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Soukou Akki Muramasa

装甲悪鬼村正

Titles
装甲悪鬼村正
Soukou Akki Muramasa
Full Metal Daemon Muramasa
장갑악귀 무라마사
Janggap Akgwi Muramasa
装甲恶鬼村正
Zhuangjia Egui Cunzheng
AliasesFMD Muramasa, Armored Demon Muramasa
Play timeVery long (72h48m from 352 votes)
DeveloperNITRO PLUS
PublishersNITRO PLUS
JAST USA
Otome Dream
Team Myskrpatch
Eientei Translations
Relations
Fandisc

Soukou Akki Muramasa: Janen Hen

Sequel

Project Vermilion

Side story

Soukou Akki Muramasa: Shokuzai Hen

LinksWikipedia (en), Wikipedia (ja), Wikidata, VNStat
Shopssponsored links» JP¥ 4889 @ DLsite
» US$ 199.99 @ J-List
» US$ 35.99 @ JAST USA

Description

This is not a story of heroes.

Since time immemorial, warriors called musha have ruled the battlefield, granted supernatural power by their enchanted suits of armor - tsurugi.

Minato Kageaki is one such musha, driven by duty to don his crimson armor and challenge the greatest evils of an age. But though madmen and tyrants fall to his blade, never will he claim that his battle is right.

For the tsurugi he wields is cursed Muramasa, which five centuries ago brought ruin to the land, and innocent blood is the price it demands in exchange for its terrible might.

"Where there are demons, I slay them. Where there are saints, I slay them."

These words are an oath, the unbreakable Law binding him to his armor. But they also tell the story of his past, and of the future to come.

[From JAST USA]

Homicide 3.0 Life and Death Drama 3.0 Major Antagonist 3.0 Mecha Combat 3.0 Multiple Endings 3.0 Pain Only RapeS 3.0 Protagonist's Opponent as a HeroineS 3.0 Sword Wielding Protagonist 3.0 Vertically Oriented Text 3.0 War 2.9 Protagonist with Voice Acting 2.9 Sword Combat 2.9 Male Protagonist 2.9 Infodumping 2.9 Mecha Pilot Protagonist 2.9 Sword Wielding Heroine 2.9 Flashback 2.8 PatricideS 2.8 Politics 2.8 CurseS 2.8 Antihero ProtagonistS 2.8 RebellionS 2.8 Death of HeroineS 2.8 RevengeS 2.8 Adult ProtagonistS 2.8 Combat Capable Friends 2.8 Descriptions of Violence 2.8 Unique Routes 2.8 Depression 2.7 Episodic Story 2.7 Floating Textbox 2.7 Protagonist with Sexual ExperienceS 2.7 Side Character Rape by OthersS 2.7 Past Setting in a Fictional World 2.6 Philosophy 2.6 Gang BangS 2.6 Military 2.6 Playtime Counter 2.6 Protagonist with a Face 2.6 Relationship Chart 2.6 Mother Support Character 2.6 Samurai Protagonist 2.6 Protagonist's Blood-related Daughter as a HeroineS 2.6 Madness 2.5 Multiple Route Mystery 2.5 Mecha 2.5 Death of ProtagonistS 2.5 Unavoidable RapeS 2.5 20th Century 2.4 Adult Heroine 2.4 Branching Plot 2.4 Gang RapeS 2.4 Non-heroine Only Unavoidable RapeS 2.4 Mecha Pilot HeroineS 2.4 ConspiracyS 2.4 Short Sexual Scenes 2.3 Betrayal 2.3 Heroine with Psychological ProblemsS 2.3 Heroine with Small Breasts (Non-Loli) 2.3 Hime HeroineS 2.3 SacrificeS 2.3 War Crimes 2.3 No Sense of Direction Heroine 2.3 Fathercon HeroineS 2.3 Ojousama Heroine 2.3 Low Sexual Content 2.3 Enforced Playing Order 2.3 Intrigue 2.3 Non-human HeroineS 2.3 ApocalypseS 2.3 High School Student Heroine 2.2 Transformation Sequence(s) 2.2 Varying Ending Songs 2.2 Mind Control 2.2 Dark Skinned HeroineS 2.2 Leader HeroineS 2.2 Student Heroine 2.2 RedemptionS 2.2 White Haired HeroineS 2.2 Unlockable Choices 2.2 Unlockable Event 2.2 Unlockable Gallery 2.2 Unlockable Routes 2.2 Dark Skinned Characters 2.2 ShapeshiftingS 2.2 Dark Fantasy 2.1 Heroine Based on Real PersonS 2.1 Multiple Opening MoviesS 2.1 Proactive Protagonist 2.1 Classic Tsundere Heroine 2.1 Politician Heroine 2.1 SuperpowersS 2.1 Insert Songs 2.1 Other Perspectives 2.1 Group Sex of One Female and Several MalesS 2.1 RapeS 2.0 High Amounts of RapeS 2.0 Archer HeroineS 2.0 Heroine with Big Breasts 2.0 Heroine With Kansai Accent 2.0 Heroine with Shorts 2.0 Long Common Route 2.0 Music Recollection 2.0 Non-blood-related Mother/Son IncestS 2.0 Officer Heroine 2.0 Orekko Heroine 2.0 Pissing on OthersS 2.0 Psychological Trauma 2.0 Rape by ProxyS 2.0 Secret Identity 2.0 Sex Involving AmputeesS 2.0 Single Blowjob 2.0 Only Virgin Heroines 2.0 One True End 1.9 Jealousy 1.9 Game Over 1.9 Existential CrisisS 1.8 Unlockable Bonus Content 1.8 Villainous Heroine 1.8 Utsuge 1.8 Defloration 1.8 Puzzle GameS 1.8 CultS 1.8 DreamS 1.7 Dying HeroineS 1.7 Anal Sex 1.7 Daughter Support CharacterS 1.7 PissingS 1.7 Police Officer Protagonist 1.7 Sex in Front of an AudienceS 1.5 100% Completion Bonus 1.5 Sadist HeroineS 1.5 Tomboy Heroine 1.5 Brocon HeroineS 1.4 Hotblooded Heroine 1.4 Doggy Style 1.3 Torture 1.3 ResurrectionS 1.2 Donkan Protagonist 1.2 Mad Scientist Support Character 1.2 MindbreakS 1.2 Pre-rendered 3D Graphics 1.2 Cowgirl 1.2 Reverse Cowgirl 1.2 Outdoor Sex 1.1 Multiple PenetrationS 1.1 Bukkake 1.0 Combat with Spears 1.0 Sexual Cosplay 1.0 Single Footjob 1.0 Single Handjob 1.0 Time TravelS 1.0 Multiple ProtagonistsS 0.9 Detective Work 0.9 Hard Science Fiction 0.8 Protagonist's Sister as a Support Character 0.8 Crossover 0.7 Divine BeingsS 0.7 Piss DrinkingS 0.7 Mecha Pilot Hero 0.7 GuroS 0.6 CannibalismS 0.4 Clothing Damage 0.4 Protagonist's Non-blood-related Sister as a HeroineS 0.3 Romance 0.3 Comedy 0.2

