Ginga Legend Weed

Ginga Legend Weed (銀牙伝説ウィード) is an adventure manga series by Yoshihiro Takahashi. It has been published by Nihon Bungeisha in the magazine Manga Goraku since 1999, and collected in 60 bound volumes. It is a sequel to Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin, following the adventures of Weed, the son of Gin. Three first volumes were published in English by ComicsOne.

It has been adapted as an anime television series produced by Studio Deen, which was broadcast on Animax starting in November 2005. Future Film in Finland has translated the anime for Scandinavia, and released DVDs in November 2006. A complete box set was published in November 2007 (Finland and Sweden), August 2008 (Japan) and October 2008 (Denmark).

There is a sequel to Ginga Densetsu Weed, called Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion which follows the story of Weed and Koyuki's pups.

Plot
Ginga Densetsu Weed (Silver Fang Legend Weed as english translation) is a Japanese series, a sequel to Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, and focuses on a young pup named Weed, who is son of the great bearhound Gin.

The year is 2000, and 14 years have passed since Gin the young and brave Akita and his followers defeated the giant bear Akakabuto and reconquered the Ohu mountains. The Twin Pass has recovered since, and the dogs have got the regions for themselves, living in peace, with the aged Gin as their leader. Suddenly, a new terror start to overhang the Ohu mountains, as a monstrous mutant dog, "Kaibutsu", appears in the territory and transforms it to a nightmare, while the leader Gin is out on a journey with his closest copmates. Some months after Kaibutsu's entry in the Twin Pass, a son to Gin, named "Weed" is born. He starts out as a lonely pup desperate to find his mother food while she suffers from induced starvation. He meets with an English Setter named GB and pleads for a dead bird that GB caught because his mother is terribly sick. Feeling bad for the pup, GB gives him the bird. Later, Weed loses his mother and a dog named Smith promises to take Weed to Ohu and let him meet his father. After he arrives in Ohu, Weed gives salvation to Ohu Mountains by killing Kaibustsu, and becomes the new leader until his father returns. However, a message is passed through that Weed's father is being held captive in the Southern Alps where the bloodthirsty cannibal (as revealed after his brother,Genba,died) Hougen has his territory. Now, Weed must leave Ohu, to save his father and throw down the evil Hougen.

Protagonists

 * Weed: (ウィード) (Akita Inu/Kishu (mix) The son of Gin and Sakura. Weed was the only pup Sakura had in the anime and had to take care of her due to a starvation disease she had caught.In the manga, Weed is one of three pups: Weed, Joe, and Yukimura. When he spots the same flock of birds the English Setter GB is hunting, he tries to steal one and retrieve it to his mother. Overcome by emotion, GB eventually gives him the bird and Weed thanks him, never telling him his name due to the fact he does not have one yet. Nonetheless, later he is named by GB and leaves with both him and Smith to find his father. Weed's kind heart wins over many more comrades and he eventually surpasses his father Gin when Weed defeats Hougen with the Battouga in a final battle at Gajou and Weed becomes the leader of Ohu. He has a very forgiving attitude, often deciding to let his opponents go free rather than kill them; often to the annoyance of everyone around him. Toward the middle of the series, Weed falls in love with a Kishu Inu named Koyuki. The sequel to Ginga Densetsu Weed, Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion, features their four puppies. Voiced by Sachi Kokuryu.


 * Jerome: (ジェロム) (German Shepard) A trained guard dog and assassin. He was sent after Kaibutsu by his creators in order to kill the mutant. He originally had 15 subordinates; the last four of them face Kaibutsu with Jerome at Gajou. He later became Weed's advisor, and taught him several fighting techniques. Jerome gathers a group of other followers including Ryo to aid Weed in his fight against Hougen after Weed banishes Jerome for murdering Lector and Thunder. In episode 25 Hougen throws him into the river while Weed jumps in after him, Jerome saves Weed by keeping his head up and then floats down the river. In the manga, Jerome doesn't die, he survives and falls in love with Lydia or in Japanese Ridia. They eventually mate and have six puppies.


 * Ken: (剣) (Great Dane/Saluki mix) The son of Ben and Cross, and brother to George and Miney, Ken leads a small group of soldiers on the border of Ohu. His best friend and co-leader is Kagetora. He and his pack joined Weed after seeing his strength and courage. At one point, he and Kagetora went to find Ben, Cross, Kurotora, and their packs; after finding them, the new reinforcements joined Weed's pack. Ken is very strong and very protective of his friends and family.


 * Kagetora: (影虎) (Kai Ken) Often shorted to Kage. Son of Kurotora and brother to Harutora and Nobutora. Kagetora is very impulsive, loyal, and proud. When he and Ken went to find their family and packs, Kagetora's brothers joined his pack, while his father, Kurotora, defended the fortress Gajou from the evil Great Dane, Genba. Voiced by Eiji Takemoto in the anime.


 * Kyōushirō Shirogane: (白銀 狂四郎) (Kishu Inu) The leader of a large but strong group of juvenile dogs, all abused or abandoned by their parents. After several episodes of dispute, Weed wins Kyoushiro's loyalty, and the entire pack comes under Weed's leadership. He almost defected when Jerome was exiled, but Jerome convinced him to remain with Weed. Kyoushiro is a bit headstrong and rash at times, but he always fights for Weed with all his strength.


