Shin Samurai-den Yaiba 222y3

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.

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.

There's something rather frustrating about Yaiba. It's not a bad anime. It's not insulting, it doesn't take the viewer for a fool, it doesn't even try to provoke. And that's its biggest problem.

Everything in this series seems to have been mechanically assembled: a hero with great potential, a universe of demons, companions with stereotyped personalities, and a plot built on rails we know by heart. Yaiba ticks all the boxes of classic shōnen, without ever trying to break free. It doesn't fail because it tries something risky. It fails because it tries nothing.

Visually, the work is more than respectable. Wit Studio delivers fluid animation, spectacular ... effects and clean art direction. As for the music, it s the atmosphere well. At no point can it be said that Yaiba is “badly made”. And yet, behind this technical quality, there's nothing that vibrates. Nothing that moves, questions or astonishes.

One senses a lack of soul, of intention. It's as if the series existed simply to meet its specifications. For those new to Japanese animation, or simply looking for mindless entertainment, this will suffice. But for others hoping for a more singular, lived-in proposition - Yaiba is likely to leave a taste of unfinished work.

It's not a question of contempt, but of real sadness in the face of such blandness. After all, you can imagine how much talent a studio like Wit could bring to bear on a more audacious work. We can also guess that there are, perhaps, artists behind this project who would have liked to go further.

But here, the result is a series whose greatest quality is to be watchable... and whose greatest weakness is to be utterly forgettable.

If you're looking for a unique work of art, you'll have to .

I can't help but wonder why more people aren't talking about this surprise gem of 2025. Enough time has ed and thus it's time to write a review in hopes that people will give this series a chance because it's a really good Shounen.

I honestly haven't seen the Original series by Gosho Aoyama sensei nor have I seen Detective Conan but I'm well familiar with how legendary the guy is so when I heard there was a remake coming, I got excited especially knowing that Wit studio (Yes the legendary studio behind Attack on titan) was gonna helm it. It has been a blast so ... far and I'll summarize why.

• Let's start with the obvious one, Animation got a huge overhaul compared to the original. I've seen some clips of the original and this remake blows it out of the way easily. Usually old animation wins these days but in this case the remake takes the cake with it's gorgeous animation.
• Let's talk about another key factor, The fluidity of the action or quality of Sakuga. (Sakuga is essentially an Umbrella term for good animation). Boy does this anime have alot of it, Every episode so far has been really action filled and even the regular animation is top notch. In of presentation, I don't think this anime could've gotten a better remake.
• Soundtracks are amping and they're usually played during fights and mostly drums I think but they do a good job of hyping the viewer.
• Story is fast paced understandably because from what I hear, They're doing a full adaptation and going further than the original anime went so some slack can be cut here. It doesn't feel outlandishly fast like a certain series (Looking at you, Shaman king)


All in all, It's a neatly wrapped Shounen and despite the dated story and the repeated tropes, It has it's charm. I may be biased because I really like Shounens but this feels like it might end up becoming one of my favourites the way it's going.

I'm having so much fun each episode and genuinely engaged where the story is taking me, That's a great sign right?!

Otherwise I wouldn't be writing a review with just having seen 5 episodes lol (At the time I wrote this).

Definitely give this a try, Thanks for reading!

I just wanted to write a short review to highlight just how absolutely out of this world the animation for this show is. Every single scene is gorgeous, the style is gorgeous, the colors, the backgrounds, the chara designs; and there isn't a moment in this series where I'm not enthusiastically nerding out with my animator friends about some inventive smear or impact frames.

I completely understand anyone who's not entirely captivated by the story, it's not high fiction, but what it is is classic, old school, fun and entertaining action with likeable characters.

The only real thing that bothered me is that there are a couple ... of weird scenes surrounding the character of Sayaka who's like 13 in the show, and that could make some, me included, cringe quite a bit.

But if you're looking for a charming show, and you're a fan of good animation, or you, like me, you used to read the manga, I can only recommend this anime.

Only Old people loves this. and i AM one of the old people. I think this whole anime is made purely out of nostalgia for the over 30 viewers.

Maybe I am not a kid any more its still fun to watch but I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the manga.

Kudos for the production to stick to the original story and artstyle so much.
Adding voice to the characters kindda takes away the magic a little, but its bearable.

Story: Good
Artstyle: Good
Song: Good
...
Overall fun anime to watch.
However, don't get ur hopes up. Not a masterpiece.