Top 19 Samurai anime you should watch right now. [2024 List]

Samurai anime you should watch right now.

What is this genre all about?

We present you the list of Samurai anime you should watch right now.

Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game

19. Jigokuraku

Jigokuraku

The Edo period is nearing its end. Gabimaru, a shinobi formerly known as the strongest in Iwagakure who is now a death row convict, is told that he will be acquitted and set free if he can bring back the Elixir of Life from an island that is rumored to be the Buddhist pure land Sukhavati. In hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife, Gabimaru heads to the island along with the executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri. Upon arriving there, they encounter other death row convicts in search of the Elixir of Life... as well as a host of unknown creatures, eerie manmade statues, and the hermits who rule the island. Can Gabimaru find the Elixir of Life on this mysterious island and make it back home alive?

Hell's Paradise has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 地獄楽, Heavenhell, Paradition, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

You might like: Top Anime Like Hell's Paradise

18. Gintama

Gintama

The Amanto, aliens from outer space, have invaded Earth and taken over feudal Japan. As a result, a prohibition on swords has been established, and the samurai of Japan are treated with disregard as a consequence.
However one man, Gintoki Sakata, still possesses the heart of the samurai, although from his love of sweets and work as a yorozuya, one might not expect it. Accompanying him in his jack-of-all-trades line of work are Shinpachi Shimura, a boy with glasses and a strong heart, Kagura with her umbrella and seemingly bottomless stomach, as well as Sadaharu, their oversized pet dog. Of course, these odd jobs are not always simple, as they frequently have run-ins with the police, ragtag rebels, and assassins, oftentimes leading to humorous but unfortunate consequences.
Who said life as an errand boy was easy?

Gintama has finished airing and it has 201 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂, Gin Tama, Silver Soul, Yorinuki Gintama-san

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama

17. Blue Eye Samurai

Blue Eye Samurai

Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny.

Blue Eye Samurai has finished airing and it has 8 Episodes. It is also Known as: ブルーアイ・サムライ, Blue Eye Samurai

You might like: Top Anime Like Blue Eye Samurai

16. Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke

A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.

Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.

Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.

When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan. However, after the forest's eradication and the ongoing war between Human and Beast, will the Spirit of the Forest be forgiving and accept Ashitaka's request to expel his curse?

Princess Mononoke has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Mononoke Hime, もののけ姫, Princess Mononoke

You might like: Top Anime Like Princess Mononoke

15. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

Re-adaptation of the main manga series.

One hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with he coming of the American "Black Ships," there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri, manslayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive age known as Meiji. Then he vanished, and with the flow of years, became legend.

Rurouni Kenshin (2023) has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-(2023), Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

You might like: Top Anime Like Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

14. Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo

Fuu Kasumi is a young and clumsy waitress who spends her days peacefully working in a small teahouse. That is, until she accidentally spills a drink all over one of her customers! With a group of samurai now incessantly harassing her, Fuu desperately calls upon another samurai in the shop, Mugen, who quickly defeats them with his wild fighting technique, utilizing movements reminiscent to that of breakdancing. Unfortunately, Mugen decides to pick a fight with the unwilling ronin Jin, who wields a more precise and traditional style of swordfighting, and the latter proves to be a formidable opponent. The only problem is, they end up destroying the entire shop as well as accidentally killing the local magistrate's son.
For their crime, the two samurai are captured and set to be executed. However, they are rescued by Fuu, who hires the duo as her bodyguards. Though she no longer has a place to return to, the former waitress wishes to find a certain samurai who smells of sunflowers and enlists the help of the now exonerated pair to do so. Despite initially disapproving of this idea, the two eventually agree to assist the girl in her quest; thus, the trio embark upon an adventure to find this mysterious warrior—that is, if Fuu can keep Mugen and Jin from killing each other.
Set in an alternate Edo Period of Japan, Samurai Champloo follows the journey of these three eccentric individuals in an epic quest full of action, comedy, and dynamic sword fighting, all set to the beat of a unique hip-hop infused soundtrack.