Full reviews

By zemania on 2022-01-17Vote: 10
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2 comments 21 points
By ubermensch on 2021-11-23Vote: 10
<report>Full Metal Daemon Muramasa is an unfathomably ambitious narrative epic dealing with a myriad of themes rightfully accompanied by a production of colossal proportions, a definitive masterpiece of the medium.

Narahara's work is a sprawling solidarity of a number of heavy themes explored boldly but carefully with meticulous depth and brutally challenges ideologies and stances on several contrasting views of morality and ethics.

Narahara's canvas of 1940s Japan is a multifaceted exploration of war, violence, idealism, vengeance, accountability, individualism, collectivism, justice, peace, harmony, love and most importantly, the concept of self. FMDM is ultimately a story about the... Read more »
0 comments 14 points
By Ernovace on 2020-09-02r4628Vote: 10
<report>It is difficult for me to say why it is so good since
Neither am I very good at writing
Nor is it easy to explain without going into spoilers. I feel like every single word I say, can be taken as spoilers and Muramasa is something you go into 100% blind. You shouldn't even look at the walkthrough because it will spoil the experience.That's the only thing I regret while reading it.

There is one line you will keep seeing in Muramasa - これは英雄の物語ではない (This is not a tale about heroes) and that is pertinent throughout the story. Muramasa is about war and how there's no justification for murder. There is no good or evil. You can't sacrifice people for the "greater good". And it will beat that... Read more »
3 comments 9 points
By sonomeme on 2021-10-04Vote: 10
<report>I see quite a few negative reviews coming in, so I figured I'd balance it out. Heh.

I understand their frustrations; I really do. Muramasa's single flaw, in my very subjective opinion, is that it's not for everyone. Much as I hate to say it, Narahara Ittetsu's works have a somewhat specific target audience, though I've been delighted to find out recently that it might be a little wider than I initially expected.

