Best samurai anime
Samurai Champloo (2004) leads the samurai list, with a community score of 8.2, ahead of Gintama. The 40 shows span 1971 to 2023, and 3 of them came out in the last five years. 28 of them carry the AniList tag "Samurai". Most are also action, samurai, and historical. 37 are series and 2 are movies; the typical series runs 13 episodes. Ranked by how plainly each story is built on samurai, then community score and popularity. Each entry says what it was matched on.
Samurai Champloo
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “ronin”
Gintama
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “feudal japan”
Dororo
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “warring states”
Katanagatari
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “shogunate”, “edo”
Rurouni Kenshin
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Drifters
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Sword of the Stranger
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “ronin”, “sengoku”
Fate/stay night
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
The Ambition of Oda Nobuna
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “sengoku”
Afro Samurai
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Hell's Paradise
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “edo”
Majikoi: Oh! Samurai Girls
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “samurai”
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “sengoku”
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “edo”
Ninja Scroll
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “feudal japan”
Laughing Under the Clouds
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “samurai”
House of Five Leaves
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”
Shigurui: Death Frenzy
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “edo”
Lupin the Third
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Brave 10
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “warring states”
Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”, “shogunate”, “edo”
Kurozuka
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “shogun”
Nobunaga the Fool
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Mushibugyo
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “edo”, “feudal japan”
Kemonozume
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Appare-Ranman!
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “samurai”
Touken Ranbu - Hanamaru
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Manyu Scroll
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “edo”
Monogatari Series: Second Season
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “sengoku”
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “feudal japan”
Blade of the Immortal
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
Peace Maker Kurogane
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai
InuYasha
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “sengoku”
Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion
Why it fits: AniList tag: Samurai; synopsis mentions “shogunate”
Amatsuki
Why it fits: synopsis mentions “edo”
Questions about samurai anime
What is the best samurai anime?
By AniVids' ranking, Samurai Champloo comes first, followed by Gintama and Dororo.
What are the newest and oldest samurai anime on this list?
The newest is Hell's Paradise (2023) and the oldest is Lupin the Third (1971).
How many samurai anime are there?
AniVids has 245 samurai titles that match (counting each season, movie and special), and 143 separate franchises where it is plainly central. This page lists the best 40.