Review by Ian Keogh

Oda Nobunaga’s obsession is military strategy, and his reputation is such that’s he’s been pulled through an other-dimensional portal to a place where frequent battles occur, enabling Oda to matching his wits against the greatest generals in history. This volume opens with the mop-up of the battle that occupied the entirety of “Tengen” Hero Wars 2. It didn’t go well, but Oda escaped to fight another day with half his forces depleted.

“Tengen” Hero Wars resembles a game of Risk rolled out as a series of graphic novels, but with each land under the control of a famous historical figure, some far better known in Japan than outside. The names might be familiar, but the visual appearances are not. As no known pictures exist of Hannibal, for instance, Kubaru Sakanoichi’s character design can be whatever he wants, but he also applies that approach to people who have a known and distinctive appearance. That’s Napoleon riding into action on the sample art, a glamorous, heroic, youthful figure, rather than the conventional stumpy guy in an overcoat.

Napoleon is intent on taking Hannibal’s territory, which will go a long way to uniting a continent, but has twice previously failed. Yasu Hiromoto views both generals in relatively contemporary terms, giving them modern dialogue and ignoring the social structures of the times they lived in. It’s a distanced approach with neither general concerned about the amount of their troops who’ll die as they relish the forthcoming conflict. However, Hiromoto introduces some fine motivational talks, such as one general pointing out the enemy may have double the numbers, but that means double the loot.

Although he features for a few pages in the opening chapter, it seems Oda’s been forgotten, yet the stages of his mission forming allegiances he suggests is sifted in between battle chapters, and because of whom he’s dealing with it makes for compelling drama. It also means the main course battle is largely postponed for “Tengen” Hero Wars 4. Sakanoichi does draw a few skirmishes, but this is a volume largely given to his portraits of people planning until he finally draws major battle sequences in the last chapter. Rather than the expansive battle scenes of the previous volume, Sakanoichi draws the battles as a succession of small moments in close-up.

The feeling remains that “Tengen” Hero Wars remains a niche concept, but for anyone who enjoys battle strategy it’ll be a winner.