Seen a few comments saying that Benkei was in fact a Sohei and not a Samurai. While that is true and a labeling mistake on my part, he was still one of the greatest Japanese warriors to ever live. Besides that, if I were to have put Tomoe Gozen or Tachibana Ginchiyo on this list like other people are suggesting, I would still run into the same problem of "they weren't really Samurai." Either way, if a Japanese warrior fought alongside samurai in wars between samurai clans, I consider that warrior a contender for this list.

At this point I’m wondering if I’ll ever make it out of this Ghost of Tsushima algorithm

Remember to fear an old man in a profession where the young dies.

Japanese history always fascinated me, but since I've played Ghost of Tsushima I can't stop watching videos about Samurai.

In Japan, it is said that when a human dies, he crosses the "Sanzu River" and goes to the afterlife.
Six coins are required as a ferry to cross the Sanzu River.
The six coins, which are the family crest of Yukimura Sanada, are proof that they are not afraid of death.

Man Honda Tadakatsu is literally a legend among legends. To never sustain serious injuries throughout all the wars he’s been through is almost mathematically impossible. His presence alone can no doubt change the morale on the battlefield.

I don't even have to watch the video to know that Honda Tadakatsu and Sanada Yukimura would be top 1 and 2 on this list.

My boy Yukimura better be number 1, I will return to you in 18 minutes!!

Benkei died standing on his feet. Story goes that he held off the warriors for hours and when they finally killed him with arrows he remained standing and they were afraid to approach him.

The bromance of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune is my favorite story in Japanese history. Just the stories of those 2 constantly bailing eachother out of bad situations is entertaining. Ieyasu litterally saving Masamune from Hideyoshi's wrath TWICE at great personal risk is what friendship is all about.

Pour one out for Yukimura, he stood by my boy Toyotomi's legacy to the bitter end :(

Yukimura's spirit burns with the flame of justice.

How could you forget about Jin Sakai:((

Even in Nioh 1, Sanada Yukimura remains as the great warrior he is ❤️

it's crazy that most were around during the late Sengoku Jidai.

Miyamoto Musashi  was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin. Renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels.He is considered a Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan

I tempered my expectations but let’s say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Ya boi Yukimura is one of my all time heroes.

damn ! even their names scream badass when you pronounce them

My reactions
10. Alright! Good start! He's been with Oda at the very beginning and was a veteran samurai. The legendary, Devil Shibata.
9. Ooooo! A Heian Samurai! And also one of my favorite characters from Tales of Genji!
8. Yes! One of Hideyoshi's biggest retainers alongside Kiyomasa and Mitsunari.
7. The red cladded samurai who led one of the biggest clans that served under Tokugawa, as well as a member of a clan that has deep longevity during the Sengoku Jidai.
6. I actually never knew this guy because I haven't looked much up before the Sengoku Era (aside from a bit of Heian)
5. There's the bloodthirsty bastard! Another, veteran warrior of Hideyoshi's retainers alongside Masanori and Mitsunari.
4. Second eldest of the Shimazu brothers and definitely the most deserving of his fame for his raid and ambush tactics.
3. One of (if not the greatest) samurai of the Heian period and the main protagonist of the Tales of Genji.
2. The Strongest of the East and the best Samurai of the early, Sengoku Jidai, matched only by Muneshige Tachibana. (Who I'm surprised wasn't on here, being the strongest of the West)
1. Really, who else? Almost all daimyos and samurais during the end of the Sengoku Jidai agreed that Yukimura was the greatest samurai in the land and of the Sengoku Jidai.

One Samurai I would like to bring up is Yamada Nagamasa, though not as well known in Japan, he is very well known in Thailand for fighting alongside the King of Ayutthaya (present day Thailand) against the Burmese. He along with many Christian converts and Ronin setteled in Ayutthaya and he even became appointed a Govenor because of his heroism in the war.