 * Tesshin: (哲心) (Shikoku (dog)), about 14 years old. Son of Kurojaki, leader of the legendary Koga dogs. A ninja-dog that possesses over the ability to mimick the leader's Battouga, passing it over to Weed by letting him practice on a branch. Later, Weed performs successfully on a hog. (Note: Tesshin was the pup affectionately titled "Chibi" in Nagareboshi Gin. His father was the enemy of Akame and the Iga, Kurojaki of Koga.) Tesshin proves to be one of Weed's most loyal and skilled comrades.


 * Rocket: (ロケット) (Borzoi) Formerly one of Hougen's scouts, he defected and joined Weed's group. His loyalty was solidified when his brothers, Missile and Jet, were murdered by Hougen. Though Jerome and the others were hesitant to trust him, he proved himself by rescuing GB in episode 8. In episode 14, he led the pack to his hometown, Wakayama, in hopes of recruiting some natives. But, instead, he was lost and was held captive by Kamakiri, only to be rescued by Jerome. Voiced by Tsuyoshi Maeda.


 * GB: (GB) (English Setter) Weed first encountered GB whilst hunting a bird, trying to steal it from GB. When GB hears that Weed's Mother is ill, he gives the bird to Weed. However, because of his actions, GB is punished by his leader, and sent to hunt for another bird. When hunting for this bird on a duck pond, his friend, Sasuke, is attacked by a Guard Dog. Weed notices, and helps Sasuke, whilst encouraging GB to do the same. Weed's selfless actions re-lit a candle in GB, and he joined with Smith and Weed to help find his Father: silver tora-ge Gin, leader of Ohu. He is now Weed's godfather and closest friend, showing minor moments of bravery and courage. GB is one of the weaker fighters of the groups, but he wins over the others for his humor and his kind heart. In the last few episodes of the Weeds series GB tries to stand up to Hougen in a fight near a river. Hougen over powers him and Jerome saves his life. Voiced by Naru Kawamoto. GB dies on manga 59 when he is killed by a hybrid bear.


 * Mel: (メル) (Golden Retriever) A puppy about the same age as Weed, and formerly a slave of rogue dog Blue and his two minions. He was ordered by Blue to kill Weed, but Weed told him that Mel must listen to his own heart and do what he thinks is right. Mel then gained his first movement of courage and attacked Blue, only being beaten in a few seconds and thus leaving Weed, Hook, GB, and Smith to save the day. When Weed, Smith, and GB turn to leave, Mel changes his mind to stay and leaves Hook to go with the Akita/Kishu, stating that he wants to be as strong as Weed. He has shown considerable tenacity, especially in defense of Gajou when obviously outnumbered by Hougen's army. Voiced by Akiko Kobayashi.


 * Hiro: (ヒロ) (Great Pyrenees /St. Bernard mix) Nicknamed "the ballsnatcher" due to his signature attack of tearing the testicles from his enemies. He helped John and Reika escape from Hougen's clutches, then joined Weed's group. He seeks vengeance on Kamakiri for murdering his father and gouging out his right eye. He finally defeated Kamakiri and avenged his father in episode 22. Voiced by Kenji Nomura.


 * Shigure: (時雨) (Kai Ken mix) Kagetora's cousin, Kurotora's nephew and the only survivor of his brothers. Ordered by Shouji to go to Mutsu and get reinforcements because he is the fastest, he swore to get revenge on Genba for taking his brothers' lives. In episode 17, he and Tesshin knocked Genba over a cliff and made his head collide with a rock that causes him to have permanent brain damage and grow violent to everyone. He then returns to his uncle with Tesshin to tell him he has avenged his brothers. Voiced by Eiji Takemoto.


 * Buru, Dodo, and Shōji: (武流, 土怒, 昭治) (Kai Ken mixes) Three of Kurotora's nephews that died in episode 13 in the fight with Genba's army when they tried to take over Futago Pass in Ohu. The fourth brother, Shigure, survived. He ran away from the fight to give a message to the Big Four of Mutsu. When the fight was over Genba felt like they were taunting him and he said, "How annoying. They died laughing at us" and when two of his followers asked him if they should treat the bodies with courtesy due to their bravery, speaking as though they were praising them, Genba became even more enraged, grabbing the corpses by the scruff of the neck and then hurled their bodies into the river below, claiming that there was "no need to honour the enemy." Kurotora vowed to avenge them.


 * Sasuke: (佐助) (Shiba Inu) One of GB's friends. Weed saved him from a guard dog in the first episode, then he left on his own to find his old master. He turned up in episode 19, a slave of Hougen, and GB and Weed were able to bring him into the Ohu soldiers. Sasuke is shown to be a little absent-minded and slow to catch on, cheerfully revealing GB's identity to Hougen's soldiers in episode 19 and nearly resulting in both of their deaths. Voiced by Makoto Ueki.


 * Hook: (フック) (Labrador mix ) Formerly a pet, and a slave to Blue before that, he escaped to avenge his brother, Kuro's death. Working for Weed independently, he informed Gin about Weed, and helped Gin in secret during his detention by Hougen. He safely brought Reika to Gajou after Weed's first encounter with Hougen. Voiced by Kan Tanaka.


 * Reika: (麗華) (Akita Inu mix ) Daughter of one of Gin's old comrades. She was captured with John and Gin by Hougen, but escaped with John and Hiro. A pet, she is unaccostomed to fighting, but in episode 24 she bravely attacks Hougen, and pushes him into an icy river in an attempt to drown him, also falling in in the process. Jerome jumps into the river after her and saves her from drowning. Voiced by Rie Nakagawa.


