The episodes of the anime series Samurai Champloo were produced by Manglobe and written and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. The first episode premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on May 20, 2004 where it ran for 26 episodes until its conclusion on March 19, 2005. The series chronicles the journey of a young woman named Fuu and her two traveling companions, Mugen and Jin, as they travel across Edo era Japan in search of a samurai who smells of sunflowers that Fuu wishes to find.
Geneon Entertainment licensed the show for distribution in North America almost a year prior to the show's airing in Japan. An English dub of the series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on January 20, 2004, moving to the Adult Swim anime block on May 14, 2005. The version aired had some foul languaged replaced with sound effects. The final first run of the episodes concluded on March 18, 2006. Samurai Champloo debuted in Canada on December 24, 2006 on the digital station, Razer. The series has also aired in the United Kingdom, Latin America, Australia, Poland, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Germany.
The episodes use six pieces of theme music. "Battlecry" performed by Nujabes and Shing02 is used for the opening theme for all twenty six episodes. "Song of Four Seasons (四季ノ唄 Shiki no Uta?)" by Minmi is used for the primary ending theme, except for four episodes. Episode 12 uses Minmi's "Who's Theme" as its ending, episode 17 uses "You" by Kazami, 23 uses "Fly" by Azuma Riki, and the final episode uses the song "San Francisco" by Midicronica for its ending.
Episode list[]
| # | Title | Original Airdate | US Airdate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tempestuous Temperaments[1] "Storm and Stress / Shippū Dotō" (疾風怒涛) |
May 20, 2004 | May 14, 2005 | ||
| Fuu, a young waitress working in a restaurant is harassed by the son of the village prefect. Mugen, a young traveler agrees to assist her in exchange for a meal. The prefect's son threatens Mugen with the claim that his father's bodyguards would kill Mugen if he were assaulted when Jin, a ronin, walks in. After revealing that he, Jin, had killed the bodyguards himself, Mugen engages Jin in combat, seeking a worthy adversary. The restaurant burns to the ground and the local authorities capture the two to have them tortured and executed. After they escape the public execution, Fuu convinces the two to join her on a quest to find a samurai who smells of sunflowers. | |||||
| 2 | Redeye Reprisal[1] "Veritable Pandemonium / Hyakkiyakō" (百鬼夜行) |
June 03, 2004 | May 21, 2005 | ||
| Following the previous episode, a bodyguard who worked for the politician's son plans to take revenge after Mugen sliced off his arm. He does so with the help of his ogre-like friend. | |||||
| 3 | Hellhounds for Hire (part 1)[1] "Tacit Understanding 1 / Ishindenshin sono ichi" (以心伝心 其之壱) |
June 10, 2004 | May 28, 2005 | ||
| Mugen and Jin decide to ditch Fuu, but they end up joining opposite sides in gang warfare. Meanwhile Fuu is captured and made into a harlot who ends up supervising the dice game Mugen and Jin participate in causing her to remind them of their promise. | |||||
| 4 | Hellhounds for Hire (part 2)[1] "Tacit Understanding 2 / Ishindenshin sono ni" (以心伝心 其之弐) |
June 17, 2004 | June 4, 2005 | ||
| A dice rolling contest will decide the fate of the gang warfare. Who will end up dying as a result? | |||||
| 5 | Artistic Anarchy[1] "Utter Indifference / Bajitōfū" (馬耳東風) |
June 24, 2004 | June 11, 2005 | ||
| Fuu is targeted as a kidnapper group's next victim. Will the others be able to save her in time? | |||||
| 6 | Stranger Searching[1] "Redheaded Foreigner / Akage Ijin" (赤毛異人) |
July 01, 2004 | June 19, 2005 | ||
