Elden Ring's Samurai is a REAL LIFE Samurai!? - Gaijin Goombah

[@GaijinGoombah]

We're SO excited to finally play around with the idea of Which Samurai! I hope you all enjoy and let us know of other samurai we might be able to cover. ALSO! If you're feeling the hanami spirit, please consider checking out Bokksu's Sakura Season box! It REALLY is good! Link here bit.ly/3E06juz and use my code "GAIJIN15" to get $15 off

[@OneNationUnderPug]

Somthing I like to mention, is that I’ve heard that Margit( horn guy) is referred to as an Oni in the Japanese version of game. I don’t know how true that is but I thought I mention it.

[@TigerW0lf]

Ninjas are cool, but samurai have always been my jam. Ever since I watched Samurai Jack with my dad as a kid, I just couldn't get enough of the bizarre world of Japanese Culture

[@General-F]

Kensai from For Honor pleeeeeeeesssssssseeeeeeeeeeee.

[@Dragnarok1]

Satsuki and his blade Mikoto from demons souls along with the area he appears in.

[@thehulk86]

EXCELLENT video Gaijin. I'm gonna have to check out a lot more of your videos & streams in the future since Unexpectables is ending this week. That was my first exposure to you outside of TFS's Moustache music video

[@allengordon6929]

I think you should do a full culture shock in this game. The lore is a combination of Greek and Norse mythology, the actual locations of the game have a lot of byzantine and slavic inspiration, and a lot of the weapons and armor have Anglo-Saxon and Roman iron age inspirations. There will be tons of material. Probably enough for multiple culture shock.

[@captainmorg95]

There's also a lot of celtic/Welsh influence. The way a lot of names are spelled and pronounced are from gaelic spellings and pronunciations

[@allengordon6929]

@@captainmorg95 yep. Limgrave has heavy Anglo-Celtic influences, Liurnia and Caelid are swamps like western Belarus, Altus and Gelmir compose what is largely a Balkan-style karst formation, and the snowy mountains and the Haligtree are much more Scandinavian or alpine.

[@tompotter8703]

I seen a video earlier today discussing the idea that a lot of Elden ring’s themes, characters and plotlines might of been influenced by alchemy drawings and texts.

[@captainmorg95]

They really draw from a lot to make this game. I really appreciate their dedication to crafting it. I'm reading a lot of tolkien and he also drew a lot from different culture in his effort to craft an anglo-legend. But his stuff has clear inspiration from Greeks, Romans, and some stories read like eastern myths and legends as well

[@Koyuki_Yukihime]

@@allengordon6929 I think Gaijin only knowledgeable in Japanese culture and history though.

[@ardensediri80]

On a list of things I was expecting to see, a Maid wielding a Katana... not one of them, fantastic video!

[@malikdespanie4344]

My maid wields a katana sounds like an awesome title for an anime!

[@janTesika]

@@malikdespanie4344 oh for sure. someone get on that!

[@SirSpoofy]

Oooooooooh I love this new series already. Perhaps you could eventually do the Jedi, since they had heavy samurai influence. Heck, Darth Vader's helmet is supposedly based off a samurai helmet.

[@nonamegiven202]

Yep like they had Kurosawa's movie as a major influence and if anything shaped the modern pop culture view of samurai it's his work.

[@MaxRavenclaw]

I first noticed that as a kid when I saw the last samurai and thought, wow, those helmets look like Darth Vader's

[@humouroushawk]

YES

[@TheRoboticPizza]

Mandalorians especially the ones from Star Wars Legend could pass off more as samurais if you ask me.

[@nonamegiven202]

@@TheRoboticPizza I mean The Mandalorian is literally just Lone Wolf and Cub mixed with space western after all

[@adventurejedi2490]

Great video! Love this new series. Here's some suggestions: Usagi (TMNT) Silver Samurai (Marvel Comics) Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) Mugen and Jin (Samurai Champloo) Katana (DC Comics) The Seven Samurai (Kurosawa film) The Jedi (Star Wars) Jetstream Sam (Metal Gear Rising)

[@HenshinFanatic]

Let me add KyoryuGold/Utsusemimaru from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, and pretty much any of the 5 core members of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.

[@anthonydezii8493]

I would love to see one on Usagi. He has his own comic that is still going today.

