Maybe it’s because each volume is nearing 450 pages, but Gosho Aoyama’s Yaiba: Samurai Legend really goes full throttle with the action and adventure side of things. Sure, it has plenty of laughs, but when it comes time for a big fight or challenge to roll around, Yaiba and the gang are as focused as hawks seeking their next prey. In the fifth volume, the quest for the Dragon Orb meets its end, but that doesn’t mean the big baddie will be taken down just yet. In fact, someone else might be coming for that evil crown if Onimaru isn’t careful!

A huge chunk of this volume has Yaiba seeking the Dragon Orb, the most powerful of the seven that the samurai can use. But before he can even continue on his journey, Yaiba needs to defeat a couple of powerful yokai within the Dark Orb. With a new attack learned, Yaiba seeks a way out, and just in the nick of time! A new Orb-hungry enemy arrives to take away the team’s progress, and it will take the new technique and then some to take down the massive behemoth!

During this section, Aoyama does a great job building the tension. With Sayaka, Musashi, and the others in danger of losing their heads to Benkei, it forces Yaiba to hurry up with the escape plan and save his buds. Once free, readers are treated to a very funny battle that involves baseball. And as fans of anime and manga know, when baseball is added to the Shonen action/adventure equation, it’s going to be entertaining as hell!

While it doesn’t involve the finding of the main orb, it does give Yaiba another power that helps with stopping foes and making things a little slippery. But when it comes to the Dragon Orb, Yaiba: Samurai Legend doesn’t make it easy in the slightest. First, they need to find an orb that tells them the location, followed by one of the deadliest challenges around. Fire, mummies, labyrinths, and even the hardest choice in the world to make is what awaits for Yaiba.

But all of it is a challenge not just for the body, but also the heart. When given that choice of friends or power, Yaiba puts on his thinking cap and goes with what should be the right answer. Naturally, it does result in a situation that many readers will see coming a mile away. Nevertheless, Aoyama does a very good job presenting not just the heart of Yaiba, but also the courage.

And man, will Yaiba need the courage. Not only does he still have Onimaru to deal with, but a certain Moon Princess is also now aiming for world domination. On top of that, despite her Playboy Bunny outfit, the girl’s got a nasty power that may rid the world of all the pretty ladies! It all leads readers to wonder if the villains will either team up, or knock each other down in their quest for the crown. As for Yaiba, well, with two supervillains now, the boy’s got plenty of training to do!

There’s plenty of fun, action, and suspense in the fifth mega volume of Yaiba: Samurai Legend. Not only does Aoyama know how to perfectly balance between the comedy and drama, but he can craft plenty of eye-popping battles to last Shonen fans a lifetime. Yes, Yaiba is still no Conan Edogawa, but consider that a good thing. After all, it’s more impressive to be crafty with two different kinds of hero types rather than just the one.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.