Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. I want to start with a history lesson into the samurai, Tokiyuki Hojo. The son of Takatoki Hojo, Tokiyuki’s life is one of tragedy and survival. In 1333, his clan was completely wiped out but he managed to escape death by fleeing to the Shinano Providence. It was there that he’d built up an army to reclaim his homeland. He succeeded only to flee once again after his army was wiped out by enemy forces. Having no other option, he entered into the service of the Southern Court where he worked under a few notable commanders and participated in a few battles where he always managed to somehow escape with his life despite the odds being against him. Sadly, his life would come to an end when he fled to the Sagami Providence after losing a battle, was discovered, and beheaded. Tokiyuki was regarded as an elusive man who always found a way to escape death until the end. Sounds like the perfect character to base your manga around. The Elusive Samurai made its debut in the pages of Shonen Jump in 2021. Much like a lot of titles, it’s been overshadowed by some of Shonen Jump’s bigger mangas, but over the years has gained a following. What makes this series ironic is who the author is, Yusei Matsui. Yep, the author of Assassination Classroom wrote this manga and boy is it a huge shift in tone. Following the success of the manga, CloverWorks (The Promised Neverland) turned the series into an anime in 2024. With the second season set to come out this summer, I thought now would be a good time to check this series out and see if it deserves all the attention it’s gotten over the years. Get ready to raise your evasion stats to max. This is The Elusive Samurai.
Opening and Ending Theme
The opening is “Plan A” by DISH. I enjoyed this song. In fact, it was close to being on the best opening’s list from 2024. I like the flow and energy of this song. It sounds like a song you would hear at a Japanese festival. I also like the blending of traditional sounds with rock music. It fits with the time era of this anime.
For the ending we have “KAMAKURA STYLE” by Botchi Boromaru. One of my favorite endings from 2024 and surprisingly an underrated ending as well from what I’ve discovered. Once again, the blending of traditional sounds with hip-hop and rock is great. It creates a memorable sound you won’t forget and makes you want dance.
Episodes 1-4
We start with our main character Tokiyuki voiced by Asaki Yuikawa, a young lord who is next in line of the Kamakura shogunate. He’s kind but weak-willed. His only redeeming quality is that he’s quite elusive. While evading his teachers he runs into a shady priest named Yorishige and his daughter Shizuku who tells him that in two years’ time he will become a lord of war. Worshipped and feared by many (that’s what the doctor told my parents when I was born). Up until the halfway point the anime is very nice and peaceful. It honestly feels like this is just going to be a slice of life story with the occasional slapstick thrown in for good measure, but then shit gets real. In one of the biggest betrayals to the shogunate, Takauji (one of Tokiyuki’s mentors and loyal servants) sides with Emperor Godaigo and the Northern Court. Samurais from all over united under his banner and he launches an army on Kamakura killing everyone in their path (damn, this went from 0 to 100 just like that). Tokiyuki’s dad is killed and Kamakura gets destroyed (and they hold nothing back here. We got dead bodies, blood, decapitated heads on poles, suicides, and rape. Holy shit. It’s like watching a PG-13 movie turn into an R-rated movie. Talk about a tone shift). Tokiyuki manages to escape with the help of Yorishige and Shizuku, but he chooses to stay behind and die an honorable death like everyone else (kid, look around you. Do you really think anyone died an honorable death?). Yorishige grants his wish and pushes him down a cliff where he gets surrounded by samurais. Rather than accept his death, Tokiyuki evades everyone and makes it back to Yorishige unharmed (he anticipated everyone’s attack and then flows with them like water. Scene here: https://youtu.be/GO7OVgR66oo?si=ostsYz40HnGrQjvu). They then escape with Yorishige saying there’s no shame in running and hiding (as long as you win at the end that’s all that matters) and vows to help him build up an army to make up for the skills he lacks.
