From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

Plot

Beryl Gardinant is a swordsman in his mid-forties who teaches at a small dojo in a countryside village. Though viewing himself as thoroughly unimpressive, one day, he is visited by one of his former pupils and invited to become an instructor for the knights of the Liberion Order in the capital. Reluctantly accepting the offer, this leads to Beryl reuniting with many other former disciples and discovering that they have all become highly accomplished individuals using the "backwater" skills he taught them.

Characters

Beryl Gardinant (ベリル・ガーデナント, Beriru Gādenanto)

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese); Cory YeeEp. 1 credits (English)

A middle aged sword trainer who operates a rural dojo. Despite his insistence that there is nothing special about him, he has ended up training some of the most powerful and influential fighters and adventurers in the entire kingdom. He is able read his opponents next move and counter them, making him almost unmatched by most opponents.

Allucia Citrus (アリューシア・シトラス, Aryūshia Shitorasu)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama (Japanese); Ashley BellEp. 1 credits (English)

The leader of the knights of the Liberion Order, she was one of Beryl's students and recommends him to be a special trainer for the Liberion Order so that the kingdom can recognize his skills. She also has a crush on Beryl and views Surena as her rival. She still uses the same sword given to her by Beryl upon her graduation from his school. Her swordsmanship relies on her incredible speed.

Surena Lysandra (スレナ・リサンデラ, Surena Risandera)

Voiced by: Hitomi Ueda (Japanese); Chelsea KrauseEp. 1 credits (English)

A black-ranked adventurer and one of Beryl's students. She was orphaned as a child and rescued by Beryl, who taught her how to use a sword. She also has a crush on Beryl and views Allucia as her rival. She dual wields special swords made from an immortal dragon she slew by outlasting its regenerative power with overwhelming strength and relentless attacks.

Curuni Crueciel (クルニ・クルーシエル, Kuruni Kurūshieru)

Voiced by: Yuuki Hirose (Japanese); Kana ShimanukiEp. 1 credits (English)

Media

Light novel

Written by Shigeru Sagazaki, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now and They Won't Leave Me Alone began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on November 17, 2020. It was later acquired and published by Square Enix as a light novel with illustrations by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima under their SQEX Novel imprint on April 7, 2021. Eleven volumes have been released as of August 2026. The light novel is licensed in English by J-Novel Club.

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Kazuki Satō began serialization in Akita Shoten's seinen manga web magazine Dokodemo Young Champion on August 24, 2021. The manga's chapters have been collected into nine tankōbon volumes as of June 2026.

During their panel at Sakura-Con 2024, Yen Press announced that they licensed the manga adaptation.

A spin-off manga series written by Itsuki Watanabe and illustrated by Megumu Soramichi, titled From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: The Mage Knight's Origin (片田舎のおっさん、剣聖になる外伝 はじまりの魔法剣士, Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru Gaiden: Hajimari no Mahō Kenshi), began serialization on Square Enix's Manga Up! manga service on November 29, 2024. It focuses on the character Ficelle Harbeller. The spin-off's chapters have been collected into three tankōbon volumes as of August 2026. The series is published in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global app.

Another spin-off manga series, titled From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: The Twin Dragonblade's Journey to the Top (片田舎のおっさん、剣聖になる外伝 竜双剣の軌跡, Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru Gaiden: Ryūsōken no Kiseki), began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine on February 7, 2025. The series is written by Zenji Yotsuya and illustrated by Sasami Hazama and is centered around the character Surena Lysandra. The spin-off's chapters have been collected into three tankōbon volumes as of June 2026. The series is also published in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global app.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 1, 2024. It was produced by Passione and Hayabusa Film and directed by Akio Kazumi, with series composition by Kunihiko Okada, characters designed by Satsuki Hayasaka, who also served as chief animation director, and music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. The series aired from April 5 to June 22, 2025, on the IMAnimation programming block on TV Asahi and its affiliates. The opening theme song is "Heroes", performed by Takanori Nishikawa, while the ending theme song is "Alright!!!", performed by Flow. Amazon Prime Video is streaming the series worldwide.

Following the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced, which premiered on July 8, 2026, on the IMAnimation W programming block on the same channel and its affiliates. The opening theme song is "Kurenai no Ha" (クレナイノハ; 'Crimson Leaf'), performed by Unicorn, while the ending theme song is "Mikansei" (未完成; 'Unfinished'), performed by Blue Encount.

Reception

By January 2024, the series had over 4 million copies in circulation. By August 2024, the series had over 5.5 million copies in circulation.

The manga adaptation was ranked third in the "I Want to Read it Now!" category at Rakuten Kobo's 1st E-book Manga Awards in 2023. The manga, alongside When Marriages Fracture and The Great Snake's Bride, won the 2023 Piccoma Award in the manga category. The manga was also ranked thirteenth at the 9th Next Manga Awards in the web category in 2023. The manga was also ranked second in the 2023 Tsutaya Comic Awards. The manga was also ranked thirteenth in Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics list of 2024.