History Manga / GoldenKamui

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golden_kamui_1_pic_4_0.jpg]]

Take one ex-soldier with a remarkable talent for not dying, one Ainu girl with a grudge, and a treasure hunt through early 1900s Hokkaido, and you have Satoru Noda and Hiroshi Nakagawa's Golden Kamui. Currently being serialized in Weekly Young Jump, the series focuses on Sugimoto [[MadeOfIron "The Immortal"]] Saichi, hero of the RussoJapaneseWar, his [[NatureHero Ainu friend and co-hunter Asirpa]], and their search for a massive cache of gold (worth roughly 700M modern USD). However, they aren't the only ones out for it – the [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese army]] has a highly skilled division seeking out the gold too, and that's not to mention the criminal who hid it.

The manga was announced to have an anime in the works in 2017.

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!! This manga provides examples of:
* AgainstMyReligion: The Ainus' particular view on the world make them think that an animal who has killed a human is cursed, and thus its meat shouldn't be eaten. Asirpa refuses the meat of an orca, believing it's killed a man, but Sugimoto reassures her that he did the killing instead, so the orca didn't turn evil.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Sugimoto was ostracized by his native village because his family contracted tuberculosis.
* AnnoyingArrows: Averted, even bears can't just tank arrows, especially when they're poisoned.
* ArmchairMilitary: The lower ranks are regularly seen complaining that the higher-ups didn't bother with developing efficient military tactics such as not mindlessly using ZergRush or forming sniper teams, which would have saved numerous Japanese soldiers from death.
* ArmsDealer: One is willing to sell guns to Tsurumi's 7th Division.
* ArtShift: The drawing is noticeably more cartoony during humorous moments.
* BadassAndChildDuo: In this case, the child is just as capable as the Badass though.
* BaitAndSwitch: Local fishermen look suspiciously over a shady tattooed colleague but one of them tries to befriend him. Turns out the friendly fisherman is the serial killer Henmi Kazuo.
* BankRobbery: Hijikata robs a bank to get some cash, but more importantly retrieves his sword Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada, which had ended up in the possession of the bank owner.
* TheBarber: One serves as a recurring character and MrExposition during the Barato arc.
* BarbieDollAnatomy: Averted for a change as male characters have their nipples drawn. Hilariously, when Sugimoto has a (not very attractive) gangster strip, he is outraged at the sight of the gangster's nipples, and even orders him to cover them so that Asirpa doesn't see them.
* BearsAreBadNews: Specifically, Ussuri brown bears, one of the largest species of bear in the world, at the time of year when they are most aggressive.
* BeefBandage: Horse meat is used to help reduce Sugimoto's swelling.
* BigBadEnsemble: Tsurumi and Hijikata are both looking for the treasure but have different agendas.
* BigFancyHouse: A boss of a fishery (referred to only as the Herring Magnate) owns one and meets Tsurumi here to discuss conquering Hokkaido. It is so fancy even the toilets are made of luxurious porcelain.
* BilingualDialogue: Whenever Asirpa talks to an Ainu, the conversation will mix Japanese and Ainu.
* BottomlessMagazines: Averted, reloading rifles is taken into account, and Asirpa can run low on arrows even though she's using them sparingly.
* BreatherEpisode: Its not uncommon for there to be a few chapters of brutal, gory action to be followed up with some fine slice-of-life cuteness between Sugimoto and Asirpa.
* BrickJoke: In Chapter 16, Sugimoto discovered the ''kisarri'', a three-branched stick used to emulate a monster and with which you'd have to roar in order to frighten children as a game. In that chapter, Sugimoto performs abysmally with it but in Chapter 88, he discovers another ''kisarri'' and roars out of anger, causing Asirpa who hears him from a distance to think that the monster is really here.
* CarpetOfVirility: Highly unusual for Japanese manga and anime, multiple characters are sporting full (and drawn with meticulous detail) chest hair, which only enhances their masculine badassness. Needless to say, this has made the series very popular with a [[BaraGenre certain]] [[PeripheryDemographic audience]].
* CassandraTruth: Averted, Asirpa quickly believes Sugimoto's story about the treasure. Of course her father was killed because of it so she has reasons to believe in it.
* TheCatfish: The "Iwan Onnecep Kamuy" is a mythical giant huchen which is 7 meters long and eats bears. Less impressive but as scary are 2 meter long huchen which eat anything in their path, including Shiraishi, who fortunately escapes.
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Nihei's single shot rifle comes in handy during Tanigaki and Ogata's SniperDuel.]]
* ChekhovsSkill: Asirpa's and by extension, Ainu traps are used later after their introduction to trap humans.
