Basara

Description

From Viz:
Basara is a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure series and one of the most popular shôjo manga of the 90s in Japan. It is the story of how a young girl becomes "the child of destiny" and finds the strength to free her people and seek revenge for the death of her brother.

Note: Won the Shogakukan Manga Award for Shoujo in 1992.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

Legend of Basara

Басара

บาซาร่า ศัตรูที่รัก

バサラ

바사라

Groups Scanlating

Lavendar Tinted

MangaONE

MangaProject

Latest Release(s)

v.21 c.78 by MangaONE 17 years ago

v.20 c.Extra by MangaOne 19 years ago

v.20 c.76-77 by MangaONE 19 years ago

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Status in Country of Origin

27 Volumes (Tankoubon - Complete)
16 Volumes (Bunkoban - Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 5, Chap 19

User Reviews

Basara by PrincessVera

Forum

9 topics, 62 posts

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User Rating

Average: 8.8 / 10.0 (1436 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.75 / 10.0

49%

20%

15%

Last Updated

March 30th, 2025 8:45pm PDT - 5 months ago

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Genre

Action Adventure Comedy Drama Fantasy Gender Bender Mature Romance Shoujo
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Usagi Yojimbo

Chang Ge Xing

Monstress

Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang (Novel)

Saver

Recommendations

Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Shogakukan

Serialized In (magazine)

Betsucomi (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Viz (27 Vols - Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #541

(-80)

Monthly Pos #1067

(-134)

3 Month Pos #1254

(+122)

6 Month Pos #1180

(-7)

Year Pos #1360

(-19)

List Stats

On 1330 reading lists

On 2067 wish lists

On 2722 completed lists

On 197 unfinished lists

On 840 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Basara's ending

11 years ago

what is the meaning of BASARA btw??

13 years ago

is it worth reading?

14 years ago

ending and spoilers

15 years ago

Sasara's Mother

16 years ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Beautiful story

by Zhangorphne
2 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I'm so confused about the last 2 bad reviews of this manga on here. This was well written and executed. Tbh I wish I could read this forever or that it had a complete anime.

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Love

by MangaGirl1999
2 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

Very good

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Overrated

by Fati1367
2 years ago

Rating: 1.0 / 10.0

The most stupid overrated shit I have ever seen in manga world...

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Excelent

by Shimma
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

There's plot, character development, and an a main couple with so much chemestry.
I specially like the main character: the author knows how to despic the inner trouble our MC went through: She had to be Basara, but she also wanted to embraise her feminine side, be a normal girl. Her growth is amazing.

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My entry to the manga world

by ayaneninja
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Basara was not only my first manga, but also solidified my love of shoujo manga in a quick one-two punch. I have extremely fond memories going to the library as a young teenager and getting volumes of the series to experience. The story is iconic, and filled with emotion; Basara will take your heartstrings for a ride you will never forget. Sarasa is one of the most strong willed characters I have ever read in a story, and many other characters share the same characteristic, especially Ageha. The amount of heartache, sacrifice and endurance on display from both the protagonists and antagonists (with one of the most iconic love stories in manga) moves this story from great to masterpiece. The characters are some of my favorite in the medium, and are fleshed out better than most real life people are. Pick up the first two volumes and just get a glimpse of what this epic tale has to offer and see if it hooks you the same as it did myself and many other manga fans around the globe.

If I had to recommend just three series for someone just getting their feet wet in the manga world, this would definitely be one of them.

... Last updated 5 years ago

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An absolute masterpiece

by MermaidAiera
6 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I'll begin this review by stating that I'm wildly biased in awarding it a perfect 10. However, I do recognize that there are various flaws that make this manga not for everyone. Despite these shortcomings I feel that the incredible impact the rest of the work has as a whole far outweighs and goes so far as to negate them.

