I'm just not getting the Samurai hype, what am I missing?

[Tanathya]

Positional only affect Kenki gain, and are thus not a high priority. Damage wise SAM only cares about if the target is in range and if he is buffed up and slash debuff applied. So it is the least positional dependent class, and the best melee DPS to pick for those who hate positionals.

SAM also has higher uptime then the other melee DPS due to its high mobility so its lays out a consistent high level of damage output throughout the fight. It is the metaphorical black mage of melee DPS. Which attracts a lot of people to the class.

It does indirectly have a huge impact on your damage, as that means having more kenki for extra Hissatsu: Shinten. It is a high priority, even if it does not affect the potency of your attack.