Samurai don’t always appear as specific characters in anime. The term “samurai anime” can refer to a general aesthetic of medieval Japan or the general philosophy of bushido, and it’s a recurring theme that appears in a variety of anime genres. It tends to be more ubiquitous as part of the setting if a movie or TV series is set in Japan’s past, but the legend of the samurai can appear in almost any time and place, and given how creative anime is that means part of literally any adventure anywhere.RELATED: Sci-Fi Anime That Are UnderratedJust to clarify, a samurai isn’t just an image from Japanese history of a man who carries a sword. The samurai were the military officers who served the local or regional lord in a feudal society, and as Japan modernized, their positions became obsolete, and they faded into the past. Movies and media remember them with reverence, and today filmmakers and animators alike emulate the image of the noble and heroic samurai figure. Although depictions range from realistic to the ethereal, they are all entertaining. Updated March 18, 2022 by Kristy Ambrose: As a genre, there’s a lot of samurai anime out there, and it’s easy for even the savviest cartoon fans to feel overwhelmed. A few creative designers and animators have also shown fans that these stories don’t always have to take place in conventional feudal Japan, either. That impressive variety means we can add a few more to the list of the best samurai anime.
13 Samurai 7
The name isn’t just a coincidence or a reference. Although the story is set in a post-apocalyptic time as opposed to a medieval one, this series is based on the Kurosawa film Seven Samurai.
The futuristic setting presents this group for samurai with some unique challenges, such as defending the village of Kanna from the cybernetic Nobuseri bandits, but other than that the anime follows the same basic plot as the movie. Samurai 7 aired in 2004 and the series consists of 26 episodes.
12 MushibugyÅ
Although the manga series is extensive, consisting of several volumes that have been in circulation more or less since 2009, the anime consists of a single season made up of 26 episodes. It follows the adventures of a samurai called Jinbei as he fights the Mushi, a race of insects that have been terrorizing local people for a century.
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MushibugyÅ mixes the historic aesthetic of the Edo Period in Japan with an anachronistic animation style. Anime fans who like experimental anime like Redline or The House Of Five Leaves will also like this samurai anime.
11 Blade Of The Immortal
If you think the title of the anime is dramatic, get a load of the original manga’s crazy title, The Inhabitant of Infinity. The story is about a samurai named Manji, cursed with immortality, who has to kill 1000 evil men in order to regain the ability to die naturally.
The anime television series consisted of thirty volumes, as opposed to episodes, and lasted from 1993 to 2012 which is a pretty epic run. There was also a live-action adaptation in 2017 and another anime adaptation in 2019 that consisted of 24 traditional episodes of about 22 minutes each.
10 Sword Of The Stranger
A stand-alone movie as opposed to a series, Sword of the Stranger was released in 2007 and takes place in a historic but fictionalized era of Japan’s past. A group of marauders from the west are relentlessly pursuing a boy named Kotaro, who has only his dog Tobimaru and a nameless samurai called Nanashi to help him. However, Nanashi has a dark past and isn’t allowed to draw his sword, an unusual problem for a samurai.
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As the story goes on, the mysterious backstories of both the main characters are revealed, and we learn why Kotaro is being pursued along with who Nanashi is and where he came from. The story has some political and social intrigue that twists the plot and keeps the story from being too formulaic.
9 Gin Tama (Gintama)
Gintama is a fan favorite, and one of the most popular as well as critically-successful samurai anime in existence. The basic premise is wildly creative, taking place in the historic Edo Period but in an alternative reality where the samurai must defend the earth from invading aliens. This is the episodic anime series that aired from 2006 to 2010, just to clarify, as there are several versions and adaptations of the popular manga.
The main character is freelance samurai Gintoki Sakata. Eventually, he’s joined by two friends, the alien teenager Kagura who is super strong, and Sinpachi Shimura, who is grateful to Gintoki for saving his sister from a brothel. The anime is known for its clever juxtapositions of comedy, social parody, and exciting, high-stakes drama.
8 Kurozuka
The title means “black mound” and is a reference to a chilling legend of the Onibaba, a malevolent type of spirit from Japanese folklore. This samurai anime has similar themes, plus it’s known for its visceral yet beautiful depictions of violence and depravity, typical of the Madhouse studio that produced and made it.
