“Meek ronin Masa joins Yaichi's Five Leaves gang, torn between samurai principles and outlaw life.”
House of Five Leaves
さらい屋 五葉
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Meek ronin Masa joins Yaichi's Five Leaves gang, torn between samurai principles and outlaw life.
Masanosuke "Masa" Akitsu is a wandering ronin adrift in Japan's peaceful Edo period. Despite being a skilled swordsman, Masa's meek personality has netted him the label "unreliable," and he is often abruptly dismissed by his employers, leading him to question his resolve as a samurai. As Masa reaches his lowest point, he is approached by Yaichi, a carefree man draped in pink who seemingly hires him on a whim as his bodyguard. Unbeknownst to Masa, the job is not as innocent as it seems, and he is drawn into the illicit activities of the group spearheaded by Yaichi. As he becomes further entwined with the gang known as the Five Leaves, Masa struggles with his own principles. Still, his curiosity spurs him forward to uncover the past and motivations of this mysterious band of outlaws.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 41 sampled reviews
What 41 viewers settled on.
Mostly aligned
σ 1.27 · some divergence
—
Not enough recommend signal yet
↑ 3.17
Running avg · Jun 2010 → Oct 2025
- 7 “The samurai theme alone makes this anime worthwhile, with its gradual character development and exploration of how people mask their emotions under stress adding meaningful depth. While the pacing...”
- 9 “The storytelling and characters were excellent in all respects, creating such compelling content that I watched the entire series in a single day. While most of the artwork was excellent, I...”
- 7 “I wanted to appreciate its unusual approach, but House of Five Leaves fails to commit to any genre—neither jidaigeki, revenge tale, drama, nor slice of life—and offers a poor Edo depiction. The...”
Watch Order & Related
Explore the House of Five Leaves universe
Cast
See all →Trailers & videos
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Made by
See all credits →Production slate
- Format 12 × 22′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 24m all episodes
- Aired Apr 2010 – Jul 2010 Spring 2010
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-5059 catalog
Produced by
- Dentsu Producer
- Media Factory Producer
- Movic Producer
- Fuji TV Producer
- Shogakukan Producer
Licensed by
- NIS America, Inc. Licensor