Which manga did Jon Favreau acknowledge as an influence on The Mandalorian?

Which manga did Jon Favreau acknowledge as an influence on The Mandalorian? Lone Wolf and Cub. The manga’s story of a wandering warrior protecting his young son helped inform the relationship between the Mandalorian and the Child.

Created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub follows Ogami Ittō, an assassin traveling through feudal Japan with his infant son Daigorō. Its combination of spare dialogue, ritualized violence, road adventures, and a protective parent-child bond echoes several of The Mandalorian’s central ideas.

The influence does not mean the Star Wars series is a direct adaptation. The Mandalorian also draws from Westerns, samurai cinema, and classic Star Wars imagery. Favreau acknowledged Lone Wolf and Cub as an influence in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, while critics and viewers had already noticed parallels between the manga’s wandering father and child and Din Djarin’s journey with Grogu. The common comparison is therefore grounded in both creator commentary and the show’s structure.