If you are into anime, it is likely that you are intrigued by at least some facet of Japanese culture, and nothing is more intriguing than their famous historical warrior caste – the samurai. Samurai represent an integral part of Japanese history and culture, serving as some of the most skilled and honorable swordsmen to ever walk the earth and inspiring truly some of the most weebiest of weebs.
While the samurai way is all but dead, they live on even beyond the history books. In anime, samurai run the gamut of strict and dignified to straight-up punks and villains, but they are always a joy to watch. These samurai anime recommendations feature samurai represented every number of ways to fulfill all your lusty Feudal Era needs.
Best Samurai Anime
Gun Samurai
Young Musashi Miyamoto has fallen in love with Kaguyahime. In order her win her love, he takes his electro-sword and demon-sealing revolvers on a quest.
Musashi Miyamoto is a samurai legend, but unlike the Musashi Miyamoto you are familiar with from Japanese history or the manga Vagabond, Gun Samurai follows a re-imagined Musashi. Gun Samurai follows the many adventures of the younger, whinier Musashi Miyamoto as he quests to win the love of the comely Kaguyahime with his electro-sword and revolvers. As you could imagine, this is one of those samurai anime series that is so bad it actually ends up being really enjoyable.
Exile Generation
The members of the Japanese band Exile Generation are re-imagined in this titular anime as futuristic samurais that are sent back in time to the Warring States period of Japan. With each member designed as part-samurai, part-thug, if you liked shows like Samurai Champloo for its slick animation and Mugen’s attitude, Exile Generation will be aligned with your samurai interests.
Afro Samurai
When he was a boy, Afro witnessed his father cut down by a man known only as Justice. After killing his father, this man took the number one headband and cast the number two aside. Years later after working his way up to the number two headband, Afro is granted the right to challenge the number one, the man who killed his father.
Afro Samurai is your standard tale of bloody vengeance. Known for its originality and unique characters, Afro Samurai is an excellent watch for those that want something still within the samurai genre, but different from the typical tropes.
Gifuu Doudou!!: Kanetsugu to Keiji
Naoe Kanetsugu was a brilliant military general of the Uesagi family. Together with lifelong friend and warrior Maeda Keiji, they both carve out their legend during one of the most tumultuous times in Japan’s history.
Gifuu Doudou tells the somewhat fictionalize tale of two very real samurai – Naoe Kanetsugu and Maeda Keiji. If your passion is seeing real historical samurai come to life in animation then Gifuu Doudou is an interesting and well-animated adventure into two less focused figures from the past.
Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran
Ran is a wandering female samurai during the Edo Period of Japan. Her skill with a blade is matched only by her thirst for sake. Joined by her companion, Lady Meow of the Iron Cat Fist, this is the tale of her adventures.
Kazemakase tells the tale of female samurai and avid drunk Ran and her Chinese martial artist friend Lady Meow as they travel Japan during the Edo period. There is little story in Kazemakase other than that. Each episode is essentially just a short story in the life of these two characters. If you like less serious samurai fare, this is a fine mix of action and laughs.
Time of Shura
The legends tell of a bare first martial arts style called Mutsu Enmei-Ryu. It is said to be able to disarm any opponent. This is the tale of three generations of Mutsu users and their struggles.
While the animation in Time of Shura could be better, if you are a fan of technical samurai fights, you will find no finer show in the genre. While the technical research that went into each fight was a nice perk, what really sets Time of Shura apart from the pack is the three arcs that each cover a different member of the same family during different periods in Japan’s history.
Peacemaker Kurogane
After being traumatized by the murder of his parents, Ichimura Tetsunosuke has a thirst for revenge. Fueled by it, he seeks to join the Shinsengumi, but lacks the skill. Now he trains to learn just what it means to be part of this historic group.
While the revenge plot is pretty standard, aside from some brief comedic reprieves, Peacemaker Kurogane does, at times, fall in line with telling some historical events from the last days of the samurai.
Hakuouki
In 1864 Japan, Chizuru is searching for her missing father. On her journey, she watches a ronin being killed by a group of white-haired men. She witnesses the Shinsengumi show up and dispatch them, but the Shinsengumi then take her captive and debate whether to just kill her. Once she reveals her father’s identity, they decide to keep her safe and help her search for him.
Hakuouki is based on a reverse harem gal game, which typically means romance and drama up the wazoo. However, Hakuouki breaks the trope. It does feature a little romance, but instead the anime opts to focus more on the lives of this secret clan of warriors and the quest they undertake. There are plenty of sword fights, but also some very artsy cinematics at times that might feel more at home in a visual novel.