[@TheEel228]

Yasuo. Yone, Or Master Yi [League of legends]

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

In Soul Calibur, which already is masterclass in intuitive-feeling combat over the more traditional competitive fighting game standard, Mitsurugi and Yoshimitsu play that strength out really well.

[@Yes-gc7hm]

*JetStream Sam Hell Yeah*

[@TheBackbunner]

9:14 Every time I hear that story I can’t help but smile while picturing Nasu no Yoichi just taunting the enemy while his side is just going crazy on the shore.

[@GooseterBooseter]

You have to cover Okina in this game, and how he is basically a stand in for Miyamoto Musahi, and the cultural significance behind his name, mask, and how he uses his weapons of Rivers of blood, and a wakizashi in his off hand.

[@solidskullz5736]

One thing I love about the samurai is that he comes with a bow. From what I know samurai used horseback archery more than their swords. Plus it’s a good way to fend off enemies when they gang up on you and drain your health

[@jeremiahooms4716]

Horseback Archery became pretty irrelevant after the introduction of Ashigaru and eventually Tanegashima

[@emperorfaiz]

@@jeremiahooms4716 Definitely not. Even after the Tanegashima rifles become popular, horseback archers are still a viable unit for a shock cavalry attack.

[@novrinkov0053]

Foreigners often get it wrong, but it varies depending on the period. The Sengoku period uses bows and spears because it's a large group versus large group. During the Edo period and the Bakumatsu period, the situation became person-to-person, so swords were mainly used. Bows were not used during the Edo period or Bakumatsu period. Kenjutsu Dojos and many Ryuha(style) were established during the Edo period. Many famous swordsmen were born during the Edo period. Of course, swords were used a lot during hand-to-hand combat during the Sengoku period. Therefore, it is wrong that foreigners often say that samurai do not mainly use swords. During the Edo period and Bakumatsu, swords were mainly used. Shinsengumi is a good example. Four manslayer of the Bakumats are also famous.

[@fenorlex1126]

​@@novrinkov0053 In short, swords are not THE main weapon, but ONE OF the main weapons.

[@ItsmeInternetStranger]

A little late but the Nagakiba is similar to the longest katanas found in the Dark Souls games, which were called Washing Pole. The Washing Pole swords were an obvious reference to the Laundry Drying Pole, or monohoshizao, used famously by swordmaster Kojiro Sasaki. So, while the name is different, I think the reason for the Nagikaba is still rooted in a reference to Sasaki,

[@yeetman1344]

which samurai is kinda interesting considering its a lot less specific than a ninja since one is an occupation and the other is a varied class

[@swordsman1_messer]

Going to be honest, stopped the video to check out Harima’s Twitter just because I saw a maid doing iaido. That aside, I’m now very interested in this new series you got. Can’t wait to see how you evaluate the Kensei and Orochi in For Honor.

[@Pascll]

I don't think they really thought much about horses when giving the samurai class a lot of dexterity. the class probably just have a lot of dex because katanas have always been dexterity weapons in souls games. in fact, the only katana in any fromsoft game from what I could find that's better with strength than dexterity is the meteoric ore blade in elden ring. so, they probably just gave the samurai a lot of dex so they're immediately more focused towards using their starting weapon, and also so they can use it in the first place, since uchigatana has a 15 dexterity requirement.

[@JayJayM57]

I think this video is about how the samurai class is true or not to history. It is not about how the creators intended for it to be realistic. In which ninja accidental accomplishments are given.

[@CallieBlader]

this gives me ideas of a ranger in dnd that could mount anything and be classified as a samurai since they specialize in bows. interesting idea would even be have a tall teammate that could be mounted (i can hear the snickering, hush) and the ranger is tiny but can shoot from up high and from a distance. i'd honestly be interested in seeing thoma from genshin impact cause his design and his kit (at least aesthetic wise) is kinda samurai like (i think)

[@nicholascordero6600]

Just make them a gnome and get a centaur buddy

[@CallieBlader]

@@nicholascordero6600 i was thinking halfling honestly

[@jacobcain9008]

Theres a youtube channel called D4 who does D&D builds. His latest one is actually a mount and rider combo.

[@allengordon6929]

Samurai always struck me as heavily armored mounted rangers rather than knight equivalents.

