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The Best Episodes of Samurai Champloo

Every episode of Samurai Champloo ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Samurai Champloo!

Binge this in 10h 24m•Peaking at 9.3/10

Break-dancing but fierce warrior Mugen has to deal with the cold-blooded and conceited Jin, a samurai who believes he is above all. These sworn enemies are brought together by Fuu for a special task.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 26 - Evanescent Encounter (3)
    9.3/10(1125 votes)

    #1 - Evanescent Encounter (3)

    S1:E26

    Old scores are finally settled as Mugen, Jin, and Fuu finally come face to face with the ghosts of their respective pasts.

    Directors:Sayo Yamamoto, Shinichiro Watanabe
    Writer:Shinichiro Watanabe

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  2. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 25 - Evanescent Encounter (2)
    9.1/10(935 votes)

    #2 - Evanescent Encounter (2)

    S1:E25

    Jin enters a bloody grudge match with the man responsible for the ruin of his rep. Meanwhile, Mugen races to save Fuu from the clutches of a sadistic madman bent on bloodshed.

    Directors:Kazuto Nakazawa, Kei Tsunematsu
    Writers:Shinichiro Watanabe, Shinji Obara

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  3. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 21 - Elegy of Entrapment (2)
    9.0/10(979 votes)

    #3 - Elegy of Entrapment (2)

    S1:E21

    Mugen's has his own deadly run-in with the same blind beauty that sent Jin plummeting towards a gruesome end. Who is this seductive assassin, and why is she targeting the Champloo crew?

    Director:Akitoshi Yokoyama
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  4. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 11 - Gamblers and Gallantry
    8.9/10(1155 votes)

    #4 - Gamblers and Gallantry

    S1:E11

    Jin falls in love with a suicidal beauty whose husband sold her into slavery, and Mugen tries to make his fortune in the cutthroat world of beetle sumo wrestling.

    Director:Sayo Yamamoto
    Writer:Seiko Takagi

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  5. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 14 - Misguided Miscreants (2)
    8.8/10(1016 votes)

    #5 - Misguided Miscreants (2)

    S1:E14

    Mugen - double-crossed and headed for the bottom of the ocean - flashes back to his life before he died for the first time. Back on land, a pretty young thing convinces Jin to brandish his blades in the name of vengeance.

    Director:Shukou Murase
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 24 - Evanescent Encounter (1)
    8.6/10(806 votes)

    #6 - Evanescent Encounter (1)

    S1:E24

    As the crew draws ever nearer their final destination, Fuu makes a bold and startling decision. Elsewhere, unnamed adversaries pursue the travelling trio.

    Director:Tsuyoshi Yoshimoto
    Writers:Shinichiro Watanabe, Shinji Obara

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Samurai Champloo

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  7. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 1 - Tempestuous Temperaments
    8.5/10(1236 votes)

    #7 - Tempestuous Temperaments

    S1:E1

    Fuu is a part-time teahouse worker whose life changes forever when two vagabond warriors, Mugen and Jin, stumble into her place of business and end up in hot water with the local magistrate.

    Director:Shinichiro Watanabe
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  8. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 20 - Elegy of Entrapment (1)
    8.5/10(842 votes)

    #8 - Elegy of Entrapment (1)

    S1:E20

    Mugen defends the honor of beautiful blind songstress, but when the when the trio of wanderers becomes a quartet, Fuu will be faced with an impossible decision.

    Director:Tsuyoshi Yoshimoto
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  9. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 10 - Lethal Lunacy
    8.4/10(882 votes)

    #9 - Lethal Lunacy

    S1:E10

    Mugen takes his training to the next level in preparation for a full moon death match with a killer who uses a deadly armor-piercing attack to soak the streets in the blood of his victims.

    Director:Akira Yoshimura
    Writer:Touko Machida

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  10. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 15 - Bogus Booty
    8.3/10(837 votes)

    #10 - Bogus Booty

    S1:E15

    Mugen goes under the covers with an undercover investigator who's out to put the smack down on a murderous ring of counterfeiters. Will he finally get the booty he's after?

    Director:Kazuto Nakazawa
    Writer:Kazuto Nakazawa

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  11. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 9 - Beatbox Bandits
    8.2/10(868 votes)

    #11 - Beatbox Bandits

    S1:E9

    The crew is headed for the gallows after getting caught flashing fake travel permits, but Mugen can win back their freedom by out hustling a deranged gang of warrior priests.

    Director:Hirotaka Endo
    Writer:Dai Sato

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  12. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 4 - Hellhounds for Hire (2)
    8.1/10(894 votes)

    #12 - Hellhounds for Hire (2)

    S1:E4

    The paths Mugen, Jin, and Fuu follow bring them together again, but their reunion is put on hold when an untimely mistake intensifies the struggle between two clans fighting for control of one city.

    Director:Hirotaka Endo
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  13. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 17 - Lullabies of the Lost (2)
    8.1/10(782 votes)

    #13 - Lullabies of the Lost (2)

    S1:E17

    Jin and Fuu reunite, only to be attacked by a vengeance-driven samurai from Jin's old life. Meanwhile, Mugen takes aim at an arrow-slinging madman who's at the top of everyone's most wanted list.

