In a 1996 reader poll in "Arcane" magazine, "Bushido" was ranked 17th of the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Those of us who have had the pleasure of playing "Bushido" over an extended period of time have noticed that this is a game which lends itself far more towards campaign play than one-off scenarios. Consequently, it takes a lot of effort and dedication on the part of the players and referee alike to play through, and even more effort to run successfully. Nevertheless, the effort is rewarded with fun, albeit a somewhat reserved, thoughtful kind of fun, rather than the more gung-ho kind of action you would usually expect from the likes of "AD&D"."