"Last Samurai Standing": Netflix mixes "Squid Game" with "Shōgun"
Historical epic meets survival thriller: In Netflix's "Last Samurai Standing", 292 impoverished warriors fight for 100 billion yen. The first image has now been released.
The time of the samurai is drawing to a close - but for 292 warriors, the bloodiest competition of their lives is about to begin. "Last Samurai Standing", the upcoming Netflix series, sends impoverished swordsmen into a deadly race for 100 billion yen (around 626 million euros).
The first image has now been released, giving us a glimpse of lead actor, fight choreographer and producer Jun'ichi Okada. Okada plays Shujiro Saga, a samurai, and the picture shows him in front of a wooden temple surrounded by other warriors. It's still quiet - but probably not for long.
Samurai battle royale in the Meiji era
The series is based on the novel "Ikusagami" by Shogo Imamura, which has also been adapted as a manga since 2022.
The story begins in the late 19th century - after the Edo period, when Japan was still ruled by a shōgunate, a military regime. At that time, the emperor had more of a ceremonial role. The shōgunate finally came to an end with the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the once honourable samurai were stripped of their privileged status, political power was returned to Emperor Meiji and Japan began to modernise and open up to the West.
"When people think of samurai, they imagine a very glamorous era of Japanese history," explains Kaata Sakamoto, Netflix's Head of Content in Japan. "But what many people don't realise: Towards the end of the Edo period, the samurai lost their glamour and power. 'Last Samurai Standing' tells the story of what happens when the best and toughest warriors in Japan suddenly become ordinary people - and have to fight for survival."
The principle is simple: each fighter receives a wooden pendant, which he or she defends with his or her own life. Anyone who loses the pendant is eliminated - for good. Only those who reach Tokyo alive with the captured pendant can take home the prize money.
In other words, a battle royal. Or in short: "Shōgun" meets "Squid Game".
Warrior Shujiro (Okada), overwhelmed by the new times, tries to get money for his sick wife and daughter. To ensure their survival, he has only one desperate option: a deadly game at the Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto. There he enters into a battle that is not only about money, but also about honour and bare survival.
"Last Samurai Standing" starts in November 2025
In addition to Jun'ichi Okada, the cast also includes Riho Yoshioka, Kaya Kiyohara, Hiroshi Tamaki and Takayuki Yamada. They embody samurai, sword masters and former ninjas or shinobi - each with their own motivation and fighting style.
Source: Netflix
Netflix confirms the release for November 2025, but is still keeping a lid on further details. How many episodes are planned or whether a sequel is on the cards after that remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that "Last Samurai Standing" is part of Netflix's increased focus on Japanese productions - a trend that is gaining momentum following the success of "Alice in Borderland".
The mixture of historical drama, survival thriller and hard-hitting sword-fighting action is sure to cause a stir. Anyone who hasn't had enough of samurai stories after "Shōgun" or can imagine "Squid Game" with katanas and kimonos should therefore make a note of November.
Header image: "Shōgun" / Disney+
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Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»