Last year, Marvel and VIZ Media launched their collaborations with the extra adorable Marvel Meow. Now, they’re leaving the adorable behind and jumping headfirst into violence, fourth-wall-breaking dark humor, and a whole bunch of superhero mayhem with Deadpool Samurai Volume 1. Written by mangaka Sanshiro Kasama and illustrated by mangaka Hikaru Uesugi, Deadpool Samurai is published and localized in English by VIZ Media. The translation is done by Amanda Haley, with touch-up art and lettering by Walden Wong.

In Deadpool Samurai Volume 1, we get to see Deadpool taking on mobsters only to be confronted by Iron Man with a proposition: Join the Samurai Squad and get a fat paycheck. Of course, though, as soon as Deadpool moves to Tokyo, he runs afoul of some familiar faces and even some original characters. Before he knows it, he’s teaming up with new heroes, battling gods, attending concerts, and being a meat shield. Now, the bulk of the story can’t be talked about without revealing some surprising appearances that are better left read than told.

Now, taking on the Merc with a Mouth is a tall order. His brash humor and violence can easily go overboard and ultimately overshadow any story — but that same absurdity and ultimately chaos is the exact reason why fans keep coming back to his stories. And Deadpool Samurai is no different. This manga captures the chaotic nature of the iconic anti-hero, and even with a wobbly landing in the execution, Kasama and Uesugi have pulled together a Deadpool story that works.

Deadpool Samurai is a chaotically humorous romp with meta jokes that feel pulled out of GinTama — and I mean that in the best way. Adapting the fourth-wall-breaking comic humor that Deadpool uses in comics works extremely well when applied to manga. With callouts to Kodansha, Shonen Jump (even illustrating Shonen Jump app ads), otaku, and idols, there is a lot happening at once. The success of all these jokes comes from the writer Kasama, but that acclaim should also go to the manga’s localization team, specifically Haley, who served as Deadpool Samurai’s translator. Ultimately, adapting Deadpool’s humor into Japanese and then back to English can’t be understated because nearly every joke works perfectly.

Unfortunately, there are some lows to Deadpool Samurai; chiefly, there is just too much happening, not even just in one volume but every chapter. While the humor is necessary to tell the story, the narrative gets lost in itself at times, buckling under the weight of the cameos, new characters, and the sprinting pace of the story. But in what I see as just too much all at once, other fans might enjoy in small bursts, specifically by honing in on the new takes on established character identities.

Deadpool Samurai is for people who love Deadpool, his absurdity, and his jokes. That said, if any bit of the character is something you eye-roll at, this is one to skip. Overall though, Deadpool Samurai showcases how strong the collaboration between Marvel and VIZ Media can be. Whether it’s adapting the familiar or creating something unique, I’m excited for more.

Classic zany, off-the-wall Deadpool. At times it was a bit too much for me tbh, but definitely worth the read and one I will talk about at the store.

I did find it humorous that the J-Pop Idol who was cute as a button had the (spoiler spoiler). Not what one would normally expect, so I enjoyed that part, though her actions and thoughts were...a tad different, but maybe that helped her to not go all evil?

Anywho, solid 3 stars for this one. Recommended if you like Deadpool.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Just as amusing as one would expect. Nobody destroys the 4th wall quite like Deadpool.

For Libraries: As with others from the Deadpool universe, this is probably best suited to your adult collection.

I’ve been collecting comics on and off since 2015, and Deadpool is a character I love to read. However, my favorite recent comic run was Hasting’s Gwenpool, which was mostly drawn by Gurihiru. The anime-styled art translated well for the comic, with a gripping story to boot. I wanted to see if any recent efforts after Marvel’s Mangaverse would work for Deadpool. Enter Deadpool Samurai, a series that sends the Merc with a Mouth to the medium of manga, with varying results.

