Samurai Jack is one of the finest and most edgy cult shows from Cartoon Network. The series ran for four seasons with an open-ended conclusion until it was brought back on the air for a new season in 2017. The unnamed samurai hero (who adopts the sobriquet, Jack) is sent to a dystopian future by the shape-shifting wizard/dragon, Aku. All through the show, Jack tries his best to make it back to his home.
Samurai Jack was praised heavily by fans and audiences alike for its slick animation and action, along with its ability to blend various genres, with references and easter eggs ranging from The Shining to The Matrix. It's way more than just a samurai show. If you're into shows with similar tones as Samurai Jack, the following recommendations should have a place on your watchlist.
10 Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai is a violently beautiful melting pot of cultures, tracing influences from soul, hip-hop, and samurai folklore. The anime series revolves around a classic revenge story, as Rokutaro witnesses his father's deaths at the hands of a gunslinger called Justice. Rokutaro grows his hair out and picks up sword-slinging skills to become the titular Afro-Samurai, to seek his vengeance.
The show has just five episodes and a sequel film, but enough stylized action to etch in any viewer's memory. To make things better, Samuel L Jackson voiced the protagonist and the RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan was behind the original score.
9 Castlevania
A Netflix anime adaptation of the classic video games of the same name, Castlevania explores the lore of Dracula and vampires and transcends the mythos to a new level. The show is noted for its well-layered characters, no-holds-barred violence, and the sense of humanity that all of its supernatural characters seem to possess, no matter what side they lie on.
The major characters are a trio comprising of a brash vampire hunter Trevor, a kind and powerful wizard Sypha, and Alucard son of Dracula himself. In the first season, it's shown that Dracula's wife was of a scientific bend of mind, for which the Church burnt her at the stake as a witch. This angers Dracula to unleash a reign of terror on humanity, the trio then unites to stop him, and the story picks up from there. For a show based on a violent video game, Castlevania often charters philosophical theories raising questions on religious dogmas, the guilt that accompanies violence, and explorings sexuality.
8 Bleach
Bleach is one of the most memorable Japanese animes from the 2000s, running for over 300 episodes. In its focus is the sword-wielding Ichigo Kurasaki, a man who is unintentionally cursed with the ability to see spirits. When such spirits take away his own family, he becomes a Soul Reaper (a sort of spirit hunter), making it his duty to protect humans from evil spirits and guiding the tormented spirits to the afterlife.
The show has often been cited as one of the best animes to come out of Japan and continues to garner a cult following, even in present day. Just two years back, a live-action film was also made (mostly as fan service) in Japanese.
7 Samurai Champloo
A very stylish and iconic anime from the same time around Samurai Jack was Samurai Champloo. The major plot is set in an alternate Edo period in Japan's history, with heavy hip-hop influences in the same line as Afro-Samurai and Samurai Jack.
A bunch of misfits travels on a mysterious quest filled with martial arts, adventure, and comedy. The anime was praised for its smooth blend of several tones and genres, just like director Shinichiro Watanabe's previous effort, Cowboy Bebop. Samurai Champloo's soundtrack is still iconic, featuring some of Japanese DJ Nujabes' early hip-hop works that are seen as the earliest influences in the lo-fi music genre.
6 Warrior
In the 1970s, the martial arts legend Bruce Lee attempted to pitch Warner Bros a concept for a martial-arts action series revolving around a Chinese man in the Wild West. However, apparently, the studio ripped off the idea to create Kung Fu, starring David Carradine. While Kung Fu was a big hit in its time, Lee was given no credit. And to make it worse, the show seems to be pretty racist and stereotypical in today's times.
However, Lee's legacy lives on with the Cinema show Warrior, which expands on his concept with a fast-paced action series. Warrior is set in the time of gang wars amongst rival factions in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1870s. The lead, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), plays a fighting prodigy who arrives in America to find his missing sister, but gets dragged into local gang politics.
5 American Dragon: Jake Long
A classic throwback and a positive move for representation in a Disney production, it's a shame that American Dragon: Jake Long only got to run for two seasons. Chinese-American high-schooler Jake Long discovers that he is a descendant of dragons and hence, he possesses the ability to turn into a winged, fire-breathing dragon, often engaging in adventures with other magical creatures of Manhattan.
Apart from the usual fantasy tropes, the show also offers a sensitive look into Jake's coming-of-age and how he balances both his cultures. The show's voice cast included an older post-Hook Dante Basco and a pre-Parenthood Mae Whitman.
4 Wolverine: Anime
Wolverine, in his original comic-book incarnations, had a Japanese connection, falling in love with Mariko Yashida and battling the Silver Samurai. So, it only makes sense for him to get an anime makeover too. Wolverine: Anime was a part of several other anime reinterpretations of Marvel characters, like Blade and Iron Man.
The 12-episode anime leaves enough space for the adamantium-clawed mutant to chop his way through his enemies, in a story heavily influenced by Wolverine's debut storyline by Chris Claremont. He fights superhumans, as well as the Japanese criminal underworld, giving fans enough thrills to stay hooked.
3 Samurai Gourmet
Compared to the other shows on this list, Samurai Gourmet explores a different kind of adventure. This Japanese Netflix series finds Takeshi, a retired old man, embarking on culinary journeys as he's convinced that eating whatever he likes would awaken his inner personality. This inner personality is an adventurous samurai who dwelled in the historical age of Japan's civil wars.
The show makes for a feel-good, comforting watch, offering some beautifully aesthetic shots of authentic Japanese cuisine.
2 Warrior Nun
Inspired by the graphic novel series of the same name, Warrior Nun blends crusader-style warriors with Catholic nuns. When a bold, care-free girl called Ava possesses powers due to an angelic halo, a cult of weapon-wielding nuns chose her as their prophetic leader who would protect them from the dangers of the underworld.
As Ava learns to control her powers, a conspiracy brews that mingles with the church, a tech company, as well as forces of Biblical proportions. Warrior Nun indulges in soapy melodrama, in parts, but on a whole, it's a pretty engaging fantasy series powered by a compelling lead performance by Portuguese actress, Alba Baptista.
1 Samurai 7
A modern twist on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Samurai 7 is set in a futuristic Japanese village that just faced the brunt of war. Raids by samurai-turned-robotic-bandits haunt the village that's compelled to hire the remaining seven samurai to rescue their village.
Grim, violent, and gripping, Samurai 7 comes close to Samurai Jack in its style and tone. With one season of just 26 episodes, the sci-fi/adventure anime doesn't need a lot of time and dedication to follow, unlike similar animes.
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