Anime's Strongest Samurai Characters, Ranked

Samurai have long been celebrated as symbols of honor, discipline, and unparalleled fighting prowess in history and popular culture. In the anime world, these noble warriors are often portrayed as masters of the blade, embodying the spirit of refined swordsmanship while navigating complex moral dilemmas and epic battles.

From legendary figures that represent tradition to modern interpretations that blend fantasy and realism, samurai characters captivate audiences with their unique skills, rich backstories and unwavering devotion to their code. In this piece, the aim is to rank the strongest of these samurai characters in anime, assessing their abilities, influence and impact on their respective stories. Therefore, below are the strongest samurai characters that anime has produced so far.

7 Afro – Afro Samurai

Number two

• Age: N/A
• Swordsmanship Style: N/A

The vengeful and titular protagonist of Afro Samurai series, Afro is a very skilled swordsman. At least skilled enough to get a placement here, considering how his sword art style is unknown. However, the series portrays it as far from unrefined. After seeing his father, then number one swordsman, beheaded by number two and his headband ripped from his lifeless body, it's clear where Afro's descent into sword madness begins.

A man of very few words but a vicious will for revenge, Afro is a cold-blooded killer with little time for compassion. But it is this evil that makes him a terrifying samurai. Able to create new techniques from mind exercises alone, a method he was taught by his master, Afro's sword skills can be developed many times over. Along with his enhanced physical attributes such as speed, strength, agility and durability, this makes him one of anime's most feared and famous samurai.

6 Jin – Samurai Champloo

The four-eyed samurai

• Age: 20
• Swordsmanship Style: Mujushin Kenjutsu

The composed and calm side of the pair of swords in the trio of central characters in Samurai ChamplooJin, is the opposite of everything Mugen stands for as both a swordsman and a person. Although now a ronin, who killed his master and fled to escape punishment, Jin embodies refined swordsmanship. Mostly calm, collected and confident, Jin is the ideal companion for the ruthless duo Mugen and Fuu, even under the most stressful conditions.

Trained by Enshiro Mariya, Jin is said to have been the famous master's best student and became the successor to the Mujushin Kenjutsu style after accidentally killing his master, who would have killed him either way. As a swordsman, Jin is a very orthodox practitioner who believes in refined and grounded movements and variations, unlike Mugen, and is easily one of the strongest swordsmen in the series, even recognized by the legendary Kariya Kagetoki, arguably the strongest samurai in series as at the time of their meeting.

5 Mugen – Samurai Champloo

The rooster

• Age: 20
• Swordsmanship Style: Champloo Kendo

The more erratic of the pair of swordsmen of the three central characters in the Samurai Champloo series, Mugen is exactly the anti-hero protagonist that Jin is not, although the latter is not without its sins. Vulgar, lazy and indecent, Mugen tops off his undesirable personality with an absolute disdain for any kind of authority. All of these qualities are embodied in his sword prowess; However, Mugen's personality traits make him such an impressive swordsman.

True to the origin of his name “Mugen”, which originally means “without limitation”, Mugen's sword style is without limitation and with almost infinite potential, as it is a self-taught style based on breakdancing actually, and relies on Mugen's erratic and spontaneous tendencies, which making him a very unpredictable opponent. Additionally, Mugen can adopt bits of martial arts or sword styles as his own, making him one of anime's most versatile swordsmen.

4 Kenshin Himura – Rurouni Kenshin

Himura Battosai

• Age: 28
• Swordsmanship Style: Hitokiri Battosai

The infamous himura battosai ronin of the Meiji Revolution, Kenshin Himura, is the titular protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin series and one of the strongest swordsmen in the series, second only to his master, Hiko Seijuro XIII. As a swordsman, Kenshin is the successor to Hitokiri Battosai, the strongest swordsman style in the series, which naturally gives him an edge against all opponents.

But Kesnhin's talent with the sword, coupled with a cold-blooded will to kill his opponent without fail, earned him his infamous reputation, so much so that his name was only allowed to revel around his enemies during the war. With superhuman agility, speed and strength despite his small stature, Kenshin was rightly feared throughout the Meiji era. However, his versatility across many fighting techniques outside of his sword art style is further proof of his strength, making him one of the most unpredictable swordsmen in anime.

3 Gintoki Sakata – Gintama

The White Yaksha

• Age: 27
• Swordsmanship Style: Self taught Swordsmanship Style

The White Yaksha and founder of Yorozuya, Gintoki Sakata, is the protagonist of Gintama series. Arguably the strongest samurai in the series, he falls somewhat short due to his blinding rage, which clouds his judgment in battle when he falls into it. After participating in the Joui War, Gintoki was nicknamed Shiroyasha in battle, striking fear into the hearts of his opponents at the mere mention of his name.

As a person, Gintoki is extremely lazy and is often considered stupid and silly due to his apathetic and laid back attitude. But beyond the lazy facade, Gintoki's skills as a swordsman are very broad due to his exploits in the war. Even more surprising is that his sword style is self-taught and crude but not unrefined, implying a high level of cohesion and variety. Although he prefers his sword style, he also has a versatile skill set with weapons, capable of using almost any weapon, making him even the most versatile swordsman on this list.

2 Kamikaze – One Punch Man

Atomic Samurai

• Age: 37
• Swordsmanship Style: Atomic Slash

Kamikaze, called Atomic Samurai, is one of the supporting characters One Punch Man and one of its mightiest heroes. He is an S-class hero and rank 4 master of the Swordmasters Council. Typically arrogant, as expected of the S-Class heroes of the series, Kamikaze is also quite sensitive to matters concerning his age and his students.

But as a swordsman, Kamikaze is truly terrifying. With superhuman strength befitting a hero of his stature, his speed makes him distinctly terrifying, being the fastest of the S-class heroes, especially when using the infamous Atomic Slash attack. He is known to be able to move faster than the speed of sound easily while being able to cut anything down to a singular atom.

1 Roronoa Zoro – One Piece

Pirate Hunter Zoro

• Age: 21
• Swordsmanship Style: Three swords style

Infamous as Pirate Hunter Zoro, right-hand man to the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and second in command to Luffy, Roronoa Zoro is a descendant of the legendary samurai, Shimotsuki Ryuma from One Piece universe and is the creator of the Three Sword Style. Known among the Straw Hats as one of the Monster Trio, which includes himself, Luffy, and Sanji, Zoro is one of the eleven Super Rookies with a bounty of over 100,000,000 mags.

Usually stern and serious, Zoro should not wear his emotions on his sleeve. But he proudly displays his skills as a swordsman. With immense raw strength and speed, Zoro can lift buildings with relative ease while being fast enough to chop down his opponents and swing his sword without them reacting. Except for the Three Sword Style, all of which make him a pretty scary opponent even when he doesn't look it. His main goal is to become the world's strongest swordsman, taking inspiration from the current strongest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, who is a swordsman but not a samurai.