| 1 | [[quoteright:200:[[Franchise/StarWars https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stormtrooper_samurai.jpg]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:200:[-Man, wouldn't the movies have been even better with this?-][[note]][[WhatCouldHaveBeen And it almost happened in the early drafts]]. To an extent, Darth Vader's armour is based on samurai gear.[[/note]]]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Hey, That's not fair! How come he gets to be a samurai? That's so much cooler!"'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''Odd Della Robbia''', ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' prequel "XANA Awakens" |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The tendency of some writers to just throw in a {{samurai}} for the heck of it, even in modern urban Japan or a western world without a Japanese [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Counterpart Culture]]. And also the fact that people tend to dig the samurai. Who doesn't dig [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Sanger]]? |
| 8 | |
| 9 | This is NOT the same as KatanasAreJustBetter, this refers to samurai, even when they appear without katana ([[Franchise/DotHack Sanjuro]], for instance). |
| 10 | |
| 11 | RuleOfCool may be responsible... |
| 12 | |
| 13 | See also {{Wutai}}, GratuitousNinja, SamuraiCowboy, WesternSamurai. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | ---- |
| 16 | !!Examples |
| 17 | |
| 18 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 21 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3jJzLaIgPM This 90s commercial]] for Murphy's stout had a group of samurai ride into an Irish village pub and order Murphy's. With the unorthodox way of drinking the from bottle and the theme tune from ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'', [[MundaneMadeAwesome never before or since has drinking a bottle of stout look so badass]]. |
| 22 | [[/folder]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 25 | * Meta Knight in ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'s'' [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa anime]] [[TheAnimeOfTheGame of the game]] would talk about Musou ("peerlessness"). One time he stands to fight for Kirby, declaring [[IAmYourOpponent I WILL BE YOUR OPPONENT]] as leaves blow by. |
| 26 | * Twilight Suzuka in ''Anime/OutlawStar''. Slightly less out-of-nowhere, at least in that it's no stranger than the Chinese Magic-using SpacePirates they already introduced. |
| 27 | * Hatz from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', obsessed with honor, glory and halbok, the Korean variant of {{Seppuku}}, and DualWielding [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. |
| 28 | * Mr. Bushido in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' -- who is actually American (although both America and Japan are technically part of the same country in ''00'''s superbloc-dominated future). Additional to it, a samurai mobile suit. 3, in fact. |
| 29 | * The ''Anime/HaloLegends'' short ''The Duel'' shows the Elites wearing samurai clothes when not in combat, and TheDragon is even dressed in full samurai-esque armor (he's also the only Elite to use a metal sword instead of an energy one). Despite the artistic license, Elite culture ''does'' canonically have similarities to that of feudal Japan. |
| 30 | * Toudoh in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is another future samurai. |
| 31 | * In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Erza Scarlet occasionally goes into a samurai get-up (albeit a revealing one). |
| 32 | %%* Ginji from ''Manga/BlackLagoon''. |
| 33 | * The second arc of ''New Manga/GetterRobo'' which has the characters get stuck in an alternate-universe Heian Japan, just to fit armies of samurai into a HumongousMecha anime. |
| 34 | * Setsuna of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', a [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-[[WingedHumanoid bird demon]], DemonSlaying, [[ArmoredClosetGay lesbian-in-denial]] {{Samurai}} in an UrbanFantasy. Also one of the most popular characters in the series, whose prominence was [[EnsembleDarkhorse quickly raised after her introduction in the fourth volume]]. |
| 35 | * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': |
| 36 | ** [[LadyOfWar Signum]] from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' and onward obstinately calls herself a "knight", whereas her warrior code (not to mention her fighting style) is obviously based off the samurai. But then again, most Japanese writers confuse the two at least somewhat. |
| 37 | ** Micaiah Chevelle of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' is an even straighter example. She's a Mid-Childan who's also a traditional samurai, complete with katana, dojo, Japanese attire, and an [[IaijutsuPractitioner Iaijutsu fighting style]]. A bit of a surprise, what with Mid-Childa being an alien world with a European-like society. |
| 38 | * In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', the Land of Iron has samurai, instead of the {{ninja}} in Hidden Villages most other nations rely on. For added goodness, in relation to trope picture, the regular samurai of the Land of Iron wear armor similar to the Franchise/{{St|arWars}}ormtroopers. |
| 39 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': |
| 40 | ** The episode "Challenge of the Samurai". |