[@Aniyah-CHG]

@@allengordon6929 Early on they were. Later on they turned more similar to knights though they did still uses mounted archery.

[@RetroTaylor94]

Ive been having so much fun with Elden Ring and I started with the Samurai. Very cool vid!

[@strikerevimus]

That legend about Muramasa blades... Dude, that actually explains a detail I've seen in Phantasy Star Online 2 with the Cosmogenic Arms! At least two or more examples of which have driven their wielders to keep on fighting the game's antagonistic forces, and literally tell them to do so! You really need to check it out, the game is chock-full of Japanese lore, one bit of lore I didn't even know about until this video! As for another part of the game, the Braver Class is indeed Samurai, something you'll be interested in checking out. As for other samurai in pop culture... I'm betting you'll check out Usagi Yojimbo at some point like you did for the TMNT with Which Ninja, so that's a given I'm looking forward to. Let's see... Some people have mentioned Silver Samurai from Marvel, Katana from DC and the Jedi who are very samurai in their inspiration. What about taking a look at the Transformers character known as Drift? How good of a Samurai is he in his incarnations? What about the Sentai/Power Rangers that are based on Samurai themselves? I'd be interested in seeing an analysis on that. Heck, let's even see how Gundam works with Samurai, as I'm betting there's a ton of Samurai inspiration going back to even the OG Gundam series, with the mobile suits even resembling Samurai when you look and think about it. Finally, more of a Which Ninja request, but would you consider taking a look at Espio the Chamelion from Sonic the Hedgehog, and see how Ninja he is? I'd also be interested to see what you say about Rouge the Bat, who in Sonic X once donned a rather outright ninja outfit herself with just her eyes showing, and otherwise does some ninja things despite officially being a jewel thief. Just a small request, and it'd be rather topical given that the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie is not that far around the corner. You have enough time still to make such a video if you want.

[@sylvanstrength7520]

Man this makes me miss learning Iaijutsu… In college, I was training with a guy in North Carolina who had trained with the only instructor of the style on the East Coast of the USA. And then college got too busy so I had to quit. The style was being taught in Florida and I couldn’t find a new sensei after I had to quit.

[@rowantorisade3223]

As someone who absolutely loves samurai, this is such a fun idea for a series! Well done with the video, Gaijin! The seppuku of Hirate Masahide was really quite intersting to learn about. I'm really looking forward to what you do with this series in the future :D

[@DgtlRnn042]

I am so excited for this series! As my username no doubt suggests. As an American who has trained in Ieijutsu, I can say your assessment aligns with what I have learned and understand as well.

[@serdash6548]

I'm surprised Gaijin didn't even mention the description of the samurai armor in this game which pretty much references the Sengoku Jidai as a civil war that led the people of the Land of Reeds into a bloodthirsty madness.

[@BornofIron]

I'm so glad we get to have this♡ thanks Gaijin! To be honest a little part of me hopes you go back over Ghost of Tsushima for just ONE more round because I feel the little references in armor made that game super cool for me. But it gives a chance to to talk about how the katana evolved from Kamakura to Edo periods. Can't wait to dive in

[@darinrode812]

I love your videos. So informative. As someone who is an actual black belt in issin ryu karate, I really find the analysis of sword techniques especially interesting.

[@DuskyPredator]

I believe that Jin Sakai was already on Which Ninja, but I do think he deserves a revisit for Which Samurai.

[@skinless5136]

They didn’t think about the horse when they gave samurai dex as it’s biggest stat, they gave it dex because the katana is a dex weapon every katana is (besides meteoric ore blade), dex and strength each have their own little perks like strength giving you a slight damage resistance and dex decreasing the amount of damage you take from fall damage

[@tennoakahi]

Don't know if someone else already said this: There is a wakizashi in this game and you can use it to power stance (a special moveset that only works with 2 weapons of the same type weilded at once) with a katana. This is the only weapon that breaks the rule of "same weapon-type" for power stancing.

[@TheShogunate]

Fantastic video man!

[@GunRunner106]

you can also change the design of the samurai armour via boc, remove the straw cover parts from the main body armour. for slightly lowered stats~

[@snivy400]

Watching this video making me wanna play the game again with a pure samurai build

[@MagicianFairy]

This is a nice start to a series. Learned a lot about sheath slashes. I hope one day in a few years you make a series of "which monk/priest".

[@MaxRavenclaw]

You should also check out Metatron's Iaido videos.

[@JeannieLove]

Jin from Samurai Champloo and the concept of "Double Death", two warriors cutting each other down at the same time.

[@LordShonji]

This definitely explains why Iai slash from the long sword weapon in Monster Hunter is really effective

[@edi9892]

Can anyone explain to me the physics behind the asymmetrical bow? The short limb will move less, but probably provide more drawweight, whereas the longer arm will provide more drawlength than drawweight. It could easily go wrong in the long arm being too much of a limp noodle, or the short one bending too much and getting damaged over time.

[@MaxRavenclaw]

it's a composite bow, isn't it?

[@edi9892]

@@MaxRavenclaw Not really. It's not like there are layers of different woods, horn, sinew, similar. It's AFAIK, just bamboo stripes glued together.

[@minasegazi4000]

If I recall correctly, though them pull is asymmetrical the total draw weight equaled out. It allowed the samurai to use a more powerful long bow on horse instead of sacrificing range and power. Its not a perfect one to one with English long bows, but still far stronger then a short bow. Its power optimized for a role basically.

[@samuraijackoff5354]

I heard that it could Allow samurai to duck and kneel behind shielded walls while allowing them to fire at full force but safely

[@werecatauthor4249]

I always that mongols were the first horseback archers, i love the idea of an archery based Samurai class

[@DukeofTxtspeak]

The Scyth were the first Horseback archers

[@jamcalx]

Lord Gim Gam has produced another superb showing.

[@austindavis2309]

Dude this was awesome! It was from you gaijin that I learned about the samurai being mounted archers for the longest time and as an archer myself u made the samurai even more fascinating to me and your discussion of iai was cool to. Since it is one of my favorite sword styles to watch

[@korn7809]

If we are going to do more samurai videos we need some on the Warriors (Dynasty, Samurai and Orochi) games. I always wondered what real life things they have going for them.

[@connorharnage6697]

That one clip of Vergil really makes me wanna see him on this show. I doubt there's much there but it'd still be fun

[@Cyrus21100]

I think a good topic would be the various motifs of Kamen Rider Gaim. The Kurokage trooper rider moks using polearms, the Gaim armors themed after Date Masamune and Oda Nobunaga, one character being a reference to the man who betrayed Nobunaga. And even the Genesis Riders using bow weapons. Gaim's Pre final form, Kachidoki (Triumphant Arms) also using a gun that is clearly based on a tanegashima. Don't let the fruit motif fool you, Gaim has a lot of depth and serious themes. The SIC figure of Gaim's main form can even be displayed like those models of samurai armors on a rack. It's also one of the better looking Rider designs. One of the movies for the show has the cast going to a world recreating the Warring states period, complete with Oda Nobunaga being a character.

[@mattwo7]

4:11 Rouges, thieves and ninjas. I mean heck, in FFI, Ninja is the advanced class of Thief.

[@TheKevann]

Man, I’ve been holding off on Elden Ring but… Yeah, it’s downloading right now! Thank you, Gaijin!

[@jackson4901]

Well, nice to see this new series! I do feel it's a bit weird that Elden Ring even had a Samurai class seeing as the whole landscape is more European than Japanese, but there's likely some story reason as to why the "Land of the Reeds" is in Europe…or is it suppose to be where Japan is? Also, considering this new series, does that mean we'll likely get a video on like the Orochi and/or Kensei from For Honor?

[@Romapolitan]

I don't think the land of reeds is supposed to be in Europe

[@Motleydoll123]