 * Heita, Hanji, and Ryu: (Shikoku) The brothers of Ryo and followers of Jerome (after he is exiled by Weed). They are anime-only characters. In the last episode, Ryu and Ryo try to avenge Jerome's death by hurting Hougen, but Ryu gets slain in the process.


 * Ryo: (Shikoku) The sister of Heita, Hanji, and Ryu and a follower of Jerome (after he is exiled by Weed). She, much like her brothers, is skilled in climbing trees and scouting. She and her brothers are anime-only characters. In the last episode, Ryu and Ryo try to avenge Jerome's death by hurting Hougen, but Ryo is taken by the throat and held hostage for a short while by Hougen.


 * Gin: (銀 Jin) (Akita Inu) 14 years old (popssibly 15) . The hero of the battle with the bear demon Akakabuto 14 years ago, and now the ruler of Futago Pass. Gin was captured and held hostage by Hougen, but later rescued by Kyoushiro and Toubē. He then recovered, passing his leadership on to his son Weed. Voiced by Hiroki Touchi.


 * Akame: (赤目) (Kishu Inu) One of Gin's direct lieutenants. The last living Iga ninja dog. He assists in the defense of Gajou after escaping during Gin and John's capture by Hougen. In the manga, he stated that if Gin send him to Ohu instead of John, it was because John would have stayed and fought to the death. Voiced by Takashi Matsuyama.


 * John: (ジョン) (German Shepherd) Gin's best friend and first lieutenant, taken captive by Hougen alongside him. He escapes, but is severely mangled by Hougen and his dogs and left to die. He was killed by Hougen in episode 9 when attempting to deflect Hougen and his followers while escaping with Hiro and Reika. John fights to the bitter end and never bows down to Hougen. He dies as a true soldier of Ohu. Johns fangs are buried in Gajou with his body. Tōru Ōkawa


 * Kurotora: (黒虎) (Kai Ken) 18 years old. One of Gin's commanders and the only surviving one of three Kai brothers. Kagetora, Harutora, and Nobutora's father and Shigure's uncle. Voiced by Tadashi Miyazawa.


 * Ben: (ベン) (Great Dane) One of the oldest of the surviving Ohu soldiers from the battle with Akakabuto. Ken's father, Moss' half-brother, and the life-long ally of Kurotora. He's still very strong despite advanced age, but virtually blind, due to poison. He has to be guided by his mate, Cross. Voiced by Katsuhisa Hōki.


 * Cross: (クロス) (Saluki) 22 years old, Cross are the only female Soldier of Ohu, strong and competitive with a fierce temper. Ben's mate, and mother to Ken. She serves as Ben's eyes in his old age. Voiced by Keiko Mizutani.


 * Smith: (スミス) (French Spaniel mix) One of Gin's commanders. He lost his leg after saving GB from being hit by a car. He was sent off during Kaibutsu's invasion to protect Sakura and inform Gin of the attack. He was killed by Kaibutsu in episode 4 in attempt to save Weed. Voiced by Ryūsei Nakao.


 * Moss: (モス) (English Mastiff) One of Gin's closest allies and once was the leader of Kasumi-dake. He and Musashi came to Ohu from Shikoku after hearing the situation in Futago Pass from Jerome.


 * Toube: (闘兵衛) (Tosa Inu) Toube was the champion of the Fighting Dog Middle-Weight Division after he defeated Musashi in a match, but came to Hougen as a soldier. Toube accompanied Genba, Hougen's little brother, and was punished by Hougen by having his eye ripped out for not protecting Genba. Hougen then throws Toube off a cliff, assuming he would drown. Weed rescued Toube from drowning and eventually developed an alliance with the hesitant dog. After Kyoushiro went to Hougen, Toube went to set the leader free and also to see what Kyoushiro's true intentions were. He froze to death after fighting for his last time against Kamakiri in episode 21. Toube said that he would never fall, and Jerome helped him stand until he finally froze.


 * Musashi: (武蔵) (Tosa Inu) Musashi was the champion of the Fighting Dog Middle-Weight Division. Musashi went up against Toube in the ring and lost. He came to Ohu with Moss to help Weed rescue Gin and defeat Hougen.


 * Tokimune: (時宗) (Akita Inu) He was to be Gin's substitute while Gin was gone traveling along side with the other two substitutes for John and Akame. He and the other two substitutes were running up in a death trap when the Humans started shooting. He was pierced in his leg while the other two were shot dead to the ground with their subordinates. Tokimune was also killed by Kaibutsu in episode 3.


 * North: (ノース) (Hokkaido mix ) He was the one of Jerome's fourth lasting subordinates. He was supposed to guide Weed into Gajou to locate and drag out Kaibutsu but was attacked and thrown out of Gajou with a giant flesh-wound across his chest up to his neck. In the manga he was decapitated and his head was thrown out at a warning to everyone.


 * Robert: (ロバート) (Mastiff mix ) Another one of Jeromes subordinates who was the final four to be with him. His role in the formation that Jerome created was to attack at Kaibutsu chest first and to tear out part of Kaibutsu. Then the next dog would tear out more flesh until the heart was yanked out by kaibutsu himself. Before he dies, he spits out the chunk of meat he bit out.


 * Rocker: (ロッカ) (Doberman Pinscher ) Another of Jeromes comrades to kill Kaibutsu. He attacks second after Robert to kill Kaibutsu but fails and was ripped right off him.


