Samurai
InfantryBase values, before Blacksmith upgrades. The Blacksmith raises attack and armour for infantry, cavalry and archers — Blast Furnace, for instance, gives "+2 Attack for infantry & cavalry". Late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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Samurai
Castle
Elite Samurai
ImperialThe coach's briefing
The Samurai is the unique unit killer. With +10 bonus damage against all unique units, you counter Huskarls, Teutonic Knights, Cataphracts - everything. Your attack speed is also 1.45 (faster than standard infantry's 2.0), giving you higher DPS. You're reasonably fast at 1.0 speed and have balanced stats. Use Samurai specifically when your opponent relies on their unique unit.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
Just lost against this unit?
Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Samurai is the **anti-unique unit specialist**. When enemies mass their civilization's unique unit, you hard-counter them all.
Tactical Playbook
Unique Unit Counter
+10 vs Unique Units means you deal 20 damage to Huskarls (who have 0 melee armor). 3 hits.
Fast Attack Speed
1.45 reload vs 2.0 for Champions. You attack 38% faster, translating to much higher DPS.
Flex Pick
Keep Samurai in mind when scouting. If enemy goes Castle for unique units, Samurai is your answer.
Critical Point
**Generic vs generic, Champions are better**. Samurai excel against unique units. Against standard armies, consider Champions instead.
Understanding The Stats
The Samurai is a well-rounded infantry with exceptional anti-unique unit capability and fast attack speed.
Unique Unit Killer
This bonus applies to ALL unique units. You counter every civilization's special unit.
Fast Attacks
38% faster than Champions. Your effective DPS is higher than stats suggest.
Good Speed
Standard infantry speed. Faster than Teutonic Knights, slower than Huskarls.
Balanced Stats
Not as tanky as Teutonic Knights, but mobile and versatile.
Coach's Tip
70 HP and 1/1 armor is modest. But your 1.45 attack speed means you deal 10 damage every 1.45 seconds - that's 6.9 DPS raw.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Unique Unit | +10 |
| Eagle Warrior | +2 |
| Standard Building | +2 |
Armor Classes
Infantry
Takes bonus damage from Hand Cannoneers, Slingers, and anti-infantry unique units.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Samurai is the Japanese unique unit and the dedicated unique-unit hunter of the game. Its signature trait is a large attack bonus versus all other unique units, plus a fast attack rate (amplified by the Japanese civ bonus: infantry attacks +33% faster from Feudal Age). This makes the Samurai the best counter in the game to enemy unique units — it deletes Teutonic Knights, Jaguar Warriors, Berserks, Woad Raiders and the like. As an infantry unit it also benefits from the Japanese attack-speed bonus across the whole Militia line, making Japanese one of the strongest infantry civilizations overall.
History & balance
The Samurai's anti-unique-unit bonus has been its identity since Age of Kings, a niche but unique design that no other unit replicates. The bigger story is the Japanese infantry attack-speed bonus, which the Definitive Edition extended to start in Feudal Age — turning Japanese Men-at-Arms and Militia into one of the scariest early-aggression packages in the game. The Samurai itself is rarely mass-produced as a generalist; it is a specialist counter pulled out specifically when the opponent commits to their own unique unit.
In pro play
Japanese are a top infantry civilization in pro play precisely because of the +33% attack speed — their Men-at-Arms opening on Arabia is among the strongest in the game, and their Champions are elite in the late game. The Samurai sees targeted use: pros bring it out in matchups against unique-unit-heavy civs (Teutons, Aztecs, Celts) where its bonus is decisive. On water maps the Japanese Fishing Ship bonus makes them a strong naval pick as well. The civ's flexibility — strong infantry, strong navy, cheap eco buildings — keeps it relevant across many maps.
How to counter it
The Samurai is still infantry: archers and Crossbowmen kite it, and cavalry runs it down. Outside of fighting your unique unit, it has no special advantage, so simply avoid feeding it the matchup it wants — don't mass your own unique unit into Japanese, use generic Knights, archers or Camels instead. Against Japanese infantry as a whole, the answer is the universal anti-infantry kit: Archers, Scorpions, Mangonels and Hand Cannoneers. Their attack-speed bonus does not help infantry catch archers, so a mobile ranged army keeps its distance and wins.