The Elusive Samurai

The Elusive Samurai (Japanese: 逃げ上手の若君, Hepburn: Nige Jōzu no Wakagimi, lit. 'The Young Lord Who Is Skilled at Escaping') is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since January 2021, with its chapters collected in 15 tankōbon volumes as of April 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks is set to premiere in July 2024.

The series won the 69th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.

Premise

Set between the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, during the Kenmu Restoration, the story follows the tale of Hojo Tokiyuki, a boy on the run after his family is overthrown by Ashikaga Takauji. With his only allies being a shady priest and his followers, the young lord must seek revenge and regain his glory, with his only weapon: a superhuman ability to flee and hide.

Characters

Hōjō Tokiyuki (北条 時行)

Voiced by: Asaki Yuikawa

Suwa Yorishige (諏訪 頼重)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura

Shizuku (雫)

Voiced by: Hinaki Yano

Kojirō (弧次郎)

Voiced by: Mari Hino

Ayako (亜也子)

Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro

Kazama Genba (風間 玄蕃)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki

Fubuki (吹雪)

Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya

Ashikaga Takauji (足利 高氏)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui, The Elusive Samurai started in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 25, 2021. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on July 2, 2021. As of April 4, 2024, 15 volumes have been released.

In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media, who simultaneously publishes the chapters digitally as they are released in Japan on its Shonen Jump website. In October 2021, Viz Media announced that they would publish its volumes in print, with the first one released on July 5, 2022. Shueisha also simulpublishes the series in English and Spanish for free on the Manga Plus platform.

Volumes

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced in March 2023. It will be produced by CloverWorks and directed by Yuta Yamazaki, with scripts supervised by Yoriko Tomita, and character designs handled by Yasushi Nishiya. Yusuke Kawakami is set to serve as assistant director, and Gembi and Akiyuki Tateyama composing the music. The series is set to premiere on July 6, 2024, on Tokyo MX, BS11, GYT, GTV, and 26 other networks. The opening theme is "Plan A" (プラン A, Puran A) by Dish, while the ending theme is "Kamakura Style" (鎌倉 STYLE, Kamakura Sutairu) by Botchi Boromaru.

Reception

By May 2022, the manga had over 1 million copies in circulation; over 1.5 million copies in circulation by April 2023; and over 2 million copies in circulation by March 2024.

In June 2021, The Elusive Samurai was nominated for the seventh Next Manga Award in the Best Printed Manga category and placed sixth out of 50 nominees. The series ranked eighth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022. Along with Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Sūji de Asobo, and Trillion Game, The Elusive Samurai won the 69th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.

Anthony Gramuglia of Comic Book Resources wrote that the series has become one of the "highlights of [Weekly] Shōnen Jump's newer titles", adding that "[it] is not only surprisingly emotional but also surprisingly intense, starting with all cylinders at full-throttle and never letting up".

Notes

References

Further reading

• Ryoko, Fukuda (July 19, 2021). 南北朝時代を斬新な切り口で描く『逃げ上手の若君』 魅力は松井優征の前作『暗殺教室』に通ずる"成長"？. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021.

External links

• The Elusive Samurai official manga website at Weekly Shōnen Jump (in Japanese)
• The Elusive Samurai official manga website at Viz Media
• The Elusive Samurai on Manga Plus
• The Elusive Samurai official anime website (in Japanese)
• The Elusive Samurai (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia