Who comes to your mind first when talking about “samurai” characters? 3rd place goes to Zoro from “One Piece”, 2nd place to Himura Kenshin from “Rurouni Kenshin”… Various characters ranked in

June 4 is Samurai Day.

It is an anniversary established based on the words-play “Bu” (6) Shi (4)” (Bushi means samurai in Japanese), and another reason is that the end of summer warfare of the Siege of Osaka happened on June 4 of the new calendar.

Many characters related to samurai appear in anime and games. In addition to titles dedicated to the Warring States period, there are various ways of showing them, such as samurai reincarnated in modern Japan, someone who loves Warring States period warlords’ cosplay, or just talking in a samurai manner.

Here at Anime! Anime!, we conducted a reader survey entitled Who comes to your mind first when talking about “samurai” characters? We received responses from 206 people during the survey period from May 24 to May 31.
The male-female ratio is about 30% for males and about 70% for females. About 50% of the age group were teens, and about 30% were in their 20s.

■ Multiple characters fighting with swords ranked high
1st Place
1st place goes to Sakata Gintoki from “Gintama” with an approval rating of about 10%.

Readers commented, “During the Joui War, he was so good that he got the nickname “Shiroyasha”. Even after switching to a wooden sword, it is wonderful to see him fighting for something important. In the duel with Hijikata Toshiro, he even says, ‘It’s my Bushido (samurai’s rules of life)'”, and “He is usually a mess, but the spirit of Bushido is in his heart. Him fighting for his friends is the best example of samurai!”

2nd place
2nd place goes to Himura Kenshin from “Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan” with an approval rating of about 7%.

Kenshin is a legendary swordsman who was once called the Hitokiri (literally person-slasher). Nowadays, he uses a reverse blade to not cut people, and his overwhelming strength and strong beliefs made him popular, “Samurai with No-Killing Vow who fights all kind of villians!”, and “I like that he does not just fight against enemies, hi fights with his heart.”

The release date of the live-action movie “Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning” on June 4 is also attracting attention in the media mix.

3rd place
3rd place goes to Roronoa Zoro from “One Piece” with an approval rating of about 5%.

Readers commented on Zoro, a combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates, the character with a strong visual and great skills, “During the Wano Country Arc, he was looking really cool fighting in kimono”, and “Because he uses kanji and Japanese food in names of techniques!”
Some readers mentioned a nostalgic episode, “Because Bibi once called him ‘Bushido-san.”

■ Let’s introduce other comments!
For Bushinyan from “Yo-kai Watch”, “A cat monster with a Japanese sword as a trademark. He may be a little scary because it has a habit of cutting anything with a Japanese sword.”
For Amidamaru from “SHAMAN KING”, “A cool samurai character with rules that values the bond with the main character, Yoh Asakura. The new animation” SHAMAN KING “is also being broadcast now.”

For Wakamiya Eve from “BanG Dream!”,”She is cute with her love to Japanese culture screaming, ‘Bushido!’, and “Even in the April Fool’s Day project of the game, she wore armor and achieved “Tenka Toitsu”‘(meaning Unification of the country)
About Ijirimatabei Yoshitoshi from “Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Battle of the Warring States”, the character appeared in the movie, “Although he is strong in battle, he is weak with women, and although he is in love with a princess, he cannot confess because of their difference in status. It’s the first time I’ve cried so much in ‘Crayon Shin-chan'”.

In this questionnaire, the characters who fight with the sword stand out. Also, Kanzaki Souma from “Ensemble Stars!” and Hattori Heiji from “Detective Conan”, characters who are good in kendo, were ranked in.

■ Ranking Top 20
“Speaking about “samurai” characters, who comes to your mind first?”
1st place Sakata Gintoki “Gintama”
2nd place Himura Kenshin “Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan”
3rd place Roronoa Zoro “One Piece”
4th place Amidamaru “Shaman King”
4th place Wakamiya Eve “BanG Dream!”
6th place Kanzaki Souma “Ensemble Stars!”
6th place Klein “Sword Art Online”
6th place Masamune Date “Sengoku BASARA”
6th place Hattori Heiji “Detective Conan”
10th place Katsura Kotaro “Gintama”
10th place Hijikata Toshizo “Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom”
12th place Ishikawa Goemon “Lupin III”
12th place Hijirikawa Masato “Uta no Prince-sama”
14th place Sanada Yukimura “Sengoku BASARA”
14th place Jack “Samurai Jack”
14th place Sojiro Seta “Log Horizon”
14th place Businyan “Yo-kai Watch”
18th place Ijirimatabei Yoshitoshi “Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Battle of the Warring States”
18th place Nobunaga Oda “Manga Nihon Emaki”
18th place Garp Goemon “Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun”
18th place Kasushiman “Soreike! Anpanman ”
18th place Korosuke “Kiteretsu Daihyakka”
18th place Takemitsu Shinzo “SKET DANCE”
18th place Yukichi Fukuzawa “Bungo Stray Dogs”
18th place Benimaru “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime”

(Response period: May 24 to May 31, 2021)