Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A legendary anime classic arrives on Blu-ray in North America.

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard June 23, 2022

Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) is a wonderfully exciting action-packed series with an entertaining concept. The series is based on the original manga created by Hajime Yatate. Animated by studio Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing). Produced by Hironori Nakagawa (Arion, Dirty Pair: Project Eden), Makoto Imaii (Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn, Kiko Senki Dragonar), and Youichi Honna (Brave Command Dagwon, Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird), Samurai Troopers is a wonderful gem of an anime classic. Originally broadcast in North America on Cartoon Network’s Toonami action-anime block, Discotek Media delivers with a wonderful collection for series fans.

A legendary curse returns after 1,000 years of dormancy. A once quiet spirit now rekindles its evil powers and returns from the land of the darkness to bring terror to the people of the world. The demonic forces of evil bring doom. A dark cloud forms over the once beautiful city of Shinjuku.

An unexpected battle begins to unfold against the once dormant spirit when five young warriors with superpower strengths and ninja armor emerge to fight for the futures of everyone. Ryo, Touma, Shu, Shin, and Seiji combine their strengths and push their abilities to their limits. Can the evil spirit be defeated once and for all? The stage is set for the Ronin Warriors!

The series has a wonderful sense of adventure. The action-packed fun is at the core of the series success. The action showcases epic battles and sets a great tone for the entire production. The experience is all the more thrilling because of the sense of cool energy within the Samurai style sequences.

The animation on the series is first-rate as well. The art design by Ariaki Okada (Betterman, Freedom) is ambitious and epic in scope. The hand-drawn animation makes a huge impression. The animators of Samurai Troopers brought their “A” game to the table and delivered a fantastic series that is full of imagination.

An epic action-packed adventure series.

The original score composed by Osamu Totsuka (Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Shin Captain Tsubasa) provides an exciting backdrop to the production. The score helps to enhance the experience and make the saga all the more epic in scope. For an animated series, Samurai Troopers has a strong score with enough gusto to keep audiences entertained.

The character designs by Norio Shioyama (Panzer World Galient, Armored Trooper Votoms) enhance the series aesthetic too. The design efforts showcase the samurai fighters with great armor and colorful costumes. Both the heroes and villains of the Samurai Troopers saga are well highlighted through the character design efforts.

Lead screenwriters Jinzo Toriumi (Gatchaman, Armored Trooper Votoms), Masanori Oka, and Saburo Ebinuma (Captain Tsubasa, Huckleberry Finn Monogatari) help the series excel. The screenwriting imbues the saga with fun characters and a sense of adrenaline. The ensemble element of this epic adventure saga keeps audiences entertained.

Directed by Masashi Ikeda (Inuyasha, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) and Mamoru Hamatsu (Blue Butterfly Fish, The Heroic Legend of Arslan). Ikeda directed episodes 1-19 and Hamatsu directed subsequent episodes. Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) is a superb anime classic with plenty to offer. The production has excellent action scenes, great characters, and wonderful visuals. Fans of classic anime series will be thrilled.

Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is excellent at showcasing the hand-drawn animation. This is an outstanding presentation on so many levels: color reproduction, clarity, and detail. Action scenes certainly excel and the encoding does a solid job of showcasing these moments. A strong effort from Discotek.

Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The lossless audio tracks sound impressive on the release. The score is well reproduced. The dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The sound effects sound notable as well.

Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The OVA Specials:

Gaiden –

1. Once Again, Samurai Troopers!
2. Save Your Friend! Samurai Heart

Legend of the Inferno Armor

1. Mukala of the Sun
2. The Black Inferno Armor
3. The Armor that Runs
4. Searching Beyond the Darkness

Message

1. The Fateful End
2. Predestined Future
3. The Broken Confidence
4. The Wandering Soul
5. The Truth Arrives

OVA Extras:

Gaiden –

Vintage English Credits (SD, 1:46)

Legend of the Inferno Armor –

Creditless Opening (HD, 1:40)

Creditless Ending (HD, 1:37)

Vintage English Credits (SD, 1:42)

Original Video Effect Sequences (SD, 2:09)

Message –

Creditless Ending (HD, 3:38)

Vintage English Credits (SD, 1:28)

Samurai Troopers:

Creditless Opening 1 (HD, 1:31)

Creditless Opening 2 (HD, 1:31)

Creditless Ending 1 (HD, 1:01)

Creditless Ending 2 (HD, 1:01)

Television Promos (HD, 1:21)

Blu-ray Box Promos (HD, 1:39)

DVD Vs. Blu-ray Comparisons (HD, 4:42)

Art Gallery includes 116 click-through illustrations showcasing production art-work, character designs, layout art, and more. These full-color illustrations are beautiful and clicking through them is as fun as looking through a wonderful art-book.

Ronin Warriors:

Opening Sequence (HD Remastered) (HD, 1:01)

Opening Sequence (Vintage) (SD, 1:01)

Opening Sequence – Karaoke Version (SD, 1:01)

Opening Sequence – Karaoke Version 2 (SD, 1:01)

Commercial Bumpers (SD, 00:25)

Recap from Episodes 4-10 (SD, 00:16)

Episode 2 Ending (SD, 00:46)

Ending Credits (SD, 00:31)

Samurai Troopers: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) is a wonderful anime classic. The series has exciting adventure and action-packed fun. The production has terrific animation and the hand-drawn art-style enhances the entire experience. The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media features a strong video-audio presentation and an outstanding selection of supplemental features (including the OVA episodes of the series as well). Recommended.