* CirclingVultures: A stray vulture tries to abduct Asirpa. ArtisticLicenseBiology as vultures' claws, unlike eagles' or raptors', can't hold weight nor grab a prey.[[note]]Eagles are hunters and use their claws, with long talons and prensile fingers, to catch and hold prey; [[CaptainObvious vultures are highly specialised carrion-eaters]] and use their claws, with short talons and barely prensile (almost feet-like) fingers, to hold themselves steady while they use their beaks to eat.[[/note]]
* CoincidentalDodge: Tanigaki barely avoids a bullet meant for him as Osoma pulls his ear.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: The young Asirpa wouldn't be spending so much time in the forests if her parents didn't die.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Sugimoto is briefly tortured by the 7th Division.
* ConcealmentEqualsCover: Despite the realistic way in which guns are treated, a rifle isn't able to pierce through any form of cover.
* ConservationOfCompetence: Averted hard. Every member of the 7th Division is competent in their field of work, which is killing stuff.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Hijikata's band is smaller but its members are more competent than the already competent soldiers of the 7th Division.
* TheConspiracy: [[spoiler: Ogata theorizes that Noppera-Bou is a Russian partisan whose goal is to fight for the independance of east Russia]]. Other partisan are hiding among the population of Hokkaido to support this movement from the shadows.
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: [[spoiler: Retar's mate]] kills Nihei from behind as he's about to shoot Retar.
* CoolGuns: The Arisaka Type 30, Tsurumi's Borchardt C-93, the Herring Magnate's Maxim gun.
* CoolSword: The Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada, which Toshizou breaks out of a bank's vault.
* CrushingHandshake: When Sugimoto and Ushiyama meet, they shake hands. The narration indicates that masters of judo can determine the other guy's strength. Sugimoto comments that Ushiyama's strength scares him, while Ushiyama likes Sugimoto from the spot because StrengthEqualsWorthiness.
* CrypticConversation: At one point Hijikata gauges Sugimoto by comparing him with other famous members of the Shinsengumi, but refers to them only by their first name so Sugimoto doesn't understand the references and thinks that Hijikata is being senile.
* CubCuesProtectiveParent: Bears cubs are never far from their mamas.
* CultureClash: Sugimoto and Asirpa have difficulties with the finer points of each other's culture, particularly the [[ForeignQueasine culinary ones]]. One example is that the brains of squirrels are a delicacy to Ainu.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: A lot of the characters share this trope, half of them being war veterans.
* DeathOfAChild: Henmi Kazuo's little brother being eaten alive by a wild board was what made him grow into a psychopatic killer.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Asirpa has nothing but fond memories of her late father.
* DescriptionPorn: Anything related to Ainu customs will be described with great care.
* DismantledMacGuffin: The treasure map is drawn on the skin of 24 men who went on their separate ways.
* DyingClue: Downplayed, a soldier in bad shape wants to write down Sugimoto "The Immortal"'s name but only manages to write "Immortal" before fainting. This allows Tsurumi to recognize him however.
* EatTheDog: Ainus eat squirrels.
* EliteMook: The ''foot soldiers'' of the Hokkaido 7th Division are a force to be reckoned with.
* EliteArmy: The Hokkaido 7th Division.
* EndOfAnAge: Golden Kamui is set during the last years of the Meiji era. Moreover, the traditional Ainu culture is also disappearing.
* EnemyCivilWar: Not all soldiers from the 7th are with Tsurumi.
* EquipmentUpgrade: Asirpa plans to use the dorsal muscles of an orca as better bowstrings than whale muscles.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: All the soldiers of Hokkaido have heard of Sugimoto "The Immortal", but most are unimpressed by his looks.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Ainu eat almost everything from their prey, including the raw brain.
* FakinMacGuffin: Tsurumi has taxidermist Yasaku Edogai create fake skins in order to throw off his rivals in the race for the skins.
* FoodPorn: The series takes the time to explain the various dishes the characters eat, especially the Ainu-style cuisine.
* GagCensor: A patch with Shiraishi's face is used, twice, to prevent Sugimoto from... uh... doing a different kind of FullFrontalAssault that he did at Hill 203. [[RuleOfThree Then]], the ''[[SceneryCensor actual]]'' Shiraishi's head is used to cover Sugimoto's crotch.
* GenuineHumanHide: Noppera-bou tattooed the map in a way people would need to skin its wearer to read it properly. The protagonists and their enemies actually carry around the skins of the dead convicts.
** Yasaku takes it UpToEleven when he creates dozens of sets of clothe out of human skin.
* GoldFever: Hokkaido has gold in its soil, so people are looking for it on the island; also a big stack of gold worth hundreds of millions of (modern day) yen is sought after by many people.
* GondorCallsForAid: Asirpa can summon the wolf Retar to help her with a deer flute.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Many characters are scarred by the war they've fought.