 * Heuler: (ホイラー) (Gascon Saintongeois ) The final member of Jerome's pack. He saves Mel from falling to his death off the mountain and told him he is considered a real soldier too. He was to attack after Rocca, but is thrown from his head, resulting in instant death.


 * Gohee: (五兵衛) (Human) The previous owner Riki and Gin. In the beginning of the episode it was told that he lead the attack against the demon bear Akakabuto that was a successful kill when Gin killed him. In GNG he did not lead the attack but was actually brought there during the middle of the attack by Uncle Smith.


 * Akatora: (赤虎) (Kai Ken) The oldest out of his Three brothers. He was mentioned by his nephew Kagetora when he was telling Kaibutsu that Akatora blinded Akakabuto knowing that was at least he can do for the Ohu army. Akatora means Red Tiger in Japanese.


 * Chutora: (中虎) (Kai Ken) The middle brother between his brothers. He was mentioned by Kurotora when he was introducing his nephews Shōji, Buru, Dodo, and Shigure. He died somewhere between GNG and GDW.


 * Kisaragi: (如月) (Siberian Husky) The father of Izou and his Brothers. Mentioned by Kurotora when he was saying "who ever is the last one standing will go retrieve Kisaragi and tell him about the crisis. He was contacted by the last living brother of Chutora sons Shigure and he sent his sons out to help the fight. In the manga he didn't attend the battle because he was afraid that his old age would slow him down.

Antagonists

 * Hougen: (法玄) (Great Dane) A rogue boss dog in the Southern Alps. His ears are cut short for past dog fights (cut ears are used so that the competitors could not pull the dog down by their ears). He took the injured Gin captive and intended to take over Futago Pass using Gin as a trump card. In the past, he and his brother Genba were man-eaters, and cannibals as well, devouring their comrades one by one when they were left in a shed by a careless breeder. When he came back, they devoured him as well. It is said this is the direct cause of his cruelty. In episode 26, Weed and Hougen battle for Ohu, and Weed got killed. However, he resurrects after encouragement from the spirits of his dead friends, and the young dog succeeds in gravely wounding Hougen. As Hougen lies in the snow, Gin and the other dogs move forward to finish him off, but are stopped by Weed, who passionately tells them that if they cannot forgive their enemies, the war will never end. Hougen uses this opportunity to climb to the top of  Gajou, screaming down at the dogs that he will kill them yet. As he gloats, he is struck by a bolt of lightning and killed instantly.  Voiced by Kōji Ishii.


 * Kaibutsu: (怪物) (Possibly German Shepherd and/or Belgian Shepherd) Also known as experiment P4, he is a genetically altered dog created by humans from an untested cloning technique but something went wrong and he was created psychotic. After years of testing along with the nature of his DNA, he became an enormous beast that weighs almost 600 pounds. During the torturous lab tests, to test his strength, durability and speed he often cried out to the other dogs through a small vent shaft, but Jerome was the only dog who ever stopped to comfort him. After escaping the laboratory, Jerome and his corps were sent to destroy him. Kaibutsu eventually took shelter in Gajou where he massacred dogs and devoured the traveling humans as he pleased. He was betrayed terribly by his only friend, Jerome, who said no matter what, dogs should remain loyal to humans. With the combined strength of Weed, Ken, Kagetora and Jerome, Kaibutsu's suffering finally came to an end when he fell from a cliff and was impaled on a fallen tree limb in episode 6. Voiced by Kong Kuwata. Kaibutsu literally means "monster" in Japanese.


 * Genba: (玄婆) (Great Dane) Hougen's younger brother. He looks almost identical to Hougen, except he has longer ears and yellow eyes. He leads Hougen's invasion of the Futago Pass in episode 13. The two brothers had made a promise after devouring their cruel owner that they only ever wanted to be killed by each other's fangs. Hougen fulfilled this promise in episode 18 out of mercy after he went insane due to a massive head injury once being thrown off a cliff by Tesshin and Shigure. In episode 18 Genba goes crazy, and Hougen decides to end his suffering by killing him. Voiced by Masami Iwasaki.


 * Kamakiri: (カマキリ) (Irish Wolfhound) He allies with Hougen in the takeover of Futago Pass. After Genba's death, however, he develops ambitions of his own. Kamakiri is also the murderer of Hiro's father Yukima, and tore out Hiro's right eye when he was a puppy. He claims he does not even remember such a thing when Hiro accuses him of it. He ripped off Jerome's left ear in episode 14. Later on in episode 22, he was defeated by the vengeful Hiro, with his fangs and testicles ripped off. Before Hiro leaves, however, he told Kamakiri to head south where there was a high population of rats - prey easy to catch with no fangs. As Hiro leaves, Kamakiri attempts to bite Hiro on the back, but without his long upper fangs, he immediately loses his grip and slides to the ground crying in pain, despair and defeat. It is later implied he may have died, as Hougen mentions seeing birds circle the area where he had last been seen. Voiced by Yoshitaka Kaizu.


 * Blue: (ブルー)(Beauceron/Malamute mix) Another one of Hougen's past leaders. He was first seen in one of Hook's memories when he was telling Weed about why he shouldn't fight him and how he killed his brother. He then ordered Mel to kill Weed when Mel opposed him and he defeated Mel but didn't get a chance to kill him. He then ran from Weed and the others in the middle of the street saying "I'm going to meet up with Nero" before he got hit by a truck. When another truck came and was about to hit him, Weed try to save him but he threw Weed out of the way, telling him right before he died "If I met someone like you a long time ago I would never had done any of this".