Samurai Champloo has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: サムライチャンプルー, SAMURAI CHAMPLOO

You might like: Top Anime Like Samurai Champloo

13. Gintama'

Gintama'

After a one-year hiatus, Shinpachi Shimura returns to Edo, only to stumble upon a shocking surprise: Gintoki and Kagura, his fellow Yorozuya members, have become completely different characters! Fleeing from the Yorozuya headquarters in confusion, Shinpachi finds that all the denizens of Edo have undergone impossibly extreme changes, in both appearance and personality. Most unbelievably, his sister Otae has married the Shinsengumi chief and shameless stalker Isao Kondou and is pregnant with their first child.
Bewildered, Shinpachi agrees to join the Shinsengumi at Otae and Kondou's request and finds even more startling transformations afoot both in and out of the ranks of the the organization. However, discovering that Vice Chief Toushirou Hijikata has remained unchanged, Shinpachi and his unlikely Shinsengumi ally set out to return the city of Edo to how they remember it.
With even more dirty jokes, tongue-in-cheek parodies, and shameless references, Gintama' follows the Yorozuya team through more of their misadventures in the vibrant, alien-filled world of Edo.

Gintama' has finished airing and it has 51 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂', Gintama (2011)

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama'

12. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

In the final years of the Bakumatsu era lived a legendary assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai. Feared as a merciless killer, he was unmatched throughout the country, but mysteriously disappeared at the peak of the Japanese Revolution. It has been ten peaceful years since then, but the very mention of Battousai still strikes terror into the hearts of war veterans.Unbeknownst to them, Battousai has abandoned his bloodstained lifestyle in an effort to repent for his sins, now living as Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a cheerful attitude and a strong will. Vowing never to kill again, Kenshin dedicates himself to protecting the weak. One day, he stumbles across Kaoru Kamiya at her kendo dojo, which is being threatened by an impostor claiming to be Battousai. After receiving help from Kenshin, Kaoru allows him to stay at the dojo, and so the former assassin temporarily ceases his travels.Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan tells the story of Kenshin as he strives to save those in need of saving. However, as enemies from both past and present begin to emerge, will the reformed killer be able to uphold his new ideals?

Rurouni Kenshin has finished airing and it has 94 Episodes. It is also Known as: るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-, Samurai X

You might like: Top Anime Like Rurouni Kenshin

11. MONSTERS: Ippaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku

MONSTERS: Ippaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku

MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation by Eiichiro Oda tells the tale of Ryuuma, the legendary swordsman that hails from the Land of Wano in One Piece.

MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: MONSTERS 一百三情飛龍侍極, MONSTERS: Ippaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku

You might like: Top Anime Like MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation

10. Drifters

Drifters

Shimazu Toyohisa, whilst involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically wounded in the process. As he walks from the field broken and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. This man, Murasaki, sends Toyohisa into the nearest door where he wakes up in another world. There, Toyohisa meets other great warriors like him who have been transported as well, to be part of a group known as "Drifters."

Drifters has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: DRIFTERS, Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War

You might like: Top Anime Like Drifters

9. Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai

When he was a young boy, Afro witnessed his father be cut down in a duel at the hands of a man known only as Justice. After taking the life of Afro's father, Justice cast aside his Number Two headband and took the Number One to claim its godly powers as his own.
Years later, having obtained the Number Two headband which grants him the right to challenge the Number One, Afro moves forward in his hunt for revenge on the man who murdered his father. There is just one thing that stands in his way—everyone else in the world! Though the Number One can only be challenged by the Number Two, the Number Two can be challenged by anyone. As his enemies gather to try and take the title of Number Two, Afro must fight through a myriad of foes and obstacles if he hopes to reach the Number One and claim vengeance once and for all.

Afro Samurai has finished airing and it has 5 Episodes. It is also Known as: アフロサムライ, Afro Samurai

You might like: Top Anime Like Afro Samurai

8. Gintama°

Gintama°

Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Kagura return as the fun-loving but broke members of the Yorozuya team! Living in an alternate-reality Edo, where swords are prohibited and alien overlords have conquered Japan, they try to thrive on doing whatever work they can get their hands on. However, Shinpachi and Kagura still haven't been paid... Does Gin-chan really spend all that cash playing pachinko?
Meanwhile, when Gintoki drunkenly staggers home one night, an alien spaceship crashes nearby. A fatally injured crew member emerges from the ship and gives Gintoki a strange, clock-shaped device, warning him that it is incredibly powerful and must be safeguarded. Mistaking it for his alarm clock, Gintoki proceeds to smash the device the next morning and suddenly discovers that the world outside his apartment has come to a standstill. With Kagura and Shinpachi at his side, he sets off to get the device fixed; though, as usual, nothing is ever that simple for the Yorozuya team.
Filled with tongue-in-cheek humor and moments of heartfelt emotion, Gintama's fourth season finds Gintoki and his friends facing both their most hilarious misadventures and most dangerous crises yet.

