Musashi no Ken

A 1986 Taito side-scroller for the Famicom, Musashi no Ken adapts Genso Murakami's manga of the same name. Players control young kendoka Musashi Natsuki as he battles through seven dojos in pursuit of the national kendo championship. Combat is structured around the three authentic kendo target zones — men (head), do (torso), and kote (wrist) — with opponents actively blocking and counter-striking rather than simply absorbing hits. Items gathered along the way restore health, and pivotal duels pit Musashi against his father and bitter rival Katsuru Todo. The interplay between side-scrolling stages and close-up bout sequences keeps the pacing tight, and the authentic kendo mechanics made this a rare early Famicom entry in the genre.