 * Lector and Thunder: (レクター, サンダー) (Doberman Pinschers) Brothers that are Hougen's top assassins. Their teeth are essentially steel. Weed used a branch on Thunder's fangs, knocking them out. He later knocked out Lector's fangs in episode 16. Jerome killed both of them in episode 16. Jerome kills Thunder and Lector by biting them to death as Weed watches and orders him to stop. His disobedience leads to Jerome's exile from Weed. Lector is voiced by Teruaki Ogawa, and Thunder is voiced by Susumu Akagi. Thunder is also called Sanda.


 * Buruge: (ブルゲ) (supposedly Labrador Retriever mix) One of Hougen's three generals. He was once a fighting dog who, because of his unyielding determination, earned such nicknames as the Death God and the Demonic Warrior. During the Battle of Gajou, he fights and is defeated by Kyoushiro. When Kyoushiro shows kindness to him by letting him live he cries tears of regret and decides to leave Hougen's forces. Voiced by Kōji Yusa.


 * Bat: (バット)(supposedly Labrador Retriever) Another of Hougen's generals. He is a blind dog with extremely sharp senses, which he calls his "mind's eye." Like Buruge, Bat was fighting against Ohu. He was defeated by Ken and Kagetora. When they showed him kindness by sparing his life, he also shed tears and joined Ohu.


 * Kite: (カイト)(supposedly Greyhound mix) Another of Hougen's generals. His front legs were replaced by indestructible metal legs by humans who wanted to make him an assassin dog. During the Battle of Gajou, he fought Tesshin and lost. Just as with Bat and Buruge, Tesshin showed him kindness and he cried. When he, Bat, and Buruge were brought to the healing springs by Sasuke, they were shown even more kindness from Gin when he demanded they heal their wounds by joining him in the hot spring. They cry tears of regret and vow to never ally themselves with the likes of Hougen again. Voiced by Daisuke Ono.


 * Nero: (ネロ Nero)(Siberian Husky) One of Hougen's past rogue leaders in the mountain areas. Seen in episode 1 as GB's and Sasuke's evil leader who ordered GB to find him some duck meat or he would kill him. Later seen in episode 6 trying to use his men to kill Hook when Gin, John, and Akame came and John defeated him and had him running back to Hougen. Hougen killed him in front of his own men.


 * Stone: (ストーン)(Malamute) A member of Kamikiri's pack who makes his first appearance in episode 14. He lured Weed's pack into a trap to be killed by the humans but they came out alive because of Jerome.


 * Bell: (ベル) (Mastiff) He was one of Blue's followers (One of the few who actually speaks) and was defeated by hook and begged him not to kill him and Ned after Blue abandoned them (Bell and Ned disappear afterwards.)


 * Ned: (ネッド) (Unknown) He was Blue and Bells friend until Blue abandoned him to die where he was spared by Hook and ran off with Bell. In the manga he begs Hook to spare his life. Hook obliges and tears one of his ears off.

Plot
The story of Ginga Densetsu Weed began in the Northern Alps of Japan. There, a female Kishu mix named Sakura gave birth to three puppies – Joe, Yukimura and Weed. However, Sakura got very ill and asked a dog called Sakachi to take care of Joe and Yukimura, since she was too weak to gather food for them. Weed was then left alone with his mother, and provided for her for as long as possible. He met an English Setter called GB in the mountains while hunting. Weed then returned to his mother and got attacked by crows. GB chased them away, and talks to Sakura. She asks GB to take her son to Ohu to meet his father, Gin – the Great Leader of Ohu.

The journey starts, and the first challenge Weed has to face is the fight against the evil brothers Bell, Ned and Blue. Together with his friends, Weed overpowers Bell and Ned while Blue escapes over a fence. He gets killed when he walks in front of a large truck. Weed then continues his journey towards Ohu to find his father. But he finds that the “Utopia” of Ohu is gone, and that the mountains are being terrorised by the mutant dog, Kaibutsu. Weed joins forces with Kagetora, Ken, and Jerome and his soldiers, and together they kill Kaibutsu.

Meanwhile, Gin, John and Akame have been surrounded by the evil dog Hougen, who wants to overthrow Gin and rule Ohu Mountains. Gin and his friends fight bravely, and a Molosser by the name Hiro joins the fight. Gin commands Akame to escape and get help, while he, John, and Hiro are taken as hostages by Hougen. Akame escapes quickly and finds Weed in the mountains. He tells him what happened, and Weed starts a journey with a Borzoi named Rocket to the Japanies Alps to find more dogs to help him defeat Hougen. Soon, Weed finds out how powerful Hougen is. Hougen sends assassins to kill Weed, but Weed overpowers them both with the help of the Kishu-Inu called Kyoushiro Shirogane, who joins forces with Weed. They are also joined by the German Shepard, Tesshin, who teaches Weed the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga (the death strike.) While Weed is searching for comrades, Akame gathers the old soldiers of Ohu - Ben, Cross, Kurotora, Moss and Mushashi. They combine forces and help Weed when he gets surrounded by one of Hougen’s minions, Kamakiri. Now, Weed and his group start planning their attack. First, they take out Hougen’s brother Genba, and then Kamakiri. When the final battle against Hougen comes, Weed is finally reunited with his father. However, Gin refuses to help Weed. This is a task Weed has to complete himself. Weed fights bravely, but is almost killed. As Hougen moves in to kill Weed, a howl is heard through the Futago pass. Shadows begin to emerge and the spirits of the dead soldiers of Ou come to give Weed strength to stand up and defeat Hougen. He uses the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga on Hougen, who falls bloodily to the ground. He is finally killed by Shouji Sudou, an old police officer who shoots Hougen several times in the head.

