Let’s be honest, anime samurai characters have a different charm to them. Every anime fan has had a significant crush on a samurai anime character at least once in life. One mistake people often make is considering swordsmen anime characters as samurai as well, but not every swordsman is a samurai.
Hence, in this list, we will rank purely samurai characters in anime based on their strength, agility, durability and speed.
10. Kambei Shimada (Samurai 7)
Starting with the list is Kambei Shimada, one of the most prominent characters in Samurai 7. Kambei is an important part of this series as he’s the leader of the group, and not your usual samurai. He’s extremely wise and experienced and can cut his enemies into pieces before they even realize it.
It’s through his tactics and strategies that they’re able to defend the village. It’s always interesting to see him on screen.
9. Nanashi (Sword of the Stranger)
Nanashi is one of those anime samurai characters who is really strong but has a tragic backstory and even stronger morals, which have made him go into the “no-violence”. But once Nanashi takes it upon himself to protect an orphan boy, Kotaro and his dog, he breaks his vow.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4474055489327117 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He picks up his sword for not fighting but for protecting the weak as that’s his only way to seek repentance for the crimes he committed in the past. Nanashi’s strength comes not only from his expertise in martial arts and swordsmanship but also from his tactical mind, as he’s a strategist who thinks about the right move before going against his enemies rather than using blind-eyed brute strength.
8. Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
While it’s common to see anime samurai characters fighting for revenge, Hyakkimaru fights for himself, with the aim of getting back parts of his body which were stolen by demons. Despite having prosthetic body parts, Hyakkimaru is really strong, all thanks to his will for survival and the protection of his companion. Plus, in exchange for his father giving away his body parts to the demons, Hyakkimaru achieves the strength of demons, which allows him to kill demons and powerful humans, an ability he possessed even as a child.
7. Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai)
Imagine a cold-blooded, vengeful samurai with mad skills and no room for compassion; that’s our famous Afro Samurai. After seeing his father, the strongest samurai of his time, get murdered by the second strongest samurai, Afro samurai is unable to recover from this trauma and makes it his life goal to take revenge against his father’s murderers. He’s really fast, has a durable body, and has crazy techniques. He won’t hesitate before slaying anyone who gets in his way. Undoubtedly, he’s one of the strongest anime samurai characters to have ever existed.
6. Mugen (Samurai Champloo)
Who said breakdancing cannot be helpful in sword fighting? Take a look at Mugen, the self-taught fearless samurai who fearlessly slays his enemies while breakdancing with a combination of sword techniques, a fighting method he created and only he can master.
Despite coming face to face with death many times, Mugen couldn’t care less about dying and enjoys beating up his enemies in his fun, playful way, which is what makes him one of the most unique samurai characters in anime which also gives a solid reason for you to watch Samurai Champloo.
5. Inuyasha (Inuyasha)
The entire Inuyasha series is named after this character, so you can guess that he’s bound to be overpowered. Inuyasha is a half-demon samurai who spent a lonely childhood hiding from others as humans despised him for being a half-demon.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4474055489327117 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Once he grows up, Inuyasha learns to become really strong as he possesses powers from his human mother and his father, who is a well-respected demon. He begins his journey to find the Shikon Jewel so he can transform into a full demon, but during this time, he sees something more precious to him instead.
4. Sakata Gintoki (Gintama)
If this were a list of eccentric anime samurai characters, Gintoki would be on top of it. He has a very laid-back attitude and seems very silly at times. But when Gintoki decides to get serious, there’s no stopping him. His self-taught fighting style is brutal, which makes him the strongest character in the series.
There’s no stopping him; he can defeat anyone, from aliens to cyborgs and even immortal beings. But the best part is that Gintoki can use pretty much any weapon, not just a sword. That’s why he’s probably the most flexible samurai characters in anime.
3. Amidamaru (Shaman King)
This famous Samurai anime character isn’t a human but a 600-year-old samurai guardian ghost. Amidamaru worked for the Lord alongside his best friend, Mosuke. Still, the Lord’s men killed them both after Amidamaru refused to follow the Lord’s orders of killing Mosuke.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4474055489327117 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Years later, he meets Umemiya Ryunosuke, who breaks his tombstone and makes him his guardian ghost. Amidamaru’s expertise in fighting makes him a very strong samurai character, but what makes him likeable is his hilarious personality, which adds lightheartedness to the anime.
2. Kamikaze (One Punch Man)
The list of best samurai anime characters wouldn’t be complete without Kamikaze, the arrogant S-class hero who is faster than sound and is a rank 4 master swordsman. Kamikaze has achieved superhuman strength, and it’s almost impossible to escape from his attack, Atomic Slash, which would cut you down to an atom’s size.
1. Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin)
The number one spot for best anime samurai characters goes to Kenshin Himura, the fiercest yet the kindest samurai who set the standards for a “strong samurai” way too high. Kenshin’s swordsmanship style is Hitokiri Battosai, which is the most substantial style in Rurouni Kenshin.
Kenshin’s so badass that he doesn’t even bother taking out his sword because most of his opponents can be beaten up with only the scabbard. Kenshin isn’t your brawny samurai. He actually has a small stature, but he’s so agile and fast that he can easily take down opponents who look twice his size.
We hope you enjoyed reading about these top ten anime samurai characters. The series of each anime character is mentioned alongside his title if you want to see these samurai in action. If you’re having an anime night and want to enjoy it with your bros, take a look at these 9 best anime to watch with your bros.
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