Question

My brother said, “They [the samurai] were the fiercest warriors in the world.” Why is the phrase the samurai enclosed in brackets?

Answer 1

To show that the word was not actually included, but was used to clarify the statement. 

Answer 2

The phrase the samurai is enclosed in brackets because they were not part of the original quote.

Step-by-step explanation:

In quotes, square brackets are used to enclose words that are added as they were not part of the original sentence. In this case, the addition of the phrase the samurai is aimed at clarrifying who they is.