    Director:Hirotaka Endo
    Writer:Ryôta Sugi

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  14. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 7 - A Risky Racket
    8.0/10(866 votes)

    #14 - A Risky Racket

    S1:E7

    Fuu gets caught in a web of deception when she falls for prolific pickpocket with a heart of gold. But when her sticky-fingered friend slips his hands into the wrong pocket, he could be headed for a beat down.

    Director:Tsuyoshi Yoshimoto
    Writer:Seiko Takagi

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  15. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 13 - Misguided Miscreants (1)
    7.9/10(798 votes)

    #15 - Misguided Miscreants (1)

    S1:E13

    When Mugen crosses paths with a face his past, he reluctantly signs on for a heist that could land him a fortune in stolen gold. Unfortunately for him, some old friends aren't to be trusted.

    Director:Tsuyoshi Yoshimoto
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 2 - Redeye Reprisal
    7.8/10(978 votes)

    #16 - Redeye Reprisal

    S1:E2

    When Mugen wounds an enemy's arm, it sets off a dangerous chain reaction. Fuu is kidnapped, and two deadly assassins are dispatched to make short work of vagabond Mugen and ronin Jin.

    Director:Tsuyoshi Yoshimoto
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  17. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 3 - Hellhounds for Hire (1)
    7.8/10(909 votes)

    #17 - Hellhounds for Hire (1)

    S1:E3

    After leaving the domineering Fuu behind, Mugen and Jin arrive in town. Once there, it's not long before they're hired on as bodyguards by the two clans that run the city.

    Directors:Shintaro Inokawa, Masato Miyoshi
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  18. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 5 - Artistic Anarchy
    7.8/10(871 votes)

    #18 - Artistic Anarchy

    S1:E5

    An unknown artist hires Fuu for a private modeling session, but his passion for painting turns out to be a front for a human trafficking ring. Will Mugen crack the case in time to save Fuu from a life of slavery?

    Director:Sayo Yamamoto
    Writer:Dai Sato

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  19. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 8 - The Art of Altercation
    7.8/10(823 votes)

    #19 - The Art of Altercation

    S1:E8

    A cocky sword-slinger with a crush on Fuu dishes the dirt on Jin's disgraceful past. If the renegade ronin wants to restore his good name, he'll need to get his glasses out of hock and make ready for a throw down!

    Director:Keiichi Sasajima
    Writer:Dai Sato

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  20. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 16 - Lullabies of the Lost (1)
    7.7/10(751 votes)

    #20 - Lullabies of the Lost (1)

    S1:E16

    Tempers flare, harsh words are exchanged, and the gang splinters, each member marching off in a different direction. Mugen and Jin wander into some swordplay, and Fuu ends up at the bottom of a river.

    Director:Masato Miyoshi
    Writer:Keiko Nobumoto

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  21. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 18 - War of the Words
    7.7/10(779 votes)

    #21 - War of the Words

    S1:E18

    Mugen learns his letters from a sake-guzzling maniac, Jin makes good on a promise from many years ago, and Fuu sparks a jealous showdown between two bickering graffiti artists.

    Director:Sayo Yamamoto
    Writer:Dai Sato

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  22. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 23 - Baseball Blues
    7.7/10(827 votes)

    #22 - Baseball Blues

    S1:E23

    Mugen's failed attempt at a dine-and-dash restaurant caper lands him in hot water with the locals. Redemption lies with leading the town's baseball team to a victory over the arrogant and unwelcome Americans.

    Director:Mitsutaka Noshitani
    Writer:Shinichiro Watanabe

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  23. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 6 - Stranger Searching
    7.6/10(846 votes)

    #23 - Stranger Searching

    S1:E6

    Mugen and Jin loses their weapons and their appetites - in an rice-eating contest, and the only way to get them back is by posing as tour guides for a mysterious European with a penchant for man love!

    Director:Akira Yoshimura
    Writer:Shinji Obara

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  24. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 19 - Unholy Union
    7.5/10(732 votes)

    #24 - Unholy Union

    S1:E19

    Fuu harbors a female fugitive who's on the run from a bogus, gun-slinging missionary. The new girl is trouble, no doubt about it, but she may hold the finding the samurai who smells like sunflowers.

    Director:Hirotaka Endo
    Writer:Seiko Takagi

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  25. Samurai Champloo Season 1 Episode 22 - Cosmic Collisions
    6.8/10(805 votes)

    #25 - Cosmic Collisions

    S1:E22

    Jin, Mugen, and Fuu fall into the clutches of a hoard of rotting zombie treasure hunters. Next, they get blown to oblivion by an asteroid. Or maybe they just ate some bad mushrooms.

    Director:Sayo Yamamoto
    Writer:Dai Sato

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Best Episodes Summary

"Evanescent Encounter (3)" is the best rated episode of "Samurai Champloo". It scored 9.3/10 based on 1125 votes. Directed by Sayo Yamamoto, Shinichiro Watanabe and written by Shinichiro Watanabe, it aired on 3/19/2005. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Evanescent Encounter (2)".