<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Samurai Champloo is an anime series whose name means what it says. Champloo is a derivation of the Okinawan word for a blend or mix, and Samurai Champloo mixes Edo–era Japan, hip-hop music, action, adventure, and humor, all in an epic, samurai style of storytelling. The attitude the show tries to capture thrusts the world of hip-hop into a classical samurai traveler's tale, breaking the fourth wall with the audience whenever it likes. Given the mix of elements, the portrayal of the Edo era is not historically accurate, and the series enjoys being anachronistic.

The storyline follows the lives of three main characters. These misfits are brought together by circumstance when young Fuu helps Mugen and Jin escape their pending execution.

• Mugen: a beggarly swordsman quick to mouth off, but even quicker with his blade
• Jin: a ronin who is as quiet as Mugen is mouthy and just as skilled with a sword
• Fuu: a young female teahouse worker, often finding herself in the midst of trouble, who lets fate decide with the toss of a coin that the two men should join her in search of a famous samurai known only for smelling of sunflowers.

In the style of the David Carradine Kung Fu TV series, this trio wanders from town to town in search of Fuu’s samurai, with conflict almost always arising, resulting in beautifully choreographed fights set to hip-hop tracks.

The series is the brainchild of Shinichiro Watanabe. He is also the acclaimed director of the Macross saga update Macross Plus and fan favorite Cowboy Bebop. It is interesting to note that Bebop shares several of the characteristics of Samurai Champloo, including issues of haunted pasts, three misfits traveling and starving together, and the use of blended styles (a mix of cowboy western, sci-fi, and jazz music).

Samurai Champloo first aired in 2004 in Japan on Fuji TV (which also produced the original Iron Chef television series).