Samurai Anime: 18 Iconic Series Every Fan Needs to See

Demon Slayer is the modern juggernaut of samurai-adjacent anime. Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga and animated by Ufotable, the series follows Tanjiro Kamado as he hunts demons across Taisho-era Japan to save his sister Nezuko and avenge his slaughtered family.

While the Demon Slayer Corps isn’t traditional samurai (they’re a secret demon-hunting organization in early 20th-century Japan), the swordsmanship, Breathing Styles, and katana-based combat carry every samurai genre convention forward. Ufotable’s animation quality has set new standards for the industry, and the franchise has earned over $1 billion at the box office between Mugen Train and the Infinity Castle film series.

The foundational samurai anime for an entire generation. Based on Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga, Rurouni Kenshin follows Kenshin Himura, a former Meiji-era assassin who now wanders Japan with a reverse-blade sword (sakabato) vowing never to kill again.

The original 1996 anime ran for 95 episodes. The Trust & Betrayal OVA prequel is widely considered one of the greatest anime productions of all time. And a brand new 2023 reboot from Studio Lidenfilms brought the entire series back for a modern audience. If you’re starting your samurai anime journey, this is the foundational text.

Shinichiro Watanabe‘s follow-up to Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo took Edo-era Japan and remixed it with hip-hop beats, anachronistic graffiti, and modern lo-fi sensibilities. The 2004 series follows three wanderers (the wild swordsman Mugen, the disciplined ronin Jin, and the optimistic Fuu) as they search for “the samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

The soundtrack alone, composed by Nujabes and Fat Jon, helped launch the entire lo-fi hip-hop genre. Beyond the style, the show has incredible swordfight choreography, character depth, and one of the best closing arcs in any 26-episode anime. A genuine classic.

Gintama (Hideaki Sorachi’s manga adaptation) is the longest-running samurai comedy in anime, with 367+ episodes plus multiple films and OVAs across its 2006-2018 run. Set in an alternate-history Edo where aliens have invaded Japan and forced the samurai class into obsolescence, the series follows Gintoki Sakata and his Yorozuya odd-jobs trio.

What makes Gintama unmissable is its tonal range. One episode will be absurd parody humor. The next will be one of the most emotionally devastating story arcs in shonen anime. It’s the rare series that can make you cry-laugh in the same week.

Based on Osamu Tezuka‘s 1967 manga (yes, the Father of Manga himself), the 2019 Dororo remake by MAPPA and Tezuka Productions delivers one of the darkest, most beautiful samurai anime of the past decade. The story follows Hyakkimaru, a young warrior whose father sold his body parts to twelve demons in exchange for power.

Hyakkimaru hunts these demons one by one, regaining a limb or sense with each kill. Along the way he meets Dororo, a young orphan thief who becomes his closest companion. The animation, soundtrack, and existential weight of the story make it one of the most acclaimed samurai anime of recent years.

A 2007 film from Studio Bones directed by Masahiro Ando, Sword of the Stranger is widely considered one of the greatest samurai anime films ever made. The story follows a nameless ronin (No Name) and a young boy named Kotaro being pursued by an elite group of Chinese warriors led by a fearsome blonde swordsman named Luo-Lang.

The animation is on another level. The fight choreography is some of the most technically impressive in any anime film. And the emotional core of the No Name / Kotaro bond gives the action real weight. If you’re going to watch one samurai anime film ever, make it this one.

The 1993 Yoshiaki Kawajiri masterpiece that helped define what Western audiences thought anime was. Ninja Scroll follows ronin Jubei Kibagami as he battles the Eight Devils of Kimon, a group of demonic ninja with horrifying supernatural powers, working for the Shogun of the Dark.

The film released the same year as Ghost in the Shell production began and during the height of the early anime invasion of the West. Its gritty, mythologized portrayal of medieval Japan combined with extreme violence and supernatural horror set it apart from the cyberpunk dominance of the era. A genre-defining classic.

Afro Samurai is the 2007 GONZO-produced cult anime that fused samurai aesthetics with futuristic post-apocalyptic Japan, hip-hop sensibilities, and stylized hyperviolence. Based on Takashi Okazaki’s manga, the story follows Afro, the bearer of the Number Two Headband, as he seeks the Number One Headband holder who killed his father.

The English dub features Samuel L. Jackson voicing both Afro and Ninja Ninja (Afro’s chatty alter ego). The RZA-produced soundtrack added another layer of cool. A unique production that doesn’t have many real peers.

Created by Nisio Isin (the writer behind the Monogatari series and Death Note: Another Note), Katanagatari is the visually striking 2010 series with 12 long episodes (each about 50 minutes). The story follows Shichika Yasuri, a martial artist who fights without a weapon, and Togame, a strategist hunting twelve legendary cursed swords.

