Samurai

Samurai is a legendary chrome-rock band featured throughout the Cyberpunk series, for whom music was a way to rebel against corporations. They are featured in Cyberpunk 2077, where they are musically portrayed by real life punk band Refused.

History

2000s - 2008

Originally founded by Johnny Silverhand and Kerry Eurodyne^[1] - soon followed by the rest of the original members - Samurai started as a back-street band, playing in various bars and clubs around Night City, such as the Palladium, Destiny, or Nexus.^[2] Their first gig ever was played at the Red Dirt bar.^[3]

One night in 2003, after playing in the Rainbow Cadenza, the band was approached by a blitzed 'dorpher, who offered to sign them after witnessing their impressive act; this man turned out to be none other than Jack Masters, the head executive at Universal Music at the time. Within three weeks, Samurai was signed, had a record in production, and was preparing to tour every major city in the world. It took only these three weeks for their first single, "Blistering Love," to achieve #1 hit on the EuroCharts, which soon they followed up with the album, being one of the few times a debut album achieved such status in such a short time.^[2]^[4]

During the next years, Samurai toured around the world, playing concerts with an audience of thousands of people, even managing to sell out the whole Wembley Stadium.^[2] They released a total of six albums - with three being studio work, and the other three being concerts and jam sessions optioned by Universal.^[5]

In early 2007, the band suffered a blow that would later be decisive. Nancy (keyboardist) was dating a guy whom she eventually married. The rest of the band members didn't saw it at first, but ten weeks after the ceremony they realized Nancy's husband was mistreating her. One day, she finally got the courage to talk it with the other members after her husband tried to force her to quit Samurai. For Johnny and Kerry that was the last straw, and that same day they decided to go to their apartment to kick his ass, but by the time they got there it was already too late. Nancy's husband had started to beat her again, and she, deciding she'd had enough, threw him out of the window from their 83rd story apartment. Nancy was arrested, and after the trial she was convicted to seven months of prison. During that timespan, the band firmly supported her.

By 2008, Nancy finally got out of jail, focused on returning with the rest of Samurai. Unfortunately, those seven months of inactivity had put a split in the band that they were not able to heal, eventually realizing they were each going on different creative directions. Soon afterwards, they all went on their separate ways.^[2]^[4]

Henry (bassist) went to work on a human interface prototype, but an accident fried his brain and he had to rebuild his mind. Denny (drummer) joined a band called Mastermind, which went well for her. Nancy decided to change her name to Bes Isis, and went on to become a major media presence on N54 News. Johnny and Kerry went on to have successful solo careers, usually touring together as a double ticket.^[4]

2020 - 2023

Apparently, Samurai got together for a reunion tour in 2020,^[6] officially getting back on the stages afterwards.^[7]

In 2023, Johnny and the band were recording a new song in their studio (probably their last one ever), but unfortunately they never got to release it as most of its recordings were lost in the 2023 Night City Holocaust, the same incident which took away Silverhand.^[8] Their last gig with him was in The Hammer, being the last time Kerry and Johnny saw each other.^[9]

2030s - 2070s

In 2045, their unreleased song was rediscovered by a group of edgerunners; being a rockerboy named Lilayah the one who was looking for it after finding a partial record. This eventually led them to get the original studio version. Afterwards the song was released to the public.^[8]

During the timespan between the 2030s and the 2070s, and probably due to the loss of the Old Net, much of the band's history was lost and forgotten, as some authors wrote about Samurai as a band that never achieved major success while old reviews said otherwise.^[10]

By the 2070s, some of Samurai's songs were still played on a few of Night City's radio stations; of note, Maximum Mike's 107.3 Morro Rock Radio.^[11]

In 2077, most of the original band got together to play a last gig in the Red Dirt bar, which after almost a century later was still standing.^[3]

Members

Main members

Johnny Silverhand - vocals and lead/rhythm guitar (2003 - 2008, 2020 - 2023)
Kerry Eurodyne - vocals and lead/rhythm guitar (2003 - 2008, 2020 - 2023, 2077)
Nancy Hartley - keyboard (2003 - 2008, 2077)
Denny - drums (2003 - 2008, 2077 dependent)
Henry - bass (2003 - 2008, 2077 dependent)

Last gig members

V / Johnny Silverhand - backing vocals and lead/rhythm guitar (2077)
Drausin - bass, drums (2077)

Discography

Albums

A total of six albums were released between 2003 and 2008. Three were studio work, and the other three were concerts and jam sessions.^[5]

Title	Year	Label
Blistering Love^[12]	2003	Universal Music
Chippin' In^[13]	May 19, 2020^[12]	?

