Smash Hit Samurai Anime Confirms Season 2 Is Already In Production

Developed by Cloverworks, the same studio behind Spy x Family and Wind Breaker, The Elusive Samurai brought the hit historical fantasy manga to life. While it starts out as a fairly standard samurai revenge story, with Hojo Tokiyuki as a young noble whose family was overthrown and now wants revenge, it quickly takes a strange turn. Instead of being a great fighter, Tokiyuki is able to run and hide really well, to the point where it’s a superpower.

The Elusive Samurai Season 1 kept finding new ways to show off Tokiyuki’s speed and elusive nature, capped off by defending a village from an invading army using stealth and guile. Joined by the Elusive Warriors, another young samurai, thieves, and ronin, Tokiyuki is forced to grow up very quickly, abandoning his carefree and wild ways as he’s thrust into the war overtaking Japan. For the anime series, the character designs were updated by Yasushi Nishiyia, the same artist behind Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us and Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You!.

It’s a different type of Shonen anime that leans more into comedy than it does dramatic duels, but that’s why it was an instant hit, and the news of The Elusive Samurai Season 2 coming sooner rather than later has excited the fanbase. Some anime keeps fans waiting years for new seasons; the best (worst?) example today is One-Punch Man, so it’s good that this new wave of anime avoids that problem. There’s no date yet for Season 2, but some news is better than no news.

The Elusive Samurai manga has also been easy to find and on schedule for fans on both sides of the Pacific, releasing simultaneously in both Japanese and English through Viz Media. Already, over 3 million copies of the manga are in circulation, which isn’t bad for a series that started in 2021. Originally underrated compared to the heavyweights of anime, including Jujutsu Kaisen, the historical fantasy comedy has found an audience.

You can catch the first season of The Elusive Samurai streaming on Crunchyroll, in both sub and dub formats, with plenty of time to get caught up before Season 2 arrives. The first season is only 12 episodes, not including a recap episode, which is the perfect length for a weekend binge. It’s safe to assume that the series will be nominated for year-end anime awards, as the future of the industry during this year of transition is looking bright.