'Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf': All the characters in Netflix show ranked and why Tsutomu Himekawa isn't #1
TOKYO, JAPAN: 'Garouden: 'The Way of the Lone Wolf' is streaming on Netflix on May 23, 2024, as the Japanese anime series follows events in the life of Juzo Fujimaki (Ryôta Takeuchi) who is a fugitive after killing a robber. He stays away from fighting until an encounter with a bear brings him to the notice of other martial artists as he fights in an underground combat league.
As the story develops, 'Garouden: 'The Way of the Lone Wolf' unveils more characters from the Garouden universe. The series is an adaptation of the Garouden Manga. This season of the series, however, focuses on the life of Takemiya expert Juzo Fujimaki who finds his way back to martial arts.
This series also introduces some important characters like Tsutomu Himekawa and Bunshichi Tanba who would go on to become protagonists of the series eventually.
Here, we rank the characters from 'Garouden: 'The Way of the Lone Wolf'.
1. Juzo Fujimaki
'Garouden: 'The Way of the Lone Wolf' has us invested deeply in its protagonist Juzo Fujimaki. He appears as a mysterious figure and speaks only when required. He is an expert in the Takemiya martial arts style and is committed to taking the legacy of the art forward.
The series has a fall and redemption arc for Fujimaki as he discovers the art he left as his savior. He runs away from his town after killing a robber who got into his master's house and by the end of the series, he realizes that he should never have done that and faced the consequences.
He fights valiantly against the top fighters and uses his Tiger King maneuver to win against them. He loses his final fight to the well-rounded Himekawa but pushes the fighter to the limit in the fight.
2. Master Izumi
Master Izumi is an honorable teacher of the Takemiya art form and the inventor of the Tiger King. His loss to Bunshichi Tanba sends him on a downward spiral as he begins to accept his aging but he loses honorably and continues to teach.
He has taught the likes of Juzo Fujimaki and also taught Bunshichi Tanba despite losing to him. He also teaches Himekawa despite being from a different school of martial arts.
3. Saeko Izumi
Saeko is a character we feel for. The man she was in love with, Juzo Fujimaki left her and went away after committing murder. She could never get finality for that relationship.
She does find love again in the form of Himekawa but in the final fight between Himekawa and Fujimaki, she is conflicted and feels distressed seeing both men in pain. In the series, her character has been voiced by Ell.
4. Bunshichi Tanba
While he is a side character in 'Garouden: 'The Way of the Lone Wolf', he is the protagonist of the Garouden series and is known to be a fighter who fights to prove his strength to himself.
He defeats Master Izumi and learns the Takemiya style. Currently, he is shown to be competing in a pro wrestling ring.
5. Tsutomu Himekawa
Tsutomu Himekawa is an honorable fighter and a natural talent who has a constant hunger to learn. He moves like a dancer while fighting and is fluid in his martial arts. He is trained by Shozan Matsuo.
Why we rank him last though, is the fact that he defeated our protagonist Juzo Fujimaki. He does so fair and square but the final fight was heartbreaking as a fight when he countered the Tiger King and planted Juzo's head to the mat.
'Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf' Trailer
'Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf' is streaming on Netflix on May 23, 2024