As the recent news of Henry Caville giving up his role as Geralt in the Witcher dropped, the world wondered how the role could be carried on. In the same breath, they announced that Liam Hemsworth would be taking over the role, a visual that many fans of the franchise may not be ready for. Still, the franchise has translated to streaming very seamlessly with a prequel miniseries coming before end of the year. This makes one wonder how much more of this world we have not seen? What else is to come?
Is there a chance Witchers would live in different parts of the world as every culture in the world has their own manifestations of evil? If that is true, it must mean there is evil everywhere and a justifiable answer to this evil must match. This leads to wonder if such an evil existed in Japan and if there was someone who could fight them off. In The Witcher: Ronin, we find an alternate version of Geralt in Japan, where he fights Yokai and Oni in a quest for the person who controls it all.
We are taken to feudal Japan, where a mysterious traveler has entered a small village where he catches the attention of some local trouble, but they are soon deterred when they realize he is a Witcher, he is Geralt. In his first adventure, he is attacked by some Kappas which he quickly dispenses with, as his quest for a ghostly woman at the center of all the Yokai in Japan known as Yuki Onna. As he looks to make some money, he is hired by a wealthy villager to kill all the Kappas, which brings Geralt to their lair, where he finds out that the village has their own ulterior motives. In the second chapter, he a finds a man who tormented his dead wife and blamed her death on a Tengu. In the 3rd chapter, he fights a Yamanba, leaving chaos in its wake. In the last chapter, hr fights off soldiers of Yuki Onna, who finally reveal exactly where she is.
Overall, The Witcher: Ronin is a fun manga which shows the White Wolf can thrive anywhere. The story by Jaki is powerful. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, a book that makes bold choices and pays off in spades.
Story: Rafal Jaki Art: Hataya
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Bookshop – Amazon – comiXology/Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
