Hero Tales, Vol. 1

Hero Tales, Vol. 1 by Arakawa, Hiromu. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780759531161.

From the popular creator of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST comes this Chinese legend about the warriors of the stars. A young boy named Taitou finally completes his coming of age ceremony and is given the sword Kenkaranbu as a gift. It is described as the Champions sword, which can only be drawn by a true hero. As the frustrated Taitou struggles to draw the sword, a mysterious thief appears, demanding the sword and citing the legend of the Hokushin Tenkun: There are seven heroes on earth, each one the avatar of one of the stars of the Big Dipper. Two of the stars are destined to fight and bring the world into chaos: Tonrou and Hagun. And Taitou, he says, is the avatar of Hagun. Taitou stands his ground, but during the fight, Shimei awakens the long-dormant power within the young boy and Taitou loses control. Shimei manages to escape with the sword. That night, Taitou, his sister Laila, and Ryuukou (a wandering priest) leave on a journey to get the sword back. .