Last Samurai Standing: Your Questions About Netflix’s New Samurai Show Answered

Netflix’s newest series, Last Samurai Standing, is a fast-paced action drama set in a pivotal moment in Japanese history. The show mixes a deadly survival game with the real-world decline of the legendary samurai class.

The story begins in 1878, ten years after a major civil war ended the samurai’s rule. The main character, Shujiro Saga, is one of many samurai left poor and without a purpose in this new, modernizing Japan. When a deadly disease strikes his family, he enters a brutal tournament for a chance to win prize money that could save them.

The Historical Setting of the Show

Last Samurai Standing is set during the Meiji era, a time of rapid and difficult change for Japan. The series starts by showing a key battle that ended the Boshin War, which marked the end of the samurai-dominated Edo period.

The power of the samurai class was systematically dismantled. They were no longer allowed to carry their swords, a central symbol of their identity, and many fell into poverty. The series uses this authentic historical backdrop to explain why nearly 300 warriors would be desperate enough to join a deadly game.

Screenwriter and director Michihito Fujii shared that this historical struggle feels relevant today.

“The people who used to be samurai no longer have the privilege and find it difficult to live. Those people who lost their profession, how would they survive? How would they live? Today, the changes that are happening in Japan, as well as outside of Japan, feel quite similar,” Fujii said.

The Deadly Game of Kodoku

The central plot of the series revolves around a survival competition called Kodoku. This name comes from an old folklore ritual where insects are sealed in a jar to fight until only one remains.

In the show, 292 samurai gather at Kyoto’s Tenryuji Temple. Each warrior wears a wooden tag around their neck. The goal is to travel from Kyoto to Tokyo, collecting a specific number of these tags from other contestants at checkpoints along the way. The only way to get a tag is to kill its owner. The last survivor wins the massive cash prize of 100 billion yen.

The show’s protagonist, Shujiro, is not a willing killer. He is a traumatized warrior who fought in the Boshin War and is haunted by the violence he witnessed. Actor Junichi Okada, who plays Shujiro, described his character’s journey.

“[Shujiro] is not pro-battle, but he’s basically thrown into this death game. How is he going to survive? I want you to watch how he goes through that experience until the very end, and I think you will see the true samurai in him,” Okada said.

The People Behind the Story

Last Samurai Standing is based on the best-selling historical novel Ikusagami by Shogo Imamura. The story was also serialized as a manga. The lead actor, Junichi Okada, also served as a producer and action choreographer for the series, bringing his extensive martial arts background to the project.

He was joined by director Michihito Fujii. Together, they aimed to create a period drama that would appeal to global audiences. Okada mentioned his goal was to “create a new kind of period drama, one that’s also an action drama… Something made entirely in Japan, but made for the world.”

The series features a large ensemble cast of Japanese actors. Key characters include Futaba Katsuki (Yumia Fujisaki), a young girl Shujiro vows to protect, and Iroha Kinugasa (Kaya Kiyohara), a skilled warrior from his past. The cast also includes well-known actors like Hideaki Ito, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Kazunari Ninomiya.

A Story That Connects Past and Present

While the show is a historical piece, its themes feel modern. It explores how people cope when their way of life is made obsolete, a struggle that resonates in any era of rapid technological and social change. The desperation of the characters is driven by poverty and disease, making their fight for survival relatable.

The six-episode season is available to stream now on Netflix. All episodes were released at once, offering a complete story arc that ends with the promise of more answers in a potential future season.

Credits: Netflix Tudum

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