Samurai 7
Samurai 7 is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo that aired from June 12 to December 25, 2004, consisting of 26 episodes and serving as a science fiction adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai.https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3127[1] Directed by Toshifumi Takizawa with series composition by Atsuhiro Tomioka, the series blends genres of action, adventure, drama, science fiction, mecha, and samurai tales, and was produced at a cost of approximately $300,000 per episode in high definition.[2] Set in a dystopian future after a massive war has left society in ruins, Samurai 7 depicts a world where impoverished farming villages struggle against the Nobuseri, a ruthless group of mechanized bandits who raid harvests to sustain themselves.[3][4] In the story, the villagers of Kanna, facing starvation, send representatives to recruit skilled ronin samurai, offering only rice as payment due to their meager resources, leading to the assembly of seven diverse warriors each with unique abilities and backgrounds.[5][2] The narrative explores themes of protection, sacrifice, and resistance against oppression, reimagining the classic tale with futuristic elements like advanced weaponry and cybernetic enhancements integrated into feudal-inspired society.[6] The series features opening themes "Justice" by Coming Century/V6 and "Unlimited" by Nanase Aikawa, with endings "Fuhen" and "Niji Musubi" by Rin, contributing to its epic scope through dynamic animation and orchestral scoring.[2] As of November 2025, Samurai 7 holds an IMDb rating of 7.6/10 based on 4,686 user votes and an 85% approval on Rotten Tomatoes from 4 reviews, praised for its faithful yet innovative take on the source material and high production values.[5][3] It has been distributed internationally, including on platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll, and released in physical formats such as Blu-ray collector's editions.[6][4][7]Background
Premise
Samurai 7 is a science fiction anime series that reimagines Akira Kurosawa's classic film Seven Samurai in a post-apocalyptic setting, blending feudal Japanese traditions with advanced technology and mechanical enhancements.[8] Set on a planet resembling Earth in the distant future, the story unfolds after a massive war in which samurai augmented their bodies with machinery to fight.[9] The victorious samurai retreated to the capital, Fire Capital, to serve as bureaucrats, leaving rural villages vulnerable to raids by the defeated forces, now known as the Nobuseri—cyborg bandits who pilot massive mechanical suits and use high-tech weaponry to plunder resources.[2][3] In this world, the small farming village of Kanna faces annual devastation as the Nobuseri descend during harvest time, seizing nearly all the rice crops essential for survival and leaving the villagers on the brink of starvation.[9][10] Desperate to break the cycle of oppression, the elders of Kanna resolve to hire ronin—masterless samurai wandering the land—to defend their home, offering only a portion of the rice as payment despite the high cost of such protection in a society stratified by technology and power.[2] This decision merges ancient samurai codes of honor and bushido with futuristic elements, as the hired warriors navigate a landscape of ruined cities, flying vessels, and cybernetic foes.[11] At its core, the premise revolves around the archetype of the seven samurai, a band of skilled ronin who, through their expertise in swordsmanship and tactical prowess—sometimes augmented by personal mechanical modifications—stand as guardians against the Nobuseri's technological tyranny, highlighting themes of resistance and human resilience in an era dominated by machines.[10][12]Adaptation from Seven Samurai
Samurai 7 reinterprets the core plot of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai by transposing the narrative into a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world, where the recruitment of seven ronin to defend a rural village from annual raids follows a similar structure but incorporates mechanical enhancements and firearms. In the original film, impoverished farmers hire masterless samurai to protect their harvest from bandit incursions, leading to the assembly of a diverse group, fortification of the village, and a climactic battle that results in heavy losses but victory for the survivors. The anime preserves these beats—recruitment in a bustling urban center, strategic preparations amid interpersonal tensions, and an intense final confrontation—but adapts them to a setting ravaged by war, featuring giant mecha powered by advanced technology, with rice serving as the key economic resource fueling the broader society's machinery, and gunpowder-based weaponry alongside traditional swords. This fusion emphasizes action sequences with explosive battles involving robotic elements, extending the story across 26 episodes to allow for deeper exploration of alliances and betrayals.