Basara is an award winning classic for a reason. The story is compelling. The characters are multi faceted. The attention to side characters is astounding--so much that even characters we've known for one or two chapters can make an overwhelming impact both to the plot and emotionally. The themes explored are deep, heavy, and complex. They are also skillfully explored and executed in a way that moves the reader and makes a significant impact. Odious characters that were once abhorred are humanized; like the characters, readers come to assume a grudging respect for them, even mourning with them if misfortune befalls them. The author clearly highlights right and wrong, but paints a picture of a coin with two sides that also has a moral grey zone. The entire story highlights sacrifice, redemption, desperation, destitution, ruination, and the process of navigating, overcoming, and healing through these things.

And all of this has boldly withstood the test of time.

Basara is also for mature audiences. Although it already has the power to command readers' emotions, it requires a degree of empathy and understanding of the hardships of life and difficulty of navigating complex social problems. At times it rips back the skin of political, emotional, and ethical problems and rawly exposes the deep hurt that fuels the misunderstandings and perpetuates the issues at hand. Every time I re-read this work, I find I'm relating to it more and more. And seeing how the characters live out their lives in such trying times and situations is beyond motivating and inspiring.

I think the most life-changing aspect of Basara is that throughout all the deeply relatable themes it explores, it offers a solution of love and forgiveness. Not your typical shoujo style of obstinate friendship conquers all--love and forgiveness that is quietly settled on through grief, suffering, loss, and tenacity.

Say what you want about the art, the pacing, some unrealistic plot points, or even some of the characters. This manga is undeniably the heavyweight champion of epic stories that have the power to profoundly affect the reader.

tl;dr - This manga is absolutely incredible and I highly recommend it. It is for mature audiences though, and if you're not someone looking to get emotionally involved in the story and explore incredibly deep themes then it may drag on. It's not some romantic adventure--it's a heart wrenching life story. So if that's your cup of tea then please, buckle up and enjoy it.

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Started promising, became boring and ended up predictably

by AndelMartina
6 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

That's how I'd sum this series up. It started quite well and I found myself unwilling to stop reading. After a few volumes (around the middle - vol. 15 or so) it started to become really repetitive and boring. The ending was a predictable "happy ending". The MC is a bit annoying, being strong and weak the next moment, it was like a horrible emotional rollercoaster, but instead of sympathizing with her it just made me angry 😀 Could have been a good series, but has its flaws. The style of drawing is fine in my opinion. Still recomend for reading, if you have the patience for it.

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Engaging Adventure

by CCheshire
6 years ago

Rating: N/A

I recall looking at the series for a while but I was initially put off by the retro art but the manga-ka improved a lot and it ends up being very unique.

Sarasa is a great MC as she starts out as an avg girl who witnessed tragedy into wise and capable leader of the rebels. I liked how she wasn't the strongest fighter and relied on other strategies to win her battles. Also, she still is a believable teen hero vs someone who would end up super jaded from her exp. She remains true to her goals even if it meant separating from loved ones.

I do have to say that their romance does felt a bit rushed since I swear they met like 4x. Also, I'm glad they didn't have any strange love triangle problems.

Aegha... leaving her alone on that mountainside during her breakdown is a terrible idea like why. A lot of the times I kept wondering like what's his deal then he died w/o giving us much of a clue.

I'm still on the fence if I liked the ending or not. Since Shuri lost his arm and now Sarasa are both traveling together vs running the country. I get it as works as a conclusion but I kinda wanted them to actually govern Japan together instead of just leaving it to everyone else.

... Last updated 6 years ago

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A enjoyable surprise despite its popularity

by Shellshock
6 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Maybe calling it a surprise might be a bit much considering that this is one of the most popular manga ever but it STILL took me by surprise

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Amazing

by sayhelou
7 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

this manga is one of the best i’ve ever read! the art in the beginning can bother a few, although i loved it from the start lol. Anyway, everything is well-written and i couldn’t find a good story like this in a while for now. Strong and captivating characters, good romance, no unnecessary drama! 10 today, 10 tomorrow, 10 forever for this!!! give it a try even if the beginning is a bit slow paced.you certainly won’t regret it later.

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