This is why I'm going to say that while this review is somewhat biased (go ask Narahara what Muramasa's target audience is, he'll reply with my name), I still attempt to present the reasons why you should and why you maybe shouldn't play Soukou Akki Muramasa, all without spoiling... Read more »
2 comments 9 points
By ephemeraleso on 2022-02-21Vote: 10
<report>Full Metal Daemon Muramasa is one of those rare works of fiction that transcends the limitations of genre and medium, evincing a profound comprehension and mastery of the human condition. Although not a flawless work by any stretch of the imagination, Muramasa strives for - and reaches - lofty narrative & production heights that are nigh unrivaled among Visual Novels. A morally ambiguous dark fantasy harboring a timeless tale of love and revenge, Muramasa is one of the finest works of fiction of the 21st century.

Story 9.5/10: Dark Fantasy, a personal favorite genre of mine, is (surprisingly) scarce in the visual novel industry. Thankfully, it is executed and explored in Muramasa close to... Read more »
0 comments 6 points
By vnrecord on 2020-09-24r20110Vote: 9.6
<report>(Note: This review is based on the 2012 full Chinese translation of Muramasa)
Instead of writing a comprehensive review that aims to cover as many components as possible, I decided to highlight a few aspects worthy of mention from my personal experience.

Upon first glance, there's a lot more written about cons than pros, but that's not to say the cons outweigh the pros. Quite the contrary, it's so good that even the 'bad' can be good.

Pros:
1. Ambitious yet thorough world-building
2. Atmospheric and thematic soundtrack
3. Excellent writing in terms of pacing, foreshadowing and the narrative itself. Can't comment much on the original writing in JP, the most I can do is infer based on... Read more »
0 comments 5 points
By blaircatch22 on 2021-01-13Vote: 10
<report>From the same dude who made Hanachirasu, the swordfighting otaku extraordinaire Narahara Ittetsu. It really activates your smooth brain considering how bad Hanachirasu is compared to Muramasa. Literally the Magnum Opus of Ittetsu's known works and Nitro+'s library.


The main theme of the story is 善惡相殺, meaning killing both good and evil. As you can probably guess, it delves into the idea of justice, ethics, and morals. Out of all of the good and evil narratives I have read so far, Muramasa seems to be one of the most fleshed out considering how it uses its story to push on the theme. If you thought that Fate/Zero or Fate/Stay Night delved into the idea of "Justice" quite well, you would be... Read more »
1 comment 5 points
By floatlngtrash on 2022-10-26Vote: 9
<report>Muramasa is a powerful and tragic tale as we follow Kageaki journeying down a bloody path to achieve his goal.

- Story -
Muramasa stands out within the visual novel medium as stories similar to it are pretty scarce, and for it to even gain so much popularity in the first place is also quite surprising, but that's what makes this visual novel so special, taking full advantage of the medium to deliver its story. At its best, Muramasa's story is an excellent portrayal of tragedy, madness, and human conflicts. But while Muramasa is usually very dark and severe, it had its fair share of light-hearted moments, even for the antagonist, it's to remind the audience that no matter how evil a person... Read more »
0 comments 5 points
By vizer on 2022-05-17r81304Vote: 8
<report>Great story that was worth waiting 11 years for (in English). I'm gonna write down some of my disorganized thoughts here, that I'll clean up over time. It's easy to find praise for this game, and while I agree with a lot of it, I don't want to repeat it, so I'm going to start by focusing on the negatives that make this an 8/10 for me, and not a 9 or 10.

The rape scenes were good at being loathsome and disturbing, and I loved how effective those were. But why did consensual sex scenes have to be so dumb and rapey? There is, conceivably, an in-world reason why the main character has sexual trauma that made him be a sex weirdo, but why doesn't it manifest anywhere else in the story? It's just... Read more »
0 comments 4 points
By sho52 on 2020-12-27Vote: 9
<report>Great philosophical exposition/fable on the theme of "good and evil" that will stay with you for a lifetime. Guess your reception would depend a lot on your own worldview, though it resonated very deeply with me and reaffirmed my outlooks a lot. Only the neutral and objective way is the way to understanding the truths of matters. Of course each side in a conflict would claim that "justice" is with them and the other side is "evil", while there is simply no such thing as "just" or "evil" in the world. No other work etches this point in your bones as deeply as 装甲悪鬼村正.

It also has a tear-inducingly tragic yet completely free-spirited, dominating and breathtakingly beautiful character that... Read more »
5 comments 4 points
By WYSGBT on 2021-07-05r20110Vote: 10
<report>There are enough recommendations on this page telling you why you should or shouldn't play this game, so I just want to use this review to tell you why I like this game (which means the preference is really personal).