| 41 | ** Oshawott/Mijumaru and Dewott/Futachimaru, who have both appeared in the anime as of the latest episode in Japan, have their origins in samurai. (More blatant in Dewott than in Oshawott, though) Ash even gets an Oshawott of his own. Fans are hoping it will finally avert the trend of water-type starters Ash owns never evolving. [[spoiler: It doesn't.]] |
| 42 | ** Even the final evolution to this line, Samurott/Daikenki, is based off a samurai, though they have the capacity to dual wield the [[AllThereInTheManual seamitars]], and spend most of their time as quadrupedal Pokemon. |
| 43 | * ''Franchise/LupinIII'' creator Monkey Punch wanted a more Japanese character for his ensemble. Enter Goemon Ishikawa XIII... |
| 44 | * ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' has several notable examples, including the most well-known one, Musyamon/Mushamon. Other examples include Yashamon, one of V-mon's armor evolutions, Zanbamon, a Ultimate/Mega level digimon whose lower body is a war horse, Tactimon from ''Anime/DigimonFusion'', and Gaioumon, who is a samurai ''Greymon.'' |
| 45 | * The ''Manga/OnePiece'' world is largely Western-influenced, but sparse Japanese samurai elements exist within it. |
| 46 | ** "Samurai" is the name given to warriors from Wa-no-Kuni (a FantasyCounterpartCulture island to feudal Japan). The first one to appear is Ryuma, and later "Foxfire" Kin'emon and "Evening Shower" Kanjuro. |
| 47 | ** Zoro is reminiscent of one, being a katana wielding swordsman [[spoiler:who is later revealed to descend from Wano]]. |
| 48 | * From ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', there is Simon who is a samurai-themed knight in an otherwise Myth/{{Arthurian|Legend}} manga. |
| 49 | * Masamunya from [[Anime/NyanpireTheAnimation The Gothic World of Nyanpire]] is a cat and also a Samurai and carries a sharp sword. [[HoYay He has a secret crush on Nyanpire but is too shy to admit it to him.]] [[http://www.animate-onlineshop.jp/resize_image.php?image=05111025_4fac6a730d45d.jpg However even though he's a samurai, he barely uses his sword besides being threatening.]] |
| 50 | * Played with in ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'', since they were actually Ninja in the original source material, but were converted to Samurai when it was dubbed, perhaps due to this trope. |
| 51 | [[/folder]] |
| 52 | |
| 53 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 54 | * ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': Murata is a samurai in an otherwise western fantasy setting. Since it is based on an old ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' campaign, you can blame the ''Oriental Adventures'' on this. |
| 55 | * ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Hondo City Judges are deliberately modelled on samurai; their equivalent of the Chief Judge is even referred to as the Shogun. |
| 56 | * ''ComicBook/{{The Outsiders|DCComics}}'': Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s original Outsiders team had fairly standard-issue superheroes... and [[Characters/TheOutsidersDCComics Katana]], a steely-eyed female samurai. |
| 57 | * ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': While the Shredder is actually a ninja, his shiny armor is samurai-inspired. His conflict with the turtles thus provides a visual analogue to the (alleged) viciousness between samurai and ninjas. (In reality, more samurai hired ninja than they cared to admit.) |
| 58 | * ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Bushido, a young warrior with... well, powers of the samurai, apparently. He was among the fatalities in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. |
| 59 | * ''ComicBook/TheTick'': The comics have Paul the Samurai, despite all the other heroes being over the top cape and cowl style. His primary role is to be there to recommend that he and anybody associated with him commits seppuku at the slightest failure. |
| 60 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Bludgeon, a Decepticon whose Pretender shell (in [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel Marvel's run]]) and actual body (in [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW's run]]) is modeled to look like samurai armor with a kabuto helmet and skull-like face. He's always depicted as fighting with a giant katana using the Cybertronian martial art Metallikato even though his action figure came with a gun. Also prone to calling his opponent [[YouFool "Fool!"]] |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'': [[Characters/WolverineRoguesGallery Silver Samurai]]. |
| 62 | [[/folder]] |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 65 | * In ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'' the Leafmen's armor seems to draw a lot of inspiration from the samurai. Referenced with Ronin's name. His helmet is also an obvious tribute to UsefulNotes/DateMasamune. |
| 66 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Gisaku}}'' is an animated film set nearly entirely in Spain and constantly tells the viewers how awesome Spain is. And yet it has a samurai as protagonist. |
| 67 | [[/folder]] |
| 68 | |
| 69 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 70 | * In ''Film/{{Alien}}'', for the design of the EVA suits used by the crew of the ''Nostromo'', Creator/{{Moebius}} was inspired by samurai armors, which lead to Ron Cobb coining the movie's fictional MegaCorp "Weyland-Yutani" with a Japanese owner in mind. Originally Creator/RidleyScott had already planned on a Japanese aesthetic for his [[RecycledInSpace SciFi reimagining of]] Literature/TristanAndIseult, which carried over into ''Alien''. |
