Tom Holland claims that the historical evidence for the existence of female samurai is significantly stronger than the evidence for female Vikings.

“And so, I think that, you know, the fact that Tomoe undoubtedly does become a figure of myth. Um she she becomes a star of kind kind Noh theater and Kabuki and all this kind of thing. I mean, she's kind of very well-known figure right into the present in Japan. But, it doesn't mean that she was alwa”

The samurai are distinct from other historical warriors because they transcended their medieval origins to remain culturally relevant long after their era ended.

“But the thing about the samurai and this is what makes them different say from other very mythologized classes of warrior like Vikings say or the knights of medieval christrysendom. These are medieval warriors who actually outlast the middle ages.”