Shimazu Toyohisa, while involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically injured in the process.

As he walks from the field wounded and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him.

At the start of the series, the Ends' army has control of the northern part of the continent, and are trying to invade the south through a pivotal fortress at the northernmost tip of a nation called Carneades.

Written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano, Drifters debuted in Shōnen Gahosha's seinen manga magazine Young King Ours on April 30, 2009.

[38] The box set includes all twelve episodes (with added unaired footage), an exclusive box illustrated by Hirano, a 200-page animation sketch collection by chief animation director Ryoji Nakamori, a 52-page booklet, a bonus extras disc, and a two-CD original soundtrack.

The bonus extras disc contained an omake titled "Kokuō-sama Go-Ranshin (黒王様御乱心)", promotional videos, and other materials.

Additionally, the box set included a form for advance ticket sales for an event that was held on April 2, 2017, at Maihama Amphitheater in Chiba.

[52][53] The manga was also received well by BAMFAS, saying that the "action paces itself throughout the volume, making sure to include only enough to keep readers moving quickly through the event until the next transition hits.

"[55] The Inquisitr agrees with this assessment, writing that "anime fans have been treated to a steady stream of the Isekai subgenre…but Drifters pretty much turns our expectations on its head.