For me, this work is not absolutely perfect. If I could change it, there are many things I'd like to change. Still, it remains a 10/10 work for me. There are three main aspects of this work that I love: the setting, the plot of the first part, and the underlying 'theme'. I will analyze these three parts in detail next. Of course, there are also many secondary elements that I enjoy, such as the character design of the protagonist. The way the character is designed, along with... Read more »
5 comments 4 points
By bunny1ov3r on 2022-08-07Vote: 8
<report>I found Muramasa to be an exceptional work. It single-mindedly digs into certain ideologies relating to human nature and relationships, amalgamating a wide range of genres into the work.

-Story-
This is not a game with the best story, pacing, nor setting, but in a sense it doesn't matter
Suprisingly enough, I found the story not the strongest aspect of Muramasa. One problem among many is heavy info-dumping styled story-telling. Another one is story-telling not smooth enough, giving readers a disconnected plot. The story feels like a chronicle, one event is unfolding after another. Finally, it's hard to suspend my disbelief between the anachronistic fight among weapons from different eras... Read more »
0 comments 4 points
By ezas on 2023-07-06Vote: 10
<report>I went into this VN with very few preconceptions about its content. Perhaps not knowing what to expect allowed me to get a "purer" or more thought-provoking experience out of it than I would have otherwise. In any case, my view is that Soukou Akki Muramasa, or Full Metal Daemon Muramasa, is one of the greatest visual novels ever written, and it's about as close as any game in this genre has ever come to being a true "masterpiece". From an objective viewpoint what we have here is a beautifully written narrative with excellent voice work and an aesthetically pleasing art style, complete with a soundtrack which is not only top-tier but thematically appropriate at every point in the story... Read more »
1 comment 3 points
By nemesis2005 on 2021-12-18Vote: 9.6
<report>Full Metal Daemon Muramasa has been lauded as a kamige ever since its released in 2009. So what makes the game so great? Muramasa is a giant essay on violence, murder, conflict, and the way of the sword. Narahara Ittetsu, from his Kendou background gives various views on violence and how it is used. Violence is a very strong power, and one needs to be prepared to deal with it when it comes one's way. Sometimes, the only way to deal with violence is fighting back with violence. Hence, creating an eternal cycle of violence we can not escape from. It doesn't glorify violence nor does it reject it, it just describes it as it is. The main thesis can be summed by 4 characters "善悪相殺." Its literal... Read more »
0 comments 3 points
By cheekyman07 on 2022-02-20Vote: 10
<report>One of the greatest visual novels of all time.

There are numerous flaws in this vn but the good aspects are so good that they completely cancel them out. So despite the few issues that I will be listing, they are dwarfed by how great the overall novel is. So what could have been a rating of say 8/10 were made into minor things I was fine with by the time I finished reading.

The good

- The best humor I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Dark and unique to most else I have read. It starts good, and only gets better the further into it you go. Great for character development, and relief from the main darkness of this story.

- Unique plot that goes against expectations. As stated by... Read more »
0 comments 3 points
By encrypted12345 on 2022-07-29r81304Vote: 9.1
<report>Full Metal Daemon Muramasa is my favorite visual novel. It's not perfect, but expecting a perfect product from something crafted by imperfect humans is absurdist.

First, I want to get the negatives out of the way. Chapter 1 is slow-paced and can be boring at times due to not being in the POV of the main protagonist of the VN, and the Kanae (Vengence) route (while still good) is blatantly the worst route in the game by a significant amount. Both sections of the VN are definitely still vital sections of the VN when all is said and done as the characters introduced in Chapter 1 end up being more significant than they seem down the line and the Vengence route sets up plot points for the True... Read more »
0 comments 2 points
By agumenticr on 2021-09-04Vote: 9
<report>Life-changing kamige it was... not, but it was still pretty damn good. The ideas it presented were coherent, had some fair arguments for them and explored the whole law of balance thing from different sides. You are definitely not going to enjoy it if you vehemently disagree with the core philosophical idea, though, because the work is built on it. Sword autism during the fights was enjoyable, and I am a bit sad there was less of it by the end. All the characters were placed properly and definitely added to the game, even if they were not the main focus of it.

If there's one main criticism I had to offer, it'd be that the routes and the characters felt too disconnected from each other, not... Read more »
0 comments 2 points
By armorien on 2023-11-26r79675Vote: 10
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0 comments 1 point
By animecac on 2021-09-25Vote: 5.5
<report>I was waiting for a long time for this one. In short, I was disappointed, very disappointed.. If I were to score this based on my enjoyment alone it'd be lower than a 6, but my score reflects an attempt to merge my own feelings with a more objective look at the story.

