Plot/Story

Tobe is a young man who lived in the Edo era. At the age of 16 he was beheaded for a lifetime worth of violence. His life earned him a place in Hell and he has spent the last 300 years being beaten and killed countless times.

However, Tobe refuses to submit to Hell's punishment and even after 300 years he still yearns to escape.

One day, Lady Emma offers Tobe a chance to leave Hell. She offers to send him back to the Human World to "gather sins." She gives him the wooden sword Togari as a tool he will need to accomplish his mission.

Tobe accepts. He now has 108 days to gather 108 sins... which isn’t all that simple. When a person has enough 'guilt,' it manifests in the form of a 'Toga' a daemon that grants strength to its host. It is these daemons that Tobe must defeat with the sword Togari.

But there is another complication... Tobe was a criminal. If in his new chance at life he commits sins he runs the risk of losing his head again. If he harms a human (no matter how evil) he receives similar damage.

Characters

Tobe; is a powerful man who lived on the streets throughout his youth. He was feared by many and eventually his crimes were so great that he was beheaded at age 16. Spent 300 years in Hell and now has found a way to escape.

Itsuki; a cheerful girl. Her father was a cop but he died while on duty when Itsuki was quite young. Itsuki is willing to defend herself when the situation arises. In his quest to defeat Toga's, Tobe saves Itsuki.

Sawazaki; a top police officer. He was a rookie who was partnered with Itsuki's father until he was killed. Sawazaki now works alone and his skills are recognised by his peers.

The old guy; Itsuki's grandfather. He allows Tobe to live with him after he catches Tobe trying to eat the fish in his pond.

Drawing Style

Togari is quite impressive in terms of its art. I'll never get sick of close-ups of Tobe's eyes and face. He's very good at looking evil.

Being a manga about defeating daemons, expect plenty of them. Most of them are very different from the rest. They do look rather evil tho and the insane people really look insane...

Enjoyment

For a fighting manga it’s good. One of the small problems I had with it was that Tobe does everything himself. He dosent have anyone to help him in his ordeals while capturing Toga's so be prepared for 8 volumes of Tobe vs Bad guy (note... This isn’t a bad thing, Tobe is awesome)

The manga does have its humorous moments. After having lied in Hell for 300 years Tobe is naturally confused by things such as cars, television and modern clothes. His awed expression in regards to these modern things provides a huge contrast to his "kill all enemies" personality.

I liked it all the way up till the end... which simply isn’t an ending...

Overall

Besides the rather lacking ending... Togari is great fun. Its only 8 volumes and its easily accessible. When it comes to soaking up damage, looking evil, fighting daemons and even his sword... few come close to Tobe's ability (exception; Guts from Berserk)

Togari is fun... if you're interested in action Togari is what you're looking for.