Summary
The Elusive Samuraihas consistently been making each episode worthy of discussion for various reasons, often stemming from its especially memorable animation from CloverWorks. The series has its roots inShonen Jumpmanga, which means it’s influenced by many other popular stories and creators that have come before it. But Yusei Matsui’s latest creation shows yet another overt reference to a beloved shonen series with its recent Akira Toriyama reference inThe Elusive Samuraiepisode #3, and it’s worth discussing in greater detail.
The Elusive Samuraiis the latest visually impressive Yusei Matsui seriesto get an anime adaptation, with the other most recent story being the popular seriesAssassination Classroom. Alongside a distinctive art style and a knack for niche series under the Shonen Jump umbrella,Matsui seems to have an exceptional grasp on humor, even in stories with otherwise serious concepts.
ButThe Elusive Samuraiuses this humor, a quality beloved by many and highly present in Akira Toriyama’s work, to make a hilariousDragon Ballhomage in its latest episode.
Yorishige Imitates a Classic Toriyama Character in The Elusive Samurai
Serving a Broader Lesson on The Hero’s Journey
In episode #3 ofThe Elusive Samurai, Suwa Yorishige begins to train Tokiyuki while introducing him to his retainers, Kojiro, Ayako, and Shizuku, while making a directDragon Ballvisual gag. He alludes to Tokiyuki’s future journey to gather more allies under his banner to fight alongside him, referring to the common literary conventions as part of “The Hero’s Journey.“The point is driven home as Yorishige exaggeratedly poses as if using Goku’s iconic Spirit BombinThe Elusive Samurai, even momentarily sporting the iconic hairdo created by Toriyama.
The point is driven home as Yorishige exaggeratedly poses as if using Goku’s iconic Spirit Bomb inThe Elusive Samurai, even momentarily sporting the iconic hairdo created by Toriyama.
Yorishige plays into all of this by claiming it’s part of his ability to see into the future, recognizing Tokiyuki’s future as a great leader and warrior and future real-world literary trends and insight into pop culture.The Elusive Samuraiwill feature other moments like this in the future, beyond predictable references such as to other anime, beyondDragon Ball,and indeed into general pop culture. This is part ofYusei Matsui’s memorable trend of inserting direct visual gags into his work, referring to everything from iconic series to globally popular memes.
Yusei Matsui Has Pop Culture References in His Other Works
Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Even Popular Memes Make Appearances
In addition to references, Matsui’s series also features cameos from the series he worked in, such asBobobo-bo Bo-boboinAssassination Classroom.
Part of the fun of reading or viewing the Yusei Matsui series is spotting the multitude of pop culture references on blatant display, be theyNaruto,Tomb Raider,Sex and the City,moreDragonBallgags inAssassination Classroom,or memes fromThe Elusive Samurai.Chapter #61 even features the now-immortalized slap from the 2022 Oscars ceremonyon its first page.The Elusive Samuraicontinues this trend, blending references to far more than solely Akira Toriyama as they’re rendered in the manga and expanded in the anime.
This also meansThe Elusive Samuraiwon’t just have oneDragon Ballreference without any visual gags again. Even the Toriyama reference in the latest episode is expanded beyond one simple panel,with the Spirit Bomb element added to further enhance the joke in the anime. With especially outlandish characters coming even inthe release ofepisode #4, there’s plenty to look forward to inThe Elusive Samurai.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is a North American-based streaming service owned by Sony that focuses largely on Japanese anime but also covers several East Asian drama series. The service is available in several countries and has a small catalog of self-created and published series, with most of its content licensed with partners overseas.
