Samurai

are the guardians and military power of the Land of Iron. Little is known about them, although Ōnoki indicates that any shinobi would be foolish to challenge the military of the Land of Iron. Their general is Mifune. The Land of Iron is the only power in the modern world which continues to use samurai, as Hanzō alluded to that in the past, even in his time they were being used less and less, being replaced by ninja, ninjutsu, and ninja villages.

Appearance
All of the samurai shown thus far have been seen wearing heavy plate-armour akin to traditional samurai. They also wear helmets with face masks that block poison from entering and have radios inside of them, with senior officers having horns on top of their helmets. Like real samurai, they are armed with swords. However, the number of blades worn by a single warrior is unusual, going as high as four. In battle, they have not been seen using more than two at a time.

Abilities
Little is known about the abilities of the samurai even by shinobi, but they are primarily sword-users. It was shown that they are capable of utilizing chakra, apparently by channelling it through their swords. This allows them to extend the reach of their swords as well as attack at a distance by swinging them and releasing crescents of energy at their targets. The samurai have also shown form manipulation, as the chakra blades they form into many types, such as buzz-saws, broad swords, and axes. One of the forms of kenjutsu they use is, due to the quick drawing and re-sheathing of the katana, it makes ninjutsu near useless since the hand seals can't be completed.

Trivia

 * Earlier in the series, Gatō had two samurai bodyguards, Zōri and Waraji, in his employ. Whether they were originally from the Land of Iron, or were taught by another organisation, is unknown.
 * In the first movie, Sandayū Asama led a group of samurai to attack Dotō Kazahana.