In episode 2 Tokiyuki is still in the Kamakura territory. Trapped until the border control lets up. He does hear news that there’s a possibility about his brother, Kunitoki, being alive but that’s a lie. He was caught and executed. Apparently, their uncle, Godaiin, ratted him out in return for power (he would later go on to become one of the most brutal warlords in Japan’s history. Fucker). Tokiyuki returns to his hideout where he introduces him to two new allies, Nezu and Ayako. Despite their young age, they’re martial arts experts who have agreed to help out Tokiyuki. We get to see the group’s first fight as they take on Tokiyuki’s uncle. It doesn’t go well at first because they’re fighting incorrectly. Nezu and Ayako are trying to protect Tokiyuki which he doesn’t need. The kid has high evasion skills, he doesn’t need protection (he’s like a rare monster you stumble upon at the start of the game. If you defeat him you get great rewards, but his evasion is too high and he runs away after a turn). What he needs is an opening to attack (high evasion but low strength) and that’s where Nezu and Ayako come in (create that opening). After witnessing their lord’s special skill (scene here: https://youtu.be/4TAooiivnmk?si=gloZgsHTMx66Nsl8, it’s actually hinted that Tokiyuki is getting off on it) they re-enter the fight and create the opening Tokiyuki needs to decapitate his uncle (scene here: https://youtu.be/qon5VSId5kM?si=IqMNt83STTYe1Psr. Damn, I’m going to have to rewrite the history books on this).
For episode 3 Tokiyuki and the others escape Kamakura and make it to Suwa. Tokiyuki avoids his studies and training not because he hates them but because he never understood the reason to study diligently (something a lot of people struggle with). He was raised to be a puppet ruler, a face for the people to throw their complaints at while everyone else made rules and decisions for him (remind you of anyone else’s government?). He’s never had a goal worth striving for in his life so what’s the point of doing all of this? On top of that, he’s still on the fence about whether or not he can trust Yorishige (and let’s be honest, the man is suspicious as fuck. I don’t know if he’s a divine priest or a madman). Yorishige earns Tokiyuki’s trust by showing him that he’s a god (definitely a madman). Actually, no, in truth, he is a god and the people of Suwa are followers ready to fight on his behalf and follow Tokiyuki (scene here: https://youtu.be/knRqO2LyR7I?si=uW9wiDT8H2lNDUsX). In the second half, Tokiyuki and his retainers go hunting as a team-building exercise. They get attacked by a wild boar and work together to defeat it. They then decide on the Elusive Warriors as their team name.
In episode 4 Takauji catches wind of refugees in Suwa so he sends Sadamune to root them out. Sadamune has impressive hawkeyes making him a master when it comes to archery and spotting things out of the ordinary (then he’s going to have one hell of a time with this group). Despite his messed up personally, Tokiyuki can’t deny that his archery is beautiful and Yorishige decides he’s going to make Sadamune the tutor of Tokiyuki since he actually has a knack for archery (combine that with his evasion and you’ve got yourself a good archer. Scene here: https://youtu.be/TsiKhF2ju7s?si=YlCf1wQS0PKQ2C4K). The next day Sadamune participates in a dog-shooting competition (yes, it was abusive to animals but keep in mind it was a product of the time). Sadamune lays out a challenge for anyone to beat him saying that if he wins he’ll be allowed to search Suwa for any refugees. Yorishige accepts and has Tokiyuki challenge him. At first, things work out for our young lord. He manages to get Sadamune’s attention, dodges his arrows, and manages to score one point despite being outmatched. However, Sadamune manages to land a hit on Tokiyuki giving himself 5 points and Tokiyuki for the first time ever feels pain and is excited (this kid is going to have an interesting love life).
Episodes 5-8
Episode 5 starts off with the continuation of the dog competition (although those dogs might as well be shadow creatures because they serve no purpose anymore). Tokiyuki manages to win by shooting Sadamune in the neck with a reverse shot and then in the face with the Parthian shot to earn himself five points. Sadamune leaves embarrassed but vows to get revenge. He returns the next day with an imperial command labeling Suwa as traitors and they must forfeit a portion of their land as compensation (the dishonor!). Yorishige gives the Elusive Warriors the mission of stealing Sadamune’s imperial command to buy them some time, but their skills alone won’t be enough, they need an expert (we need. . .a ninja). Yorishige tells them to find Genba a thief who can steal anything. They find him (or he finds them) and says that if they want his help they’ll have to pay him 5 million yen per job. This is. . .acceptable for Tokiyuki because he was expecting Genba to ask for a province (which would net him millions of yen on a yearly basis). Genba agrees to take the job on the condition that Tokiyuki joins him to prove if he’s not just some snobbish lord. They sneak into Sadamune’s camp (which gives off some Payday 2 vibes) and get the imperial seal but Genba asks Tokiyuki if he can trust a thief as one of his retainers?
