Samurai figures have been the subject of theater productions (kabuki and noh), literature, big-budget films, anime, television shows, manga, and video games for years. The samurai were originally members of the warrior class who served as the henchmen for lords in Japan before the Meiji era (first half of the Empire of Japan, when the people morphed from an isolated feudal society to a modern, industrialized nation state). The adoption of modern firearms in the second half of the 19th century rendered the traditional weapons of the samurai obsolete, triggering the decline of the warrior culture.
Samurai films (chanbara and Hollywood productions) tend to be popular. Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Goyokin, Hitokiri, and Three Outlaw Samurai are all masterpieces that can never be matched. However, there are several great samurai TV shows, many of them made in recent decades rather than in the past, as is the case with the films. At the moment, everyone is elated about Last Samurai Standing on Netflix, which has been given positive reviews by all critics on Rotten Tomatoes. But is it the best show of its kind?
Here are the 10 best samurai TV shows ever made.
10
‘Samurai Girl’ (2006)
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 2000s, Heaven Kogo (Jamie Chung) is a humble girl with a rich imagination, which allows her to cope with the most dysfunctional of circumstances, including interactions with crazy neighborhood teenagers. Branded with different annoying names, she neither hurls stinging insults nor megalomaniacal one-liners. One day, assassins attack her home, leading to a discovery that she is the last descendant of an ancient, influential samurai clan. Within no time, she teams up with mysterious warrior Sei (Brendan Fehr) for training. How good will she become in Samurai Girl?
Drawing inspiration from numerous manga publications, Samurai Girl stands out as one of the most heartwarming of samurai shows, and unlike anything you’ve seen. A young Jamie Chung (better known for Dexter: New Blood) is effective as always playing the young nice-to-brutal girl, but it’s Brendan Fehr’s stunning portrayal of a mentor that stays with you. This will appeal more to teenage audiences, but there are plenty of life lessons to learn as an adult, especially regarding the art of investigating issues rather than presuming.
9
‘Samurai Gourmet’ (2017)
In Samurai Gourmet, Takeshi Kasumi (Naoto Takenaka), a retired salaryman, discovers that spontaneous eating and drinking give him the vim and verve he has been looking for his entire life. Even better, it awakens his inner persona — a skilled samurai living in Japan’s civil war age. He is normally kind, but there are rare moments when Takeshi’s delusions turn violent and deranged, and sense deserts him, making him a menace to all who cross his path.
Though Samurai Gourment is undeniably comical, there are bleak moments that paint a perfect picture of a samurai’s life. The roaming camera and free-flowing story also transcend the labyrinthine moments, creating a strangely hypnotic show that offers unexpected rewards. Most importantly, this isn’t just a samurai series. It’s a story that celebrates the joys of food. Additionally, it raises important discussions about introversion and extroversion. Which side is happier?
8
‘The Mute Samurai’ (1973 – 1974)
18 years before the start of The Mute Samurai, the magistrate father of Kiichi Hōgan (Tomisaburo Wakayama) was murdered for speaking out against illegal smuggling. The assailant, a Spaniard swordsman, also slit Kiichi’s throat, rendering him mute. Our hero was just a child then, but now he is a man with a special set of skills. To him, a good day means killing a criminal… any criminal.
One of the finest achievements of television jidaigeki (period drama), and in some ways an allegory of Japanese societal change due to Western influence, The Mute Samurai is an action-packed, thought-provoking show that refuses to age. With its distorted camera angles, near-chiaroscuro lighting, and juddering sets, the show is a striking precursor not only to American live-action martial arts shows but to the atmospheric look and feel of anime cinema productions. Those who’ve read Kanda Takeshi’s manga Oshizamurai Kiichihōgan (which the series is based on) will also be pleased by the faithfulness to the source material.
7
‘Blue Eye Samurai’ (2023)
Blue Eye Samurai takes us to Japan’s Edo period, where Mizu (Maya Erskine), a half-white, half-Japanese onna-musha, seeks vengeance against four white men who destroyed her family. One of them happens to be her father, who illegally stayed in Japan after the closure of its borders by the Tokugawa shogunate. She is determined in her mission, but is she putting herself in danger?
Winner of five Annies and three Emmys, including Outstanding Animated Program, Blue Eye Samurai is a brutal and lurid animated show that’s guaranteed to cast a spell on you. But it’s not all about violence. Here, you will find some of the best character development. Additionally, there are plenty of history lessons to be learned. And you bet this tale of a vengeful mixed-race girl is sure to be used as a basic template for many later shows to come.
6
‘Afro Samurai’ (2007)
Based on Takashi Okazaki’s sprawling manga series, Afro Samurai tracks Afro (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), a skilled warrior, as he embarks on a quest for revenge in feudal Japan. As a child, his father, the holder of the mystical Number One headband, was murdered by the ruthless Justice (voiced by Ron Perlman). Now, Afro wants to kill Justice and acquire the headband for himself. Well, the job won’t be as easy as he believes.