[13][2][14][15] Key alterations distinguish the adaptation while maintaining narrative fidelity. The antagonists, known as Nobuseri in the anime, are reimagined as cyborg ex-samurai who have augmented their bodies with mechanical parts after a great war, turning them into ruthless, harvest-plundering machines rather than the human bandits of the film; this change underscores a backstory of societal collapse where former warriors prey on the weak. Additionally, the series introduces a tyrannical capital city arc, portraying a merchant-dominated metropolis that hoards resources and deploys mysterious guardians called Moribito, expanding the scope beyond the isolated village defense to critique broader power structures and adding subplots involving political intrigue and a hidden "Healing Village" complex. Characters retain archetypal roles—such as the wise leader Kambei, the hot-headed Kyuzo, and the impulsive Kikuchiyo, now a full android seeking acceptance—but their personalities and designs are modernized, with Kikuchiyo's robotic nature highlighting themes of artificial identity. These modifications allow for serialized storytelling, including side arcs like the orphan Ukyo's journey, which enrich the interpersonal dynamics without altering the central conflict's resolution.[13][16][17] Thematically, Samurai 7 updates the original's exploration of class struggle by integrating technology as a corrupting force on traditional honor, portraying mechanical augmentations as a double-edged sword that enables survival but erodes humanity and loyalty among the samurai and Nobuseri alike. While Kurosawa's film critiques the feudal hierarchy through the villagers' dependence on and eventual resentment toward their samurai protectors, the anime preserves this tension but reframes it in a dystopian economy where merchants have supplanted nobility, exploiting peasants and disgraced warriors through resource control and cybernetic dependencies. This preserves the emphasis on social inequity and the bittersweet triumph of the underclass, but introduces reflections on how technological progress exacerbates division, with the samurai's use of mecha symbolizing a reluctant adaptation to a mechanized era that challenges their code of bushido. Such updates align the story with anime conventions, blending homage to the source with speculative elements to comment on modernity's impact on legacy values.[13][14][17]Production
Creative staff
The creative direction of Samurai 7 was led by Toshifumi Takizawa, who served as the series director and shaped its distinctive sci-fi reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's classic, emphasizing a post-apocalyptic world with mechanical samurai and advanced weaponry.[18][5] Atsuhiro Tomioka handled series composition and wrote the majority of scripts, expanding the original film's narrative into a 26-episode format while incorporating themes of class struggle and technological hubris suited to the anime medium.[19][20] The orchestral score was composed by Kaoru Wada in collaboration with taiko drummer Eitetsu Hayashi, fusing traditional Japanese instrumentation like shamisen and drums with electronic and futuristic elements to evoke both historical samurai ethos and dystopian tension.[21][2] Key visual contributors included character designers Hideki Hashimoto and Takuhito Kusanagi, who crafted the human characters and mechanical designs to blend feudal aesthetics with cybernetic enhancements, and mecha designer Makoto Kobayashi, responsible for the intricate mechanical suits and enemy constructs that defined the series' action sequences.[2][22][23] The production was overseen by producers Daisuke Itō and Kazuhiko Inomata at the studio Gonzo, known for its ambitious CGI-integrated animations during this period.[2]Animation and design
Gonzo employed a hybrid animation approach in Samurai 7, leveraging 3D CGI to render the mechanical samurai and large-scale battle sequences while relying on traditional 2D techniques for character animation and expressive details. This integration aimed to capture the scale of mecha confrontations but occasionally highlighted technical limitations of the era, with CGI elements sometimes appearing jarring when blended with hand-drawn 2D layers.[24] The visual design drew heavily from feudal Japanese armor motifs fused with cyberpunk machinery aesthetics, creating a striking contrast between the organic, human-centric samurai and their robotic adversaries. Mechanical elements, such as the Capital's enforcer units, featured intricate, industrial plating inspired by historical samurai garb but augmented with futuristic, gear-driven components to evoke a dystopian hierarchy. Concept art for these designs emphasized bold, colorful variations that subverted traditional samurai imagery, underscoring the series' reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's source material in a sci-fi context.[25] Producing the series in 2004 presented challenges in balancing high-octane action with quieter dramatic interludes within Gonzo's digital workflow, which was still maturing for hybrid 2D/3D projects. As one of the most ambitious and costly television anime at the time, budgeted at approximately $300,000 per episode, the production grappled with resource allocation, leading to visible inconsistencies in fluid motion and detail consistency across episodes. These hurdles reflected broader industry transitions toward CGI integration, where ambitious mecha visuals sometimes strained frame rates and artistic cohesion during intense sequences.[24][26]Broadcast and release