@@Romapolitan agreed. its probably meant to be a land far away known for its unique flora and being a fairly wet land. i mean, if you were some traveler from europe who had no idea about bamboo and were seeing these people using garments made of these thin long strands of plant based material from a large plant that seemed very similar to the reeds you have seen in ponds and marshes, which...well...bamboo forests tend to have a lot of moisture feeding them, you might naturally call the place a land of reeds. even if they learned more of the lands later on, its almost certain that the name land of reeds stuck in the european style conciousness. like i imagine a china style might be considered in this setting a land of silks, or the great walled lands. honestly i imagine if elden ring does get dlc, it will likely be taking players to lands beyond the core setting, probably by boat or magical means to these far off locations like the land of reads with very different architecture and asthetic locations, along with different weapons, armour, lore, and creatures. Imagine the land of reeds with these strange bizarre yokai, or perhaps the golden lands to the far west with massive temples and greenstone, where blood sacrifice is common and wild feather and beast skin garbed warriors lashing out with ferocity and weapons of wood and stone or tipped with hardened volcanic glass, facing massive feathered snakes and other terrifying beasts based on Mesoamerica and aztec/mayan culture. starting with a very european style starting area means that should we go outside of its area, the lands we enter are likely to contrast well with it. and of course, from those lands, you bring back knowledge and ideas that might change things dramatically. Imagine what happens if you went to somewhere like a china analoge and brought back a weapon that could create and explosion that launches a projectile that can pierce armours and cause significant damage, how might that change how you build or fight using it. it is not going to be some elaborate flintlock of course, but a firearm is going to shift balance by its presence.

[@Romapolitan]

@@Motleydoll123 I think if there were dlc it would still be connected to the lands between. Fromsoftware typically do not differ to much from the main game when they make dlcs and it is always an addition to the main lore.

[@jackson4901]

@@Motleydoll123 Ah I see.

[@jackson4901]

@@Romapolitan I mean, it would be cool to see them go to other places nevertheless.

[@corbingovers7559]

I'd Love to see a breakdown of the various legendary katanas (rivers of blood, moonveil...etc) and if they have any real-life cultural links.

[@joshuabelizaire2880]

On your next which Ninja, you should do Randy Cunningham, he is supposed to be the 9th Grade Ninja but how Nina is he really. And for Which Samurai you could do Samurai Jack, he has to be one of if not the most popular Samurai ever.

[@humouroushawk]

Absolutely stoked for this new series! Which Ninja is a blast but the sheer amount of actually available info makes me so excited to see the variety this will bring

[@FutureRetroRoots]

Was not expecting a series on samurai's, as i may or may not have wondered if there would be something like "Which Ninja", great to see this happening as well. I already loved your education on ninja's, as well as samurai. Keep up the good work, love your stuff, you're amazing! 😉👍

[@acgearsandarms1343]

I think covering the Samurai job and their fictional history in XIV would be perfect for this subseries. It’s got a lot of cool lore in their clothing, techniques and even some of the Samurai characters we meet in game.

[@frankwest5388]

What I learned from this, is that the Team Fortress 2 weapon “half Zatoichi”’s need to sacrifice your own health to sheath it has historical samurais basis. Neat

[@Kefkaesque13]

I assume that's a Demoman weapon? "Half Zatoichi" is then also a joke about Demoman having only 1 eye, as Zatoichi is essentially the most famous blind swordsman character in Japanese fiction (in fact, the iaijutsu footage at 13:07 is from a Zatoichi film).

[@frankwest5388]

@@Kefkaesque13 demo and Soldier share that one.

[@assassinsden7478]

Rurouni Kenshin would give a lot of topics to cover. The title character, Kaoru's Kamiya Katsushin Ryu and how it related to both historical and modern samurai perception, Saito and the Shinsengumi...so much available material to do over time.

[@witchbladefan1]

This is awesome, would love to see more. Can you look at the Six Samurai Yugioh cards?

[@Shadow952013]

Great opening for a new series boss, can't wait to see more!

[@ElderonAnalas]

"Once out your front door you are surrounded by death. Once out your front gate you are surrounded by enemies. Every morning a warrior should recommit himself to death." - Samurai Proverb An interesting thought as well, given the general mentioned short life and their later duties.

[@wolfscourge]

May I make a suggestion for Which Samurai? Since you had already looked into the Ninja of FFXIV, try looking into the Samurai of Othard and Hingashi. During the introduction to the job, your mentor Master Musosai ingrains in you the same ideal as the Iai-do/Iai-jutsu method. I cannot remember the exact quote, but he refers to your Katana as a scalpel which to excise evil. To be drawn when it need be, as it were. As the Sekiseigumi of Kugane also abide this mantra, never drawing steel in their city by law. Only doing so when it is truly necessary. Aside that, I want to see your take on the Samurai purely due to its fashion being that of later period wear and its main 'gimmick' ability, the Iaijutsu and Sen/Kenpi gauge. Edit: There's also a joke/glamour weapon you can acquire from the Gold Saucer that brings to mind the legend of another famous Samurai who has Representation in Soul Calibur. The Bokuto being a wooden Bokken blade that can be used to devastating effect in the hands of a trained samurai.

