Why Did I Choose To Watch This:
I’ve always loved the nostalgic feel of old school shounen anime. The vibe always reminds me of what I’d watch during my childhood. Something that’s not too intricate, not a whole lot of depth, but something that focuses on adventure and growth. When I saw that Yaiba was receiving a readaptation I had to jump into it. Yaiba is one of the older battle shounen that I’ve never been able to watch, and now that a reboot was here, it felt like like I had to watch it. Not to mention we had WIT Studio, taking care of the production, this had to be a banger.
Quick Summary:
The story follows Yaiba Kurogane, a rambunctious kid who was raised in the wild and gets thrown into modern Japan with the goal of becoming the strongest samurai. Along the way of becoming the strongest samurai he meets Sayaka, a school girl whose family has roots with swordsmanship, and moves in with them. At her family’s dojo is where Yaiba meets his archnemesis, Takeshi Onimaru. Onimaru is a kendo prodigy who, similar to Yaiba, wants to become the best swordsman. Eventually Onimaru stumbles upon a cursed sword which leads him to spiral out of control and pursue the goal of becoming the strongest samurai in an evil way, through world domination. This leads Yaiba to start his journey across Japan to gather strong allies, orbs to power his weapon, and sword techniques in order to take down Onimaru and claim his title as the world’s strongest samurai.
Themes:
Essentially Yaiba is about rivalry, pride, believing in your friends, and what it means to grow up with responsibility. It’s the prototypical example of what an older shonen anime is all about. The rivalry between Yaiba and Onimaru exemplifies the difference between reckless passion and destructive ambition. The anime as a whole isn’t super complex with these themes but it’s apparent enough to notice it but still enjoy the small things in the anime.
Plot Mechanics: 6.5/10
Characters:
Yaiba Kurogane is the definition of an old school shonen character. He’s reckless, naive, and often too straightforward for his own good. But underneath all that is a kid who genuinely wants to protect people and live up to the samurai ideal, even if he constantly makes mistakes. That’s what makes him a lovable character though.
Onimaru is the wild card for me. His transformation from disciplined rival into corrupted antagonist was interesting to watch. The cursed sword amplified his pride and insecurity in a way that had me feeling bad for him.
The rest of the group of friends that Yaiba gained on his journey were cool. None of them were huge standouts but each of them had their own tropes and comedic contributions. Overall the side characters lean more toward comedy than depth, but they work in the context of the chaotic energy.
Characters: 7/10
This is where the anime really shined for me. The vibes here are the classic shounen energy that many anime fans grew up with. Loud and vibrant fights, ridiculous stakes, old school humor, and over the top escalation, gave me the Saturday morning vibes I remember growing up with. This anime without a doubt gave me the nostalgic feel that I’ve been missing. Not to mention weekly episodes aired every Saturday morning adding to the pent up feeling of missing the old days.
Aesthetics/Vibes: 9/10
Art/Animation/Direction:
The best part of this anime that really stood out to me was how WIT Studio combined an old school shounen anime with modern animation. What should have felt outdated ended up being charming and exciting. There were countless examples of how this reboot did not feel like a reboot. Characters were using their smartphones, there were skyscrapers, and so much more that wouldn’t have been around when this anime was first produced. The ending song even referenced posting on social media. I thought the coolest part of the anime was seeing how a reboot could become modern.
The animation was another example of the perfect blend of new and old. Fight scenes were slick and the visuals pop with vibrant colors that capture both comedic moments and supernatural intensity. The art style feels faithful to its old-school roots while updated enough to appeal to modern viewers. I could see that the character designs intentionally felt reminiscent of the original anime but also looked modern.
Art/Animation/Direction: 10/10
Overall Rating/Recommendation:
Yaiba: The Last Samurai delivered exactly what I wanted from it. It was the perfect reboot that combined old storytelling with modern animation while maintaining the old feel. The anime itself was chaotic, funny, and action-packed. It’s not the deepest but it captures that classic Saturday morning cartoon vibe while still delivering real stakes and character conflict.
This would be an easy recommendation to someone who wants to recreate that nostalgic vibe or for someone who wants to watch an older anime but with better animation. If you’re someone who enjoys action-heavy anime with great animation and an anime that’s not overly serious, this would be a match made in heaven.
Overall Rating/Recommendation: 8/10
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