Summary

Yaiba: Samurai Legend draws new fans with its stellar animation and nostalgic themes
The main character, Yaiba, shares similarities with kid Goku in origin and personality.
Despite similarities, Yaiba differentiates itself with a unique storyline and connection to society.

The reaction to the first episode Yaiba: Samurai Legend has been extremely positive online. New fans are drawn to the gorgeous animation stylings of WIT studio, and many are making comparisons to the Dragon Ball series. The main character, Yaiba Kurogane, shares a striking resemblance to kid Goku, down to the dark spiky hair and martial arts outfit.

Coming fresh off the heels of Dragon Ball Daima, Yaiba: Samurai Legend offers another opportunity for Dragon Ball fans to have something familiar to latch onto while looking for a weekly show replacement. In addition to the main character sharing character traits and aspects with Goku, the story of Yaiba: Samurai Legend has a nostalgic feel that matches t he era of the original Dragon Ball series. This vibe was something that Dragon Ball Daima left fans with as well before its last episode aired in late February.

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Yaiba and Goku

Very Similar Starts for Very Similar Characters

goku falls — Goku lies on the ground next to a dragonball.

The original anime for the updated Yaiba: Samurai Legend was released in the early 1990s, just after the era of the original Dragon Ball and the start of Dragon Ball Z. This newest version manages to capture the early animation vibe of this era of anime while modernizing it with beautiful and fluid animation.

My name is Goku. G-O-K-U. What's yours?" -Kid Goku in Season 1 of Dragon Ball

In the first episode we meet the titular character Yaiba, who has undergone a similar origin to Goku. He grew up in the jungle, far away from human civilization. Through an incident where he and his father accidentally get trapped in crates, he is transported to the civilized world and deals with culture shock. Like Goku, we get to see Yaiba meeting a girl for the first time, and he confounds people with his strength despite his tiny size. Yaiba also shares Goku’s lust for competition, with his only goal in the first episode to seek out the strongest fighters he can find.

In addition to their motivations, Yaiba and Goku also share similar personalities. Yaiba is overly excited by things, jumping around and ignoring social conventions around closeness. He also possesses a happy-go-lucky attitude while being a bit ignorant when other characters are trying to trick him. Like Goku, he seems to identify the best in everyone and is not worried about much besides his own single-minded goals.

picture: goku with krillin's sunglasses and yardratian clothes.

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Yaiba’s Unique Take on Classic Themes

How the Show Differentiates Itself From Dragon Ball

yaiba fighting — Yaiba is seen fighting an opponent in the street.

Despite these similarities at the outset, Yaiba: Samurai Legend has already set itself to apart from Dragon Ball in several ways. Yaiba will soon discover that he is a chosen warrior meant to fight the evils of the world while taking on a strong rival. The main character will also be more connected to society than the fighters in the Dragon Ball series, who often fight their villains in desolate wastelands or other planets. The art style, too, differs, resembling the likes of Detective Conan. This is because Gosho Aoyama is the author of both series.

While Goku and friends scour the Earth for dragon balls, Yaiba’s journey is more about finding out the implications of his destiny, his contrast from rival Onimaru, and defeating evil across the world as it reels its ugly head. The story in Yaiba will also feature meetings and clashes with famous historical figures, making it feel more connected with real-life Earth than the story of Dragon Ball. Although the story of Dragon Ball takes place on the planet Earth, the geography and cities are completely different.

Also, despite the similarities to Dragon Ball, Aoyama has previously stated that the main protagonist was actually inspired by Teppei Useugi from the sword fighting series Ore wa Teppei. It seems like a wave of 90s nostalgia shows may be on the horizon as audiences are aching for a remake or return of classic shows.

Are we back in the 90s with all these adaptation? What's next? Yuyu Hakusho?” Reddit user Kerorobot.

Yaiba: Samurai Legend can be streamed on Hulu.

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TV-14

Anime

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Release Date: April 5, 2025
Network: Nippon TV, YTV
Directors: Hiroyuki Tanaka, Tomoko Hiramuki, Masao Kawase, Hitomi Ezoe, Rei Nakahara, Maho Ishikawa
Writers: Eiji Umehara