is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. Set during the Edo period of Japan's history, Samurai Deeper Kyo follows , a feared samurai seeking to regain his body after his soul is sealed inside the body of his rival, Mibu Kyoshiro. Kyo is joined in his search by the bounty-hunter Shiina Yuya, the heir to the Tokugawa shogunate Benitora; and Sanada Yukimura, a known rival of the Tokugawa. Samurai Deeper Kyo was serialized from May 26, 1999 to May 10, 2006 in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, and collected over 38 volumes. The manga was adapted into an animated television series in 2002. The Studio Deen production aired on TV Tokyo from July to December 2002, for a total of 26 episodes. Both the manga and anime have been licensed in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The manga was acquired by Tokyopop in 2002. However, by 2009, Kodansha allowed its licensing contracts to expire, preventing Tokyopop from continuing the English version of the series. Samurai Deeper Kyo was shortly thereafter picked up by Del Rey Manga, who have completed the series by releasing volumes 35 and 36 in a single volume and volumes 37 and 38 in a single volume. The anime series was acquired by Media Blasters under its AnimeWorks label in 2003. briefly aired on Encore Action and Starz WAM! in the United States. Plot Set in Tokugawa Japan, this manga begins by following Shiina Yuya, a bounty hunter searching for her brother's murderer. However, Yuya quickly meets a medicine peddler named Mibu Kyoshiro, who turns out to be sharing a body with the feared samurai Demon Eyes Kyo. Over time, Mibu Kyoshiro and, to a lesser extent, Shiina Yuya recede from the story while Demon Eyes Kyo comes to the fore. Kyo's only stated wish is to regain his own body. Following this path leads Kyo, Yuya and a variety of fellow travelers into conflict with both the Tokugawa shogunate and the Mibu tribe, a race of violent superhumans who have run Japan from the shadows for millennia. Underlying the principal story arc of Kyo's search to reclaim his body, there are many smaller arcs, each leading to the next one. The basis of many later revelations are established many volumes in advance. In the manga, it is revealed that all of the Mibu, except for Kyo, are descendants of "Battle