| The trio enters into an eating competition with Mugen and Jin's swords on the line. After a mysterious man wins the eating competition, they must find a way to get their swords back and save the mysterious man. Will they succeed? | |||||
| 7 | A Risky Racket[1] "Surrounded on all Sides / Shimensoka" (四面楚歌) |
July 08, 2004 | June 25, 2005 | ||
| A thief was running around town, while Fuu, Jin, and Mugen were going to get some soup. Fuu was daydreaming and the thief "accidentally" bumped into Fuu. When Fuu was paying for the soup, she noticed that her purse was gone and said that the man she bumped into took the money. Will Fuu ever get her money back? | |||||
| 8 | The Art of Altercation[1] "Self-Conceit / Yuigadokuson" (唯我独尊) |
July 15, 2004 | July 2, 2005 | ||
| A man hunting for Jin has been challenging any samurai wearing glasses he can find, accompanied by a beat-boxing duo of underlings. The question arises as to whether or not he will recognize Jin when he becomes infatuated with Fuu, for Jin has had to pawn his glasses. | |||||
| 9 | Beatbox Bandits[1] "Evil Spirits of Mountain and Stream / Chimimōryō" (魑魅魍魎) |
July 22, 2004 | June 9, 2005 | ||
| Mugen, Jin, and Fuu need to cross a border so they purchase Travel Passes since they don't have any.The Travel Passes turn out to be fake. Mugen, Jin, and Fuu are sentenced to death. The guards were going to have them killed until they found out about a errand they needed to run. So they send Mugen to run the errand for them. He must travel past a forest full of bandits and trouble to deliver an object. If Mugen does not make the delivery and come back in time, Jin and Fuu will die! | |||||
| 10 | Lethal Lunacy[1] "Fighting Fire With Fire / Idoku Seidoku)" (以毒制毒) |
July 29, 2004 | July 16, 2005 | ||
| Mugen faces the lethal challenge of a Shaolin-trained swordsman and proves equal to the test, while Jin gets stuck doing all the housework. Can Mugen defeat this trained swordsman or will he suffer from his mistakes? | |||||
| 11 | Gamblers and Gallantry[1] "Fallen Angel / Daraku Tenshi" (堕落天使) |
August 05, 2004 | July 23, 2005 | ||
| Jin comes to the rescue of a lady in distress. He falls in love and tries to rescue this woman from the hard life she has come to face. Will he save her and himself? In the meantime, Mugen trains a Stag Beetle for a bug fighting tournament in which he expects to win money. | |||||
| 12 | The Disorder Diaries[1] "Learning from the Past / Onkochishin" (温故知新) |
August 12, 2004 | July 30, 2005 | ||
| Mugen steals Fuu's diary that she has been keeping since they first started on their journey to find the sunflower samurai. The episode is a humorous recap on what has happened so far in Samurai Champloo as seen through Fuu's viewpoint, which is in turn criticised by Jin and Mugen. In the end, they find a note written by Fuu herself in which she said she knew they would try and snoop into her diary, that enrages Mugen. | |||||
| 13 | Misguided Miscreants (Part 1)[1] "Dark Night's Road 1 / An'ya Kōro sono ichi" (暗夜行路 其之壱) |
August 26, 2004 | November 19, 2005 | ||
| Mugen's past memories lure him back into his violent past; a pirate makes secret plans. And the lust for gold brings betrayal. | |||||
| 14 | Misguided Miscreants (Part 2)[1] "Dark Night's Road 2 / An'ya Kōro sono ni" (暗夜行路 其之弐) |
September 2, 2004 | November 26, 2005 | ||
| When Mugen finds out what the pirate was planning to do, he gets his revenge. | |||||
| 15 | Bogus Booty[1] "Through and Through / Tettō Tetsubi" (徹頭徹尾) |
September 9, 2004 | December 3, 2005 | ||
| The shogun's prettiest ninja ends up giving Mugen and Jin an evening that they will never forget. Meanwhile, Fuu gets large from eating too much. | |||||
| 16 | Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 1)[1] "Idling One's Life Away, first verse / Suiseimushi hito yume" (酔生夢死 ひと夢) |
