In feudal Japan, Hyouta used to be a traveling acrobat. He meets Ushiwakamaru, an ill boy of royalty who is being held captive by the lord of that land. As they look exactly alike, Hyouta agrees to swap places, but when Ushiwakamaru dies of his illness, Hyouta agrees to carry on his dream and stay in his position.
 
Years later, Hyouta has become Minamotono Yoshitsune and with his advisors, Musashibou Benkei and Isesaburou Yoshimori, he brings peace to his lands by solving crimes and problems. A secret messenger arrives to see Yoshitsune and informs him of a coming war. This is Yoshitsune's story in one of the biggest wars in feudal Japan.

Shana Ou Yoshitsune is an alternative story to the popular historical figure Minamoto no Yoshitsune along with his servants, including the renown Benkei who lived in the Heian Era. In this version, Yoshitsune was actually a weak, sickly boy who met an exact body replica in Hyouta, a traveling orphan who earn his living on the street. Being physically stronger, Hyouta was led to become a replacement for Yoshitsune, eventually claiming the name as his own.
 
Note: Won the Kodansha Manga Award for Shounen in 2004.

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