Gintama° has finished airing and it has 51 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂°, Gintama' (2015)

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama°

7. ONIMUSHA

ONIMUSHA

With a demonic, soul-consuming weapon in hand, can a legendary swordsman and a samurai brotherhood defeat a bloodthirsty zombie uprising?

Onimusha has finished airing and it has 8 Episodes. It is also Known as: 鬼武者, ONIMUSHA

You might like: Top Anime Like Onimusha

6. Jigokuraku 2nd Season

Jigokuraku 2nd Season

The second season of Jigokuraku.

Hell's Paradise Season 2 has not yet aired. It is also Known as: 地獄楽 第二期, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2, สุขาวดีอเวจี, Адский рай

You might like: Top Anime Like Hell's Paradise Season 2

5. Gintama.

Gintama.

Fifth season of Gintama.

Gintama. has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂。, Gintama (2017)

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama.

4. Gintama.: Shirogane no Tamashii-hen

Gintama.: Shirogane no Tamashii-hen

First Season of the final arc of Gintama.

Gintama.: Silver Soul Arc has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂. 銀ノ魂篇, Gintama. (2018), Gintama.: Silver Soul Arc

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama.: Silver Soul Arc

3. Gintama.: Porori-hen

Gintama.: Porori-hen

Sixth season of Gintama.

Gintama.: Slip Arc has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀魂。ポロリ編, Gintama.: Porori-hen

You might like: Top Anime Like Gintama.: Slip Arc

2. Shaman King

Shaman King

A battle is about to begin in Tokyo: the Shaman Fight, a tournament held every five hundred years where shaman—those who can command spirits—confront each other in combat. The victor of this contest becomes the Shaman King and the only one who is able to contact and control the Great Spirit, allowing them to reshape the world as they please through its immense power.
During a late night walk, Manta Oyamada runs into his classmate, the carefree You Asakura, who invites him to come stargazing with some friends, who, to Manta's horror, turn out to be ghosts from a local cemetery! However, the knowledge that Manta possesses—a rare sixth sense that allows Manta to see these spirits—endears the boy to You. So when You finds out that his new comrade has been beaten up by a local gang, he decides to avenge him with the help of Amidamaru, a samurai ghost whose tomb was broken by the gang leader.
Soon Manta uncovers more about the world of spirits, including the Shaman Fight, in which his new friend You aims to claim victory.

Shaman King has finished airing and it has 64 Episodes. It is also Known as: シャーマンキング, Shaman King

You might like: Top Anime Like Shaman King

1. Donten ni Warau

Donten ni Warau

When swords were outlawed in the eleventh year of the Meiji Era, the mighty samurai population began to dwindle. Those who rejected the ban on blades rebelled, causing violent unrest to erupt throughout the countryside. To combat the rise in criminal activity, an inescapable lake prison was constructed. Three young men, born of the Kumoh line, were given the duty of delivering criminals to their place of confinement—but could there be more to their mission than meets the eye?

Laughing Under the Clouds has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 曇天に笑う, Cloudy Laugh

You might like: Top Anime Like Laughing Under the Clouds
Isekai Ryouridou

Top Manga Like Cooking with Wild Game

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Yuru Camp△

Top Manga Like Laid-Back Camp

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Yuru Yuri

Top Manga Like Yuru Yuri

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Top Manga Like Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Konya mo Nemurenai

Top Manga Like Konya mo Nemurenai

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Shiki

Top Manga Like Corpse Demon

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Koi wo Suru no ga Shigoto desu.

Top Manga Like Love on the Job

  • Manga
  • Recommendations
Shijou Saikyou Orc-san no Tanoshii Tanetsuke Harem Zukuri

Top Manga Like The Fun Life of the Most Powerful Orc in History, Creating a Harem in an Alternative World

  • Manga
  • Recommendations