An anniversary screening of the anime series "Samurai Troopers", which aired from 1988 to 1989, was held on June 11th at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku, Tokyo), with Takeshi Kusao, who played the main character Ryo Sanada, and Hideo Okamoto, the original armor designer, among others in attendance. Okamoto revealed the secrets behind the design of the "Yoroi Gear".
Regarding the design of Yoroigia, Okamoto said, "Each one has their own key points, but gathering the information was difficult. At first, the weapons hadn't been decided at all, and there were some parts that I decided on my own. At first, I thought of Kongou as the main character."
Regarding "collecting information," he said, "There is a museum of armor in London. I went there, and also to a museum in Arashiyama. It incorporates both Japanese and Western styles, and the armor from Suikoden is completely Western. I wondered if adding a topknot would make it look Japanese."
"Rekka is definitely the best," said Okamoto, who particularly likes the design of Ryo from Rekka. Kusao added, "Rekka's armor was inspired by ski boots and airplanes. It's an innovative design that still looks fresh even today."
At the screening, it was also announced that a proper sequel, "Samurai Troopers: Yoroi Shinden", will be produced and broadcast as a TV anime in January 2026. This will be the first TV anime series to be broadcast in about 37 years, and it will be a completely original story set in present-day Shinjuku, directed by Yoichi Fujita, who has worked on "Gintama" and "Mr. Osomatsu", and produced by SUNRISE Studios. Ishibashi Hiyori, who has worked on "Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS", will be the voice actor for the main character, Gai/Scorching Hot Guy.
Ishibashi, who will be appearing in the sequel, also appeared at the screening. Okamoto said with a smile that he is also participating in the sequel and that he is "extremely excited."
"Samurai Troopers" is an anime produced by Sunrise, depicting five boys who possess "Yoroigia" (armor armor), who are led by fate to come together and fight against the army of demons led by the demon emperor Arago. The TV anime aired from April 1988 to March 1989, and due to its popularity an OVA (original video animation) was also produced. "Samurai Troopers Gaiden" was released in 1989, "Samurai Troopers: Legend of the Bright Emperor" was released from 1989 to 1990, and "Samurai Troopers: Message" was released in 1991. A comic book adaptation by Ryuichi Hoshino was also serialized in "Comic Bonbon" (Kodansha).