It does a lot right. It sets up an interesting world, set with intriguing lore and philosophical conundrums. There are some very well done battle sequences, and it does introduce ideas that get you thinking at various times throughout the story.

From a narrative perspective, I have to say I couldn't be more disappointed and frustrated. The true ending was hollow. The earlier heroine routes were often cheesy (particularly the... Read more »
4 comments 0 points
By kanjieater on 2024-02-10r46611Vote: 10
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0 comments 0 points
By CursedGhost on 2021-10-03Vote: 4
<report>I understand why people enjoy this visual novel; to a degree, I also enjoyed this visual novel.
So why did I rate it a 4.5 / 10? I believe that this visual novel is weak. While some parts are very enjoyable, the overall "story" fell apart.

Characters:

The protagonist was very enjoyable. Kageaki was competent and complex. The unique nature of how the protagonist interacted with the world kept dialogue engaging. However, throughout the story the author weakens him for the sake of plot. I can understand being weakened by his own internal moral/mental struggle; however, sometimes the author would just weaken him on a skill/tactical level - which served only to needlessly drag out the... Read more »
1 comment 0 points
By deijisato on 2021-09-01r82397Vote: 4
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18 comments 0 points
By rewcal on 2022-10-25Vote: 5
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0 comments 0 points
By AngeVNs on 2021-10-22r81304Vote: 8
<report>Is Full Metal Daemon Muramasa as """kamige""" as people say? I'd say not quite. Is it overall worth reading? I'd say so.

There's quite a number of reviews on this site already, so I'll just try to focus on my personal pros/cons while trying my best not to spoil too much (I personally think marking a whole review as spoilers ruins the point unless you just specifically make reviews to have discussions with people who also read it)

++The Major Characters Are Quite Good

Pretty much have no complaints here. The protagonist is very unique, cool, while still being deep with solid character development. The main heroines all have very different and likable or interesting personalities and bring... Read more »
2 comments 0 points
By NotAFan on 2022-10-18r82397Vote: 7
<report>I usually don't write reviews here, but I decided to do it for this one because I feel like I need to get it out of my chest a little, and I'm pretty sure my opinion is an outlier. That said, this is not flamebait, don't look at my score and think I'm just trying to troll you.

First things first, played the GOG version. I don't like sex scenes in VNs, and will always opt to play the version that removes them, and in this case I wouldn't even have touched the game otherwise given the tags.

I actually really liked the first two routes, Nemesis and Hero. While most people seem to agree Nemesis is the worst route, I disagree, I actually liked it quite a lot from start to finish and I think... Read more »
0 comments 0 points
By VNapostle on 2023-08-13r86201Vote: 10
<report>I beat Full Metal Daemon Muramasa a few days ago and I’ve been wanting to write a review ever since. Now that I have found time to do so, I can hopefully capture some of my feelings while playing this game. Also I know it is a novel but I’m going to be referring to it as a game out of convenience.

If I could sum up my experiences in one sentence it would be: “As I played I kept worrying that the game would let me down, it never did.” This is not a perfect story, I have a few very minor nitpicks which I will cover at the end. Every time the story went in a new direction I worried that it would result in poor execution, especially in the true route when the story begins to change a lot. I... Read more »
0 comments 0 points
By dcotis on 2023-04-29Vote: 7.5
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5 comments 0 points
By kaido11 on 2023-04-29r79675Vote: 8
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0 comments 0 points
By animenotreal on 2023-03-22Vote: 4
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11 comments 0 points
By japanication on 2022-06-18Vote: 4
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41 comments 0 points
By arturklesun on 2021-05-16r48002Vote: 8.7
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17 comments 0 points
By forever-here on 2021-09-15Vote: 4
<report>why does this vn have high votes? okay okay time to give this one a low score.

just reached chapter 2 and I'm on the verge of dropping it.

worldbuilding/setting: decent. it has a world to work on. that's about it. it's built around tokugawa/meiji era if that make sense. or as the game puts it, it's in a fictional timeline where "greedy tokugawa" reigned instead of the meiji era. okay I don't know much about their history so I'm pulling my ass here but hopefully you get the point.

believeability: except there's this ridiculously overpowered tech soldiers that just preys upon the weak. let's just call them for what they are: gundam. they have gundam powers but they still rely on slave... Read more »
13 comments 0 points