[UPDATE 1/05/2018]
This article was first published in October 2016, when Red Dead Redemption 2 was first being teased. With the announcement of the new trailer, we thought we’d re-publish it as it all still stands today.
Everything that’s been teased for Red Dead Redemption 2 points to a story that pays homage to Seven Samurai and particularly the anime Samurai 7. The key art for Red Dead Redemption 2 is clearly inspired by that of Samurai 7 (as you can see below) and Dutch’s Gane is comprised of seven key members.
The artwork is far too similar to be a coincidence.
Seven Samurai tells the story of a village that hires seven warriors to protect it from bandits. After the final confrontation with the bandits, only three of the seven samurai remain as their plans go awry.
Seven Samurai was also famously adapted into The Magnificent Seven featuring a similar plot and ending.
While we aren’t entirely sure of what we’ll be getting up to in Red Dead Redemption 2, the fact that ‘redemption’ is still in the title suggests that protagonist Arthur Morgan will have a change of heart and do some good.
Could it be that he turns against Dutch and his gang and protects innocents from them? This would certainly tie in with the Seven Samurai motif.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the new Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer tells us.
The original article follows.
Rockstar are at it again. Only a day after first posting a red coloured logo onto Twitter, their Newswire and Facebook, a second tweet has been posted.
Rockstar has also posted a second time on its Newswire and its Facebook page.
This one more or less confirms that a Red Dead announcement is imminent.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 17, 2016
What’s interesting is the seven characters walking into the sunset. This could very well be a reference to The Magnificent Seven. The original film was released in 1960 and was a remake of the Japanese film Seven Samurai.
In 2004, an Anime series remaking the film was released called Samurai 7. One of the promo images for the anime is below.
The two images bear more than a passing resemblance, so it seems highly likely that whatever this new title is called, it will pay homage to The Magnificent Seven and Seven Samurai.
We’ll be sure to bring you more as we have it.
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UPDATE: Rockstar has tweeted again, revealing the image is that of Red Dead Redemption 2. With the additional detail, the image looks even more like the one from the anime.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
Coming Fall 2017#RDR2https://t.co/ZacUJ48wvE pic.twitter.com/lffZvn42pR— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 18, 2016