Lovably loony Deadpool heads to Japan, where he establishes an Avengers initiative, the Samurai Squad. Initially paired with Sakura Spider (probably a Spider-OC do not steal), he gets around with his immortal antics. For purely fanservice reasons, he also converses with Iron Man and Captain America as well as fight established villain Loki.

I feel like this manga tries to capitalize on the recent Deadpool films by introducing the character to Japanese audiences. As such, this feels like a good starting point for those who want to read a Deadpool story but not to be bogged down by decades of comic material.

However, because of this, Deadpool’s characterization feels like an average Deadpool comic storyline. You’ve got fourth wall references and namedrops to popular anime aplenty here. That said, there were a few times I chuckled at the manga references, like a parody of Demon Slayer’s first volume here in the third chapter. I just wish the non-referential humor matched the other gags. It feels like Deadpool in Deadpool Samurai is sanitized for Japanese audiences. (That said, there’s a lot of gore which makes the T+ rating completely justified.) Thankfully, the art style is amazing, and with a much better story, could be an instant classic.
There’s nothing wrong with having a vanilla take on the Merc with a Mouth, which is mostly fine. However, after reading this I felt like I was reading another manga: Undead Unluck, to be exact. That manga does the “brash guy, shy girl” dynamic better, though I admit it took a while to get there. Sakura Spider (and later definitely-not-Hatsune-Miku-with-a-symbiote Neiro) are fine Japanese takes on established hero archetypes. Having cute idol singer Neiro with a dangerous symbiote reminds me of Tom Hardy’s comedic Venom, which is funny. However, I don’t feel the synergy between the three is there just yet.

With the introduction of Thanos (pulling out the big guns now, huh?), there’s a lot of potential in Deadpool Samurai. This is a great read for diehard Deadpool fans or manga readers looking for an artistically great comic crossover. I just hope it can get better writing soon.

The Merc with a Mouth is back and this time he is taking his show on the road, heading to Japan! Deadpool Samurai finds our favorite mercenary overseas, on a request from Iron-Man to join the Avengers (wait, there is money involved, thank goodness,) Offshoot group called Samurai Squad, there has been a rise in Supervillain activity around the globe, so Deadpool has to take a trip to Japan and start preparing a team, sounds easy right?

It is from the creative team of Sanshirō Kasama and Hikaru Uesugi (who are known for their Fantasy Gag Manga Tsugihagi Quest,) that takes a shot at Marvel’s Fourth-Wall Breaking Anti-Hero, bringing him into the world of Shōnen Manga where he gives Gintama a run for its money.

This was such a fun story to get sucked in. You've got the classic Deadpool humor (and fourth wall break!) but with a whole new setting and some great new characters. If you're a Deadpool fan, this is definitely a must read.

Deadpool ventures to the land of the rising sun, to join the Avengers! Now, that I have your attention strap in for the masterfully crafted collaboration between Marvel and Shonen Jump. The epicness that follows will leave all Deadpool fans in awe. Deadpool Samurai. Vol 1 brings Deadpools flair over to manga, and boy did they go full out.

With Deadpool Samurai: Vol 1 we get to see our favorite Merc in a new setting. The villains and the plot fit right in with what you would expect from a good overall story. You can also see in the writing and art that they had a blast with the characters and that there is a good understanding of what makes these characters tick. Overall if you are a fan of Deadpool you must dive into this manga series.

I usually really enjoy Deadpool, but I found him incredibly annoying in this. I don't know if it's because he's being written for a younger age group than usual but it was...a lot. The new characters were fun.

...I might have laughed a little too loud reading this book. As someone who's still getting used to reading manga (but is a huge Deadpool fan,) it gave me a whole new appreciation for both. I can't recommend it enough!

Deadpool: Samurai is a manga that takes Deadpool and sends him to Japan for a special mission called Samurai Squad. Deadpool is fighting wrong doers and trying to recruit members to his Samurai Squad. He starts off with Sakura Spider who is a female Spider-man and later gets an idol that has a symbiote possessing her like Venom. Along the way Deadpool is his usual self by breaking the fourth wall, self referencing and being sassy. This was a lot of fun.

I love me some Merc with the Mouth! When I heard he was making the jump to well....Jump, I was how can they *%$#@ clean up his mouth. This is going to take a lot of redacting. But Mr. Pool is making an effort to clean up his act and be the leader of Team Samurai in Japan. Funny and entertaining as always, he is joined by Sakura Spider and an idol/symbiote. Can DP lead two young ladies down a heroic path or is he doomed to fail? I don't know but I sure will enjoy the ride. I loved every page!

I'm excited to see how this series progresses. I enjoy all the little quips, breaking the fourth wall, and other Japanese anime/manga references. It may fall just a bit short of the original Deadpool humor, but it doesn't skimp on the action scenes or the violence we've come to expect from this character. The artwork was fantastic for a manga, definitely character-centric, not much background detail. A brilliant combination of our favorite Merc with a mouth and the manga world he is determined to take over. What a ride!

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought this book was a fun ride. It is everything you expect Deadpool to be except a little bit more censored. This is honestly a really good read for those who want to allow their kids to read Deadpool without worrying about the language. it is all implied.

This was a lot of fun! A mix of eastern and western comic tropes, this series sees Deadpool in all his fourth-wall-breaking glory, IN JAPAN. From snarking about the hardworking assistant's page spread being ruined too early, to the not-so original- original characters. I mean, they're totally not cute girl versions of the popular spider-man and venom! This Deadpool keeps his tight sense of humor. A lot of fun cameos from the Marvel verse round out this romp. Another interesting Marvel manga!

I love seeing Deadpool break the fourth wall in manga form!

Thank you Chantelle, Viz Media and NetGalley for this exciting digital review copy!

My thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for an advanced copy of this new team-up from two rival comic book companies.

The Merc with the Mouth takes his show on the road and crosses the ocean to the Land of the Rising Sun where comics are read backwards and vending machines dispense all sorts of wonders. Our hero Deadpool, in Deadpool: Samurai Volume 1written by Sanshiro Kasama and illustrated by Hikaru Uesugi, has been asked by Iron Man to travel to Japan to join the new Avengers offshoot group Samurai Squad, in hopes of stopping the global rise of supervillainy that seems to be escalating. Deadpool agrees once that money is paid and off he goes, and the reader just knows that high-jinks will ensue.

The art is manga, black and white and nothing that makes it stand out from other manga comics. Not that it is bad, but the costumed men, I would be hard pressed to say what was different about the art. The action is fluid, the backgrounds look great, but nothing stands out.

The story is just ok. I understand it is a manga, and the character might be new to some readers, and more knowledgeable readers might need familiar things to hang on to. However there was just so much reliance on the familiar. Look a Japanese female Spider-Man, who received her powers the same way. Look a symbiote, the ultimate in lazy booking in comics. Yes new readers but, give them new ideas. And yes, I know this is Deadpool, and he talks and cracks jokes right to the reader, but there are so many in-jokes about Jump magazine, manga, and everything else it ceased to be funny and became more a mallet being pounded on the reader's head. I hope this eases up.

There are some good things. Captain America in his brief appearance, is funny along with Bruce Banner. The action is good, the story is setting up for big things, but it takes a long time to get there. The two female members of the Samurai Squad are interesting, though the Japanese singer seems very damaged, and troubling. Though you can this about women in most mangas, as Deadpool does a few times.

If the reader likes both Deadpool and manga, this is probably the book for you. There is a lot of jokes, action, and while some might go on, it is still pretty good. The art does the job well of carrying the story along, and the conclusion does make one want to keep reading, just to see where they can go with this story.

A cute story, very much in the Deadpool sense of humor and action, but WAY too many fourth-wall breaks. Just whole sections of making fun of Jump and manga in general, which may have worked in test reads because its Deadpool's first manga... it may tone down later in the series.