Author:Aura RuggeriPublished: January 10, 2023 (Updated: October 11, 2023)
This article was fact checked and it's 100% helpful.
Japan often uses its own rich culture and past for its entertainment productions. This is the same way Western countries often use their history and mythology to create TV shows and movies.
Samurai anime is one of the most popular genres in Japanese TV. It can range from being historically accurate to being complete fantasy, but it is all based on the culture of the country and the mythology surrounding it.
This article will look at some of the best samurai anime that you will find in Japan. This is a very rich genre and there is a lot to choose from.
When it comes to samurai anime, there are some comedic takes on the genre, some tragic and some dramatic.
What Is Anime?
Anime is a Japanese style show. It is an animation that is produced in Japan and influenced by the culture. Anime is the Japanese name for cartoons and it is the name that they use in Japan no matter what nation it is from.
Outside of Japan, people who refer to anime are referring to Japanese animations. It specifically refers to animation movies that come from Japan.
Anime is known for its energetic characters, fantastic graphics and interesting themes. The supernatural forces, sci-fi themes and romance that run through the animations are indicative of anime.
What Is Samurai Anime?
Samurai anime is a Japanese staple. The genre links the history and politics of Japan to the art that it is making. Anime has a very creative and supernatural aspect to it.
This article will explore some of the best samurai anime that Japan has to offer. Let’s dive into these animations!
This is a fantastic samurai anime series. It was created by the director Watanabe Shinichiro. He also created the sci-fi series named Cowboy Bebop. This series focuses on the Japanese past and it is highly political and dramatic.
This drama also contains a lot of hip-hop influences which makes it stand out from others.
This anime is not just historical and political, it also has a darkly comedic side to it. It is extremely stylized and there is a lot of tragedy involved in the story.
This is one of the most prolific anime shows in Japan. It was written by Futaro Yamada and it linked together supernatural fantasy with martial-arts action. Lots of his work takes on other literature.
His The Kouga Ninja Scrolls was his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
This story sees two different clans of ninja fighting against each other. These are the Kouga and Iga. These are the homes of the two star crossed lovers. They have very powerful skills but they are not accepted by society.
This is a violent, stylized and very remarkable story that is told in a very powerful way.
This is a great show. There are two adaptations of the Blade of the Immortal which is also known as Mugen no Juunin. This is from an original manga, and this article is focussing on the version that emerged in 2019.
This samurai anime sees Maji, an immortal swordsman, as he goes on a quest to kill 1000 evil men in order to make up for all of the good men that he has killed throughout the years. This is his way of finding peace before death.
This art is beautiful, and it is very minimalist. This is a throwback to the 90s anime style that uses still frames and dark colors in order to create the dark atmosphere of the story, reinforcing the themes.
This story is very unusual, and the way that it is portrayed is even more unusual. In this story, two adventurers begin a search for 12 swords of legend. This is a quest story, but the difference between this and other quest stories is their lack of weapons.
The adventurers use their body and mind as their weapons.
Weapons are used throughout this story to represent strength of mind and body. This is just one way in which this work is experimental and impressive.
It is an incredible story that is based on Nisioisin’s work, a very popular Japanese novelist. The experimental nature of this project doesn’t stop there. Instead, you will see the pop-art style that is popular among Western graphic designers rear its head in this story.
This series is a generally underrated series. It focuses on small and impressive details and it is often overlooked for the brilliant use of these details. It also battles major historical events during the time period, but these are used to set the scene rather than being focussed on.
They are not seen as being as important as the character dramas that play out during tea ceremonies.
This series is fairly slow paced but it is filled with wonderful cultural details. It is very engaging and entertaining!
This is a different kind of samurai anime that involves vampires! Vampires make everything and this is no exception when it comes to samurai anime. These stories are from the past and work their way through all the way to the future.
These samurai stories have both horror and sci-fi genres. There is also a large romance element to this story. There are supernatural elements to this story, too. There are lots of tonal shifts that set it apart from lots of other series.
All of these themes place this story as one of the best samurai anime stories out there.
There is a lot of attention on this series, but it definitely deserved lots more! This is a magnificent show that looks at a young princess who disguises herself as her dying brother. He is an accomplished swordsman who is setting out to collect 5 supernatural artifacts.
During this time, she picks up a slew of cohorts who are all based on figures who are present in the history and mythology of Japan.
The second half of this show is no longer a samurai story as it brings the characters into the present day. This story then has tenuous links to the first half of the story. However, it is still on a par with the rest of the competition.
The first half is very strong and you shouldn’t discount the story because the second half doesn’t quite live up to it.
Brave 10 is a great samurai anime that is about two different warriors. These warriors have different superpowers. The relationship between them and their friends who they meet on their journeys.
This story is very interesting and it is filled with fun. It is a great fantasy that is filled with action and adventure. In this show, there is a big theme of balance running throughout which explores what it means to be good and bad.
It looks at how no one is just good and no one is just bad. This show is great at balancing the themes, too, reflecting this theme.
The exploration of balance in Brave 10 really set it aside from the rest of the anime series in this article. This is because it is really interesting to explore these themes in this way.
This story is quite a dark samurai anime. It has lots of themes running throughout with themes of death, darkness and blood being at the forefront of the story. This is very different to the other stories on this list due to the violence that it contains.
Lots of the characters experience hopelessness throughout the show. This show is set in 1629 and where the students who are in the show are fighting each other with swords. It then follows this story throughout time.
The first match is between Fujiki Gennosuke and Irako Seigen.
This is one of the best samurai anime out there. This anime is set in an alternative version of Japan. Mushi, which is the name of giant insects, starts attacking. They attack people and they bring down the whole alternative country.
In this story, warriors are then sent to attack the Mushi. This story looks at one of the samurai named Jinbei Tsukishima. He takes the place of his father who is unable to continue fighting. He is a member of the City Patrol fighting the Mushi.
This anime is a great one, and it is one of the best available. It follows themes that are common in samurai anime, making it a strong contender within the genre.
Final Thoughts
This article has explored some of the best samurai anime that are available. There are lots of different types of samurai anime. Some of these will be appealing to you, and some may not.
This is because this type of anime is very varied in lots of ways. It often has different themes of violence, romance, sci fi and many more.
This article has picked a wide range of different samurai anime. Give some of them a try today!
Hi, I’m Aura Ruggeri and I want to make sure that no one makes the same mistake that I did.
So, if you’re planning a trip to Japan anytime soon, do exactly that - plan! Read up on all of the amazing things to do here to make the most of your time. I can bet that you’ll still return home feeling like you could’ve explored much more.
