Essay - How An African Warrior and Japanese Samurai Become Legends like Hercules

How two warriors, Makoma of Africa and Yamato of Japan become legends in strikingly similar fashion. With these types of stories one can almost always relate them to Hercules and his labors. The stories of Yamato even in fact have the same word "labors" in their respective titles. All of these stories include a single powerful man, given particular skill or magic prowess at birth and become legends amongst humans.

Yamato had to slay a dragon as Hercules had to slay the Hydra. Both wielded great swords and were pretty effective with them. Both were kinda war hungry as well and led to their wives deaths.

Makoma bore a hammer, much like the giant club Hercules sometimes welded  Both fought giant beast, Makoma's being crocodiles, Hercules being the great boar. In fact Yamato also played a great boar with terrifying tusks. So many similarities all around. Each story from a different regions on earth though. This is interesting.

In the end Makoma goes to the clouds as Hercules goes to Mt. Olympus. Makoma fought something like a great Mount Olympus type Titan to finally make his was as a legend into the heavens. Yamato became the most legendary samurai in all of Japan. 

Sources
African Stories & Japanese Mythology

Marvels Hercules