Watch Order
0 / 2 watched2008 as history, 2019 as the complete story.
About Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal adapts Hiroaki Samura's cursed-swordsman epic twice: the 2008 Bee Train series runs 13 episodes through the early arcs with a muted palette, while the 2019 Liden Films version runs 24 episodes as the complete adaptation to the manga's end.
Watch the 2019 series for the full story; the 2008 run is a historical take covering the opening act. The two share no continuity, so either can go first, but the complete version is the natural start. The manga's 30 volumes end definitively, and the 2019 anime reaches that ending. The live-action film (2017) is a separate Miike take for after.
Good to know
The 2008 series stops early enough to frustrate, which is exactly why the 2019 remake exists: treat the older run as a tone piece. The 2019 adaptation compresses some middle arcs to reach the finale in 24 episodes. Miike's 2017 film covers selected arcs with his own ending and works standalone. No further anime has been announced, and the manga's ending is fully adapted.