House of Five Leaves
Masanosuke Akitsu is a skilled swordsman, but his meek personality sees him continuously masterless and wandering as a ronin. Released by yet another master, he is approached by Yaichi, a carefree man who hires him as a bodyguard on a whim. Taking this job entangles Masa in a gang known as the Five Leaves that pits him against his own principles.
The House of Five Leaves automatically sets itself apart with its unique and occasionally haunting art style, but what really makes it different is that it is not about someone trying to be the strongest or on a quest for glory. Instead it is about some average samurai that actually kind of sucks and at times seems to just draw his sword to cut a paycheck.
Brave 10
After her temple is burned and the people within slaughtered, Isanami, a priestess of Izumo, is forced to flee. She manages to find a masterless Iga ninja who helps her reach Ueda Castle where she asks the lord, Yukimura Sanada, for help. However, when she reaches him, a mysterious power manifests. This power is strong and coveted by many, so in order to protect it, Yukimura summons ten warriors to defend her.
Brave 10 is … not what you would expect, in a bad way. If you are expecting a dark and gritty show, this is not that. While often leaning more towards the romantic side, Brave 10 is by no means a boring show. However, in between great, fast-paced fights, you will have to sit through the wooing and drama of it all.
Mushibugyou
In Feudal Japan, the people are under siege by giant insects that are ravaging the land. The government has established the Insect Magistrate Office in order to gather warriors and defend against the swarm. Jinbee Tsukishima is a young swordsman that wants to be a master like his father. In atonement for an accident, he seeks to take his father’s place in the Insect Magistrate Office.
As you might expect, this particular anime, while having samurai and a feudal setting, is primarily a shounen anime where the main character gets progressively stronger amongst challenging odds.
Samurai 7
On the brink of starvation and under constant threat of abduction by mechanized bandits, the villagers of Kanna pool the last of their rice harvest to hire samurai to protect their village. They amass seven samurai of varying talents and mechanical augmentations to help them fight against the bandits.
Although re-imagined in a sci-fi setting, Samurai 7 is the anime adaption of Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai film Seven Samurai. The anime also loosely follows the plot of the film. While Samurai 7 can be a little bit too ridiculously mecha at times, it does feature some decent sword fights and characters that capture the spirit of their movie inspirations.
Blade of the Immortal
Manji is a swordsman who was cursed with eternal life. Growing upset with all the death he has created, he tries to get his mortality back by killing 100 evil men for every good person he had struck down. On this journey, he meets a girl named Rin who seeks her own vengeance against a sword school that killed her family. Together they journey, both trying to find their peace and prevent being consumed by revenge.
For those who have read the original manga, the Blade of the Immortal anime is a widely known disappointment. However, for non-manga fans, it remains a fairly interesting watch. While occasionally painfully slow moving, the fights and the many weapons of Manji are some of the most brilliant in the samurai genre.
Shigurui
At the beginning of the Edo Era, a time of peace has descended over the land. The Lord Tokugawa Tadanaga, however, has decided to hold a fighting tournament with real steel instead of wooden swords. Within this tournament, the one-armed Gennosuke and blind Seigen are set to face off. As they were both disciples of Iwamoto Kogan, the greatest swordsman in all of Japan, both are determined to prove they are his rightful successor.
Shigurui is about the fight between the blind Irako Seigen and the one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and the events that led up to it. As the conditions of the two fighters may suggest, Shigurui is nothing short of brutal. It is a desperate and hopeless romp through the feudal era that provides satisfying, although rather sad, action.
Sengoku Basara
In the Sengoku Period of Japan, constant struggle between local lords has fostered a chaotic Japan. Quelling these lords one after another under his might and military prowess was the Demon King of Owari, Oda Nobunaga who was slowly uniting Japan. However, only two dared rebel against his rule, the One-eyed Dragon of Oshu, Masamune Date and the hot blooded warrior of the Takeda clan, Yukimura Sanada. Though Masamune and Yukimura share a similar goal of defying Oda rule, the two are locked in fierce rivalry that thwarts any hope of a united front. However, under pressure from Oda’s looming force, they must learn to make peace and work together if they hope to survive.
Do you like the Samurai and/or Dynasty Warriors games? Chances are if you are really interested in the samurai genre that you do. Sengoku Basara is a lot like the Samurai Warriors series. It takes real historical warriors and lords from the Warring States era, decks them out in glamorous armor and over-the-top attitudes, and then lets them loose on each other with over-the-top sword skills. While some battles stick close to history, mostly it is just historical samurai battling it out in a flurry of sparks.
