We Hate to Say It, But the Most Underrated Shonen Jump Anime of 2024 Got Slept On
2024 was a monstrous year for shōnen lovers. We got so many great series, that even more great series flew under the radar. Brand-new series came out and made huge splashes, while long-running series also got their chance to shine yet again. I love the shōnen genre more than any other genre, so I wasn't complaining in the slightest last year. My watchlist was filled with more series than I knew what to do with, and as an anime lover, that's one of the best problems to have.
Working for Screen Rant has given me the unique opportunity to watch anime and call it "work". I try to watch as many series as I can, so I know what I'm talking about when I write, and one of the best series I saw last year was The Elusive Samurai. Surprisingly, The Elusive Samurai didn't get the love that I thought it would get. It won one of the best awards manga can win in Japan, but when I took a look at what it was up against, I got it. If you haven't seen The Elusive Samurai because you were busy watching another great series, now is the perfect chance to check it out.
2024 Was an Insane Year for Shōnen Anime
Dandadan, Daima, One Piece, and More Dominated
2024 was an amazing year for shōnen. If the shōnen series were like dishes at a restaurant, we shōnen lovers would have wanted to order the entire menu. The brand-new series Dandadan might be one of the best anime of all time, and only the first season made its debut. Okarun, Momo, and Turbo Granny took 2024 by the throat. It told an exciting, heartwarming, and altogether hilarious story that inadvertently buried most of its competition without even trying. To this day, Dandadan's intro song is one of the few I actually look forward to when it comes on.
Dragon Ball Daima saw the Z Fighters' incredible return to the screen. The series was already a must-watch thanks to Dragon Ball's fame, but when Vegeta went Super Saiyan 3 against Tamagami Number Two, everything changed. Daima was no longer just another entry into the Dragon Ball franchise, but its own series with its own merits, earning its spot in the canon. With series like these around, it's no surprise that The Elusive Samurai didn't get the attention it deserved.
The Elusive Samurai Got Lost in the Competition
Competing Against Demon Slayer, Blue Lock, and Bleach Made It Hard to Stand Out
Not only was 2024 a great year for brand-new series, but it was also a stand-out year for series seeing a return to the screen. One of the most hype moments of the year came in Demon Slayer, when the Hashira finally united to take down Muzan Kibutsuji once and for all. I still remember how amazing Ubuyashiki's explosion was, and how exciting it was to see Tanjiro be the first to get angry and pull out his sword to attack the Demon King head-on.
With all the incredible shōnen series in 2024, it's no surprise that The Elusive Samurai didn't get a lot of attention. There are only 24 hours in a day, and even if you spent all of them watching shōnen anime (what a dream that would be), you still might not have gotten around to watching The Elusive Samurai. I can't blame you. If I didn't get paid to write about anime, I might not have done my due diligence and checked it out. But the best part about not watching a series when it came out is the fact that you can still watch it now, and The Elusive Samurai is certainly worth your time.
Why the Elusive Samurai Is Amazing
It Won the 2023 Shogakukan Manga Award Next to Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
The Elusive Samurai should have gotten way more love than it did. At its core, it's one of the most original anime series to be released in the past few years. The story is set around Tokiyuki Hojo, the last survivor of the Hojo clan. The anime is based on the real Tokiyuki Hojo, a man from the 1300s in Japan who should have committed ritual seppuku and died with the rest of his clan. Instead of dying, Tokiyuki dedicated his life to avenging his clan and taking down the man who betrayed him.
Beyond its story, The Elusive Samurai is wonderfully unique in the world of shōnen anime. It has every element that makes a shōnen series great, plus a few more that make it stand out from the rest. Tokiyuki is a unique character, each of his friends brings something interesting to the story, and Takauji Ashikaga is one of the most interesting and vicious villains in anime.
Checking out my personal myanimelist.com account, I've watched over 1,800 hours of anime (humblebrag or slightly embarrassing, it's up to you), and I can say with confidence that there's a scene in The Elusive Samurai that literally dropped my jaw to the floor unlike any other series ever has. If you haven't watched The Elusive Samuraiand love the shōnen genre, check this series out, and I bet it'll get at least an 8/10 from you.