Japanese broadcast
Samurai 7 premiered in Japan on June 12, 2004, airing initially on Animax as an exclusive high-definition CS-PPV broadcast before later appearing on NHK BS2.[2] The series ran for 26 episodes, airing weekly from June 12 to December 25, 2004.[2] Broadcast on Saturday evenings, it targeted anime enthusiasts drawn to action-packed narratives and remakes of classic historical tales.[2] The anime emphasized its roots as an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai, coinciding with the film's 50th anniversary to attract viewers familiar with the original.[2]International distribution
Funimation Entertainment acquired the North American license for Samurai 7 in September 2004, producing an English-dubbed version for release.[27] The series debuted in the United States on DVD starting August 23, 2005, with volumes released periodically through July 25, 2006, and a complete series box set following in 2007.[2] It premiered on television on the Independent Film Channel from April 1 to September 30, 2006, and later aired on Adult Swim's Toonami block from August 19, 2012, to January 6, 2013.[2] In Southeast Asia, the series aired on Animax channels, which broadcast it across the region following its Japanese premiere. Home video distribution expanded with Funimation's Viridian Collection complete series DVD set in 2008, offering all 26 episodes.[2] By the 2010s, digital availability grew, with the series streaming on Funimation's platform and later integrated into Crunchyroll following their 2022 merger, remaining accessible as of November 2025.[4] In Europe, Manga Entertainment handled releases, distributing DVD volumes in the United Kingdom starting in 2006 and a complete collection in 2007.[28] The series saw no major theatrical distributions internationally but gained broader access through streaming services by 2025.[2]Narrative
Plot summary
In a dystopian future Japan ravaged by a great war, the impoverished villagers of Kanna endure annual raids by the Nobuseri, cybernetic bandits who plunder their rice harvest, leaving them on the brink of starvation. To combat this threat, the village's water priestess Kirara, accompanied by a few companions, journeys to the bustling ronin hub of Firefly Terrace to recruit masterless samurai, offering only a portion of the harvest as payment despite the risks involved.[8][2] Over the course of their recruitment efforts in the city, Kirara and her group assemble a band of seven ronin, each bringing unique skills forged in the war's aftermath: the strategic veteran Kanbei as leader, his idealistic apprentice Katsushiro, the lighthearted Gorobei, the steadfast Shichiroji, the fierce Kyuzo, the resourceful Heihachi, and the impulsive Kikuchiyo. Returning to Kanna, the samurai organize the villagers into a defensive force, constructing fortifications and training them in tactics to repel the Nobuseri. As harvest season approaches, the group faces increasingly intense attacks from the mechanical raiders, testing their resolve and coordination in a series of escalating battles.[8] The storyline extends beyond the village's immediate peril, uncovering a deeper political conspiracy tied to the empire's authoritarian rule. The seven samurai, alongside Kirara, undertake a perilous trek to the capital to challenge the emperor and his ambitious advisor Ukyo, whose machinations fuel the Nobuseri threat and broader oppression. This confrontation ignites a revolutionary uprising against the regime, while interspersed episodes explore the samurai's individual backstories, revealing their wartime histories and the personal scars that shape their commitment to the cause.[8][10]Themes
The anime Samurai 7 explores the tension between traditional samurai values of honor and bushido and the dehumanizing effects of advanced technology in a post-apocalyptic world, where former warriors turned bandits, known as Nobuseri, pilot massive mechanical suits that strip away their humanity. This conflict is embodied in the series' setting, a dystopian Japan ravaged by war, where ancient swordplay and personal codes clash with mechanized warfare, highlighting how technology amplifies destruction while eroding the moral foundations of the warrior class.