Hyouge Mono
When people think of the golden age of the samurai during the Warring States period, they think of the ambition, warfare, and chaotic turmoil that ruled the age. However, what many neglect to address is that it was also the high point of Japan’s philosophy and aesthetic arts, something the samurai had no small part in cultivating. That is what Hyouge Mono is about. It is about Furuta Sasuke, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga and a man obsessed with tea ceremony.
While often considered boring by those with little interest in the time period other than the fighting, Hyouge Mono actually helps to fill in the gaps of the Warring States Era that most people don’t know and showcases the many other artistic interests of the samurai.
Samurai Champloo
Fuu is a young girl working as a waitress at a small tea house. Things are peaceful until one day she spills tea on a customer and finds the samurai harassing her. Calling for help, a thuggish young rogue by the name of Mugen steps in only to pick a fight with another tightly wound samurai named Jin. In their fight, they end up destroying the shop and getting arrested. After saving the two fighters from their execution, Fuu hires them as bodyguards to help her find a samurai that smells of sunflowers.
Samurai Champloo combines high octane sword fights with surprisingly addictive hip hop music to create one of the most beloved samurai anime series of all time. The story follows two swordsmen that constantly walk the line between friends and enemies as they escort a clumsy waitress on her quest to find a samurai that smells of sunflowers. On their journey, not only will you see some of the best animated fights in the genre, but you will also get a few knowledge bombs dropped on some lesser known historical events.
Gintama
After aliens invade Japan, they put a prohibition on swords. However, Gintoki Sakata still possesses the heart of a samurai. Taking on odd jobs alongside of his friends, Gintama follows Gintoki during his chaotic life as an errand boy.
Gintama is … a bit of an odd duck. It follows Gintoki, a samurai that is forced to do all kinds of odd jobs in Feudal Japan after the era is invaded by aliens and the samurai lose their power. Not only does it balance comedy and action, but Gintama actually also balances silliness with some accurate historical references. Unfortunately, you have to know a fair bit about the era to understand what is educational and what is silly. Regardless, if you don’t take your samurai genre too seriously, Gintama is a classic.
Rurouni Kenshin
During more violent times, there was the tale of a legendary manslayer, the Battousai. However, this assassin suddenly disappeared at the beginning of the Meiji Era, but his legend is still well-known. Ten years later, unbeknownst to the people, the Battousai has abandoned his blood-stained ways and began living as a wanderer known as Kenshin, a goofball and pacifist that has vowed to never kill again. After saving a sword dojo ran by a woman from an imposter posing as the Battousai, this wanderer stops his travel to temporarily stay.
While probably not the best in the samurai genre, Kenshin is still one of the most famous samurai anime. Lengthy and drawn out at times, Rurouni Kenshin tells a story that will make you feel right at home if you are a fan of Bleach or Naruto. If you want something a little more serious and dark, be sure to watch its short prequel series, Samurai X.
Dororo
In order to become indomitable on the battlefield, a samurai lord barters his son’s organs away to 48 demons and then abandons him. However, his son doesn’t die. Instead, a medicine man saves him with primitive, but lethal prosthetics that allow him to hunt down the demons and regain his organs for an eventual battle with his father.
While of a less historical nature, Dororo does approriately adopt the samurai aesthetic of Feudal Japan that just happens to have a few demons in it. It’s a bleak tale that features some excellent in innovatively done sword fights.
Drifters
While forming the rear guard for his uncle’s escape, Toyohisa Shimazu manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically wounded himself in the process. While trying to limp back home, he finds himself transported from the field to a hallway lined with doors. There a mysterious man sends him spiraling into another world. Dragged into the forest by two young elves, Toyohisa is patched up by two others from the Land of the Rising Sun that turn out to be Yoichi Suketaka Nasu and Oda Nobunaga. From there, Toyohisa and his fellow historical figures, named “drifters” must save (or conquer) their new world.
Drifters is a pretty neat beast that combines historical figures from a number of moments throughout history. The main characters just happen to be samurai. It is actually pretty interesting to see things clash out, though some do have more power than others.
Touken Ranbu
In the year 2205, a plot is discovered to go back in time and change history. To fight against it, the Saniwa, sages who can breath life into inanimate objects, dispatch their most powerful creations – historical Japanese swords given life in the form of young men. These sword travel back in time to fight the forces who seek to change it.