* {{Gorn}}: This manga can hardly go three chapters without somebody getting maimed.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Specific terms are often said in Ainu.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: AntiHero against WellIntentionedExtremist in a chase for ill-acquired gold.
* GreenAesop: One of the recurring themes is that nature is beautiful (albeit harsh) and that humans need to take care of their environment.
* GrimUpNorth: Hokkaido is the north-most main island of Japan and is indeed cold.
* HellHotel: Sapporo World Hotel. Where the pretty owner of this modest establishment will imprison you in his TortureCellar, torture and dismember you if you look [[ImAHumanitarian tasty enough]].
* HeroesGoneFishing: For whales, at that.
* HooksAndCrooks: A ''kapacirap'', more or less a hook on a stick, is used to capture eagles.
* HomoeroticSubtext: From Nihei's introduction onward, characters begin to have more and more gay traits (Henmi has a VillainousCrush on Sugimoto, Ienaga is a CreepyCrossdresser, Ushiyama is bisexual when drunk, even Nakagura indulges in crossdressing at one moment, which perfectly justified in context, didn't need lipstick for the costume).
* HorseRacing: The plot takes a detour to present the world of Japanese horse-racing and the gambling around it.
* HostageSituation: Tanigaki takes Asirpa as a hostage, and pulls out a PutDownYourGunAndStepAway.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Sugimoto is several heads taller than Asirpa.
* HumanNotepad: The 24 Abashiri convicts are tattooed with a map leading to a huge stash of gold.
* IllGirl: Downplayed; Umeko, Sugimoto's {{Love Interest|s}}, is going blind but otherwise isn't in danger. It's just that he wants her to see her child grow.
* IneffectualLoner: One mere day of trying to find the treasure alone, and Sugimoto is captured by the 7th Division, he even lampshades it later.
* InfantImmortality: Aversion (and a very rare case of the aversion of this trope ''not'' being the oppossite trope of DeathOfAChild, as it is not PlayedForDrama) on its "cute animal" version, right in chapter 1, when the big brown bear kills and eats the cute bear cub. Contrast with the straight usage of said opposite trope mentioned above.
* InVinoVeritas: Sugimoto learns of the big pile of gold thanks to one of the convicts being drunk and [[LooseLips spilling the beans]], though he initially doesn't believe the story until the guy tries to kill him because HeKnowsTooMuch.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Asirpa threatens Shiraishi with her poisoned arrows so that he helps her free Sugimoto.
* KatanasOfTheRisingSun: The 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese army is one of the antagonist groups.
* LanguageBarrier: Downplayed. Sugimoto doesn't speak Ainu, but continuous exposure to the GratuitousForeignLanguage makes him able to understand a few words. Later in the manga, Sugimoto hears his name, "ohaw" for "soup", and "osoma" for "poop". Putting two and two together, he correctly deduces that once again Asirpa is telling someone that he is eating poop.
* LanguageFluencyDenial: Asirpa fakes being unable to speak Japanese before Tanigaki. It doesn't work.
* TheLegendOfChekhov: Asirpa tells Sugimoto the story of her father who would crawl directly into a bear's den because there's a saying that "a brown bear will never kill a human that enters its den". Sugimoto later uses that knowledge to save himself from an angry MamaBear.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Asirpa is pretty much like a girl introducing her step-brother Sugimoto into her own culture.
* LockedInARoom: They are all stranded in a house surrounded by bears, and one of two strangers was sent to kill one of them.
* LoopHoleAbuse: Asirpa sometimes reinterprets Ainu customs to her advantage, notably eating a man-killing orca.
* MacGyvering: The Abashiri convicts made tattoo ink out of charcoal they were tasked to make, and spit.
* MadeOfIron: Sugimoto has survived: [[spoiler: Tuberculosis, one of the bloodiest battles of the Russo-Japanese war, encounters with 3 different angry bears, falling into a river in -30F weather, several fights with elite military personnel, and being stabbed.]] Specific mention being made of him recovering of wounds almost overnight.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Sugimoto first and foremost, who receives a bullet in the throat and continues massacring Russians left and right. One soldier gets his face torn off by a bear and continues fighting. An officer gets several fingers bitten off and his only reaction is telling the perpetrator that he's crazy.
* TheMasquerade: Sugimoto and Asirpa [[spoiler:alongside Ushiyama and Ogata]] visit an Ainu village. [[spoiler: It turns out every man is a Japanese convict escapee disguised as an Ainu in order to escape from the police]].
* MerchantCity: Also a PortTown, Otaru is known as "The Wall Street of the North".
* MilitaryCoup: [[spoiler: The 7th division plans to take over Hokkaido.]]
* MobWar: Barato is torn apart by the war between two rival gangs.
* MoralEventHorizon: In-Universe, the Ainu believe that killing an human makes you evil, even if you are an animal. A man-killing animal won't be eaten by Ainu.
* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: Yasaku's dining room holds several stuffed corpse with whom he has conversations. A testament of Yasaku's skill in taxidermy since the corpses do look alive.