At the start of episode 6 the soldiers know Genba and Tokiyuki are in the camp and surround them. They manage to escape via smoke bombs and flash grenades, but a samurai named Sukefusa is on their trail. Just like how Sadamune has great eyes, Sukefusa has great hearing and uses that to track down Genba and Tokiyuki (fire off some fireworks to throw him off). As the two flee into the woods it becomes a chase as Genba and Tokiyuki try to flee from Sadamune and Sukefusa. Tokiyuki gets injured protecting Genba and even Genba thinks about abandoning him before he realizes that he can’t do it. So Genba takes on the odd and ambiguously gay duo of Sadamune and Sukefusa himself using some tricks and underhanded tactics to distract them long enough for Tokiyuki to escape and make his escape as well (scene here: https://youtu.be/ztO6ex-NAS0?si=KcXDsFRg1f5OppQH). He meets back up with the others and agrees to join them where he changes the deal to a province. With the imperial command gone the people of Suwa refuse to move and puts Sadamune in a bind. He says he can get another imperial command within a month but that won’t be happening as people from all over Japan are claiming they helped take down the shogunate and are seeking a reward. It’ll take the emperor and his court years to figure out who’s lying and telling the truth. So they decide to leave all the territories as they are which means Sadamune’s business in Suwa is done (thank you, don’t come again). Back in Kyoto we see the emperor’s son try to assassinate Takauji because he knows that behind those pleasant eyes and soft speech is something not human. The son’s attempt would fail and the people would rally behind Takauji seeing him as just a victim doing self-defense.
In episodes 7-8 the elusive warriors get tasked with investigating a village at the edge of Suwa’s domain that Sadamune seems to be targeting. He’s sent a corrupted monk named Shokan who leads a group of bandits to attack the village (and apparently he likes letting ants crawl all over his body. Disgusting!). Once they arrive at the village they’re shocked to see that all the adults are dead and only kids remain to fight. Luckily, the kids are being led by a boy named Fubuki (hi friend. He’s even got white hair and everything). He’s a skilled strategist, swordfighter, and teacher who’s been protecting the village for some time. The only problem is he’s a glutton. Still, his strategies are easy to understand and have kept the kids safe. Tokiyuki quickly takes a shine to him and wants him to be his teacher so that he can get stronger. Fubuki teaches him a sword technique that’s perfect for him called the Demon-heart Buddha blade. At night, Shokan’s men attack the village but thanks to Fubuki’s plans they managed to kill a good chunk of them before they reach the village. Shokan reaches village with his main units. At first, Nezu and Ayako try to take on Shokan themselves, but they realize he’s a lot tougher than they thought and are forced to go to plan B. They trap Shokan in a house with Tokiyuki trusting him to emerge victorious (time for the kid to slay a lion or be devoured by one).
Episodes 9-12
At the start of episode 9 Tokiyuki successfully slices Shokan’s wrist which means it’s only a matter of time before he bleeds out. Shokan is confident he can defeat Tokiyuki before then, but he gets a reality check (you’re going up against a character who maxed out his evasion stats). Despite his best efforts he can’t hit Tokiyuki (who at this point is enjoying himself and having fun. Freak!) and eventually passes out from blood loss (scene here: https://youtu.be/xajcc5UIZmI?si=YyrlzU0zUt372dmD). The others are also victorious in their battles and believe the rest of the bandits will flee once news of their general’s death reaches them. However, Sadamune arrives with his army prepared to fight but then retreats once reinforcements from Suwa arrive. We see Sadamune’s men stopped the bleeding just in time to save Shokan’s life but he no longer has any malice in his eyes after facing Tokiyuki who he says is Buddha in disguise. Once Fubuki finds out Tokiyuki’s real identity he pledges loyalty to him and becomes his retainer.
In episode 10 they bury the dead properly and Yorishige apologizes for placing Tokiyuki in such danger. He comes clean and tells Tokiyuki that his powers have dwindled. At certain points in time he becomes unable to see the future and doesn’t want anyone to know about it. So he asks for Tokiyuki’s help in restoring his powers. He has him gather all sorts of strange stuff making him come across as a pervert in the eyes of his retainers (kid, you get off from people trying to kill you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re already a pervert). Finally, Toriyuki is able to restore Yorishige’s powers by giving him divine water that he got from some divine springs. After that not much really happens in the episode. We meet Takauji’s brother who loves him but also knows that his brother is dangerous and messed-up.
Spring has finally come in episode 11. One providence under the rule of Shinano-no-kami a corrupted man who unfairly taxes the people and unjustly kills them is the target this time. When the residents decide enough is enough, they raise an army to fight against Shinano (better to die on your feet than to live on your knees). Some of the residents are members of Suwa Sect but unfortunately Suwa can’t send reinforcements that deep into territory as it would start a war. Instead, Yorishige decides to send the Elusive warriors into the territory and convince the residents not to fight and instead escape to Suwa. Since this is such a dangerous mission, only the boys are allowed to go (the lads are hitting the town). They reach their destination and go to speak to their leader Hoshina who won’t listen to them. He’s prepared to die and so is everyone else (at this point, death might as well be a blessing in disguise). With no other option, the group decides to let Hoshina and his men fight to get it out of their system, hope a majority of them survive, and then convince them to retreat. Against all odds, Hoshina’s side manages to survive the first battle, and Tokiyuki finally has enough and tells Hoshina that it’s time to retreat. He refuses and it’s only until a drunk Tokiyuki attacks with his butt that Hoshina and his men finally come to their senses and agree to retreat (scene here: https://youtu.be/XfMqxpevkYo?si=clZIbb7RsMaExC3O). As they escape, the official’s army comes after them knowing that if they escape they’ll only come back stronger and ready to fight.
In the final episode we get some good action as the group takes on the official’s army. Kojiro gains the most from this encounter as he killed one of the generals (he had a little help but still, a major kill for him). Fubuki had a chance to kill the official but instead gave him a good scare knowing that his incompetency would allow the group to escape and sure enough it does. They fool him into believing reinforcements showed up and in his scared state he orders a full retreat. While Hoshina may have lost his land and didn’t win, he doesn’t feel like he’s lost either (you live to fight another day and you got your people to safety. That’s a win in my book). And thus, the season ends but the fight continues.
Final Thoughts
The Elusive Samurai takes some liberties with the actual story of Tokiyuki, but it’s still a great and fun story. One of the unique things about it is how Tokiyuki is different from the typical shonen protagonist. He’s not the strongest, fastest, or beats the big baddie in each fight he’s in. He’s just a guy whose specialty is evading attacks and surrounding himself with others to cover his faults. Despite being an elusive character he’s still exemplifies the qualities of a shonen protagonist. Caring about others, never giving up, and willing to learn/grow. He’s not the strongest protagonist I’ve seen but he is one of the more unique protagonists that I would like to see more of in shonen. The rest of the characters are also good. I like how they’re kids like him who have a lot to learn but will only get stronger as time goes on. They all have loyalty to Tokiyuki and he earns that loyalty through his actions. The anime has its funny moments but also isn’t afraid to show the violence and cruelty that this era was known for. Actually, that’s probably the major fault of this series. It doesn’t know how to handle the tonal shifts all that well. It can go from being goofy and wholesome to dark and gory in the next scene without warning. It’s almost like the series isn’t sure what it wants to be. A shonen series that only shows the surface or one that enters seinen territory. Personally, I didn’t mind it, but I get how this could turn some people away. Takauji as a villain is terrifying. Every time we see him he’s always got this peaceful smile on his face hiding the deranged man that he is underneath. Despite this, his deranged aura still seeps out every now and then terrifying everyone around him. Even his own brother can sense what kind of monster he is and is scared of him.
The animation is nice. I like how the backgrounds look like an ancient Japanese painting come to life and the characters have sharper lines to their designs. The CGI does look off. I appreciate the effort but it needs work. Music is good as well and the fight scenes were fun to watch. The fights aren’t the best but you can tell there was a lot of thought put into them and how they play out. If I had to pick the best fight it would be Tokiyuki fighting Shokan. This is where the animators really showed off. But if you’re someone who doesn’t like seeing blood then this anime will be hard to watch because they are not afraid to show it and they show a lot of it.
Final Score
The final score for The Elusive Samurai is a 7.5/10. A good shonen story with a unique protagonist and a well-executed story. I hope this season raised the popularity of the manga. It made me a fan. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