Now, peace is restored to Ou for a short while. One of Weed’s group members, Jerome, runs to the South of China because he doesn’t feel like a part of Weed’s pack. When Weed follows, he meets his brother Yukimura. Here, Weed finds out that his brother Joe has been killed by a pack of monkeys who terrorize the area. Weed now joins forces with the leader of a rebellion group called “Gosaru,” and together they defeat the leader of the monkeys, Shougun. Unfortunately, Weed loses his brother, who is killed in the fight. Weed says farewell to the Gosaru and continues his adventures.

Soon, Weed meets a female Kishu Inu called Koyuki. Weed falls in love with her, but unfortunately she is a pet dog who doesn’t want to leave her owner. When Weed saves Kotetsu, Koyuki's younger brother, Koyuki falls in love with Weed. However, she has to say goodbye to him, and leaves him. Meanwhile, Jerome has travelled to Hokkaido, where he is attacked by the German shepherd, Victor. He is badly wounded, but Ridia, one of Victor's minions, accidentally lets him escape. Jerome is found by Hakuro's sons and brought to safety on a farm in care of a collie, Ramu. While Jerome rests here, Hakuro enters a fight with Victor's group who has gotten reinfocements. Hakuro loses and must retreat. But by the blood he has spilled, he swears to finish off Victor's terrorizing once and for all and prepares a final attack. Meanwhile, Koyuki's brother Kotetsu runs to tell Weed that Koyuki is leaving. Her human has put her in a cage and sends her away. As Weed hears this, he forgets everything and follows the car. He jump onto the load of it and stays with Koyuki, leaving everything he has ever known behind him.

Hakuro gets ambushed by Victor for the final battle, but instead of winning, Hakuro gets killed during the fight. Jerome appears shortly after, searching for Hakuro and he finds himself in the middle of the war-zone. Victor sets Ridia and Maxime to watch over Jerome so that he doesn't escape, but instead of being cruel and rude, Ridia starts to have certain feelings for Jerome. Maxime don't want to make his sister sad, so he aids Jerome too. Meanwhile, Hakuro's son Susaku has rushed to Ou to tell Gin of what has happened. Immediately, Gin follows him to fight Victor. At the same time, he sends out Ramu to find Weed and inform him of the situation. Gin then presses forward and fights Victor. However, he has to retreat when Victor's reinforcements arrive. Akame is now send out and saves Jerome. Ridia is taken along too and later on Maxime too joins the Ou army. However, as Maxime goes back to try and talk Alam (one of Victor's platoon leaders) into joining the Ou fighters, Maxime gets punished by Victor and nearly killed. Victor then manages to trap Gin and his fighters in a big gorge where he keeps them hostage, hoping that they will surrender to him.

Weed and Koyuki are in the Northern Alps during this. They visit Sakura's grave and pay respect to her. Afterwards, they just fool around as the newly lovers they are. However, their little vacation is interrupted by Rocket, who tells Weed of what's happening in Hokkaido. Weed doesn't leave Koyuki until her brother Kotetsu and GB arrive. He leaves Koyuki in care of Kotetsu and then starts the journey towards Hokkaido together with GB. Weed now starts a journey to find fighters to help him defeat Victor and aid his father, Gin. He manages to gather around 1000 dogs, before he decides to travel to Hokkaido to finish Victor's terror once and for all.

Victor is defeated. Weed and his pack travel south along with Koyuki and Kotetsu. There, Weed meets a dog that looks remarkably like him, the dog happens to be Weed's brother. Joe, has a son and fights with Weed often because he is very angry with Gin for leaving Sakura unattended in the Alps, unknown to the fact that Gin was unaware why Sakura left. Joe also gets attacked by a large bear and gets 3 scars, similar to Gin's, on his forehead. When Weed asks why Joe hates the bear so much, Joe says that the bear, called Hybrid (a hybrid between a grizzly and supposedly a polar bear) killed his mate, Hitomi. Every dog tries his best to kill the numerous Hybrids. GB, Weed's godfather, works up his courage and manages to wound and cut off the finger of one of the bears, but the bear claws GB in the back two times and GB dies saving Weed who is about to get crushed by the bear's claws, saying, " I'm scared. I'm going to die, but at least this way I died saving you." Weed's pupils get remarkably small as GB breathes his last, and screams he will avenge his god-father. The final fight against the Hybrid Bear was long and hard; when Weed used a final battouga on the Hybrid Bear, both the bear and Weed fell into the river which leads to the huge dam. Jerome and the other dogs went in search for Weed at the river until they found that the Hybrid Bear was already dead as it had drowned from having its body stuck at the floodgate while Weed himself was missing. However, it turned out that Weed was still alive when he was hiding at the rocks and a young boy was taking care of him by feeding him. When Weed had recovered from his injuries, Weed headed back to Ohu by himself and he saw that not only his friends were waiting for him, his mate Koyuki was also pregnant. Later on in two months, Koyuki gave birth to 4 puppies (3 sons and 1 daughter) thus making Weed a proud father for the newer legends.

