A special new visual has been unveiled for The Elusive Samurai TV anime series, commemorating the first anniversary since the show first aired in Japan on July 6, 2024. The new visual showcases the main protagonist Hojo Tokiyuki.
A second season was announced last October, scheduled to premiere at an unspecified date.
Yuta Yamazaki (Wonder Egg Priority assistant director) directed the first season, with Yusuke Kawakami (Bocchi the Rock! live performance director) as assistant director, Yasushi Nishiya (Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle sub-character designer) as character designer and chief animation director, Yoriko Tomita (My Dress-Up Darling) as series screenwriter, Kazuko Nakashima (Wonder Egg Priority) as color designer, Ayumi Kojima (The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World) as art director, and Yuya Sakuma (Horimiya: The Missing Pieces) as compositing director. CloverWorks is in charge of the animation production.
Meanwhile, the anime’s voice cast stars:
- • Asaki Yuikawa as Hojo
- • Hinaki Yano as Shizuku
- • Mari Hino as Kojirou
- • Sayumi Suzushiro as Ayako
- • Aoi Yuki as Genba Kazama
- • Kikunosuke Toya as Fubuki
- • Yuichi Nakamura as Suwa Yorishige
The anime is based on the manga series by Yusei Matsui, which began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump on January 25, 2021. A total of 21 tankobon volumes have been released as of July 2025. VIZ Media releases the manga in English and is also published digitally on the Manga Plus platform.
Crunchyroll is streaming The Elusive Samurai worldwide, outside of Japan, and describes the main synopsis as:
In the year 1333, the Kamakura shogunate government comes crumbling down. A trusted vassal, Ashikaga Takauji, betrays the shogunate and organizes a rebellion. Hojo Tokiyuki, the rightful heir, escapes the massacre with a Shinto priest named Suwa Yorishige to Kamakura. On the run and fighting to stay alive, Tokiyuki sets in motion his plan to reclaim his birthright.
Sources: The Elusive Samurai Official Twitter, Official Anime Website, AnimeTV