[29] Central to the narrative is the theme of social inequality and the potential for revolution, as impoverished peasants in the village of Kanna endure exploitation by imperial forces and the Nobuseri, who plunder their harvests to sustain a corrupt regime. The story amplifies class divisions from its source material by situating them in a sci-fi framework of dystopian governance, where the Capital's elite hoard resources amid widespread famine, prompting the villagers to hire ronin samurai as a catalyst for uprising against systemic tyranny.[29] The motif of sacrifice underscores the personal toll of protection, with the seven samurai enduring profound losses—physical, emotional, and existential—to defend the vulnerable, reinforcing the idea that true guardianship demands self-abnegation in the face of overwhelming odds. This is intertwined with camaraderie, as the disparate ronin form unbreakable bonds through shared trials, evolving from individualistic wanderers into a cohesive unit bound by loyalty and mutual reliance, which ultimately defines their legacy beyond mere survival.[29]Characters
The seven samurai
Kambei Shimada serves as the stoic leader of the seven samurai, renowned for his tactical genius and mastery of swordsmanship using a chokutō blade capable of slicing through mecha armor. A veteran of the Great War, where he fought alongside comrades like Shichiroji, Kambei initially lives in seclusion, haunted by the losses of the conflict, but is recruited by villagers from Kanna to assemble a team of protectors. His strategic planning unites the disparate recruits, directing their efforts in defensive battles against mechanical bandits known as Nobuseri, where his experience ensures coordinated assaults that exploit enemy weaknesses. Without mechanical augmentations, Kambei relies on his innate leadership to complement the team's varied skills, fostering discipline amid chaos.[30][31] Kyuzo, the stoic and enigmatic sixth recruit, excels as an assassin-like fighter with exceptional dual-wielding sword skills, storing his double blades in a single sheath for rapid deployment. Originally serving as a bodyguard to the antagonist Ayamaro in the capital city of Kogakyo, he defects to join Kambei's group after witnessing their resolve, motivated by a personal desire for a worthy duel. In battles, Kyuzo's graceful precision allows him to dismantle mecha foes single-handedly, providing the team with a silent, deadly vanguard that strikes fear into opponents and covers flanks during larger engagements. Lacking mechanical augmentations, his human agility and focus enhance the group's offensive capabilities, balancing Kambei's broader strategies with targeted eliminations.[32][31] Heihachi Hayashida, the third recruit and the team's engineer infused with humor, brings mechanical expertise from his days as a Great War combat engineer, where he constructed fortifications before betraying his unit in a moment of pacifism. Now a wandering merchant trading labor for sustenance, he joins Kambei to atone through non-lethal support, specializing in building improvised weapons like crossbows and traps from scavenged materials. His inventions prove crucial in battles, fortifying Kanna village against Nobuseri raids and enabling the samurai to counter mechanized assaults without direct confrontation. Without augmentations, Heihachi's ingenuity complements the warriors' combat roles by providing logistical advantages, turning the tide through preparation rather than brute force.[33][31] Shichiroji, Kambei's loyal fourth recruit and longtime comrade from the Great War, wields a yari spear with proficiency, piloting katana-shaped vehicles in past conflicts before settling as an innkeeper at the Firefly Inn. After surviving a crash and losing his left hand—replaced by a prosthetic equipped with a grappling hook for versatile reach—he rejoins Kambei upon request, leaving his partner Yukino behind. In team dynamics, Shichiroji's reliability shines in support roles during battles, using his hook to retrieve allies or disrupt enemy mecha from afar, while his familiarity with Kambei ensures seamless execution of plans. The prosthetic augmentation directly bolsters the group's mobility, allowing quick interventions that protect vulnerable positions.[34][31] Gorobei Katayama, the agile second recruit and strategist, draws from his Great War experience to offer sharp insights, entertaining on city streets post-war until witnessing Kambei's heroism. Skilled at evading attacks and plucking projectiles like arrows from the air mid-flight, he provides tactical advice that anticipates enemy movements in combat. His unique perspective aids in outmaneuvering Nobuseri mecha hordes, positioning the team for ambushes and retreats. Unaided by augmentations, Gorobei's speed and intellect complement the physical powerhouses, injecting calculated risks that elevate the group's overall effectiveness.