By Joshua Fox
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Yaiba: Samurai Legend is one of the latest big anime to come to Netflix. The series is a modern reboot of the original 90s anime, both of which are adaptations of the manga of the same name by Gosho Aoyama of Detective Conan fame, and it’s another anime reboot that aims to be a more faithful adaptation of an anime with improved pacing and visuals.
Considering how old the source material is, how the manga is only just now getting an English release after almost 40 years, and how even Detective Conan, despite being one of the best-selling manga of all time, has little to no presence outside of Japan, it makes sense that Yaiba has largely flown under the radar. That being said, everything about Yaiba: Samurai Legend, both its modern elements and its older ones, has made it a great addition to the spring 2025 lineup, and anyone who isn’t already watching it would be remiss to keep ignoring it.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend Has Some Of Modern Anime’s Best Animation
What Makes Yaiba's Visuals So Great?
What will immediately stand out about Yaiba: Samurai Legend will be its gorgeous visuals. WIT Studio has made a name for itself with the consistently gorgeous artwork and animation of its productions, especially when it comes to their action anime, and sure enough, Yaiba: Samurai Legend is one of WIT Studio’s best-looking anime with great artwork and animation that never fails to be expressive and all-around gorgeous. It’s an anime that never fails to deliver on pure spectacle, and anyone looking for something like that would be more than satisfied.
Much of why Yaiba: Samurai Legend looks so good can be attributed to the great staff on board. Every episode of Yaiba: Samurai Legend manages to bring in some of the best animators and storyboarders in the business, with episode #6 being the best episode yet for being directed by Takeshi Maenami, who famously animated some of the key scenes of Gear 5 Luffy’s fight with Kaido in One Piece. Some of the biggest names in anime are helping make every episode of Yaiba: Samurai Legend utterly gorgeous, and it’s only going to get better from here.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend’s Story Is Refreshingly Old School
Yaiba Is A Great Anime Specifically Because Of Its 90s Vibes
Tying everything together for why Yaiba: Samurai Legend is so great, of course, is the stellar writing. With Yaiba originally coming out in the 80s, it hits a lot of beats that were common back then, but have been gradually phased out from mainstream anime and manga since the 2000s. Yaiba’s hyperactive personality and obsession with fighting and the goofy incompetence of Onimaru’s henchmen are the biggest examples of that, and while the general setting has been updated to be in modern day, Yaiba: Samurai Legend still feels like an anime that belongs in the 90s more than the 2020s.
All of that is to the story’s benefit, of course. Not only is the writing still fun for both the serious and comedic moments, but with how much action anime have, on a general scale, evolved to have more serious writing, Yaiba: Samurai Legend works in the modern anime landscape because of how refreshing its older style of writing feels in contrast to its contemporaries. Gosho Aoyama might be best known for Detective Conan, but sure enough, Yaiba is just as big a testament to his skill as a writer, if not bigger.
With how old and largely unknown the source material is, it makes sense that Netflix’s Yaiba: Samurai Legend hasn’t been getting as much attention as some of the other big anime of the spring 2025 season, and that’s nothing but a shame. Between the fun character writing and the absolutely gorgeous action, Yaiba: Samurai Legend is easily one of the best anime of spring 2025; even as the landscape of anime evolves, there’s always room for stories that harken back to older eras, and for anyone who feels the same, Yaiba: Samurai Legend is a must-watch.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend releases new episodes Saturdays on Netflix.
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YAIBA: Samurai Legend
Action & Adventure
Animation
Cast
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Minami Takayama
Yaiba Kurogane (voice)
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Manaka Iwami
Sayaka Mine (voice)
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Yoshimasa Hosoya
Takeshi Onimaru (voice)
YAIBA: Samurai Legend follows the journey of Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai on a quest to become a master swordsman. Throughout his adventures, he faces formidable foes, acquires powerful allies, and confronts mystical challenges. Set in a fantastical version of feudal Japan, this anime-inspired narrative explores themes of honor and courage.
