Imperial Japanese Navy pilots were an elite corps. They lead the world in developing naval aviation between the First and Second World Wars. Although their equipment was modern and tactics were cutting edge, their values and collective identity were based in something much older. They were the modern incarnation of Japan’s ancient warrior caste, the Samurai, and adhered to the warrior code of bushido. Saburo Sakai was one of them. He fought throughout the war, became a leading ace, and was one of the very few who survived to write his story.