[@jamesdishon2917]

Dude! Well done! Please keep this series going! I loved this!!

[@Joker-wb1tm]

I'm pretty stoked about this new series, and I can't wait to see more going forward! That aside though, I *need* your hat lol

[@larrytod9790]

I'm already loving this Series keep them coming guys

[@MaxRavenclaw]

is this really his first samurai video? I could swear I saw one before

[@nicodalusong149]

That saying "hana wa sakuragi, hito wa bushi" I believe was in Yu Yu Hakusho but it was modified into a pun for Kuwabara. Pretty interesting I learned what the original saying was.

[@AlexT7916]

May I suggest a deep dive into the samurai of One Piece's Sengoku period inspired Wano country ? Or just on how accurate to Japanese culture is ? It's been 3 years since you talked about how much Japanese folklore were packed in the starting chapters of the arc and let me tell it keeps that up !

[@Metalisalearning77]

Which Samurai!? Count me in :D

[@richardwilliams7263]

Oh man, what an awesome way to start this series. That being said, I have a perfect candidate for both Which Samurai and Which Ninja, that being Hana from Fire Emblem Fates, since she is of the samurai class and has samurai heritage in her family due to her father, as well as having a ninja alt in Fire Emblem Heroes (by the way, there might not be much with the ninja alt, but I have a feeling you can find enough that I, admittedly, normally miss).

[@skullchan0w096]

Honestly I'd love too see how samurai is Virgil from the DMC franchise

[@Witherbrine98]

Cool series, dude! Didn't think Elden Ring was this true to IRL samurai! Now you got me thinking about other potential episodes: * Tomoe Gozen (Fate/Grand Order): You mentioned her in this video proper, but I'm curious now: how accurate is Archer of Inferno to historical Samurai? Aside from the fact that she becomes more like an oni through ascension, she for the most part seems pretty accurate. * Ushiwakamaru (Fate/Grand Order): Genderbend aside (Goombah will have as much a fit as he did in your Shuten-Douji video), Ushiwakamaru is apparently a famous samurai capable of several feats, to the point that her Noble Phantasm is the embodiment of her accomplishments leading up to becoming Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune. I'm curious about what F/GO gets right with Ushi here. * Okada Izo (Fate/Grand Order): Known as "Manslayer Izo", he was one of the four greatest assassins in the Bakumatsu period. From his attack animations to even his Noble Phantasm, Izo seems pretty convincing, but what do I know? * Takamaru (Mysterious Murasame Castle): He has a few ninja stuff going for him, but he's ultimately advertised as a samurai, just enough that he appears in Samurai Warriors 3 as a playable character. How much of it is just flashiness for appeal and how much is historically accurate. * Miyamoto Usagi (Usagi Yojimbo): No doubt this is on your list of priorities to the point of him appearing in this video. I remember reading those books a _lot_ a few years back, and looking back now, I think Stan Sakai does the Edo period a lot of justice.

[@Mariodash23]

I've been wanting you to talk about Samurai for years now, and I'm extremely excited to see you talk more about these badass warriors of honor and duty. Also, like you, I got Elden Ring for the Samurai class as well, and it's definitely the best class to start with.

[@GameWithTom1]

Wow, good video. Never seen your channel but Elden Ring brought me here. Also, there is a wakazashi in-game that acts as a dagger, but has a changed move set when dual wielded with a katana. Not thinking it’s historically accurate but a nice little touch nonetheless.

[@ThePageTurnerPT]

I now expect the helmet for each and every episode of Which Samurai, it's canon now

[@FatalKitsune]

Now that Which Samurai is a thing, I definitely hope there will be an episode on Baiken, Usagi Yojimbo, and William (Nioh).

[@Kartoffelkamm]

Love the new series, and hoping for more in the future. Also a tad sad that this only comes out now, because you make this stuff so easy to understand and I would've loved to add a samurai-inspired character to a fanfiction I'm writing. But anyway, could you look over the Samurai class from Log Horizon at some point? They're mainly frontline tanks, but can still use the bow as ranged weapon.

[@1000Master]

If you’re taking suggestions, I personally hope you do an episode on Samurott, both Unovan and Hisuian Forms.

