Favorite Samurai

[BowenStargazer]

I don't know if anyone asked this yet but:
Who is everyone's favorite Samurai both historical and fictional?
Favorite Samurai weapon?
Favorite Martial arts fighting style (can be an animal form)?
Favorite Martial artist?

 

[drop bear]

Usagi yojimbo

 

[Xue Sheng]

Zatoichi from the 1960s films

 

[Buka]

Tom Cruise.

 

[mograph]

Tom Cruise.

But was he really?
... or was Katsumoto the titular Last Samurai?

 

[Buka]

But was he really?
... or was Katsumoto the titular Last Samurai?

View attachment 30035

Either way. I love that movie. Never cared much for Cruise until then.

Katsumoto rocked.

 

[Oily Dragon]

This is hard.

Ogami Itto. The Lone Wolf with Cub.

What about Afro. Number 1 headband!

 

[drop bear]

 

[Gyakuto]

But was he really?
... or was Katsumoto the titular Last Samurai?

View attachment 30035

Of course, Katsumoto was based upon Takamori Saigo….

 

[Gyakuto]

Either way. I love that movie. Never cared much for Cruise until then.

Katsumoto rocked.

I watch it once a month or so. Brilliant film. I even own a a couple of props from the film including this hat and an arrow!

 

[Oily Dragon]

Of course, Katsumoto was based upon Takamori Saigo….

The title is a little misleading but it really refers to the plural form of "Last Samurai", since it fictionalized the Satsuma Rebellion and the Battle of Shiroyama.

The whole point of the movie is Tom Cruise witnessing the end of the Samurai as a warrior class, hence the whole battlefield at the end of "The Last Samurai". So it's not him, or Katsumoto, it's all of them.

Funny but true, western audiences loves/hated the film, but it was a huge hit in Japan because Saigo is considered a national hero to this day (officially pardoned post humously for rebellion too).

Over here, people especially academic types are still debating why a white Scientologist was made "The Last Samurai". I don't think those people understand, and weren't paying attention to Ken Watanabe when he pointed out what the film did for Asian actors in Hollywood.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

But was he really?
... or was Katsumoto the titular Last Samurai?

View attachment 30035

I always took it as everyone was the last samurai. Including Tom Cruise's character as an honorary samurai.

 

[BowenStargazer]

Keanu Reeves was a good samurai in 47 Ronin

 

[BowenStargazer]

But my favorites are:
Historical: Myamoto Musahi
Fictional: Kenshi from MK or Himura Kenshin

 

[Gyakuto]

The whole point of the movie is Tom Cruise witnessing the end of the Samurai as a warrior class, hence the whole battlefield at the end of "The Last Samurai". So it's not him, or Katsumoto, it's all of them.

In that case, surely they should’ve called it, ‘The Last Samurais’ 😉

 

[Gyakuto]

Keanu Reeves was a good samurai in 47 Ronin

That has to be the worst ’samurai film’ I’ve ever seen! I was nearly an extra on it, too.🤢 They should have given it a completely different title in order to disambiguate it from the historical 47 Ronin/Ako Vendetta/Asano Incident/Chūshingura.

 

[Gyakuto]

Funny but true, western audiences loves/hated the film, but it was a huge hit in Japan because Saigo is considered a national hero to this day (officially pardoned post humously for rebellion too).

I once made a little pilgrimage to Takamori’s statue in Ueno Park. Interestingly, he only had a little dog…🤔

Over here, people especially academic types are still debating why a white Scientologist was made "The Last Samurai".

Ken Watanabe is a Scientologist?😳😉

I don't think those people understand, and weren't paying attention to Ken Watanabe when he pointed out what the film did for Asian actors in Hollywood.

I believe ‘The Last Samurai‘ is often criticised for being a copy of ‘Dances with Wolves’.

 

[Oily Dragon]

I once made a little pilgrimage to Takamori’s statue in Ueno Park. Interestingly, he only had a little dog…🤔

Ken Watanabe is a Scientologist?😳😉

Lol.

Honestly I think a lot of the backlash against Tom Cruise was the movie poster, even though I thought a lot of the best performances were the Samurai and Imperial court. Cruise plays a buffoon for most of the film.

I believe ‘The Last Samurai‘ is often criticised for being a copy of ‘Dances with Wolves’.

Lawrence of Arabia, Dances with Wolves, TLS, Avatar, A Man Called Horse all the same basic "going native" idea. Some people like that sort of "let's learn each other's culture", some are totally offended by it. Oh well can't please em all, especially in the Rotten Tomatoes era.

 

[Oily Dragon]

In that case, surely they should’ve called it, ‘The Last Samurais’ 😉

Lol. In all seriousness both are used as plurals but the formal is "Samurai", because thr original word "Saburai" was plural, meaning "those who serve the nobles".

 

[Dirty Dog]

Cruise plays a buffoon for most of the film.

I think that accurately summarizes his entire adult life.