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The story follows the manga closely, beginning in 12th century Japan with the wandering samurai Kuro, and his chance meeting with a woman named Kuromitsu. She happens to be a vampire, and some believe her blood is the secret to eternal life. Through a series of weird circumstances, Kuro is betrayed by his servant and wakes up in a dystopian future in which he must find Kuromitsu.
7 House Of Five Leaves
A samurai anime that is highly recommended for its unique artwork alone, there’s also a compelling drama behind the subtle plot in House of Five Leaves. The main character, Masanosuke Akitsu, is a freelance samurai who has too mild a demeanor to be a fighter, which is why he’s a “rÅnin” or a samurai with no master.
When the leader of a group of bandits offers Akitsu a job as a bodyguard, he’s in no position to refuse. It seems strange that the strong and charismatic Yaichi would employ such a person as their bodyguard in a heartless criminal underworld, and as the story unfolds it turns out he did it more for company and boredom than any real need for protection.
6 Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings
For those interested in samurai anime from the Sengoku Period of feudal Japan that was mostly defined by civil war and social upheaval, there’s Samurai Kings. The era is historic, the addition of demons and their supernatural powers a lot less so. Instead of being adapted from a manga like the vast majority of other anime, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings is based on a Capcom video game known as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes.
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The story follows two rivals, Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura, who decide to put aside their differences and fight against the Demon King Owari. This season lasted for twelve episodes and was followed by a second, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings II, another sequel in movie form called Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, and most recently a television series, Sengoku Basara: End of Judgement.
5 Ninja Scroll
Another movie as opposed to a series, but the original samurai anime was popular enough to create a whole franchise and maybe that should count. Ninja Scroll was released in 1993 and was part of the anime invasion of the same era that also included classics like Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Its use of an authentic if not highly mythologized depiction of medieval Japan, not only in design but also in sound and musical choices, made it a unique offering at a time when anime was seen as a cyberpunk medium.
The story follows the path of a ronin named Kibagami Jubei. It’s the story of how his innocent cross-country trip became a deadly adventure fighting the Eight Devils of Kimon and their leader, his sworn enemy Genma, who is now the sinister Shogun of the Dark.
4 Samurai Champloo
The closest thing to historically accurate when it comes to anime about Japan’s move from a feudal society to an industrialized one, Samurai Champloo is produced by ShinichirÅ Watanabe, the same artist behind fan-favorite Cowboy BeBop. The animation style is similar, using a more realistic look for the dramatic moments and highly-stylized animation for action scenes.
When the first episode starts, teenager Fuu is working in her aunt and uncle’s restaurant. By the end, the restaurant has burned down and she’s intent on helping the culprits avoid execution, so they can help her find her long-lost father, the Samurai Who Smells Like Sunflowers. These wayward samurai, Jinn and Mugen, come from very different places, and even they both point out that sunflowers don’t smell like anything, but they reluctantly agree to help her.
3 Afro Samurai
As if any more evidence were needed that Samuel L. Jackson really is in everything, here’s the gritty and beautiful Afro Samurai. Aside from the main character, Jackson also voices several other roles and had a hand in the production. This is the miniseries that consisted of five episodes and was released between 2004 and 2005. Samurai Resurrection, which was released in 2009, is a direct sequel in full-length movie form.
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The story revolves around a hero known only as Afro and his life-long quest for revenge. He seeks to challenge the one with the Number 1 headband, who killed his father to acquire it. However, in order to do that. Afro Samurai has to follow a bloody path to revenge that includes getting the Number 2 headband first.
2 Hyouge Mono
This is a better choice for those fans of samurai anime that prefer a more historically accurate depiction of Japan’s medieval era. Hyouge Mono is a slow burn that’s more about politics and personal discovery than fighting, but that doesn’t mean the anime doesn’t also have some great action scenes.
The setting is the tense Sengoku period, a time of civil war, and the main character is a warlord named Furuta Sasuke. That seems to indicate that he would be spending his time fighting, but Furuta has become obsessed with the quiet art of the tea ceremony and is questioning his path in life.
1 Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin could be the most popular samurai-themed anime in history. It’s also known as Samurai X and is based on an equally popular manga entitled Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story. There’s even a whole live-action movie franchise that’s been well-received by fans and critics, an anomaly in the world of anime adaptations.
The story takes place in the Meiji Era of Japan and follows the adventures of Kenshin, a former samurai warrior now become a pacifist. His change of heart is reflected in the unusual blade he carries, a katana with a reversed blade, which eventually becomes this character’s signature item.
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