The Samurai

ザ・サムライ

Aired: 1987

An OVA based on the school swordplay gag manga of the same name serialized in Weekly Young Jump by Mitsuhiro Kasuga. Animation was handled by Ginga Teikoku (Galaxy Empire), with music by Kouhei Tanaka. The story follows high schooler Chimatsuri Takeshi, a student thoroughly drilled in the way of the samurai, as he goes about his outrageous daily life with classmates while carrying a sword, engaging in anything-goes swordplay and school comedy antics. The protagonist's otherworldly commitment to living as a samurai despite being a high school student, combined with the slapstick antics of his entertaining supporting cast, brought the charm of the original manga — beloved by Young Jump readers — to animated life. This work stands as a symbol of the cheerful spirit that defined Young Jump-based OVAs of the 1980s.