[@kylepeters8690]

I'm honestly hyped for this series. Still love that samurai hat by the way.

[@rikkucrowe]

I loved this and learned quite a bit keep up the amazing work

[@Akashua_Bloodriver]

I absolutely loved this first episode and can't wait to see more from it! And if i could make a suggestion i'd love to see William from Nioh since he's based on the real life version of someone with the same name and it would be quite interesting to see the connections between the two as well see who is more Samurai then the other.

[@xantu00]

You mention the legend of Muramasa's swords, which were supposedly so bloodthirsty that they could not be sheathed without tasting blood, even if it were that of the wielder, and the image that you used for that section is the Half-Zatoichi from Team Fortress 2, which will eat 50 of your health if you put it away without killing another player with it. I am forever pleased, thank you, Gaijin Goombah.

[@darthplagueis13]

Not too bad I'd say. Kinda wish the Samurai also started off with a Yari spear but then again, that might just have been a bit of overkill considering you already get the best starter armour, starter sword and starter bow.

[@skinless5136]

Samurai starting armour is not the best by any means it’s probably one of the worst and you should switch it straight away for the knight set you can buy in Roundtable hold

[@reifuTD]

I'm finding this really helpful, I'm working on a fantasy setting that has a handful of Japanese inspired human races, Two are inspired by samurai culture, One is heavly armored and violet waring states style samurai, the second are the light and nimble samurai you'd see in Rurouni Kenshin.

[@Bl1tzkn1ght]

I also picked Samurai as my starter and for the boss fights where I was forced off Torrent I ran around the arena circling the boss and firing arrows until the boss died or I did. It's the most fun I've had in *Years*

[@ghostkaiser1716]

This is an amazing new sub-series. I'd love to see you try to tackle Amidamaru from Shaman King

[@DrakonLameth]

Regarding Yoichi's marksmanship -- the legend of him shooting the fan down is very likely why the Final Fantasy series puts his name on the second best bow in just about every game it has shown up in (with him being beaten out by a literal goddess of the hunt, Artemis, typically being the namesake for the best bow), he's just that important of an archer to the culture of Japan.

[@mypal1990]

Well we're seeing mitsurugi and haohmaru are gonna be subjects. But I wonder if Kenshin from Samurai x will make it to the list?

[@ace6151]

Love the New Series Gaijin. THough it's gotta be said: "Himura Kenshin When?"

[@goudashark1156]

Oh my God I'm so glad you made a which Samurai series, which ninja was a great way for me to learn about shinobi in great accuracy and detail in a very entertaining and digestible way. So to get this with Samurai is gonna make my creative process with samurai OCS so much easier.

[@EidanArdabor]

Thanks Gaijin, I love your channel and now that I'm thinking of playing Elder Ring maybe I'll go with the samurai class :)

[@wolfwood3081]

the whole Yura questline with Eleonora is very close to the Muramasa blade lore that you were talking about. Eleonora was/is a knight in game but is driven to crave blood and violence. The poleblade's description states "Her mastery of the sword was such that her onslaught was likened to a whirlwind, but now her legacy is stained by accursed blood." Pretty cool stuff, I am glad you covered this :D

[@enfuegobeat7953]

A which samurai/ninja crossover were you compare Raiden and Jetsream Sam to each other and see which is more ninja and which is more samurai could be a cool idea

[@GoodwillWright]

Cool thing is that you can also get a Wakizashi and a Naginata in game. I'm in the middle of doing a full Samurai playthrough where I only use Samurai armor, Longbow and Naginata in first L/R armament slots, Uchigatana and Wakizashi in the 2nd L/R slots. I only put Ashes of War on them that seem somewhat thematically appropriate for Samurai as well. Another cool fact is that the Katana and the Wakizashi are one of the few weapons that can be powerstanced despite not being in the same category.

[@Angelus_Ex_Umbra]

Oooh if we are going with Samuri I would love to see one or more episodes based on these four specific One Piece characters : Roronoa Zoro , Kin'emon, Shimotsuki Ryuma, and Kozuki Oden

[@KomodoMagic]

I’ll like to see a video of Sir Alonne from Dark Souls 2. Also, great video

[@jokerswild2380]

Regarding the Uchigatana, it has another bit of stylization to it. The light attack on Unsheathe, at least for the DS3 version, can deflect an incoming attack and functions as a shield parry, allowing a follow-up crit.

