Shin Samurai-den Yaiba

Shin Samurai-den Yaiba is a refreshingly sharp throwback to classic shonen, with modern animation and storytelling that respects your time. At first glance, it might seem like a lighthearted or even childish series, but it quickly takes a turn into serious, fast-paced action. The fights are intense, well-animated, and actually serve the plot instead of just padding it. One of the biggest strengths of this anime is its pacing—there’s no drag, no pointless filler, just clean progression that keeps you hooked.

The story itself doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and sure, it follows a familiar shonen structure. You’ll probably see a few twists coming, but that doesn’t ... make it any less enjoyable—especially if you’re someone who already loves this genre. There’s a comfort in the setup, but what makes Yaiba stand out is how confidently it executes every element. It knows exactly what it is and delivers it well.

The animation style fits the tone of the story perfectly. It blends expressive, almost cartoony moments with crisp and dynamic fight scenes that feel weighty and impactful. Visually, it walks that line between playful and intense, and that balance really works for the tone it’s going for.

The characters are a definite highlight. Yaiba isn’t some unbeatable prodigy—he’s flawed, impulsive, and often makes mistakes, but that’s exactly what makes his growth satisfying. The rivalry at the center of the story is well-developed and doesn’t feel forced. Both characters evolve in believable ways, with clear motivations and emotional depth. Side characters also get their moments, and no one feels like just a background prop.

In of reactions to events, the characters behave in ways that feel natural. They process loss, respond to setbacks, and grow through their experiences instead of brushing things off or powering through just for plot convenience. That level of emotional grounding gives the story more weight than you'd expect at first glance.

Even if this isn’t your favorite genre, there's still a lot to appreciate here. The pacing, animation quality, and character work all combine to make Shin Samurai-den Yaiba a genuinely enjoyable watch. Fans of shonen will feel right at home, but even newcomers or more casual viewers might be surprised by how quickly it draws you in. It’s not just another flashy action series—it has heart, style, and just enough edge to keep it from feeling generic.

For the Anime industry's quest to remake every 80s-90s anime, we have Yaiba: Samurai Legend animated by Studio Wit. I knew nothing about this show going in, and honestly might have skipped it if not for the godlike animation from Studio Wit. The thumbnail for this show does look like a children's anime and I thought it was until I saw the trailers.
The author for the manga is Gosho Aoyama who also made Detective Conan, which is very evident from the art style and since the main girl, Sayaka just looks like a younger version of Ran from Detective Conan

Now I could give this ... a 10/10 purely for the animation, but I'm not going to do that because there is something called a plot and characters which happen to be my biggest complaints about the show. Yaiba is a kid who grew up in a forest with his father until one day they get moved to the city where they live with Sayaka's family. He follows her to school and there he meets a man that will turn into his rival, Onimaru. A promising high school swordsman who faces a humiliating loss against Yaiba, you know, a child. Events happen and Onimaru turns into an actual demon thanks to a devil sword.

It's a bare bone shounen anime, which isn't a bad thing exactly, but since it's from a manga made in the late 80s, the humor is mostly slapstick and fanservice which makes me not really care about the actual plot as much. That could have part to do with the characters, I do not care about anyone in our main cast so far. Yaiba entirely depends on if you find him cute and funny and not an annoying little shit. I get it, kids are assholes..but c'mon, you can at least try to make him likable instead of this cocky prick who wants to fight all the time. But at the same time I also don't like Onimaru when he turns into a demon because he also just turns into a prick who wants to beat the shit out of a little kid. Sayaka is the most tolerable but that's just because she's the 'girl' character who follows Yaiba around

Also, maybe it's just this show but old school fanservice seemed way more creepy than modern fanservice. Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of morally questionable anime nowadays, but most of them at least try to make the character look like an adult. In Yaiba, Sayaka looks like she can as almost the same age as him which makes scenes when he's looking up her skirt and watching her change just feel creepy knowing a grown man wrote it. This isn't me calling the author a creep either, fanservice is universal in anime and you can find it anywhere, I just find it extremely unnecessary.

All that being said, the last episode does leave me intrigued where the story is going, Yaiba seems to be maturing somewhat and Sayaka...well, she'll probably just become a damsel in distress, let's be honest. Other than arguably the best animation of the season, Yaiba: Samurai Legend is a good shounen series that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but there's a few hurdles to jump through before the story becomes good and not aggravating.

UPDATE- dropped it about halfway through because of tropes I don't vibe with, like the perverted old man who preys on girls WAY younger than him, Yaiba is still an annoying little shit, Onimaru is a pretty one note villain who has his henchmen do everything for him, and the henchmen themselves are just not interesting or funny in my opinion. I like the frog guy, but that's about it.

All in all, it's very clear that the source material was made in the 80s, and that might be a good thing for some, but I personally don't vibe with most 80s anime humor or tropes. Plus the fanservice with Sayaka somehow gets worse, they never explicitly show her naked or anything, but the comments they make about her and the scene of the old man peeping on her from the hot springs just feels so...blegh. Other than that, it's not bad show, just a mid anime with great animation and a nostalgic vibe. 5/10 plot +1 for animation makes it a 6/10 for me.

Preliminary review based on 6 eps -

What is good -
Animation - 8/10
It is enjoyable, nostalgic and fun to watch.

Humor - 7/10
Each episode has humor in it making it enjoyable and wacky.

What is bad -
... Plot - 3/10
The show seems like a story made on the go with a basic high level plot and few characters.
All else seems to be added on the fly with new characters appearing and disappearing in episodes.
The plot makes no sense. The "Protagonist" is not good. The "Antagonist" is not evil.

Character development - 4/10
Giving it a lenient 4 just because they gave some context to life of antagonist and he is the character with most depth.
All other characters are pure caricatures that come and go as needed.

Spoilers -

Antagonist - Onimaru has to be the most sensible practical character on this show.
Literally rooting for him. He was a good academic scholar with kendo as special subject.
His life was uprooted by Yaiba (MC). Then he comes in with an evil sword at his low point.
Even after becoming evil, he remains sensible and practical.
He conquers Govt with force and people with joy, entertainment, peace.
He has sensible understandable goals.

Now let's look at the MC - Yaiba.
Vagabond brat, useless swordsman who causes trouble everywhere he goes.
He creates trouble for the house that shelters him, for the school, for the city, and for his master so far.
If the escalation continues, he might be a bigger threat to the nation, and then the planet by the end of series that the antagonist ever could.
Is he righteous or pure like any "Good" protagonist?
Nope (He could not conquer his evil instincts and lost to Raijin demon twice)
Is he really skilled?
Nope. He just has better instincts coming from a jungle and having an OP teacher in his father. So he is unconventional and street smart.
He literally used tricks/luck/Deus ex machina to defeat almost everyone so far.
Is he clever or strategic?
Nope. He is dumb as rocks.
Does he have backstory so far? Nope