Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Lone Wolf and Cub (Japanese: 子連れ狼, Hepburn: Kozure Ōkami; "Wolf taking along his child") is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima. It was serialized in Futabasha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Manga Action from September 1970 to April 1976, with its chapters collected in 28 tankōbon volumes. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential manga series of all time, spawning various adaptations including six films, four plays, and a television series. The series chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the shōgun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub", the series' namesake. Critics have praised Koike's storytelling and Kojima's cinematic artwork, while noting the series' graphic violence, sexual content, episodic structure, and treatment of samurai culture. Lone Wolf and Cub has also been cited as an origin of the trope of a man protecting a child on a journey from constant danger, which has inspired numerous books, comics, films, television shows, and video games.