[35][31] Katsushiro Okamoto, the young and idealistic fifth recruit, starts as an inexperienced noble's son seeking mentorship, approaching Kambei in Kogakyo to learn true samurai ways. Through trials, he hones his swordsmanship to deflect cannon fire and engage mecha directly, evolving from a bumbling apprentice into a capable fighter. His enthusiasm motivates the team during grueling defenses of Kanna, filling gaps in frontline duties as he matures. Without mechanical enhancements, Katsushiro's growth represents the team's future potential, his fresh perspective challenging veterans to adapt while contributing raw determination to prolonged battles.[31] Kikuchiyo, the hot-headed seventh recruit and mechanized human (cyborg), functions as an inventor with a mechanized exoskeleton granting superhuman strength and resilience, originally a farmer who augmented himself after his village's destruction. Clumsy yet fiercely loyal, he wields a massive vibro-sword operating like a chainsaw at high frequencies to cleave through armored foes, joining after proving his worth in a chaotic brawl. In battles, his brute force smashes Nobuseri lines and shields weaker members, while his emotional volatility rallies the team's morale. The full-body steam-powered exoskeleton, complete with reinforced armor, exhaust vents, and a kabuto helmet, uniquely equips him for sacrificial stands, complementing the human samurai's finesse with unstoppable power.[36][31]Kanna villagers
The inhabitants of Kanna Village form a tight-knit farming community in a post-war world, heavily reliant on rice cultivation for survival amid harsh environmental conditions and mechanized threats.[17] This agricultural dependence leaves them vulnerable during harvest seasons, fostering a collective sense of desperation and resignation that permeates their daily lives.[37] Central to the village's leadership is Kirara Mikumari, the Mikumari or water priestess, who serves as a spiritual guide and de facto decision-maker, driven by a determination to protect her home after enduring repeated hardships from external aggressors.[38] Her proactive role inspires the villagers to consider bold actions, marking a shift from passive endurance to organized resistance. Kirara's younger sister, Komachi, embodies youthful optimism and hope for the village's future; a cheerful and adventurous girl, she insists on joining efforts to seek external aid, reflecting the younger generation's eagerness for change.[39] Okara, a young farmer's daughter and close friend of Komachi, represents the everyday resilience of Kanna's youth, often staying behind to maintain village routines while receiving updates on broader events.[40] In contrast, the village elder Gisaku initially opposes radical measures like hiring outside warriors, advocating caution due to the risks and costs involved, which highlights the internal debates dividing the community between tradition and survival.[37] These tensions underscore the villagers' evolving dynamics, as initial skepticism gives way to unity when external help arrives, leading to communal training that empowers non-combatants with basic defensive skills and fosters a sense of agency.[17] The Kanna villagers initiate the quest for protection by dispatching representatives to recruit warriors, setting the stage for broader alliances.[3]Antagonists
The primary antagonists in Samurai 7 are the Nobuseri, a group of cyborg bandits composed of former samurai who modified their bodies with mechanical enhancements during a devastating war to enhance their combat capabilities.[41] These rogue warriors, driven by survival and greed in the post-war chaos, raid rural villages like Kanna for rice harvests, employing stolen Imperial technology such as advanced weaponry and flight-capable exoskeletons to overpower defenseless farmers.[4] Led by figures like Tanomo Kobayakawa, a high-ranking Raiden-model Nobuseri with a fully robotic frame, they operate as a loose hierarchy of mechanized marauders, terrorizing the countryside and exacerbating the empire's instability.[15] Their motivations stem from the war's aftermath, where demobilized samurai turned to banditry after losing their purpose and resources, using their cybernetic upgrades—originally intended for battlefield supremacy—to sustain themselves through plunder.[41] Ukyo, the ambitious adopted heir to the merchant lord Ayamaro, emerges as a central scheming antagonist with grander aspirations of imperial domination. Born as a clone (the 49th replicant) of Emperor Amanushi and raised among peasants before being groomed by merchants, Ukyo harbors a deep-seated hatred for mechanical samurai due to childhood traumas from Nobuseri attacks.[42] His motivations are rooted in power hunger and personal vendettas; after proving his worth in a grueling trial, he assassinates Emperor Amanushi to seize the throne, then orchestrates conflicts by pitting Nobuseri, ronin samurai, and villagers against one another to eliminate threats and consolidate control.[42] As a manipulative tactician, Ukyo commands loyalty through cunning and cruelty, viewing humans and machines alike as pawns in his quest for absolute rule over the fractured empire. The Emperor, identified as Amanushi, serves as the tyrannical overlord based in the capital city of Kogakyo, from where he deploys the empire's mechanical army to maintain oppressive order. As the original template for clones like Ukyo, Amanushi's rule is characterized by divine authoritarianism, fostering the development of cybernetic technologies that birthed both the loyal Imperial forces and the rebellious Nobuseri.