[@XRyuhayabusaX]

What a great start for a series! Already was in deep love with which ninja :) As always: I LOVE how much history you cover in your videos. But one thing to note: You missed out on the Wakizashi there. It looks so good when dualwielding with the Uchigatana :)

[@timelordacaelus5959]

For anyone that hasn't found them yet, there's also a wakizashi and a naginata you can get to further complete the samurai kit.

[@RaptorRed79]

Samurai used shields?? Now that is interesting. I am by no means an expert, but I do remember hearing one speak of how Samurai would not use a shield as it was considered a cowards way to be behind a shield. So this is very interesting.

[@MrZalgo-ml2iw]

Samurai rarely used shields, but sometimes they were forced to use a shield in scenarios that make them necessary. For example, the Mongolian invasion samurais were forced to use shields so that they could deal with the archers the Mongolians would use.

[@korstmahler]

"Cowards way to be behind a shield"? Consider that the subject is a man covered in interlocking shields, strapped to his body lol

[@Vivincubus]

While not directly samurai themselves, the Hunter's armors in monster hunter do have some nice details (mostly thinking of tetsucabra and potentially dah'ren mohran with the red/blue duality of at least tetsu's other inspiration ;3)

[@groupcee2325]

also if you notice this small detail on the unsheathe Ash of War , the tarnish performs a Chiburi after using the AoW

[@Dreamfox-df6bg]

Well, you already have shown the samurai I'd love to see, though the reading material is quite extensive. Myamoto Usagi from 'Usagi Yojimbo'. After all, Ronin are still Samurai.

[@stephenford5661]

How about Rurnouni Kenshin? I know most of his attacks are fantasy, but I'm curious about some of the truths behind the attacks. Like his 9-strike attack.

[@assassinsden7478]

There's more than just Kenshin there, too. Saito was a real life samurai, for example.

[@Azmodeus87]

I found a description of Saito's striking technique, that i was able to use on my buddy in kenjutsu sparring. Basically, you use a righthanded lower grip on the saya to launch into a surprise thrust. Sort of like a southpaw strike for tachi. Mind, i found this description while reading up on Kenshin, so it is possible that the historical authenticety is nil, but the technique itself was doable and practical. No idea how one would perform Souji's one-step-triple-bisection though. That sounds either completely fictional, or like a romantication of a longer technique performed fast.

[@spearsage]

The live action movies of rurouni kenshin delved into realistic swordsfight a bit too much that the only actual 'technique' that is clearly visible and distinguishable were just Hajime Saito's sword thrust and Shisioh's fire sword. Each character does have their own unique fighting style to emulate the fantasy techniques in the anime though. Like Kenshin uses a lot of agile jump and slide as well as quick repeating strikes while only falling back to batoujutsu for a finishing strike, Saito would use his sword thrust but without the exaggerated pose at the beginning, and Sanosuke is often seen grappling and punching his opponent like an unrefined but strong ruffian. Not that I mind, given that it's live action movie and is leaning to the drama side of rurouni kenshin more than the comedy.

[@mr.macgregor5203]

This new series is awesome! I'd love to see more of it and a potential Which Knight

[@dihzmahl7032]

So would the samurai's lord be the Two Fingers? The lore of the Tarnished implies that they're extensions of the Two Finger's will.

[@troublewakingup]

Isn't the name "rivers of blood" a reference to that one story on how a masamune blade refused to kill an innocent fish but a muramasa blade did?

[@metallipwn]

Samurai being canon is great cuz it means you can imagine your Tarnished as having basically any background you want

[@Epicmonk117]

23:52 Is that why Jetstream Sam said “You deny your weapon it’s purpose. It yearns to bathe in the blood of your enemies!” to Raiden in MGRR?

[@Jon7763]

I hope Samanosuke Akechi from the Onimushia series is in your list of future Samurai episodes

[@futurelink8]

After you mentioned how hard it would be to draw the nagakiba in real life, I feel compelled to mention its default ash of war isn't isn't unsheathe, probably for that reason.

[@joinmarch76]

2:45 I'd be more shocked at this, but given what both FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin are known for...honestly, I'm surprised this collab hasn't happened sooner! No wonder it took so long to release!