Summary
The Elusive Samuraidazzles viewers practically every week with its anime adaptation hosted by Crunchyroll, and while it exaggerates much of its action, it presents a fascinating perspective on an especially turbulent era in Japan. Interestingly, in recent episodes, the series tackles the historical pivot away from romanticizing brave and bold warriors, instead focusing on cunning and deceit. Through this,The Elusive Samuraicreates a more historically-influenced portrayal of shinobi thanNarutodid with its principal characters.
The usage of ninjas inThe Elusive Samuraiis unsurprising, as the series already benefits from its elegant depiction of deft, agile fighters evading harm and outmaneuvering their opponents. Tokiyuki Hojo may be the most famous user of these tactics, butas his roster of Elusive Warriors grows, so does his retainers' presence and their widely-varied skill sets.
ComparingThe Elusive SamuraitoNarutomay be a lopsided task when considering other metrics at play, but their differences in how they portray authentic shinobi is perhaps the most compelling one.
The Elusive Samurai Portrays Ninjas Better Than Most of the Naruto Cast
Genba Kazama Presents as an Authentic Japanese Shinobi
The Elusive Samuraiepisode #6shows Tokiyuki retreating with his new thief ally, Genba Kazama, where the newest Elusive Warrior covers their escape using ninja tactics. He does so by deftly dodging Sadamune and Sukefusa’s attacks, laying traps that hamper their movement, molding his fox mask to impersonate Sukefusa, and smoke bombs, fire, and sabotage tactics.This moment inThe Elusive Samuraicreates an accurate, yet highly exaggerated depiction of ninjasas the term began to appear in theTaiheiki,as opposed to thebombastic fantastical shinobi fights ofNaruto.
The Taiheiki: A Chronicle of Medieval Japanis a historical epic that features the Nanboku-chō, such as the events of the Kenmu Restoration and the Hojo Clan massacre. The series alludes to it directly when discussing the shift from focusing on medieval warriors who were “bold and forthright” in favor of infiltration, deception, and sabotage.
However,Narutonever claims to be a fully authentic ninja series, given its anachronistic fictional world and greater focus on bombastic combat infused with stylized ninjutsu resembling magic more often than traditional stealthy ninja tactics. As Masashi Kishimoto confirms in a statement from the first volume of theNarutomanga preceding chapter #2,the original one-shot was meant to be about magic and sorcery rather than ninjas entirely. The only likely candidates fromNarutothat most closely match the ninjas envisioned inThe Elusive Samuraiare a frequently sidelined faction.
Genba Resembles Naruto’s Anbu Ninjas
The Most Authentic Ninjas in Naruto Don’t Feature Prominently
Much of the series' turmoil hurts the Anbu’s prominence in Konoha, including Danzō Shimura’s attempted coup and Itachi Uchiha, a former member, who leaves the village for the Akatsuki.
The Anbu, or Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, are the black ops corps inNaruto, wearing animal-inspired porcelain masks resembling Genba’s fox mask inThe Elusive Samurai,operating more covertly as ninjas in Konohagakure. The interesting thing about this is that they’re frequently touted as an elite force within theNarutouniverse. Much of the series' turmoil hurts the Anbu’s prominence in Konoha, including Danzō Shimura’s attempted coup andItachi Uchiha, a former member, who leaves the village for the Akatsuki.The Anbu fluctuate from incredible shinobi like Kakashi, to being trounced by the Sound 4.
Yet, the Anbu are less bombastic and more grounded as ninjas inNaruto, resembling the stealthy tactics indicative of the classic image of a shinobi, whileThe Elusive Samuraidoes it effectively in its first season. That a main character accomplishes it means more is in store, but Genba remains grounded, including the final portion of the episode devolving into him drunkenly harassing the Suwa shrine maidens. But withThe Elusive Samuraiblending excellent magical realism with authentic historical portrayals including shinobi and later examples like basara, viewers will see ninjas in a new light
