Background Information

Yaiba, also known as Legend of the Swordmaster Yaiba (剣勇伝説YAIBA Kenyuu Densetsu Yaiba?), is a shōnen manga series by Gosho Aoyama (the same guy that made Detective Conan). It ran in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from issue 39 of 1988 to issue 50 of 1993, collected in 24 tankōbon volumes. It also came in 12 double volumes.

The light-hearted manga is about an adventuring samurai named Yaiba Kurogane (鉄刃 Kurogane Yaiba?) who knows how to be a samurai, and little else. Yaiba lives with his father, Kenjurou, in the forest. One day, while Yaiba was eating, a troop of gorillas came to attack. Yaiba and his father escaped and hid inside a box, but they didn't know that the box was full of pineapples and was going to be transported into the city. In the city, Yaiba finds out that he is a legendary warrior and has to fight the evil of a demonic looking high-school student named Takeshi Onimaru. Yaiba was highly inspired by Dragon Ball.

As was the case with Dragon Ball, both series began as a kind of light-hearted gag manga, but towards the end of their run the tone became more serious and action-packed.

Onimaru also looks a fuck-ton like Tenshinhan whilst Yaiba acts a lot like Kid Goku.

Standing in the Battledome

Yaiba is a fairly strong manga. Early in the manga they were island level and in the last volume they have a huge power up where characters demonstrate the ability to react and move at super high speeds and destroy small planets (Onimaru).

As far as power ranking goes they are significantly above series like Yu Yu Hakusho and are about mid-Freeza saga level.