| 71 | * In ''Film/{{Brazil}}'', Sam's later {{Dream Sequence}}s have him fighting a giant samurai with an armor made out of the parts of his telephone, symbolizing the [[CrapsackWorld crapsack reality]] he hates living in. Then, after defeating him, Sam discovers that the samurai [[EnemyWithout has his own face]]. Apparently, "samurai" is supposed to be a play on words because it can be read as "SAM-U-R-I" (''Sam, you are I''). |
| 72 | * ''Film/SuckerPunch'', in a RuleOfCool nod to ''Brazil'', has Baby Doll fighting not one, not two, but THREE giant samurai in a dream sequence. |
| 73 | * ''Film/RealSteel'' is a movie about wrestling androids and the main character initially controls "Noisy Boy", the samurai design of which makes it by default one of the slickest looking robots in the film, [[TooCoolToLive but also makes its destruction much bitter to watch]]. |
| 74 | * ''Film/RedSun'' is a western with a samurai thrown in. Better than it sounds. Considering who plays the samurai (Creator/ToshiroMifune), it should be. |
| 75 | * ''Film/SixStringSamurai'' is an epic AfterTheEnd tale where the King, Music/ElvisPresley, has died, and samurai Music/BuddyHolly travels to "Lost Vegas" to take his place. Standing in his way are Bowlers, Communists, and TheGrimReaper aka Slash from Music/GunsNRoses. |
| 76 | * ''Film/GhostDogTheWayOfTheSamurai'' is a film revolving around an African-American assassin who follows the Code of the Samurai. |
| 77 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 78 | ** Darth Vader's character design was heavily based on samurai armor. |
| 79 | ** Bandai took it one step further and released the Tamashii Nations Movie Realization figure line, in which Darth Vader was converted into a ''literal'' samurai. There're also Ashigaru Stormtroopers and Ronin Boba Fett. |
| 80 | * ''Film/SamuraiPurinsesuGedoHime''. She's actually more of a Ninja, but still takes the name of Samurai. |
| 81 | * Attempted with ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIII''. The fact that it was a FranchiseKiller indicates it wasn't enough. |
| 82 | * Not used or invoked in the film itself, but Creator/GarethEdwards, director of ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', has [[https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050831/http://www.scified.com/site/godzillamovies/epic-new-godzilla-2014-movie-still-discovered said]] that if this incarnation of Franchise/{{Godzilla}} were a human, he would be "the last samurai". |
| 83 | -->'''Gareth Edwards''': He's an ancient warrior who's the LastOfHisKind, and his kind has long since died out. He lives a very solitary lonely existence and he's very happy to keep away from everyone, but we keep doing things to force him to return and put things right. |
| 84 | [[/folder]] |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 87 | * Though Creator/NealStephenson's series ''Literature/TheBaroqueCycle'' takes place mostly in 17th century Europe, it features Gabriel Goto, a Japanese Jesuit who just happens to be deadly with a katana. In all fairness, the series features characters from just about everywhere and most of them are badasses. |
| 88 | * There's also get a randomly-placed samurai in ''[[Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz St. Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman]]''. |
| 89 | * Literature/JamesBond encounters Ernst Stavro Blofeld, calling himself "Dr. Guntram Shatterhand", for the final time in ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice'', who wears samurai armour in his "Garden of Death" to avoid getting pricked by a poisonous thorns or fall victim to similar fates as its suicidal visitors. |
| 90 | * The ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' novel ''Literature/DeathMasks'' gives us Shiro Yoshimo, the Japanese Knight of the Cross -- perhaps not ''formally'' a samurai (it's never elaborated on), but certainly living up to the trope in being both a highly honorable person and an artist with the blade. |
| 91 | * A particularly ironic example, Hamburgler from ''Literature/WarriorWolfWomenOfTheWasteland'' and ''Literature/BarbarianBeastBitchesOfTheBadlands'' was [=McDonaldland=]'s most deadly warrior, wielding a katana and an admiration for the samurai's method of killing, even making a sword from aluminum and killing someone with it in his youth. Later in life, he becomes the psychopathic leader of [=McDonaldland's=] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Gestapo]]-like police force the Fry Guys. He eventually had [[MagicPlasticSurgery plastic surgery]] done on him to look like the Hamburgler (the [[SatanicArchetype "Devil"-figure]] in [=McDonaldland=]'s national religion) to inflict fear in the public. |
| 92 | * ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'''s setting features a mild DaysOfFuturePast tendency, and since Japan has also embraced its own variant of retrofuturism, the samurai ethos and ideal is strong with the Japanese officers encountered by the protagonists. Like typical CorporateSamurai, they make use of modern technology and even clothing, but also of (ceremonial) katana swords and ''bushido''. |
| 93 | [[/folder]] |
| 94 | |
| 95 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 96 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' / ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' |
| 97 | ** The [[http://powerrangers.wikia.com/wiki/Samurai_Fan_Man Samurai Fan Man]] monster in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. |
| 98 | ** The SixthRanger of ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'' is called the Samurai Ranger (the ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' version, however, is a ninja like the rest of the team). |
| 99 | ** Samurai are, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]], the theme of ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai''. |
| 100 | ** There is also [[FishOutOfTemporalWater an actual samurai from the Sengoku period of Japan]] going by the name of Utsusemimaru/Kyoryu Gold in ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger''. |
| 101 | * In ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', both Gaim himself and Zangetsu are modeled on samurai, and their {{Transformation Trinket}}s include a [[MixAndMatchWeapon katana-pistol]] as an extra weapon usable [[MultiformBalance in all forms]] (a feature that was [[SuperPrototype removed from later models]]). A third Rider, Kurokage, is based on a feudal Japanese ''footsoldier'', and his gear is later mass-produced for use by {{Mooks}}. Meanwhile, Gaim's [[TheRival rival]] Baron is themed on an English knight. |
| 102 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' has Creator/JohnBelushi's recurring character Samurai Fatubi, doing an impression of Creator/ToshiroMifune's ronin characters in modern, American settings. |
| 103 | * ''Series/TalesOfTheGoldMonkey'' has Todo, [[GratuitousPrincess Princess]] [[DragonLady Koji's]] Samurai henchman. |
| 104 | * ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' has the episode "The Samurai", where Duncan is shown to have been secretly mentored by a samurai during Japan's isolationist period. When it was discovered, the samurai committed ritual suicide and gave Duncan his sword. |
| 105 | * ''Series/{{Westworld}}'': The season 1 finale has several characters break into a wing of the Westworld park's backstage with samurai armor and weapons displayed and two samurai hosts dueling with katana. The "SW" logo on the walls teases that there is a Samurai World section of the park. |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 109 | * Music/BarenakedLadies: In "One Week", there's the line "Like [[Creator/AkiraKurosawa Kurosawa]], I make mad films, 'kay, I don't make films, but if I did they'd have a Samurai." |
| 110 | * Camui Gackpo the Music/{{Vocaloid}} is a Dancing Samurai. No, seriously, that was the title of his first song. |
| 111 | ** To elaborate, his design is samurai/traditionally-inspired, complete with shoulder armor, a ponytail, and a ''[[KatanasAreJustBetter musical katana]]'', and in fan depictions is often depicted talking like a samurai, sometimes with a giant [[TrademarkFavoriteFood eggplant]] steed to boot. |
| 112 | * Hodgy Beats of Music/{{OFWGKTA}} has a song titled "Samurai" on his Untitled EP |
| 113 | * Music/{{Verdena}}'s third album "Il Suicidio Dei Samurai" ("The Suicide Of The Samurai") and its final song. |
| 114 | * [[Music/SmileDK Smile.dk]] seems to love this trope. Firstly used in the debut single "Butterfly", it was later [[ForcedMeme referenced]] [[SongofSongTitles in]] songs like "Doki Doki", "A Geisha's Dream", "Doo-Be-Di-Boy". |
| 115 | * The music video to "Sonne" by [[Music/DieArzte Farin Urlaub]]. The lyrics just imply he lost his girlfriend (with no reference to Japan at all), the video interprets it as she has been murdered by the samurai competition and he's out for vengeance. And it's awesome.[[note]] Urlaub is a known Japan enthusiast.[[/note]] |
| 116 | * Drum & bugle corps example: The Cavaliers' 2008 "Samurai" show. |
| 117 | * Music/IronMaiden's album ''Senjutsu'', fitting of the GratuitousJapanese title, has a Samurai [[MetalBandMascot Eddie]]. |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 121 | * Perhaps thinking too literally, but many Japanese wrestling feds rely on Samurai! TV to showcase their product. So, in essence, many things are better with samurai. |
| 122 | * Legendary in England (or at least to those who care about pro wrestling 1960s70s England), The Masked Samurai, Kendo Nagasaki! He's also known up in the Canadian Stampede promotion and the Japanese RJPW. He wore full kendo gear in addition to his completely concealing mask and even had a (blunt) sword! |
| 123 | * Hiro Matsuda was nicknamed "Mr. Samurai" in the 1970s when he was in [[Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance Championship Wrestling From Florida]]. |
| 124 | * Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling trainee Shiro Koshinaka was known as Samurai Shiro during his stays in Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and later, Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 in the new millennium. |
| 125 | * In 1987 CWF would be at it again, along with Jim Crocket Promotions, featuring the Samurai Warriors [[TagTeam #s 1 and 2]]. |
| 126 | * CMLL had [[WrestlingFamily two brothers]] with {{the gimmick}} of Guerrero Samurai. The second one took the first's place after his unfortunate passing in 1990. |
| 127 | * Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling trainee and Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation Japan booker Shinji Sasazaki was simply known as "Samurai" in Wrestling/JerryLawler's Championship Wrestling Association. Ironically, NJPW had a gaijin simply known as Samurai Warrior around the same time. |
| 128 | * NJPW trainee Osamu Matsuda took up the helmet and gimmick of "El Samurai" in 1991 while wrestling in Universal Wrestling Association (well, Lucha Libre Internacional, which was functionally the same thing). He'd later take the gimmick back to his native Japan and start the Samurai Gym with Ryusuke Taguchi, Wrestling/TetsuyaNaito and Yujiro. |
| 129 | * Dirty White Boy's nemesis and the 1994 Wrestling/{{SMW}} television champion, Kendo The Samurai. |
| 130 | * Trained by Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku out of the Kaientai Dojo and seen among Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 and perhaps most appropriately, Big Japan ([[TheOneGuy least appropriately]] in Ice Ribbon), Isami Kodaka is known as "The [[GarbageWrestler Death Match]] Samurai" and even carries a (sheathed) samurai sword. |
| 131 | * [[MyNaymeIs His name may be spelled with a Y]] but everyone knows a certain Gran Apache student by Samuray Del Sol because of this trope. |
| 132 | * Último Samurai has two stereotypical samurai ponytails woven into his mask. |
| 133 | * A regularly seen face around the UK, especially the Scottish Wrestling Alliance, or maybe not considering he's usually wearing a helmet, Black Samurai Jr. |
| 134 | * AJPW stable "Samurai Japan" ironically only had one Japanese man in it, MAZADA. AKIYOSHI (also known as Super Kendo) and YAMADA were from the Dominican Republic, while TANAKA was Mexican. |
| 135 | * Dave Kobayashi and Jamie D, "The Samurai Pizza Cats" of the UK's Wrestling Association of Rugby. |
| 136 | ** "Samurai Pizza Cat" one of Shotzi Blackheart's most common nicknames. |
| 137 | * TVW's New Orient Express {{tag team}}, Super Samurai Warrior and Super Samurai Warrior #2. |
| 138 | * Jimi Mayhem, Vendetta Pro Wrestling's [[Film/TheLastDragon Shogun Of Harlem]]. Is he an example of this trope? "[[PhraseCatcher Sho'nuff]]!" |
| 139 | * Wonder Ring Stardom wrestler Act Yasukawa has a modern day samurai [[TheGimmick gimmick]] based on the fact her previous sport was kendo. |
| 140 | * Debuting in 2012 for the German Wrestling Federation and later, the Mad Wrestling Association in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein was Zero Samurai, before he took up the Franz Engel gimmick later. |
| 141 | * A {{masked luchador}} known as Dragón Samurai popped up around Celaya, Guanajuato Mexico in 2014. His age and skill suggests he's been at it for quite awhile though...[[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 144 | * ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'', the Mishima MegaCorp is a Feudal Japan in Mercury, they have Samurai units who strictly follow the Bushido code to the letter. |
| 145 | * ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' features samurai themed battlemechs in the Draconis Combine, and they come with mech sized katanas. The Combine's warriors are themselves called samurai and expected to behave as such: they attempt to fight in single combat whenever possible, carry swords, and if they screw up badly on the battlefield they're even expected to commit seppuku. |
| 146 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': The [[OurElvesAreDifferent Craftworld Eldar]] have curved swords, naginata-like polearms and guns that fire monomolecular shuriken, and some of their warriors, such as Prince Yriel, have back-banners, as do [[MiniMecha wraithlords]]. The Path system in their society also bears a number of similarities to the tenets of Bushido. If that wasn't enough, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything they view humans as hairy barbarian upstarts and isolate themselves on their planetoid-sized colony ships]]. |
| 147 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' features samurai as an alternate class for the core fighter class with a focus on combating single enemies and using discipline to enhance defense. In-universe, samurai come from Tian Xia, a FantasyCounterpartCulture {{Wutai}}. |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 151 | * Bandai released the Tamashii Nations Movie Realization figure line, which portrays movie characters in a feudal Japan aesthetic. It begins with ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters such as Boba Fett, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers. Later on, the line extended to comic book characters such as ComicBook/SpiderMan. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 155 | * Sanjuro in ''Franchise/DotHack''. Despite having little bearing on the plot, a popular character who was added to the ''Manga/DotHackLegendOfTheTwilight'' anime. |
| 156 | * Sanger (and Wodan?) in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''. Also a very popular character. Even draws a katana during his attack animations, despite attacking with a {{BFS}} (he uses a MotionCaptureMecha). |
| 157 | * Kai in ''VideoGame/LuminousArc''. This is strange since the entire world is western, and he fights in a unit full of more convectional medieval soldiers. To increase his relationship values you have to answer his questions with stuff that corresponds to the Bushido. Mel, the Torrent Witch, is a big fan of samurai... to say the least. |
| 158 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 159 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' both have Samurai jobs despite having no [[{{Wutai}} Japan-like area]]. ''FFT'''s Samurai has an [[GameBreaker absurdly broken ability called Blade Grasp, which pretty much makes you a]] PhysicalGod (FFV also has it, but it isn't as broken as the FFT version). ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' also has Cyan, who has a distinct samurai vibe (and [[KatanasAreJustBetter katanas]] in spite of his very European looks, armor, and ''nation''. |
| 160 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' mostly has a Pacific island feel for its characters, with a {{Goth}} and a tribal beastman thrown in. Then there's Auron, who's a walking gallery of ronin imagery to go along with all those badass tropes. And don't forget [[SummonMagic Yojimbo]]. |
| 161 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' added the Samurai class in its third expansion, ''Stormblood''. While the setting does contain Japanese {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s complete with ninja, the countries of Doma and [[{{Wutai}} Hingashi]] in the continent of [[FarEast Othard]], these are only available after reaching level 61 of the Main Story. Instead, players can learn the job as early as level 50, in the Eorzean city-state of [[{{Qurac}} Ul'dah]], from a Hingan ''ronin'' who has traveled to Eorzea to vanquish evil there. His strange weapon, fighting style, and personal ethos are considered highly out of place in the European fantasy setting of Eorzea, and he draws attention during his travels--and so do you once you pick up the blade yourself. |
| 162 | * ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'', despite being based on Myth/NorseMythology, has Samurai and a whole [[FantasyCounterpartCulture counterpart]] [[{{Wutai}} of Japan]] for good measure. |
| 163 | * ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'': |
| 164 | ** In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires III'' you can hire mercenary samurai to fight for you. Note that this game is set in the colonisation of the New World. As you would expect, they're ridiculously, hilariously powerful. |
| 165 | ** Also, the unique unit of the Japanese in ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII''? Samurai! |
| 166 | * Kamui of ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'', who fulfills the {{Moe}} samurai-girl quota of the series. |
| 167 | * In ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', the player has the option of assembling the [[http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s158/clarklana05/megamanxbladearmor.jpg?t=1241052973 Blade Armor]] which resembles a suit of Samurai armor, complete with Z-saber. |
| 168 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' games included samurai and [[GratuitousNinja ninja]] both as enemies and available character classes. Both were considered "elite" classes with high requirements for changing to, and both were flat-out superior to plain old fighters. Interestingly, ''Wizardry'' was also [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff far more popular in Japan]] than similar game series. |
| 169 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 170 | ** In the 1st Era, the Tsaesci of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] attempted to invade Tamriel but were defeated by the forces of Reman Cyrodiil. The Tsaesci have [[FantasyCounterpartCulture significant Japanese influences]], including the use of [[KatanasAreJustBetter katanas]] and Samurai style armor. The surviving Tsaesci from the failed invasion were incorporated into Reman Cyrodiil's fledgling Second Tamriellic Empire and brought these influences into Tamriellic (especially Imperial) culture. |
| 171 | ** The Blades, descended from the Akaviri Dragonguard, serve the Emperors of Tamriel as both a PraetorianGuard and as SecretPolice. Uniformed Blades wear armor that is a mix of Roman lorica segmentata and Japanese-style lamellar. Their helmets are a cross between a Japanese kabuto and a Roman galea (legionnaire helmet). Their favored weapons are katanas, though in Western style, they are used in conjunction with shields. The Blades are essentially a CultureChopSuey mix of Samurai and Roman Legionnaires. This style is most evident in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. |
| 172 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''[='s=] Orcish armor is heavily stylized Samurai armor. This is an oddball in the series, as other games style Orcish armor quite differently. |
| 173 | * ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': |
| 174 | ** Youmu sports a pair of katanas despite ''Touhou Project'' being mostly a BulletHell genre. She projects a following of the Bushido code, essentially being Yuyuko's samurai, though officially her family serve Yuyuko as ''[[BattleButler gardeners]]''. Must be mentioned that her swordsmanship is highly capable of spewing bullets and ''slowing time''. |
| 175 | ** Also Meira, but she was only seen in ''Touhou 2'' and never returned. |
| 176 | * ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' expansion "Mothership Zeta" has a Samurai abducted from ancient Japan and awakened from cryogenic suspended animation. |
| 177 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' universe has a corporate faction, the Izanagi, who go into battle with heavily Samurai-themed armour. |
| 178 | * The penultimate boss of ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger'' is Hakumen, a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Cyborg Zombie Samurai]]. |
| 179 | * The ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games' "Quick Draw" minigame have the characters dressed as samurai. (Though earlier English translations replaced samurai with cowboys, turning a SingleStrokeBattle into a wild west shootout.) |
| 180 | * In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite the starter Oshawott's]] entire evolutionary line is based around samurai--Oshawott is either a wannabe samurai or an inexperienced apprentice, Dewott is either a ronin, an apprentice, or a normal samurai, and Samurott not only has samurai in its name, but it is likely based on a ''daimyo'', or ''samurai warlord''. The best part? [[ImprobableWeaponUser THEY USE THEIR SHELLS AS SWORDS.]] |
| 181 | * The old and mostly forgotten ''First Samurai'' bilogy of platform games. The title is also a pun on ''VideoGame/TheLastNinja'' series of games. |
| 182 | * The main female protagonist of ''VideoGame/SakuraWars: [[VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove So Long, My Love]]'' is Gemini Sunrise, a cowgirl samurai. |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/NeoContra'' has Jaguar, an alien samurai. |
| 184 | * ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'''s four main characters all are Samurai prentices. The Samurai of the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado in general appear out of place in this MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, at least until the player discovers that [[spoiler:Mikado was literally founded on the ruins of Tokyo]]. |
| 185 | * There's a hero in ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' called Yurnero. His official class is TheJuggernaut, but due to having an [[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} Orc Blademaster]] model, he's instead portrayed like a Samurai. And it is awesome. Even with the Orc affiliation removed come ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'', Yurnero is still samurai-like and he is still awesome. |
| 186 | * Every installment of the ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' series so far has had at least one minigame featuring a character known as the Wandering Samurai, whose levels involve defending a village from {{tengu}}, attacking demons that appear from a portal, and [[MundaneMadeAwesome slicing watermelons.]] He also makes a guest appearance in one of the Gamer Microgames in ''VideoGame/GameAndWario'', where he apparently found work at a fish processing factory. |
| 187 | * Creator/{{Sega}}'s arcade FightingGame ''VideoGame/BurningRival'' has a samurai fighter, Ghost Shingen, whose helmet and armor are possessed by the soul of an ancient samurai named Shingen Yagyu. |
| 188 | * The BeatEmUp ''Burning Fight'' for the Platform/NeoGeo has a BossBattle with a samurai named Nitou Ryuji, who wields a katana in each hand. |
| 189 | * In the ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam'' series, there is the Musha Gundam and Musha Gundam Mk. II, which are samurai-themed mobile suits of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Gundam Mk. II]], respectively. |
| 190 | * ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'': Lionel "Benjamin" Jones of the President's Club has adopted some Japanese culture from his gang working with the Yakuza before things started to go sour. He fights [[CowboyCop Marcus]] with a sharp katana and samurai armor in his Zen garden on the roof of his headquarters. |
| 191 | * Sodom from the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' franchises is an American Japanophile obsessed with Japanese culture and philosophies and thus considers himself a native from that country. He could also count partially as a McNinja, since he uses both ninja and samurai aesthetics in an effort to come across as Japanese. |
| 192 | * ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'' has a truly bizarre example in the expansion's Asian campaign, or more accurately the United Federation of Asian Republics, basically China and neighboring mainland countries. A few decades later, their leader Hu Kwan Do wears basically future-samurai armor with {{Laser Blade}}s (that shoot laser beams)... yet Japan is still a separate country. |
| 193 | * ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth II'''s Samurai are unique to the Japanese civilization, but are only available in the first 5 epochs. Meaning you can see barely-dressed cavemen who've yet to master anything more sophisticated than rocks tied to sticks accompanied by fully armored warriors with katanas. |
| 194 | * ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has a katana as an alternative melee weapon to the Soldier's [[ShovelStrike shovel]] and Demoman's [[GrievousBottleyHarm bottle]] alongside Samuraï armor and masks as cosmetic items. |
| 195 | * ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' is a game about modern-day high schoolers who are training to become idols. Naturally, the cast includes a character (Souma) who acts in every way like an Edo-period samurai (even carrying a katana with him everywhere he goes.) It's explained that he comes from an ''incredibly'' old-fashioned family which is proud of its samurai heritage, but more than a few characters have noted how out of place he looks, as though he's [[GenreRefugee from a totally different genre.]] |