[42] His motivations revolve around perpetuating a hierarchical society that prioritizes the capital's elite, using the mechanical army as an extension of his will to suppress dissent and extract resources from outer provinces. This regime's policies inadvertently fuel the Nobuseri's raids, as demobilized cyborg soldiers turn to crime amid neglect.[4] Complementing the antagonists' forces are the mechanical samurai, elite constructs forming the Emperor's personal guard and broader army, featuring hive-mind drones for coordinated assaults and advanced units equipped with energy blades, projectile launchers, and regenerative armor. These machines, sourced from Imperial forges in Kogakyo, represent the pinnacle of wartime cybernetic engineering, designed for unwavering obedience and overwhelming firepower to enforce the Emperor's decrees.[43] Unlike the individualistic Nobuseri, these drones operate in synchronized networks, amplifying their threat through collective tactics that mirror the empire's rigid structure.[41]Cast
Japanese voice cast
The Japanese voice cast of Samurai 7 consists of seasoned voice actors who lend authenticity and emotional range to the retelling of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, adapting the roles to a futuristic setting with mechanical elements.[44][45]The Seven Samurai
| Character | Voice Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kambei Shimada (leader, stoic strategist) | Masaki Terasoma | Delivers a composed and authoritative presence, emphasizing the character's tactical wisdom.[44] |
| Katsushiro Okamoto (young apprentice) | Romi Park | Portrays youthful enthusiasm and growth with nuanced emotional shifts.[44] |
| Gorobei Katayama (tactician, second-in-command) | Tetsu Inada | Brings a calm, insightful tone to the role of the group's intellectual anchor.[44] |
| Shichiroji (loyal comrade) | Tooru Kusano | Conveys steadfast reliability and camaraderie in battle scenes.[46][47] |
| Heihachi Hayashida (woodcutter and builder) | Junji Inukai | Infuses warmth and practicality into the character's supportive, inventive nature.[48][47] |
| Kyuzo (stoic swordsman) | Shin'ichirō Miki | Captures the silent intensity and precision of a master duelist.[44][49] |
| Kikuchiyo (rowdy guardian, boisterous energy) | Kong Kuwata | Provides explosive, comedic vitality to the impulsive, protective android samurai.[44][50] |
Key Kanna Villagers
- Kirara Mikumari (priestess, determined tone): Voiced by Fumiko Orikasa, whose resolute delivery highlights her role as the villagers' hopeful leader and moral compass.[51]
- Komachi Mikumari (Kirara's sister): Voiced by Chiwa Saitō, adding innocence and spunk to the young character's adventurous spirit.[52]
- Rikichi (hot-tempered farmer): Voiced by Tadahisa Saizen, emphasizing the character's fiery passion and internal conflicts.[53][54]
Main Antagonists
- Ukyo Rokakusai (scheming noble, villainous lead): Voiced by Takehito Koyasu, whose silky, manipulative inflection underscores the antagonist's aristocratic cruelty and ambition.[55][42]
- Ayamaro (magistrate, Ukyo's adoptive father): Voiced by Seiji Sasaki, delivering a grave, authoritative menace to the corrupt official.[56][57]
English voice cast
The English dub of Samurai 7 was produced by Funimation Entertainment in 2005, with ADR direction handled by Christopher Bevins.[2] The dub adapted the original Japanese dialogue for Western audiences, emphasizing the series' action-oriented narrative and character dynamics while maintaining the feudal sci-fi tone.[45] It later aired on Adult Swim's Toonami block starting August 19, 2012, introducing the series to a broader English-speaking audience.[58] Key voice performances in the dub featured experienced actors from Funimation's roster, bringing distinct energy to the protagonists and antagonists. R. Bruce Elliott provided the voice for the stoic leader Kanbei Shimada, delivering a commanding presence. Christopher Sabat voiced the boisterous inventor Kikuchiyo, infusing the role with rough humor and intensity. Colleen Clinkenbeard portrayed the determined Kirara Mikumari, capturing her resolve and emotional depth.[59] Anthony Bowling lent a sharp, authoritative tone to the scheming noble Ukyo.[55] The full main cast for the English dub is as follows:| Character | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Kambei Shimada | R. Bruce Elliott |
| Kikuchiyo | Christopher Sabat |
| Katsushiro Okamoto | Sean Teague |
| Kyuzo | Sonny Strait |
| Gorobei Katayama | Bob Carter |
| Heihachi Hayashida | Greg Ayres |
| Shichiroji | Duncan Brannan |
| Kirara Mikumari | Colleen Clinkenbeard |
| Komachi Mikumari | Luci Christian |
| Rikichi | J. Michael Tatum |
| Ukyo | Anthony Bowling |
| Ayamaro | Barry Yandell |