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While the classic series often tops discussions about the best anime in history, its artistic counterpart, Samurai Champloo, merits similar recognition. The influence of this samurai saga remains relevant today, most recently in Sony's flagship Ghost of Tsushima franchise.

Enhanced Tributes

This month's the new sequel, the sequel to the original PlayStation 5 game, enhances its homage to Japanese period dramas with the addition of the classic film mode. This option offers grayscale imagery, textured effects, and vintage audio. New options include Takashi Miike Mode, which focuses the view and heightens violence and filth; and Shinichirō Watanabe Mode, featuring a relaxed urban music shaped by the creator's direction.

For those intrigued about the Watanabe mode, Watanabe is the creative force behind the jazz-soaked the space opera and the hip-hop-driven Samurai Champloo, among other notable anime.

Fusing Past and Present

Watanabe’s 2004 series Samurai Champloo combines feudal Japan with modern music culture and current perspectives. It follows the unlikely trio of the wild swordsman, a untamed and erratic swordsman; the calm ronin, a reserved and formal ronin; and the brave waitress, a determined young woman who hires them on her quest to find “the samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

While the soundscape is primarily his work, much of Champloo’s music was shaped by renowned musician Nujabes, who tragically left us in 2010 at the age of 36. Nujabes earns his flowers next to Watanabe when it comes to the sound the anime is famous for and honors in Ghost of Yotei.

Style Mixing

Much of what made Samurai Champloo shine on the late-night block was its smooth integration of hip-hop and Japanese heritage. That fusion has been a mainstay in the music scene since the classic album in 1993, which itself originates from an whole cohort maturing on action cinema starring Bruce Lee and the iconic actor.

For many, the programming block and Samurai Champloo served as an introduction to underground music, with producers like Nujabes, Shing02, and Flying Lotus, the last one of whom went on to compose for the Netflix anime Yasuke.

Visual Flair

Stylized and symbolic, Champloo’s intro sequence introduces the protagonists through symbolic creatures in the background — the wild one struts like a chicken, while Jin moves with the serene, elegant posture of a carp. Although Champloo’s protagonists are the star of the series, its secondary characters are where the real soul of the anime lies.

There’s thief Shinsuke, who has a tragic tale of survival in a specific installment, and another character named the guard, whose exchanges with the wild swordsman impact him greatly that he ends up in his diaries years later. In the eleventh episode, “Gamblers and Gallantry,” the ronin becomes enamored with a wedded lady sold into prostitution named Shino and helps her escape from a red-light district.

A Cohesive Journey

At initial view, the full season appears to tell a episodic adventure of the trio’s journey to finding the elusive figure, but as the series progresses, events from previous episodes begin to merge to form a connected plot. Every encounter our protagonists face along the way has an impact on both them and the broader story.

Era References

The series also draws from Edo-period history (the same time period as the game), interpreted by Watanabe’s creative revisions. Occurrences like the historical uprising and places such as the Hakone Checkpoint (which Yamane guards) are embedded in the story.

Early on, ukiyo-e artist Hishikawa Moronobu shows up and briefly fixates on Fuu as his inspiration. After she turns him down, his work ultimately reaches the hands of the famous painter, who, in Champloo’s alternate timeline, is influenced to create his renowned still-life pieces.

Lasting Influence

All of these components tie closely into the anime's music, giving this period drama the kind of unique character that other productions have long sought to capture. Series like Afro Samurai (featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA), Tokyo Tribe, and Yasuke all attempted to mirror its fusion of music and visuals, but with diminishing returns.

Ghost of Yotei has the chance to take over from Samurai Champloo left off, igniting a new wave of impact much like the anime once did. If you’re diving into Yotei, it’s worth revisiting Champloo, because without it, there’d be no “the special setting,” no surge of hip-hop-infused anime, and no continuing impact of Nujabes, from which the influence stems.