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While the classic series often leads conversations about the best anime ever made, its close relative, the iconic series, deserves comparable recognition. The influence of this period masterpiece continues to echo today, particularly in Sony's premier Ghost of Tsushima franchise.

A Deeper Homage

This latest Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to the original PlayStation 5 exclusive, enriches its tribute to samurai films with the return of Kurosawa Mode. This option offers grayscale imagery, textured effects, and retro audio effects. Additional modes include Takashi Miike Mode, which sharpens the camera and intensifies blood and mud; and Shinichirō Watanabe Mode, featuring a chill beat soundtrack influenced by the anime director’s vision.

For those interested about the Watanabe mode, Watanabe is the mastermind who created the jazz-soaked Cowboy Bebop and the hip-hop-driven Samurai Champloo, among other notable anime.

Fusing Past and Present

Watanabe’s 2004 series Samurai Champloo merges feudal Japan with modern music culture and modern sensibilities. It chronicles the improbable team of the wild swordsman, a reckless and spontaneous warrior; the calm ronin, a stoic and principled wandering warrior; and the brave waitress, a courageous waitress who enlists them on her mission to find “the warrior with a floral scent.”

While the audio landscape is fundamentally his work, much of the series' music was inspired by legendary beatmaker the late artist, who tragically left us in 2010 at the young age of 36. Nujabes deserves his recognition alongside Watanabe when it comes to the sound the anime is known for and references in Ghost of Yotei.

Style Mixing

Much of what made the series shine on the Adult Swim lineup was its seamless blending of hip-hop and Japanese heritage. That mix has been a staple in hip-hop culture since the classic album in 1993, which itself stems from an entire generation maturing on martial arts films with Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba.

For many, the programming block and the anime served as an gateway to underground music, with musicians like Nujabes, Shing02, and the electronic artist, the last one of whom went on to compose for the Netflix anime Yasuke.

Visual Flair

Artistic and meaningful, Champloo’s opening introduces the leads through representative beasts in the visuals — the wild one moves confidently like a rooster, while the disciplined one moves with the composed, fluid style of a koi. Although Champloo’s main trio are the focus of the series, its secondary characters are where the real soul of the anime lies.

There’s pickpocket Shinsuke, who has a lonely story of survival in one chapter, and another character named Yamane, whose exchanges with the wild swordsman impact him greatly that Yamane ends up in his writings years later. In the eleventh episode, “the episode title,” the ronin becomes enamored with a married woman trafficked named Shino and assists her departure from a brothel.

An Interwoven Tale

At first glance, the complete show appears to tell a fragmented story of the group's travels to encountering the elusive figure, but as the series unfolds, incidents from earlier installments begin to weave together to form a single, cohesive narrative. Every interaction our main characters experience along the way has an impact on both them and the overall narrative.

Era References

The series also incorporates feudal Japanese events (the same setting as Yotei), interpreted by Watanabe’s creative revisions. Events like the 1637 Shimabara Rebellion and locations such as the security station (which the character watches over) are woven into the story.

Early on, ukiyo-e artist the historical figure is featured and briefly fixates on the female lead as his inspiration. After she rejects him, his work ultimately reaches the hands of the famous painter, who, in the series' alternate timeline, is influenced to create his renowned still-life pieces.

Continuing Legacy

All of these components tie closely into the anime's music, giving this samurai story the kind of unique character that other productions have long tried to capture. Shows like Afro Samurai (featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA), Tokyo Tribe, and the Netflix original all tried to capture its fusion of music and visuals, but with mixed results.

the sequel has the chance to continue from where the classic anime left off, igniting a fresh surge of inspiration much like the anime once did. If you’re starting the game, it’s worth revisiting the series, because without it, there’d be no “the special setting,” no trend of urban-music-inspired shows, and no enduring influence of Nujabes, from which the legacy comes.