Parents' Guide to The Worst Ronin

A solidly lengthy and fun adventure, this graphic novel for teens has good positive themes and messages. Featuring a cool teenage girl hero, The Worst Ronin deals with some heavy moments, personal "inner" demons, and a cool Japanese-inspired fantasy world where samurai still roam respected and honored. Mirroring our own world, Chihiro's faces sexism, as her idol Tatsuo is the first woman to ever be accepted into the best academy for samurai, and naturally Chihiro wants to follow suit. But she has to learn many lessons along the way, including how to deal with loss, violence, and trauma. Tatsuo will also learn more about herself throughout their adventure, coming more to terms with her own past and why she drinks so heavily.

This graphic novel might surprise some readers, though, with its random, though rare, moments of strong language and brutal violence (lots of fighting and killing involving swords, spears, daggers, and bows and arrows). While none of the violence is gory or intense, there's still a lot of it. And when characters suddenly curse, it can feel a touch jarring, as the art and style don't match these "adult" moments and violent depictions of battle, fighting, and killing. In some ways, despite the ages of the characters, this book feels like a middle grade story with middle grade characters that happens to also feature more "adult" characteristics. Setting aside this mismatch, the story is truly interesting and compelling. Chihiro and Tatsuo are easy to root for, and their journey from where they begin shows growth, lessons, and great achievement by its end.