Each episode focuses on collecting one of the Twelve Deviant Blades and faces off against its current wielder. The art style is uniquely beautiful, the dialogue is classic Nisio Isin (clever, layered, often philosophical), and the ending is one of the most emotionally devastating in samurai anime.

From Kohta Hirano, the creator of Hellsing, comes Drifters: a wildly creative isekai where legendary warriors from throughout history are pulled into a strange fantasy world to fight in a battle between good and evil. The 2016 anime follows Shimazu Toyohisa, a samurai from the Sengoku period, alongside other historical figures like Oda Nobunaga and the archer Nasu no Yoichi.

The Drifters fight against the Ends (other historical figures recruited by the dark side). Joan of Arc shows up. Hannibal Barca shows up. It’s gloriously over-the-top and unique. If you want samurai action with historical figure crossovers, this is the show.

A 2004 GONZO production directly adapting Akira Kurosawa‘s legendary 1954 film Seven Samurai. The twist: the world is reimagined as a futuristic setting where samurai and mecha coexist. A village hires seven warriors to protect them from bandits who steal their crops.

The reverence for the original Kurosawa film is real, and the show takes its time developing each of the seven samurai as individual characters. A unique sci-fi spin on one of the most influential films ever made.

Based on Hiroaki Samura’s epic 30-volume manga (which ran from 1993 to 2012), Blade of the Immortal follows Manji, an immortal samurai cursed with bloodworms that prevent him from dying. To regain his mortality, he must kill 1,000 evil men.

There are two anime adaptations: the 2008 original (13 episodes) and the 2019 remake from Liden Films (24 episodes). There’s also a 2017 live-action film directed by Takashi Miike. The series is famous for its incredibly detailed sword fighting (Samura is a master of weapon design) and grim moral tone.

Based on Natsume Ono’s manga, House of Five Leaves is the slow-burn samurai anime for fans of character development over action. The 2010 series follows Akitsu Masanosuke, a skilled but socially anxious ronin who reluctantly falls in with a gang of kidnappers known as the Five Leaves.

The animation has a distinctive painterly style that sets it apart from typical samurai anime. The tone is contemplative. The action is sparse but meaningful. If you’ve worked through the action-heavy samurai anime and want something quieter, this is your pick.

Based on the Capcom video game series, Sengoku Basara takes the Warring States period (Sengoku Jidai) and turns it into a glorious, over-the-top action spectacle. The 2009-2010 anime follows the legendary warlords of the era as they battle for control of Japan, with absurdly stylized combat and personalities cranked to maximum.

This isn’t the show for historical accuracy. Date Masamune wields six swords. Sanada Yukimura has flaming spears. It’s pure anime spectacle, and it’s a great gateway to Sengoku-era history if you want something that prioritizes entertainment over education.

Hakuoki started as an Otomate otome (romance) game and became a multi-season anime franchise. Set during the Bakumatsu period (the final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate), it follows Chizuru Yukimura as she searches for her missing father in Kyoto and becomes entangled with the legendary Shinsengumi police force.

The samurai in Hakuoki have supernatural elements (rasetsu, vampire-like demons), which lets the show blend historical samurai drama with supernatural action and romance. A great pick for fans of the Shinsengumi as historical figures.

Based on the legendary “Sanada Ten Braves” (the ten warriors who served under historical figure Sanada Yukimura), the 2012 anime follows Saizo Kirigakure, a skilled ninja, and Isanami, a shrine maiden with mysterious powers, as they gather a team of ten warriors. The story plays loose with history but draws on real Sanada legend.

Solid action, group dynamics, and a great entry point for fans of the warring-states warrior groups.

The lightest entry on this list. The Ambition of Oda Nobuna (2012) is the isekai-romcom-historical-comedy that imagines: what if Oda Nobunaga (and all the other major Sengoku warlords) were actually teenage girls? Modern high schooler Yoshiharu Sagara gets transported back in time and becomes a retainer to Oda Nobuna.

It’s deeply silly. It plays fast and loose with history. But it’s also a surprisingly fun pick if you want samurai anime as comedy rather than serious drama.

A 1993 classic that holds a unique distinction: it’s the only samurai anime created by Gosho Aoyama, the manga-ka behind Detective Conan (Case Closed). Adapted from Aoyama’s 1989-1993 manga, the series follows young samurai Yaiba Kurogane, who travels from rural wilderness to the city and becomes a local hero through his swordsmanship.

A shonen-style samurai adventure designed for younger audiences, but with the kind of solid character writing that made Aoyama’s later work so successful. A great deep cut for completionists.