Samurai High School is a supernatural slice-of-life Japanese television drama with 12 episode.
Mochizuki Kotaro is an ordinary, non-confrontational, below average student who is lives a rather carefree life with no plans for the future set. While working a history assignment, he stumbles upon a strange library with an even stranger librarian. She suggests an old book about a heroic samurai from the Sengoku period, who happens to have the same full name and age as Kotaro before he died. When Kotaro discovers the samurai his ancestor, he becomes possessed by him (who he nicknames "Samurai"). The samurai side seems to come out whenever Kotaro is in a pinch but little by little, Kotaro starts to become braver and discover who he really is.
Not to be confused with the manga of the same name.
Samurai High School provides examples of:
- Action Hero: Samurai though he does give a passionate speech to try to prevent it before the fight starts.
- Allergic to Love: Samurai doesn't get physically ill but any sight or action that would make the real Kotaro's heart flutter will cause Samurai to revert back to the real Kotaro.
- Ambiguously Human: The librarian as she has a tendency to reappear and disappear, much to Kotaro's confusion. Even more so when we found that Kotaro can not reveal to human he is possessed by his ancestor or else he will disappear, despite her knowing herself. Turns out that she was actually a Geisha doll.
- Attempted Rape: Oddly enough, played for laughs with Samurai and Nagasawa as the mood during the seem did not at all seem serious. Luckily, the real Kotaro managed to break free into his conscious before Samurai!Kotaro pulled any serious moves while Nagasawa eventually punches him and knocks him out.
- Butt-Monkey: Kotaro and Kotaro's dad.
- Cassandra Truth: Discussed by Kotaro in regards to Samurai that he is Genre Savvy enough to know that no one will believe him. Played straight though for the golf club adviser who doesn't believe that the a group of their fangirls are collecting money from students and later double subverted with the principal who puts off the act as support for the club despite it being against the school policy.
- Character Development: A lot of characters get this though most notably, Nakamura and Kotaro.
- Cool Old Guy: Kotaro's dad.
- Dead to Begin With: Samurai.
- Determinator: Samurai and Kotaro later becomes one as well.
- Disappeared Dad: Nakamura's father is dead before the story started.
- Double Standard : Samurai!Kotaro will often comment on the way women and men should act but it is justified since he came from a time period where these roles was a standard of living. Downplayed with other characters as, while it does not play a direct role in their jobs, will comment on how which gender should act.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Nagasawa uses snacks to motivate Kotaro and Nakamura to study.
- Friendless Background: Nakamura who states that Kotaro was first friend, who he met the other at his final year of high school.
- Ghost Amnesia: averted since Samurai knows exactly why he is here but doesn't both to explain to Kotaro until the final episode
- Hikikomori: Koshimizu was in the special talents class and had a lot potential for a top university but eventually drops out and becomes one of these due to a financial at his father's stores. He stops being one by the end of the episode of his appearance, thank to Kotaro and co.
- Identical Great Grandson: Kotaro's appearance doesn't change when he switches to Samurai, except with a magically added small ponytail, which is why everyone assumes Samurai and Kotaro to be the same person. Flashbacks of Samurai also show no difference in appearance.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Episode 8 goes on with an explanation on why katanas are a really important weapon for a samurai.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Nakamura makes one for Kotaro to let him escape from the police. He doesn't get killed but does get arrested.
- Historical Domain Character: Not Mochizuki Kotaro himself but Sanada Yukimura, the general he worked for.
- Hot-Blooded: Samurai.
- Improbable Weapon User: Samurai is usually forced to use rulers as katana replacements. Still manages to take down a gang of sharks who have baseball bats with it.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Kotaro and Samurai.
- Japanese Delinquents: Many Kotaro school enemies excluding adults are this.
- Jerkass with a Heart of Gold: Samurai can come out as harsh but does have noble intentions. Later on, the principal turns out to be on
- Katanas Are Just Better: Flashbacks show Samurai to be wielding a katana. However, since he is stuck in modern times and no carries katanas on them, rulers are commonly his makeshift weapon, much to everyone's amusement. However, this later costs him when Kotaro is suspected to be the attacker of a homeless man, who talks like a samurai and wields a ruler like him
- Kid Hero: Though Kotaro and Samurai are borderline examples from their age, they are frequently addressed as kids.
- Loves My Alter Ego: Not a full love confession but Nagasawa does show and even state her preference of Samurai over the other. She is, however, unaware that they are two different people until the very end when Samurai leaves. She later on confesses to her teacher than she loves both Samurai and Kotaro though the series ends without her telling this to the actual Kotaro
- Non-Action Guy: Kotaro starts off as on as he would avoid as such situations as much as possible, which is when Samurai would take over. However, later in o prevent himself from losing his real body to his ancestor, he starts taking the challenges himself.
- Parents as People
- Really 400 Years Old: 394 to be exact, according to Samurai.
- Samurai: Fortunately, seen in a positive light.
- Shrinking Violet: Nakamura, a rare male example.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Usually when Kotaro turns into Samurai, he is only seen wearing a tank top unless he is wearing his school uniform. This begins to die down later in the series though.
- Smarter Than You Look: Not that Nakamura appeared to be dumb but he was probably one of the last person the audience would suspect to figure out Kotaro is possessed by 400 year old Samurai. Everyone else assumed either the pressure from his parents or his split personality was the cause of his frequent character change.
- Stern Teacher: Miki Sayaka
- Superpowered Alter Ego: Samurai for Kotaro.
- Transformation Sequence: When Kotaro transforms to Samurai, runes start to appear and deep in his mind, his dna gets reconstructed to match samurai's. However, no one sees this and he physically doesn't look different other than his slight stoic appearance and for the occasional ponytail you at times you see get added on.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Despite being a delinquent, Satoshi has this relationship with his father. Goes on to even plant his father's heirloom by Kotaro's door call the police to blame Kotaro for it though it backfires.
