of Siddhartha Gautama/Buddha's life, incorporating many fantasy elements and re-interpreting several legends about Buddha's life.

* ShoutOut: The numerous, humorous anachronisms include [[StarWars Yoda]], ET, and a character turning into Manga/BlackJack for a panel. Lampshaded with, ''"You thought I was Black Jack? Wow, you must be really out of it!"''

* {{Deconstruction}}: Arguably of the entire history of the Buddha, particularly his role as MessianicArchetype. For one thing, the series takes a look at how Buddha left his life as a prince to become a ascetic, with it showing how while what he did was apparently necessary, he still left his father and grandmother, his wife, his unborn child, and his kingdom behind, which his father ''did not take well''. Later on, [[spoiler: it is revealed that Buddha's homeland was invaded and conquered, with his people being subjugated, and his father being in a ''horrid'' state of health. After a sequence of events leads to both the deaths of even more of his people as well as one of his longtime friends, Buddha breaks down and laments on how he wasted his life, abandoned his family, and how {{Humans Are The Real Monsters}} who may be very well irredeemable. He snaps out of it soon enough, but it's still a eye-raiser to see the Buddha of all people say all of that.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: Chapra, who is the focus in the beginning [[spoiler: and doesn't live past the first volume.]]

* GoodJobBreakingItHero: In ''Ananda,'' Buddha is challanged to burn a stack of logs without touching them. As he refuses to, not wanting to show off, Ananda comes running up with a torch: Buddha's ''follower'' burned them. So Buddha passes the trial - and then everything goes up in flames. Nice job burning it, Ananda.

* {{Deconstruction}}: Arguably of the entire history of the Buddha, particularly his role as {{The Messiah}}. For one thing, the series takes a look at how Buddha left his life as a prince to become a ascetic, with it showing how while what he did was apparently necessary, he still left his father and grandmother, his wife, his unborn child, and his kingdom behind, which his father ''did not take well''. Later on, [[spoiler: it is revealed that Buddha's homeland was invaded and conquered, with his people being subjugated, and his father being in a ''horrid'' state of health. After a sequence of events leads to both the deaths of even more of his people as well as one of his longtime friends, Buddha breaks down and laments on how he wasted his life, abandoned his family, and how {{Humans Are The Real Monsters}} who may be very well irredeemable. He snaps out of it soon enough, but it's still a eye-raiser to see the Buddha of all people say all of that.]]

* TragicVillain: General Budai [[spoiler: whose efforts to "protect" his adopted son through [[KickTheDog ordering to have his mother killed]] end up giving him the exact opposite results of what he wanted.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: Arguably of the entire history of the Buddha, particularly his role as {{The Messiah}}. For one thing, the series takes a look at how Buddha left his life as a prince to become a ascetic, with it showing how while what he did was apparently necessary, he still left his parents, his wife, his unborn child, and his kingdom behind, which his father ''did not take well''. Later on, [[spoiler: it is revealed that Buddha's homeland was invaded and conquered, with his people being subjugated, and his father being in a ''horrid'' state of health. After a sequence of events leads to both the deaths of even more of his people as well as one of his longtime friends, Buddha breaks down and laments on how he wasted his life, abandoned his family, and how {{Humans Are The Real Monsters}} who may be very well irredeemable. He snaps out of it soon enough, but it's still a eye-raiser to see the Buddha of all people say all of that.]]

* TragicVillain: General Budai [[spoiler: who's efforts to "protect" his adopted son through [[KickTheDog ordering to have his mother killed]] end up giving him the exact opposite results of what he wanted.]]

* DecoyProtagonist: Chapra.

* [[EyepatchOfPower Blindfold Of Power]]: Migaila

* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Devadatta,]] despite being a disciple of Buddha.
* BaldWoman: Lata, on taking vows to Buddha

* {{Gonk}}: one shows up once in a while. There are even gonk elephants!

NeedsMoreLove.

** In an inversion, a jealous Brahmin sends a lady to pretend to be Buddha's lover and accuse him of womanizing.

* {{Jerkass}}: Bakanda is awful. Greedy, arrogant, rude, spitefull, JerkAss Bakanda. Princess Yashodara even says to herself, "If [I have to marry Bakanda], I'll kill myself." Years later, when she does, she threatenes to.

* {{Jerkass}}: Bakanda is awfull. Greedy, arrogant, rude, spitefull, jerkass Bakanda. Princess Yashodara said to herself, "If [I have to marry Bakanda], I'll kill myself." Years later, when she does, she threatenes to.

* HoYay: [[spoiler: Almost]] everyone loves Buddha, and some conversations about him can seem a lot like this out of context. Also, what with practically everyone running around [[ItMakesSenseInContext shirtless]], many waist-up-only panels between the predominantly male cast can [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything look like something else]].

* FoeYay: Devadatta and Buddha.

* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: Chapra]] attempts to protect his mother from a spear attack with his own body, which only results in both of them being run through together.

* StarSystem: It's [[TropeNamer Tezuka]], what do you expect? Look for Tezuka himself, Shunsaku Ban as a bounty hunter, Hosuke Sharaku, Saruta, and a cameo by Professor Ochanomizu.

* ShoutOut: The numerous, humorous anachronisms include [[StarWars Yoda]], ET, and a character turning into BlackJack for a panel. Lampshaded with, ''"You thought I was Black Jack? Wow, you must be really out of it!"''

* CantFightFate: Much to Asaji, Buddha,and Bimbisara's dismay

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: TheMovie came out in 2011. So far, it hasn't been translated, though.
** However, concerning the trailer shows Chapra fighing Prince Siddartha in a war, are we sure we want to see it?

** Buddha is again the victim of this trope when the drug-addled [[spoiler: Visahka]] keeps trying to have sex with him. It doesn't work.

* DoesThisRemindYouOFAnything: A conversation between Tatta and Yatala ("You're the first guy I've met who gets who I feel." "My thoughts never understood. I talk to you. I feel you understand.") reads like a ComingOutStory.

** Not that it excuses comments like, "We oughta crush her under the elepant's foot!" "Now, now. She's just a stupid slave, hardly better than a beast."