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While the classic series often tops conversations about the best anime in history, its artistic counterpart, Samurai Champloo, merits equal praise. The influence of this period masterpiece continues to echo today, most recently in Sony's premier Ghost of Tsushima franchise.

Enhanced Tributes

This latest Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to the 2020 PlayStation 5 game, enriches its nod to samurai cinema with the inclusion of the classic film mode. This option offers black-and-white visuals, vintage film look, and retro audio effects. New options include the intense director mode, which sharpens the camera and intensifies blood and mud; and Shinichirō Watanabe Mode, featuring a chill beat soundtrack crafted under the anime director’s vision.

For those intrigued about the latter, Watanabe is the mastermind who created the jazz-infused the space opera and the urban-music-inspired the Edo-era adventure, among other notable anime.

The Blend of Eras

Watanabe’s 2004 show Samurai Champloo blends Edo-period Japan with modern music culture and current perspectives. It tells the story of the improbable team of the wild swordsman, a untamed and erratic fighter; Jin, a reserved and formal wandering warrior; and the brave waitress, a determined young woman who enlists them on her mission to find “the mysterious sunflower samurai.”

While the musical backdrop is ultimately his work, much of Champloo’s music was shaped by renowned musician Nujabes, who passed away in 2010 at the young age of 36. Nujabes earns his flowers next to Watanabe when it comes to the music the anime is renowned for and references in Ghost of Yotei.

Style Mixing

Much of what made Samurai Champloo stand out on the Adult Swim lineup was its perfect fusion of urban music and Eastern traditions. That fusion has been a fixture in urban art since Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, which itself stems from an group of youth being raised on action cinema starring Bruce Lee and the iconic actor.

For many, Adult Swim and Samurai Champloo served as an gateway to lo-fi/experimental hip-hop, with producers like the beatmaker, the rapper, and Flying Lotus, the last one of whom went on to create music for the Netflix anime the historical series.

Visual Flair

Artistic and meaningful, Champloo’s opening introduces the leads through kindred animals in the scene — the wild one walks proudly like a chicken, while the disciplined one moves with the composed, fluid style of a colorful fish. Although the show's main trio are the star of the series, its supporting cast are where the true heart of the anime can be found.

There’s pickpocket Shinsuke, who has a lonely story of endurance in episode 7, and another character named the guard, whose encounters with the wild swordsman change him profoundly that he ends up in his writings years later. In the specific installment, “the episode title,” the ronin falls in love with a married woman forced into sex work named Shino and helps her escape from a brothel.

An Interwoven Tale

At initial view, the full season appears to tell a non-linear tale of the trio’s journey to finding the mysterious warrior, but as the series develops, happenings from previous episodes begin to weave together to form a single, cohesive narrative. Every interaction our protagonists face along the way has an influence on both the characters and the overall narrative.

Historical Roots

The series also incorporates historical happenings (the same era as Yotei), filtered through Watanabe’s imaginative take. Occurrences like the feudal conflict and locations such as the Hakone Checkpoint (which the character guards) are woven into the story.

In the beginning, traditional painter the historical figure is featured and momentarily focuses on the female lead as his subject. After she turns him down, his work later ends up with the hands of Vincent van Gogh, who, in the series' creative version, is motivated to create his famous sunflower paintings.

Continuing Legacy

All of these components tie closely into the anime's soundtrack, giving this samurai story the kind of distinct identity that other projects have long tried to emulate. Series like Afro Samurai (featuring the renowned producer), Tokyo Tribe, and the Netflix original all sought to recreate its blend of style and sound, but with diminishing returns.

Ghost of Yotei has the chance to continue from where Samurai Champloo concluded, sparking a renewed interest of impact much like the anime once did. If you’re playing the game, it’s worth exploring Champloo, because without it, there’d be no “the special setting,” no wave of beat-driven series, and no enduring influence of Nujabes, from which the inspiration originates.