Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa

Did You Know?

• The game's opening song MURAMASA is performed by Masatoshi Ono.
• A music single containing MURAMASA, UZUKI, and The Call was released on September 18, 2009.
• The game features the insert song UZUKI by VERTUEUX.

Plot

In the island nation of Yamato, governed by the Rokuhara Shogunate in the first half of the 20th century, rumors spread of a Musha clad in silver armor known as Ginseigo, the Silver Star, called a tyrant and despoiler. A Tsurugi is a set of armor forged from a living soul, among the most powerful weapons in the world; those who wear it are Musha, warriors with flight and blades able to beat steel. One Musha, an old nemesis of the Silver Star, uses a crimson Tsurugi called Muramasa in his quest to bring them down, but the Tsurugi carries a dark past: five centuries ago it brought a great calamity upon the land.

Characters

Minato Kageaki, voiced by Takuma Terashima as Yuusuke Ishikawa, is a young man secretly working under orders from the prince to subjugate the Silver Star. His Tsurugi is Muramasa. While on a mission, he introduces himself as a policeman working part-time for the Kamakura Police Department; normally he spends his days in his cell at the Kamakura Detention House as an unconvicted prisoner due to crimes including matricide. Despite a dark and melancholic outward appearance, Kageaki is kind and honest, occasionally acting as an airhead. Due to murders committed under the curse known as the counterbalance of good and evil, he views himself as a monster, his blade deep crimson with innocent blood. He is well-versed in war but not an expert combatant. He uses Muramasa because it is the only Tsurugi that can withstand the corruption of the Silver Star's eggs, and he feels it his duty as a brother to end his sister's atrocities. His final wish is to be judged and executed for his sins. Muramasa, voiced by Shimazaki Haruka as Ayana Sumoto, is a third-generation Seishuusengou Uemon-no-jou Muramasa, female. She was housed in the Minato residence but made a contract with Kageaki to stop the Silver Star. Her steel body is reflected in a cold demeanor, but she is attentive toward Kageaki. She became a Tsurugi to prevent her mother from being melted down for bloodshed during the Nanboku-chō wars, and to watch over her mother should she awaken. She acts out of guilt because her mother, the Silver Star, destroyed Kageaki's peaceful existence, though she never voiced these feelings.

Development

Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa was written by Japanese scenario writer and Ko-ryū kenjutsu expert Narahara Ittetsu, his last game before leaving Nitroplus. Like his earlier Hanachirasu, it is set in an alternate history, though not the same universe. The game commemorates Nitroplus' 10th anniversary and was the first Nitroplus game to use widescreen and vertical writing. The music group ZIZZ STUDIO composed the soundtrack, art was handled by NamanikuATK, tsurugi designs by Ishiwata Makoto, and production by Digitaro and Shima Nagare, the latter being the scenario writer for Project VERMILLION. J-List opened preorders for the Western Collector's Edition on August 20, 2021, featuring a 7-inch vinyl soundtrack record, art book, guidebook, happi coat, and a game DVD. Valve denied release on Steam due to content guidelines; after Valve allowed Chaos;Head Noah in October 2022, fans petitioned for Muramasa, but JAST announced Valve would not reconsider.

Additional Media

Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: -Kotono's Tsurugi- is a side-story novella serialized in Monthly Hobby Japan in 2009, written by Naruki Nagakawa with art by Takeya Takayuki, Junichi Takaguchi, and Takashi Yamaguchi, concerning mechanic Kotono Takizawa who desires to make the perfect Tsurugi. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Evil Intent Chapter is a 2010 DVD with bonus material and three official side-stories: one set during the main story, one afterwards, and a comedic tale. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Massacre is a single-volume manga serialized in Monthly Champion Red in 2010, written by Kenji Yamamoto and illustrated by Hiro Seshuu, taking place before the prologue as Minato travels to an isolated island with four old Tsurugi. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Demon World Chapter is a five-volume manga serialized in Monthly Comic Blade from 2010 to 2014, written by Midori Gotou (from Production I.G.), illustrated by Gunzi, with Nitroplus assistance, set after the Demon Route True End. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Hero Chapter is a three-volume manga serialized in Kadokawa Comics A in 2011, written by Keiichiro Daichi and illustrated by Isii, following Ichigo's point of view during the Hero Route. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: ~Secret Story of the Demon Armor: STEEL~ is a 2010 spin-off novel with an audio drama, written by Jin Haganeya with art by NamanikuATK, a prequel extending Muramasa's backstory during the Nanboku-cho period. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Space Chapter is a 2015 spin-off novel with art by Isii and written by Chikashi Yoshida. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa: Atonement Chapter is a free-download entry on Nitroplus' website in 2016, written by a fan and chosen by popular vote, set after the Demon Route True End. A sequel, Project VERMILLION, is under development.