September 16, 2004 | December 10, 2005 | ||
| Mugen, Jin and Fuu get into a quarrel and separate, and have unexpected encounters; new opponents appear, old grievances return, and Mugen and Fuu meet a mysterious archer. | |||||
| 17 | Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 2)[1] "Idling One's Life Away, second verse / Suiseimushi futa yume" (酔生夢死 ふた夢) |
September 23, 2004 | December 17, 2005 | ||
| Jin ends a life he hoped to spare. Continuation of the last episode. | |||||
| 18 | War of the Words[1] "Pen in One Hand, Sword in the Other / Bunburyōdō" (文武両道) |
January 22, 2005 | January 5, 2006 | ||
| Fuu gets a facelift when kids trade in the sword for the graffiti brush; Jin keeps a promise to a long-lost friend and confronts the shock of the new, while Mugen learns to read and conquers a castle. | |||||
| 19 | Unholy Union[1] "Karma and Retribution / Ingaōhō" (因果応報) |
January 29, 2005 | January 12, 2006 | ||
| A cynical charlatan fleeces the hidden Christian flock, Fuu gets closer to the Sunflower Samurai, and a truth is finally revealed. | |||||
| 20 | Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 1)[1] "Generous Elegy 1 / Hikakōgai sono ichi" (悲歌慷慨 其之壱) |
February 5, 2005 | January 19, 2006 | ||
| Fuu, Mugen and Jin meet up with a blind girl who is a traveling musician. Because of her blindness, she is able to sense the emotions of the group. Is this girl more than just a musician? | |||||
| 21 | Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 2)[1] "Generous Elegy 2 / Hikakōgai sono ni" (悲歌慷慨 其之弐) |
February 12, 2005 | January 26, 2006 | ||
| Jin learns the Way of Water, a woman's sorrow comes to an end, and Mugen both gives and receives an assassin's last gift. | |||||
| 22 | Cosmic Collisions[1] "Anger Shot Toward Heaven / Dohatsu Shōten" (怒髪衝天) |
February 19, 2005 | February 2, 2006 | ||
| On the way to Nagasaki the trio fall through a mine shaft. They're introduced to its charismatic owner and start working for a share of treasure. As the days drag on the things take a turn for the bizarre. | |||||
| 23 | Baseball Blues[1] "Heart and Soul Into the Ball / Ikkyū Nyūkon" (一球入魂) |
February 26, 2005 | February 16, 2006 | ||
| An American sea vessel arrives in town and a canny ninja-turned-team manager enlists our heroes to do battle with them on the field of honor...which in this case is a baseball diamond. Behold Mugen's pitching skills and tremble! | |||||
| 24 | Evanescent Encounter (part 1)[1] "Circle of Transmigration 1 / Shōji Ruten sono ichi" (生死流転 其之壱) |
March 5, 2005 | February 23, 2006 | ||
| Fuu, Mugen and Jin have finally arrived in Nagasaki to find Ikitsuki island in search of the Sunflower Samurai. There seems to be one small problem that might keep them from getting there though. A group of assassins are following closely behind. | |||||
| 25 | Evanescent Encounter (part 2)[1] "Circle of Transmigration 2 / Shōji Ruten sono ni" (生死流転 其之弐) |
March 12, 2005 | March 2, 2006 | ||
| As Jin duels Kagetoki Kariya, the most powerful man in the shogunate, Mugen has to contend with three brothers who want his head. Will they survive? | |||||
| 26 | Evanescent Encounter (part 3)[1] "Circle of Transmigration 3 / Shōji Ruten sono san" (生死流転 其之参) |
March 19, 2005 | March 9, 2006 | ||
| As Fuu finally confronts the Sunflower Samurai, Mugen and Jin face their ultimate tests. While Mugen must face one of the three insane brothers, Jin continues his battle with Kagetoki Kariya. And there's the small matter of their own duel. | |||||
References[]
External links[]
- Official Samurai Champloo web site (Japanese)
- Official Fuji TV Samurai Champloo web site (Japanese)
- Official Madman Entertainment Samurai Champloo web site
- Funimation Samurai Champloo web site
| ||||||
pt:Anexo:Lista de episódios de Samurai Champloo ru:Список серий аниме «Самурай Чамплу»