A Sekiro spin-off manga is launching in Japan next month. The manga looks set to focus on Sekiro Shadows Die Twice NPC Hanbei the Undying. Sekiro Gaiden: Shinazu Hanbei (Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying) is set before the events of the game and will feature Hanbei’s actions ahead of the game. In the game, the character primarily served as a punching bag for The Wolf.
Take a first look at a brand-new manga created by Shin Yamamoto, supervised by From Software, and based on the insanely popular game, SEKIRO!
SEKIRO SIDE STORY: HANBEI THE UNDYING pic.twitter.com/UzxVNpVF0G
— Yen Press (@yenpress) April 26, 2019
Yen Press announced the Sekiro spin-off prequel via Twitter, in a thread teasing an upcoming reveal. Following the reveal, the account tweeted: “The Sengoku Era… A time when losing a battle meant losing it all. The Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina, aims for world domination… That is until he encounters a certain Samurai… Stay tuned for more exciting details coming soon!” The Japanese version of the manga is set to be released on the site Comic Walker on May 27. Yen Press is a US-based publisher but did not reveal a date for an English-language version of the Sekiro spin-off.
The Sekiro Shadows Die Twice prequel is being supervised by the game’s developer From Software. The manga itself is being drawn by Shin Yamamoto. Yamamoto has worked on manga video game adaptations before such as Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter. There isn’t a ton of information out there yet about the manga. However, the images in Yen Press tweets indicate a story full of darkness and gore.
Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying will be hoping to capitalize on the success of the game. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice managed to reach two million sales in its first 10 days. The popularity of the game has led some to try to beat Sekiro in some wild and inventive ways. If you are still hooked on From Software’s latest, you may want to catch up on the game’s most recent patch notes.