Protagonists

 * Joe: (誠) (Akita Inu/Kishu Inu mix) Joe is one of Weed's brothers. He and Yukimura were fostered by a kind dog named Saheiji. A few months later from living in peace, a clan of monkeys led by an albinogelada baboon named Shougun battle Saheiji for his territory in the Southern Alps. Joe is taken away and thought to be eaten and dead. However, Joe is alive, having been rescued by a human who kept him as a pet. Joe also has a son by the named of Koujiro.


 * Yukimura: (幸村) (Akita Inu/Kishu Inu mix) Yukimura is one of the three children of Gin and Sakura. He is the brother of Weed and Joe. When Sakura fell ill with a mysterious disease, a dog named Saheiji came and took Yukimura and Joe to be fostered by him, leaving Sakura to only have Weed. After a while of peace, Joe and Yukimura one day run off into the woods. After the two wander for a few hours, they turn to leave but then a clan of baboons, led by Shougun, attacks them. Yukimura fights fiercely to protect his brother, but Joe is captured when Yukimura is injured. Saheiji hears the pups' cries and rushes to the scene. But one of the monkeys snaps his spinal cord, and runs away with Joe. After Yukimura wakes from a deep coma, he finds his foster father lying beside him. He is told that Joe was taken and killed by the monkeys, a trail of blood is seen were the monkeys were carrying Joe. Yukimura swore to kill any monkeys that cross paths with him. After a few months pass, Yukimura meets Weed. At first, Yukimura had no clue who Weed was, but when Weed says that Sakura had died from illness a few months ago, Yukimura remembers Weed, and his mother. Shougun again shows up and tries to kill Weed and Yukimura. But Yukimura defended Weed, just like he defended Joe. Sadly,after Shougun is killed by Yukimura, Yukimura dies a few seconds later from his injuries.


 * Lydia: (リディア) (German Shepherd) The sister of Maxime and a pack member of Victor's. Her father was the leader of the large German Shepherd army until Victor took over. In the battle between Victor and Weed, she pretends to be injured so she can be taken away by Weed's army and gathering information. However, she quickly forgets all about it and falls in love with Jerome. Later, she and Maxime become followers of Ohu. She eventually gives birth to six puppies with her mate Jerome.


 * George: (ジョージ) (Great Dane/Saluki mix) Ken's brother and Ben and Cross' son. He resembles his mother more than his father. He meets up with his brother and Weed while they look for the Koga dog Tesshin. He blames himself for his sister Miney's (also not shown in the anime) death when she jumped across a river to reach him and drowned.


 * Hakurō: (白狼) (Siberian Husky) Hakuro returns in the manga after the battle with Akakabuto and raises his four sons in his large pack in Hokkaido. Months later, as the pups grow older, Victor and his group of Shepherds are trying to take Hakuro's territory. Victor and Hakuro fight, but as Hakuro twists in order to flee, his throat is torn open (Victor has his teeth around Hakuro's neck) and he tears loose his artery. Hakuro dies slowly after this.


 * Byakko, Genbu, and Seiryū: (Siberian Huskies) The brothers of Suzaku and sons of Hakuro. They help battle victor, but are killed in the process.


 * Suzaku: (Siberian husky) The brother of Seiryū, Byakko, and Genbu. Son of Hakuro. Suzaku does not participate in the war against Victor yet because he is nurturing his sons. Hakuro tells him to protect his grandsons, and Suzaku leaves them to his mate Hiromi. Suzaku finds out his father and brothers were killed, and he tries to get revenge by attacking Maxime, who has actually joined Ohu. Suzaku forgives Maxime for being a previous minion of Victor's and joins the war in order to keep his sons safe.


 * Kisaragi: (如月) (Siberian Husky) The former leader of the Four Mutsu Generals. After hearing about Hougen and Genba from Chutora's son Shigure, he sends his six sons to Ohu to aid Weed and the others in battle. Kisaragi stays behind because he fears he would not be of any help because of his old age.


 * Koyuki: (小雪) (Kishu Inu) A female pet dog. When her younger brother, Kotetsu, goes missing, she goes out looks for him on her own. While walking along, she gets caught in a hunter's trap. Weed hears her cries and rescues her. Koyuki then develops a crush on Weed. When gets home, she tells her half-sister Chako what happened. Chako tells Koyuki that she was also rescued by a Shiba Inu named Sasuke. Suddenly, Koyuki's owner decides to send her away to become a breeding dog. Weed hears the news from her brother Kotetsu, he runs after the truck that's carrying her. He frees her and then Weed realizes his feelings toward Koyuki. However, Weed must return to defeat Victor, and he promises Koyuki he will see her again. The sequel to Ginga Densetsu Weed, Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion, features her and Weed's four puppies.


 * Takeshi: (タケシ) (Doberman Pinscher) A young puppy in Kyoushiro's pack. He slipped into a river and was rescued by Toube, who was forced to bring the pup to Kamakiri as a hostage in order to spare his life. Takeshi later escapes Hougen with Kyoushiro as Toube fights off Kamakiri's pack.


 * Jaguar: (ジャガー) (English Mastiff) Moss' son. He accompanies his father and the fighting dog Musashi to Ohu after hearing about Hougen's invasion on Futago Pass.


 * Chako: (チャコ) (Kishu Inu) Chako is the half-sister of Koyuki and Kotetsu. She was saved by the Shiba Inu, Sasuke, and has a crush on him, but later discovers that he was not the strong warrior he was lying to her about.