| 196 | * The Hissho from ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'' are the [[Franchise/MassEffect Turians]] but swap their Space Prussia sensibilities for Space Feudal Japan. A civilised and honourable alien race [[UpliftedAnimal artificially evolved]] from pterodactyl-analogues to serve as a SlaveRace for the Concrete Endless to fight in the gladiatorial arenas of Sykagoja, but a Virtual invasion allowed some of them to escape. Their culture revolves around a clan structure and is dominated by notions of tradition, bloodshed and vengeance, and like the United Empire they make no secret their desire to conquer the galaxy, though not for resources or xenophobia [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy but for the honour emerging victorious in such a conflict would bring them]]. |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
| 198 | |
| 199 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 200 | * The ShowWithinAShow ''The Steel Samurai'' in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney''. Note that in the original version, ''Gyakuten Saiban'', the ShowWithinAShow was ''not'' about a samurai, but rather, a feudal lord-based superhero known as ''"Soldier of Oedo, Tonosaman"''. There's also Simon Blackquill, the main prosecutor of the fifth game. He claims to be a samurai and certainly has the look and motif going on. |
| 201 | * ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has a samurai for the Assassin class. And no, it doesn't suit him in the slightest. He does no sneak attacks, no dirty fighting, doesn't go for Masters like he is supposed to when he has the chance, and finally he is the only Japanese hero amongst all the Servants. The rest of them? Greeks, Celts and English make up over half the Servants and he is an Iranian. He wasn't even supposed to be here at all. Also, he's a better swordsman than Saber and even [[BloodKnight Lancer]] doesn't want to fight him. |
| 202 | [[/folder]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 205 | * At one point in Issue #10 of ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'', a tiny samurai jumps out of a pile of corn during their school cafeteria's "Corn and Corn Alone Day," proclaiming that "Corn is no place for a mighty warrior." [[Main/MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Don't ask.]] He later jumps out of a bowl of corn chips at The Ugly One's birthday party and "lathes" a [[ItMakesSenseInContext rotating]] What's-Her-Face with a Naginata. [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Again, don't ask.]] |
| 206 | [[/folder]] |
| 207 | |
| 208 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 209 | * ''Webcomic/SamuraiPrincess''. Not much more needs to be said. |
| 210 | * Kousuke Shiba from ''Webcomic/CorgiQuest'' has this as his [[RPGMechanicsVerse Class]]. As befitting the trope, he has a horse, a lord, a [[{{Wutai}} Japanese-sounding name]], and a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. |
| 211 | * ''Webcomic/BeneathTheClouds'' features samurai/samuru character Satake no Juro prominently in promotional art. He doesn't appear until a third of the way through the comic. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 215 | * Ulrich Stern in ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' takes the form of a samurai when he's [[DigitalAvatar virtualized]]. |
| 216 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 217 | ** Prowl in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is generally a {{ninja}}, but gets a samurai upgrade in the episode "A Fistful of Energon". |
| 218 | ** Before that, Silverbolt gained a samurai-like body in ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines''. |
| 219 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': |
| 220 | ** The gratuitous [[RuleOfCool (but cool)]] "Blind Nigga Samurai" sequence. |
| 221 | ** Bushido Brown, an [[AfroAssKicker African-American karate expert]] who uses a katana sword on occasion. |
| 222 | * Samurai (heh) of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}''. |
| 223 | * Naturally enough, when an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' was set in (modern day) Japan, what code would the gargoyle clan found protecting a village there follow but ''bushido''? |
| 224 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' has Hachiman, a samurai Mumra brought to Third Earth to defeat Lion-O, but who would become an occasional ally of the Thundercats. |
| 225 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' deconstructs this with Da Samurai, a wannabe "samurai." Despite being so lacking in skill he uses his katana like a club, he uses his self-proclaimed status to bully people and (fail to) pick up ladies. The show's actual samurai humbles him by the end of the episode, kicking his ass without breaking a sweat while also teaching him a bit about the real values of a samurai. |
| 226 | * ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory '': Sam-R-I of the Justice Friends. |
| 227 | * The Cheese Shogun in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', though he has ninjas for minions. |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[/folder]] |
| 230 |
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