Songs

Title	Album	Year	Label
Dissolute Game	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Seven Virtues	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Blistering Love	Single;^[4] Blistering Love^[12]	2003	Universal Music
Hostility, Brutality	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Cyber Sexcapades	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Titanium Skin	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Five Rings	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
When Love Runs Low	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Binocular Eyes	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
No Man Anymore	Blistering Love	2003	Universal Music
Bleed the Beat	?	?	?
Archangel	?	?	?
The Ballad of Buck Ravers	?	?	?
A Like Supreme	?	?	?
Iron Pump	Chippin' In	2020	?
Cybercell	Chippin' In	2020	?
My Marionette	Chippin' In	2020	?
War Crisis	Chippin' In	2020	?
Braindead	Chippin' In	2020	?
Chippin' In	Chippin' In^[12]	2020	?
Black and Blue and Red	Chippin' In	2020	?
Hell's Blade	Chippin' In	2020	?
Too Much, Too Little	Chippin' In	2020	?
The Hostess	Chippin' In	2020	?
Drowning Call	Chippin' In	2020	?
Metal Grave	Chippin' In	2020	?
Never Fade Away	Single	?	?
Black Dog	N/A	2023 (unreleased) / 2045 (rediscovered)^[8]	N/A

Associated Items (2077)

It's only natural that the hit band Samurai would have merchandise, to help their eager fans start "the revolution." These of course being the various items that can be encountered and/or equipped by V in Cyberpunk 2077.

Clothes

Worn SAMURAI cap
Replica of Johnny's Samurai jacket
Samurai 2020 Tour T-shirt
Vintage SAMURAI strongweave T-shirt
SAMURAI combat turtleneck
SAMURAI sturdy-stitched cargo pants
Fake SAMEREI Jacket
Geisha SAMURAI nanoweave long-sleeve
Sturdy-stich punk jeans

Shards

Notes

Apart from Silverhand and Kerry, it's unknown if the rest of the 2020s members were new or from the old days. As per the lore, the Johnny engram of 2077 is a very unreliable narrator of the past events, though conversations with Kerry and shards found across the game confirm at least a few of these events.
In the Never Fade Away mini adventure, it is reported that Samurai re-unite for a one-off concert to cover the assault on the Arasaka facility to rescue Alt. As none of the other members are mentioned, it can be assumed this was a mistake and Johnny played a solo show.
In Cyberpunk 2077, V can choose one of the Samurai songs - Chippin' In, Never Fade Away or Archangel - to play for Kerry in the quest Holdin' On.
In 2077, Kerry's manager had a yacht named SEAMURAI.

Dates consistency

The release dates of some of these albums and songs is inconsistent in the Cyberpunk series. In Cyberpunk 2077 there are multiple dates for a same album, and some don't match the lifespan of Samurai.

Chippin' In album (March 27, 2004) - Two different dates are given - March 27, 2004 and May 19, 2020. In the meantime, the Chippin' In song has been stated to have been written and composed by Johnny Silverhand for his 2013 album Cool Metal Fire.
Blistering Love album (January 1, 2007) - Originally a single which later was released as a full album. The song is supposed to be the debut release of Samurai under Universal Music, which happened in 2003 and differs from the 2007 date given in Cyberpunk 2077.
Never Fade Away song (April 16, 2009) - As with Chippin' in, this song was written and composed by Silverhand for his 2013 Cool Metal Fire album. In addition, the song is related to Alt Cunningham, Johnny's girlfriend who was kidnapped that same year. Lastly, the band was dissolved in 2008, making quite strange a 2009 release.

Trivia

Despite the band being named Samurai, the logo is actually that of an "Oni" which is a kind of yōkai that appears in Japanese Mythology. The Oni mask that would cover someone's face fully were not as popular with samurai as the menpo which covered the lower half of the face.
- Oni (Japanese: 鬼 or おに, meaning "ogre, demon") are monstrous horned humanoids who are found in countless Japanese stories and myths. They tend to be the enemies of mankind, and are generally depicted as roguish villains.
The oni-shaped logo is reminiscent of Japanese Skinhead/J-pop band Goushi.