 * Wilson: (ウィルソン) (Rough Collie) A veteran from the battle against Akakabuto. He stays in Ohu and meets Weed during the Kaibutsu arc. At first, he doesn't believe that Weed is the son of Gin.

Antagonists

 * Gon: (ゴン) (Unknown) A very minor character, Gon is the one who found Gin, Akame, and John resting in a hut. They captured him and he pleaded that he had to return to a family. Gin lets him go, and immediately he screams for Hougen and his army. Gon later bumps into GB and Sasuke, who are pretending to work for Hougen.


 * Miki: (Siberian husky) Brother of Hidari. He and Hidari were followers of a young dog called Sunshiro. They decided to take over his pack and torture the Borzoi pups Rocket, Missile, and Jet. Sunshiro begged for them to hurt him instead of the Borzois, so Miki and Hidari killed Sunshiro.


 * Hidari: (Siberian husky) Brother of Miki. He and Miki were followers of a young dog called Sunshiro. They decided to take over his pack and torture the Borzoi pups Rocket, Missile, and Jet. Sunshiro begged for them to hurt him instead of the Borzois, so Miki and Hidari killed Sunshiro.


 * Lucy: (ルーシー) She was the mate of Terry, the Mastiff who died in GNG by Akakabuto's minions. She grew jealous of Sakura, and told her that Gin was about to die in one of his missions, and that she should go see her husband before his end. She told Sakura that she regrets that she could not be by her husband at his death, so Sakura left to nurture her children in the woods. Lucy is the reason the Beardog family became separated.


 * Sniper: (スナイパー) (Doberman Pinscher) In GNG, Sniper tried continuously to kill Gin and Ben in order to rule Ohu. After the fall in a river/gorge, Sniper has become incredibly handicapped. He has metal legs and blue pants on which help him walk. He has many scars on his body and a metal plate over the right side of his face. He joins Hougen.

Humans

 * Daisuke: (大輔)
 * Gin's former owner and best friend. Daisuke has grown from an "adventurous little kid" into a young man. He hears about a monster (Kaibutsu) in Futago Pass that's been attacking people and killing them. Daisuke drives up to the mountain to see if it is true. On the way, he finds Weed, riddled with bullet wounds, and is speechless:  The young dog is a Tora-ge, just like Gin. Positive that the puppy is Gin's son, Daisuke goes after him but then runs into Kaibutsu.  Weed saves him and Kaibutsu is driven off by hunters and their rifles.  Daisuke then takes Weed home and treats his wounds. After Weed is fully recovored, Daisuke lets him return to Futago Pass.


 * Hidetoshi: (秀俊) The former owner of John from GNG. He travels and hunts with Daisuke in order to stop the supposed dogs terrorizing people around the forest (Kaibutsu's actual doing.). Hidetoshi and Daisuke discover Kaibutsu and go to tell the village, confronting the old policeman Akira Sudou, who tells them of how his partner, Tanuma, was killed by the two Great Danes, Hougen and Genba. Hidetoshi helps in blowing up Gajou to stop Hougen from his reign of terror.


 * Shouji Sudou "The Mamushi":
 * Shouji is a one-eyed retired policeman who has an intense hatred for Hougen. Long ago, he and his partner, Tanuma, were in the Southern Alps on a mission to capture a criminal. There they found an abandoned kennel. As they inspect it inside, they saw Hougen and Genba with an army of their kin, eating a human. Then the dogs attacked the policemen. Though Shouji only lost his left eye, Tanuma was mercilessly torn apart by Hougen. Fuelled with hatred, Shouji swore to hunt down and kill Hougen for the loss of Tanuma. In the end, he finally found Hougen, heavily wounded and tired from the battle with Weed. Without an ounce of mercy for the defeated dog, Shouji shoots Hougen straight through the head with his rifle and avenges his friend. He is nicknamed "Shouji the Mamushi" for his tenacious spirit of hunting down criminals.


 * Iguchi: (井口) The previous owner of Ben. Ben shows up at his doorstep with the dead body of John. Iguchi understands that John was Ben's friend and helps him bury the body somewhere in the forest.


 * Tanuma: The police officer partner of Akira Sudou. He and Akira were trying to find a criminal when they spotted an abandoned kennel. They were attacked by Hougen and Genba, and Tanuma was killed. He was later avenged by Akira when he shot Hougen in the head several times.

Manga
Yoshihiro Takahashi wrote Ginga Densetsu Weed as a sequel to his original work Ginga Nagareboshi Gin that is set 10 years after the original and that focuses on Gin's son Weed. It initially serializes in Manga Goraku, premiering in 1999. The chapters have been published in collected volumes by Nihonbungeisha. Volume sixty which is the last bound volume of the series came out in September 18, 2009 in Japan.

The manga was licensed for an English language release by ComicsOne. Three volumes were released on April 1, 2001 under the shortened name Weed before ComicsOne quietly canceled the series due to low sales. All three volumes are now out-of-print. In 2004, ComicsOne went out of business and DrMaster acquired all of the company's manga licenses. However, DrMaster did not chose to continue the Ginga Legend Weed series. Currently, the license to translate Ginga Legend Weed are up to be sold to a manga company that wants it.

Anime
In 2005, Studio DEEN produced 26 Ginga Densetsu Weed episodes. Several incidents were changed, including how Akakabuto was killed. The series ended after the death of Hougen. So far, there is no indication that the anime will be translated into English.


 * Opening: Ginga Densetsu WEED by Dohatsuten
 * Ending : Tsuki Akari by Dohatsuten