Introduction
After reading one of the most tragic and brutal chapters ever brought to us by Yuto Suzuki, I couldn’t help but feel the need to go back to where it all started, chapter 1, “The Legendary Hitman”.
I was hooked when I began reading “Sakamoto Days”. I’m not sure if it was the comedy, the action, the slice-of-life elements, or the lovable cast of characters that drew me in, but whatever it was, this series quickly became one of my all-time favorite works of fiction. To show my appreciation, I’ll be giving an overview of the manga, its characters, and themes to prepare anyone interested in picking up the series and indulging in one of the best-selling manga of 2025.
Publication History
“Sakamoto Days” has become a beloved series for many people, including myself; however, it didn’t start that way. Beginning as a one-shot in 2019 under the name Garaku, it follows the original hitman, an elderly, almost non-verbal man named Takumaru. Don’t let his age and near blindness fool you; he’s more like a force of nature. He embodies what it means to be a ruthless killing machine fueled by bloodlust and a mysterious agenda no one knows. Takumaru’s role as the ‘Boogeyman’ throughout the story will leave you speechless.
Due to the success of the one-shot, Yuto Suzuki was finally able to produce “Sakamoto Days”. It began serialization in November 2020 at Shueisha’s Shōnen magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump and currently has 220 chapters as of July 6, 2025. Its anime release officially aired in January 2025, with a continuation of the season starting on Monday, July 14, 2025.
Story Overview
“Sakamoto Days” takes place in a world where killing is looked at as just another job many flock to, most aren’t cut out for, except our main character, Taro Sakamoto. Throughout the story, he’ll be thrown, flipped, stabbed and shot; but nothing can keep this retired hitman down. To protect his family and everyone else he cares about, he’ll need to return to his life as “The World’s Greatest Assassin”.
“Sakamoto Days” keeps you on your toes with its fast-paced action and beautifully choreographed fight scenes, but its earlier, more grounded approach to the world makes the build-up for character introductions and later arcs just that much more interesting. A perfect example of this is the character Shin. He is introduced to us during the first chapter of the manga as a reluctant assassin who is convinced that his only purpose is to kill.
Thanks to Sakamoto’s help, Shin was able to leave his life as a hired gun and pursue a discreet life with the Taro family until a billion-dollar bounty was placed on the head of Sakamoto.
Shin and Sakamoto are once again thrown back into the world of assassins, but unlike Sakamoto’s ironclad vow to never take another human life, Shin’s internal conflict and moral ambiguity repeatedly pull him into dangerous situations. It raises the question: what lengths would you go to protect the ones closest to you?
Sakamoto and Shin are only a few of the many characters in the series that push the borders of right and wrong. If Sakamoto’s lifestyle is good while Shin’s is ambiguous, then our big, bad antagonist Ken Uzuki is pure evil.
Main Villain
Ken Uzuki, who later adopts the name SLUR, is a major threat in the series, having been the one to put the bounty on Sakamoto’s head and orchestrate multiple terrorist attacks on Japan. Ken Uzuki believes that all humans, regardless of circumstance, are inherently evil and, as such, should be eliminated.
The lengths he is willing to go to prove this point are beyond vile, from using innocent civilians as bait to endangering Sakamoto’s family and killing his subordinates. However, none of that compares to his most heinous act of the series. In his most horrifying act, he mass-produced weapons and suspended all legal consequences for their use. This resulted in 10% of Japan’s population dying in only a few weeks. It’s safe to say Ken Uzuki will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
Organizations
During this ongoing battle to protect Japan, Sakamoto enlisted the help of some of the best. The Order, an organization that stems from the top 1% of the 1% for assassins. They operate through the Japanese Assassination Association (JAA). Their goal, as the name suggests, is to maintain order throughout Japan, cleaning up and killing any dangerous criminals.
The Order consists of 10 chairs; however many of the seats remain empty due to members being replaced, disagreements or leaving for unknown reasons or sudden deaths. Uzuki was able to mastermind their operations and take control, establishing himself as the new order of Japan.
Summary
If you’re looking for a manga/anime that doesn’t pull its punches and immerses you in its story with a compelling cast and unique premise, I recommend you check out “Sakamoto Days”. New episode airing July 14, 2025!