* NatureIsNotNice: The wilderness of Hokkaido has killed more people in this series than any one character.
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: A judo fight between Sugimoto and a drunk Ushiyama is interrupted when Sugimoto falls into a trap as Ushiyama was flailing him against the ground.
* NobleWolf: [[spoiler: Retar, the last Hokkaido wolf, is loyal to Asirpa for saving his life.]]
* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont: At the beginning of thes series, a drunkard steals Sugimoto's rifle and prepares to shoot him with it. Sugimoto confidently pulls the barrel on his chest and knocks out the guy because he sees that the safety is still on.
* OddFriendship: A veteran soldier and an Ainu kid. Overlaps with HugeGuyTinyGirl.
* OhCrap: Heavily related to BearsAreBadNews.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Ainu practice animism, and believe that all animals are gods in their own right.
* PetBabyWildAnimal: Sugimoto adopts a bear cub after its mother is killed, but having no idea how to raise it, resigns to have an Ainu village take care of it to sacrifice it when he is an adult.
* {{Pixellation}}: Violent deaths? OK. Extreme gore? OK. Nipples, asses, [[ItMakesSenseInContext naked flying spinning prostitutes]]? Ok. Poop? [[RunningGag Always]] pixelate [[JustForPun that shit!]]
* PoisonedWeapons: Ainu use poisoned arrows to kill their prey faster, and have to quickly cut off the shot body part to conserve the meat.
* RatedMForManly: Let's put it this way, a mere Mook faces down a brown bear with a bayonet.
* ReducedToRatburgers: Right before the battle of Hill 203, we see Sugimoto eating a stray ''ant''. A good indication of the living condition of the soldiers at the time, and a good justification of why every dish he eats after the war is FoodPorn for him (save the raw brains).
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: What amounted to 75kg of gold is revealed to be possibly worth a third of Japan's economy, making the 7th Division's plan to take over the island not so stupid.]]
* RunningGag: Shiraishi getting bitten in the head.
* RussoJapaneseWar: Many characters are veterans of the war, which is not surprising since they do come from a division tasked with protecting Hokkaido.
* SaveTheVillain: Sugimoto saves Henmi from drowning, unaware that he is a serial killer.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Many characters, more notably, Retar the Hokkaido Wolf.
* SceneryPorn: The beautiful nature of the mountains is shown in gorgeous double pages whenever the occasion presents itself.
* SelfDestructMechanism: Ienaga planted one in the Sapporo World Hotel. It involves pulling a hidden chain which will spill alcohol in the TortureCellar then light a fire, burning the building down.
* ShipperOnDeck: Asirpa's grandma supports her granddaughter marrying Sugimoto.
* SideQuest: A non video game example, Sugimoto and Asirpa spend as much time looking for the treasure as hunting various animals.
* SniperDuel: Between [[spoiler: Tanigaki and Ogata. Tanigaki wins]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The two first Abashiri convicts seen are anonymous incompetent goons, but then we are introduced to the 7th Division and Hijikata Toshizou's group of convicts who are more than a match for Sugimoto and Asirpa.
* TheStraightAndArrowPath: Ainu use bows and arrows, and almost never miss their shots.
* {{Tanuki}}: They are part of Hokkaido's fauna.
* TattooedCrook: The 24 Abashiri convicts bear tatoos which create a greater treasure map once they are skinned and the skin assembled.
* TheyHaveTheScent: Once Retar has someone's scent, it won't let them escape.
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: The [[CreepyTwins twins]] of the 7th Division.
* TreasureMap: The location of the criminal's gold was smuggled out as a coded map tattooed into the skin of 24 prisoners.
* UnfortunateNames: Well, not so unfortunate since it is designed to be foul-sounding to ward off spirits bringing illness, but Ainu have names that sound disgusting until they're six year old. Asirpa's first name is "Ekasiotonpuy" meaning "Grandpa's butthole".
* UngratefulBastard: The Japanese government put the blame for the seppuku of a chief of staff on his subordinates and refused to offer the 7th Division any reward for their sacrifice during the RussoJapaneseWar.
* VerbalTic: Sugimoto learns that Ainu tell that something is delicious by saying "Hinna hinna" while eating, he does this regularly thereafter.
* VillainEpisode: Several continuous chapters are focused on Hijitaka getting another tattooed skin in the town of Barato.
* VillainousFriendship: Tsurumi develops one with Yasaku Edogai over their mutual interest in GenuineHumanHide.
* WarIsHell: War has broken a lot of characters in the manga, beginning with Sugimoto.
* TheWestern: The series has many elements reminiscent of the genre, even though it's set in Hokkaido in the Meiji era. The cover of chapter 59 is designed to look like a Western poster.
* WildWilderness: The island of Hokkaido is full of forests where nature is unforgiving.
* WorldOfBadass: Pretty much, everyone's a badass in their own right, be it the humans, animals they meet, even plants.

