The Elusive Samurai — Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Elusive Samurai is where Yusei Matsui really lets his strange, playful energy take over, and fans clearly felt it. After the devastation of Kamakura, this installment shifts gears into something lighter on the surface but surprisingly tense underneath, introducing us properly to Suwa Yorishige, the self-proclaimed living god and Shinto priest who has taken young Hojo Tokiyuki under his wing. Yorishige is an instant scene-stealer. Eccentric, loud, and almost unsettlingly cheerful given the tragedy Tokiyuki has just endured, he brings a much needed jolt of comedy to the story. His dynamic with Tokiyuki is fascinating already. Where Tokiyuki is still traumatized, quiet, and defined by his instinct to flee, Yorishige treats that cowardice not as shameful but as a divine gift. That reframing is huge for Tokiyuki’s character development. For the first time since losing everything, someone is telling him that surviving is a form of strength, not weakness. Plot-wise, the chapter functions as a bridge between escape and training. Yorishige begins testing Tokiyuki, pushing him into absurd survival games and traps that showcase both Matsui’s slapstick timing and his knack for sudden dread. That final pitfall gag everyone loves is a perfect example. It lands as a laugh, but it also reminds us that Tokiyuki is literally living from one near-death moment to the next. Emotionally, there is a chill running under the humor. Tokiyuki is still grieving, and Yorishige’s manic foresight feels both protective and manipulative. The art sells this duality beautifully, swinging from goofy exaggerated expressions to shadowy, godlike close-ups of the priest that feel genuinely ominous. It leaves you laughing while wondering just who this man really is, and what he wants from our elusive hero.