All eyes on the screen for this smart, engaging series. Afro Samurai remains one of the best animated shows of the 2000s, thanks to several outstanding voice performances that set it apart. Ron Perlman is on form in one of his best villain turns, and Samuel L. Jackson almost steals the show as a whip-smart warrior. Several other stars are also superb in unsympathetic parts. The TV production received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and Outstanding Animated Program, winning the latter.
5
‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ (2002)
Inspired by the wildly popular manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub tells of the neurotic, inflexible Ogami Itto (Kin’ya Kitaōji), an assassin who roams the terra firma of feudal Japan after his clan banishes him for faltering in his adult duties. Accompanying him on his perilous journey is his infant son Daigoro (Tsubasa Kobayashi), whom he pushes in a baby cart. How will the two fare?
True to its title, Lone Wolf and Cub is one of the best “Lone Wolf” action shows you will see. One scene where Itto fights off attackers while holding on to his son will remind you of a similar moment in John Woo’s Hard Boiled… or maybe the plane scene from The Fate of the Furious. The series stays robust by remaining faithful to the manga, and Tsubasa Kobayashi does an excellent job as the lead. Most importantly, the Edo-period settings and costumes are authentic. It’s a shame that only one season was made.
4
‘The Samurai’ (1962)
In The Samurai, Akikusa Shintarō (Koichi Ose), the secret half‑brother of a Shogun, is a wandering swordsman spy eager to protect his younger sibling. Along the way, he uncovers major conspiracies and thwarts plans by rival feudal lords. Accompanying him is his loyal ninja sidekick Tombei “The Mist” (Fuyukichi Maki), whose mastery of stealth benefits the two greatly.
Small gestures, freighted moments of silence, and heavy emotions permeate this wild story, punctuated with wild action scenes. The music is even better as several leitmotifs recur throughout the series. Specific subplots often have their own musical themes. So good is The Samurai that, despite decades of resentment towards Japan in America, it became a cult favorite in the country. By 1965, it had become the most popular show on Australian cable, surpassing even The Mickey Mouse Club and sparking a wave of ninja-mania outside Japan.
3
‘Last Samurai Standing’ (2025)
It’s the Meiji era, and 292 fighters have gathered at Tenryū-ji Temple in Kyoto after sunset, enticed by the opportunity to win a grand prize of ¥100,000. The instructions are clear: grab each other’s wooden tags and travel all the way to Tokyo in one piece. A violent contest thus follows, entwined with personal secrets. How will this dense, bizarre web untangle itself in Last Samurai Standing?
There’s some great acting in Last Samurai Standing. Junichi Okada, playing a character whose numerous predicaments seem untenable, allows his lingering mournful gaze to speak volumes throughout the season, while Kaya Kiyohara is nothing short of amazing as a conflicted, bold woman pulled in too many circumstances. Directors Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, and Toru Yamamoto brilliantly evoke the beauty and flavor of Japan, serving up a subtle, affecting action show that stays with you. Don’t hesitate to jump on it.
2
‘Samurai Jack’ (2001 – 2017)
Samurai Jack’s titular character (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is a feudal Japanese samurai prince who owns a mystic katana capable of cutting through virtually anything. He aims to prevent his kingdom from being taken over by the shapeshifting demon lord, Aku (voiced by Mako and Greg Baldwin). However, things get complicated when Aku sends the protagonist forward in time to a dystopian future that’s already being ruled by a demon. Now he has to find a way to go back and prevent this version of the future.
The animated show’s bitingly cynical send-up of feudal politics resonated with both young and old viewers in the early 2000s. Interestingly, everything still feels utterly recent, partly due to great storytelling and amazing production values. Who can ever forget the opening narration and theme song? Conceived by Genndy Tartakovsky after he had finished his work on Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack won eight Emmys, including Outstanding Animated Program, as well as six Annie Awards. The true definition of success.
1
‘Shōgun’ (2024 – Present)
There is political tension in 1600s Japan, triggered by the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Enter English navigator John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who finds himself in the middle of deadly power struggles after getting shipwrecked early in Shōgun. Guided by translator Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), he struggles to neither lose control over his mastery of life nor to surrender some of his long-held ideals in the race to win.
Cosmo Jarvis brilliantly plays the seafarer who’s forced to compromise and then modify his life views to survive. Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada (as Lord Yoshii Toranaga) are equally fun. Only a season in, Shōgun, based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, is already regarded as one of the most historically accurate portrayals of feudal Japan. It is the first Japanese-language series to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. But that’s just the surface. The show collected 18 Emmys in total.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
