The Elusive Samurai Episode 4 Review: Unhinged And Hilarious

The Elusive Samurai Episode 4 was funny, bizarre and entertaining to boot. Let us see what exactly happened.

The Elusive Samurai Episode 3 Recap

The story kicks off with Tokiyuki on his way to establish his domain and train to become a stronger warrior. Along the journey, he expresses gratitude to his new companions, Kojiro and Ayako, and vows to fight for his rightful claim, dramatically tossing his sword into the sky—though, true to the anime’s style, this epic moment is humorously undercut.

As Tokiyuki continues, he travels across vast plains and arrives at the Suwa Grand Shrine, Yorishige’s domain. Despite its modest size, the shrine holds significant power and influence. However, Tokiyuki remains sceptical of Yorishige’s ability to help him achieve his goals. In a pivotal moment, Yorishige acknowledges his need to prove himself, showcasing his immense power and reinforcing why Tokiyuki should trust him. Yorishige even declares himself a god, though this grandiose claim is quickly undercut by his return to quirky antics.

The episode also delves into the crucial role of retainers in a lord’s life, portraying them as pillars of strength and loyalty. Tokiyuki, having lost his family and been betrayed by others, must rebuild from scratch and find retainers who will stand by him. This includes Kojiro, a promising future military commander and the greatest swordsman of his generation, Ayako, known for her physical strength and artistic talent, and Shizuku, Yorishige’s adopted daughter, who excels in secret tactics.

The Elusive Samurai Episode 4 Review And Recap

This anime is pretty unhinged, and I just love that fact about it. The episode begins with the new emperor, Godaigo, complimenting Ashikage and giving him the very auspicious gift of using a kanji character from his name to Ashikage’s name. The emperor also wanted to grant him an official position, which he declined and let his very much non-innocent retainers have a bite at that prize.

This might make Ashikage look like a kind man, but even his steward comments on how he seems less human now. This is proven when we see his demonic eyes, which are surely going to give me nightmares. On the other hand, there is another person who is taking the creepy award, Sadamune, the new lord of Shinano. Not only is his personality horrid, but even his expressions, especially his protruding eyes, are inhuman on a different level. But even after that, one cannot deny how brilliant he is as an archer, and we see a first-hand example of that later.

He was the first one to betray the previously reigning Hojo clan, and now he has been given the job of finding any survivors of that clan inside the Suwa household. Plus, as Suwa falls under Shinano province, they can do very little to keep Sadamune’s psychopathic eyes at bay. Despite that, Yorishige plans to not only counter him but also indirectly make him teach our hero.

You see, Tokiyuki might be useless with swords, but he is a fine archer. He is not perfect, and hence, he must be trained by the best who would sharpen his skills without hindering his escaping talents. This is where comes the very controversial dog hunting competition, where Tokiyuki comes face to face with his hunter to learn from him.  

Verdict

The comedy in this episode is unreal, just like its hard-to-digest and creepy-looking characters. The fact that Yorishige comically gets concerned about how modern people will consider the act of dog hunting as animal abuse is just genius writing. I also lost it when the dog internally called our hero a lousy shooter for missing him. There were just too many of these hilarious scenes.

Apart from that, we see the obviousness of CGI, which might bother some, but I did not mind it.

Also Read: The Elusive Samurai Episode 3 Review: Supported By God Himself