* GagCensor: Shiraishi's face to cover Sugimoto's crotch.

* InfantImmortality: Aversion (and a very rare case of the aversion of this trope ''not'' being the oppossite trope of DeathOfAChild, as it is not PlayedForDrama) on its "cute animal" version, right in chapter 1, when the big brown bear kills and eats the cute bear cub. Contrast with the straight usage of said opposite trope downpage.

* InfantImmortality: Aversion (and a very rare case of the aversion of this trope ''not'' being the oppossite trope of DeathOfAChild, as it is not PlayedForDrama) right in chapter 1, when the big brown bear kills and eats the cute bear cub.

* CirclingVultures: A stray vulture tries to abduct Asirpa. ArtisticLicenseBiology as vultures' claws, unlike eagles' or raptors', can't hold weight nor grab a prey.

* MadeOfIron: Sugimoto has survived: [[spoiler: Tuberculosis, one of the bloodiest battles of the Russo-Japanese war, encounters with 3 different angry bears, falling into a river in -30F weather, several fights with elite military personnel, and being stabbed.]]

* InfantInmortality: Aversion (and a very rare case of the aversion of this trope ''not'' being the oppossite trope of DeathOfAChild, as it is not PlayedForDrama) right in chapter 1, when the big brown bear kills and eats the cute bear cub.