This show is for two people – people who like handsome anime men and historical sword otaku. If you aren’t at least somewhat in either camp, then there are better samurai anime to watch.
Angolmois
As the Mongolian Empire rapidly expands in the 13th Century, they turn their eyes across the sea to Japan. For Jinzaburou, once a trusted man of the Kamakura and now an exiled criminal, he finds himself at the first staging point of the invasion – the island of Tsushima. As the first stop between Korea and the Japanese mainland, can they withstand the torrent of a Mongol invasion?
Focusing on an actual historical moment in Japanese history, Angolmois shows the Mongol Invasion of Tsushima, telling a messier version than Ghosts of Tsushima, the video game, does. However, it places a strong focus on military tactics to show that a smaller, less prepared force can stand against overwhelming odds.
Kurozuka
In the 12th century, Kurou flees into the mountains after his brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, first shogun of Japan, is killed. The historical records say he committed suicide, but in actuality, he met a strange, beautiful woman named Kuromitsu whom he fell in love with. However, she reveals a dark secret that he is now unable to die. This is his journey through the ages.
While it is a tale of immortality that spans many years, Kurozuka does tell your standard tale of love and betrayal all framed by Fuedal characters.
Yasuke
In a Feudal Japan overrun with magic and technology, an African man named Yasuke goes from being in the service of missionaries to being the retainer of Oda Nobunaga. After Nobunaga’s fall, he tries to put his past behind him by taking on the job of a boatman. However, after a chance encounter, he agrees to take a woman and her sickly, mysterious daughter to a special doctor that puts him at odds with the Yami no Daimyo that kills his lord.
While I ultimately disliked Yasuke because they put mechs in what would be a perfect historical samurai tale to tell. It is still a samurai story surrounding the African samurai, Yasuke – an actual factual person from history.
Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto
Wandering mercenary Yojiro Akizuki uses his sword for not just work, but to track down supernatural objects and destroy them. On his quest, he crosses paths with a theater group whose members all have a dark past. This chance encounter sees him thrust into conspiracy.
While there is that whole supernatural thing about it, this series does something that most samurai series don’t really do so well – intrigue. Usually it is all honorable sword fights, but this series combines action with clever moves and countermoves.
Kochoki
This is the tale of Oda Nobunaga during his less famous younger years. It tells of his time before he was a great conqueror and the difficulties that led to fighting his own brother, Nobuyuki.
This is an interesting look at the beginning of a historical warlord, but it is fair to mention that they added a little light BL in there.
Bakumatsu
Takasugi Shinsaku is a soldier of fortune in Choshu who has snuck aboard a ship with his friend Katsura Kogorou. They are in search of a timepiece that can manipulate time in order to destroy it before the government can obtain it. When it is in their grasp, it is quickly stolen and they are led to the capital where they discover that the government was overthrown by the deity Susanoo. Now their plans change to resetting time and saving their nation.
This series has an interesing time-teasing premise that it absolutely fumbles. However, it looks great and creates an interesting world. It is just that the plot doesn’t exactly go anywhere.
Onihei
Heizou Hasegawa’s blade skills may have others calling him Devil, but he puts those skills to work as a chief police officer who keeps the law in his region.
This is a look at samurai from a more law-abiding angle. Onihei is episodic following a police chief samurai as he solves a number of problems.
Otogi Zoshi
In Kyoto, ancient capital of Japan, the city is quickly slipping into corruption while suffering from famine and diseases. Unable to ignore this any longer, the government sends archery master Minamoto no Raiko to recover a legendary gem that may hold the power to save them all. After Raiko falls ill, his sister Hikaru secretly takes his place and makes the journey herself.
This series takes place in two arcs that feel like completely different anime series. The premise is interesting, focusing on very early non-Fuedal samurai, and one that specializes in archery, at that. However, it gets messy as it goes on.
Samurai Deeper Kyo
There is a tale told of the battle between two men at the Battle of Sekigahara. The tale tells of a battle so fierce between Kyoushirou Mibu and Demon Eyes Kyou that a meteor fell on them and they both vanished. Four years after the battle, a bounty hunter named Yuya Shina tracks down Kyoushirou who has become a perverted medicine man. However, it seems that Demon Eyes Kyou is also trapped within his body.
Samurai Deeper Kyo is definitely more of your shounen type of show with its supernatural elements and battles, but that doesn’t change the fact that it tells the tale of a samurai in a Samurai-laden period.
Do you have more samurai anime that you think deserve to be in on this list? Let fans know in the comments section below.
