He portrays the final weeks of his infantry service as the soldiers were instructed to die for their country to avoid the dishonor of survival.

[8] Shigeru Mizuki wrote and illustrated Sōin Gyokusai Seyo!, which was first published in the August 1973 issue of Shūkan Gendai.

[9] In the same year, Kodansha released it in tankōbon format with the subtitle Sento Jōji Misaki Aika (聖ジョージ岬・哀歌, "Cape St. George Lamentations").

[18] According to a compilation by Deb Aoki of About.com, Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths was considered the best new manga of 2011 because it was included in 18 critics lists of best comics/graphic novels.

[20] Paste's Garrett Martin wrote that the "realistic depictions of normal men trapped in a horrible situation" makes Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths "brutally honest".

[21] Brigid Alverson of MTV Geek said, "this is not an easy story to read, but its historical importance and the lessons it holds for the future are undeniable".

[23] Karen Green of Comixology wrote that the "story is so human and its message so powerful" and that is a good book to eliminate the preconceptions American may have of the Japanese Army that are frequently propagated by Hollywood.

"[31] Similarly, Sean Michael Robinson of The Comics Journal said Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths for its theme "as well as its many strengths and virtues, it is a very difficult book to criticize".

[32] On August 12, 2007, NHK General TV broadcast Kitarō ga Mita Gyokusai: Mizuki Shigeru no Sensō (鬼太郎が見た玉砕 〜水木しげるの戦争〜), a Japanese television drama based on Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths.