The Indescribable Samurai is a great historical retelling of the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1300 in Japan. The Kamakura Shogunate was one of the strongest Shogunates in Japanese history, having remained strong for hundreds of years. Takauji’s massive betrayal is brought to the anime with stunning visuals, fun characters, and some of the most stunning scenery on screen. Tokiyuki Hojo, the last remaining member of the Kamakura Shogunate and his Hojo Clan, is a great protagonist who becomes increasingly easier to root for.
Tokiyuki was less than 10 years old when he saw his clan being demolished. Instead of committing the seppuku ritual like the rest of his people, he defiantly decided to continue living. Tokiyuki’s righteous indignation leads him to make new friends, seek out important allies, and, hopefully, one day, lead to the recapture of his home territory.
10
Tokiyuki Snipes Sadamune
Hojo’s heir against all odds
Sadamune is an incredibly intelligent antagonist at the beginning of the Indescribable samurai. He vehemently opposed the Kamakura Shogunate and was glad it fell. Now that Kamakura is out of the way, Sadamune has his eye on Suwa territory. In an attempt to make Sadamune back down, Yorishige has an idea. Sadamune is known for having the best eyes in Japan. He can see incredible distances and has the ability to fire an arrow exactly where he is looking.
Yorishige tells Sadamune that if he beats Chojumaru, alias Tokiyuki, in a dog shooting competition, he can have the Suwa territory, but if he loses, he will have to leave. Tokiyuki then uses his archery and evasion skills to great effect, sending an arrow straight into Sadamune’s face. It’s a big moment in the series that reminds everyone that their enemies aren’t perfect. It also shows Tokiyuki’s penchant for battle, something no one would imagine, considering how much he likes to run away.
9
The elusive warriors are formed
Tokiyuki’s Personal Warriors
Tokiyuki is nothing without his allies. When he first leaves Kamakura to go to Suwa, he has nothing. Your clan is dead, your lands have been taken and even your own name will bring you unwanted attention. Yorishige Suwa, Tokiyuki’s new caretaker, realizes this and gives him two of the strongest retainers he can ask for: Ayako and Kojiro. They are both excellent with a sword and even better for the boy as friends.
Further on, Tokiyuki meets the master thief Genba and the one-man army Fubuki to join his newly formed Elusive Warriors. Elusive Warriors is one of the best reasons to watch the Indescribable samurai. Tokiyuki is a great character and his friends bring out the best in him. Their dynamic is fun, happy and always fun.
8
Tokiyuki does not commit seppuku
The Hojo clan can live on
Tokiyuki he must be dead in accordance with the cultural and social norms of Shogunate-era Japan. Seppuku, or ritual suicide, was incredibly common among losing warriors. It was so common that more than 800 members of Tokiyuki’s clan committed the act when they learned of Takauji’s betrayal. Instead of fighting back, Tokiyuki’s entire clan decided to surrender completely. Not Tokiyuki. By not killing themselves along with the rest of their people, the Hojo Clan still lives.
Tokiyuki desperately clinging to life is one of the best parts of The Indescribable Samurai. Even though all of his people are gone and many might consider him a coward for not joining them, Tokiyuki decided to fight. It’s a big moment in the show that highlights the Elusive Warrior that has always been in Tokiyuki. He is incredibly brave for surviving the Fall of Kamakura and the only reason his clan may one day rise again.
7
Fubuki scares Kiyohara
Fubuki made a smart move
Fubuki is one of the smartest children in the anime. When the Elusive Warriors first encounter him as an adversary, he convinces the children he is protecting to light a bunch of flares in the surrounding forest to make the Warriors think they are facing a much greater threat than they thought. He proves to be one of her greatest allies and is strong enough to fight Ayako and Kojiro at the same time. At first his decision to spare Kiyohara’s life seems immature. but it ended up being brilliant.
Scaring Kiyohara and not killing him, Fubuki left the enemy with an incredibly incompetent leader, which is even better than leaving them without any leader. His decision to spare his enemy proved to be correct, giving the Elusive Warriors the chance to rebel against Kiyohara in the future.
6
The Fall of Kamakura
The Kamakura Shogunate fell brutally
The Fall of Kamakura is one of the most brutal betrayals in anime. Takauji Ashikaga turned his back on the Hojo Clan and the entire Shogunate. He was Kamakura’s best warrior and led most of its troops. When the people in Kamakura learned of this betrayal, they all committed the seppuku ritual. People who did not commit seppuku faced even worse fates, as they were massacred by the same people they once called friends.
The Fall of the Kamakura Shogunate sets the tone for The Indescribable Samurai. Although it is a fun and light-hearted series, it is based on brutality. Tokiyuki will need incredible strength and even better allies if he wants to reclaim his home. The Indescribable Samurai does a great job of portraying the horror, cruelty and depravity of the Fall as well, leaving no stone unturned.
5
Tokiyuki’s Victorious Retreat
Running away is what he does best
When Yorishige discovered he needed someone to help Hoshina retreat, he had the perfect guy for the job. There is no one better to escape from than the Elusive Samurai himself, Tokiyuki Hojo. Yorishige instructed his young pupil to head to the battlefield with one intention: total retreat. Although it may seem like a loss, Yorishige recognized that this battle was a marathon, not a sprint. Tokiyuki took his Fubuki, Genba, and Kojiro with him to help his allies escape.
It’s not often that an anime manages to portray those who retreat as winners, but that’s exactly what Tokiyuki and his allies were. By retreating, everyone lives to fight another day. Tokiyuki even had to get a little drunk for Hoshina to know what he really thought of him. in a lovely but fierce moment.
4
Tokiyuki vs.
The first use of the elusive blade
Tokiyuki is many things, but a fighter is not one of them. When he told Fubuki that he wanted to get stronger, Fubuki couldn’t believe how weak he really was. Tokiyuki swings his sword weakly, but that is not his main strength. Tokiyuki is at his best when he’s on the back foot. He is a unique character who becomes stronger when he escapes. Fubuki understood this and taught him an entirely new skill – the Elusive Blade. Tokiyuki faced Shokan, the enemy commander, and used the Elusive Blade to land a single, bloody attack.
Tokiyuki then spent the rest of the fight running away from the enemy commander. It may sound crazy, but it worked. Tokiyuki made Shokan bleed while chasing him, proving that not everyone who runs away is a coward. It’s a great moment that captures Tokiyuki’s patience, determination and a bit of insanity.
3
Kojiro x Yonemaru
Kojiro will be an excellent general
Kojiro is destined to be a phenomenal general. He was one of the first to join Tokiyuki’s side and Tokiyuki became much stronger because of it. Although Tokiyuki is best when he’s on the run, Kojiro is a warrior at heart. Even though he is a child fighting adults, he doesn’t care. He will do whatever it takes to reclaim Kamakura and help Tokiyuki become Shogun once again.
When they go to help Hoshina retreat, Kojiro faces one of Yonemaru’s strongest enemy soldiers.
After losing to your opponent repeatedly, Kojiro’s determination pays off. Yonemaru’s guard drops, allowing Kojiro’s allies to pin him down while Kojiro delivers the final blow. Kojiro may still be a child, but his leadership, vision for the future, and ability to survive are important traits that will see him become the best general Tokiyuki could hope for in the near future.
2
Takauji is a God
A one-man army moment unlike any other
Takauji is a character unlike any other. He is charismatic but lethal, and is as similar to a god as he is to a demon. His soft smile hides his unhinged brutality. Takauji is the single force responsible for the Fall of Kamakura and one of anime’s greatest moments of mass destruction. He not only kills everyone in Kamakura, but he launches a one-man rampage against the emperor’s son in an otherworldly moment.
Takauji is trying to talk to the emperor’s son, Moriyoshi, but Moriyoshi sees through Takauji and orders his army to attack him. As Takauji talks to Moriyoshi, heads fly from his opponents. He doesn’t swing his sword, he doesn’t act aggressively, and everyone around him is killed. It’s a surreal moment that deserves several rereadings.and yet it is difficult to understand how he does it. Takauji’s massacre of Moriyoshi’s forces while he doesn’t even drop his smile is one of the best moments ever The Indescribable Samurai.
1
Tokiyuki against his uncle
An excellent demonstration of teamwork
The Fall of Kamakura left almost all of the Hojo dead except Tokiyuki, his older brother Kunitoki, and his uncle Muneshige. Muneshige eventually sells Kunitoki to the enemy, leading to his death. When Tokiyuki finds out about this, he decides to kill his uncle. This is an interesting moment for Tokiyuki because he is not a fighter. He is much more skilled at running away, but that is not something he can escape. With the help of his fellow Elusive Warriors, Tokiyuki faces his traitorous uncle in battle.
It’s one of the best animated moments in the series. Tokiyuki flies through the air and lands with his sword on his uncle’s neck, decapitating him once and for all. It’s an extremely cathartic moment that proves that Tokiyuki is no coward and that his new friends are more than trustworthy. Kunitoki’s death was brutal, but at least Tokiyuki got revenge.