# Yasuke (2021)

> A peaceful former boatman known as the Black Samurai is drawn back into war when he protects a girl with mysterious powers.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/93542

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, fantasy, science fiction
- Created by: LeSean Thomas
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Maya Tanida, Takehiro Hira, Julie Marcus, Ming-Na Wen, Noshir Dalal, Dia Frampton, Paul Nakauchi
- TMDB rating: 6.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9310330/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: intense, melancholic, stylized, brooding

## What critics say

Audience reception is negative, with a 6.2/10 rating from a small pool of viewers who found the single season uneven in its ambitions.

## Synopsis

Yasuke (2021) is a Japanese adult animated series created by LeSean Thomas and produced by MAPPA for Netflix. Its story centers on Yasuke (voiced by LaKeith Stanfield), a peaceful boatman once known as the Black Samurai, who is pulled back into conflict when he takes a little girl with mysterious powers under his wing. Saki (Maya Tanida) is the young protagonist whose gifts draw danger, while Oda Nobunaga (Takehiro Hira) represents the powerful warlord whose ambitions shadow the wider struggle. Darren Criss voices Haruto, another principal figure in the unfolding conflict. The engine of the series is a reluctant warrior's attempt to shield a vulnerable child while old loyalties and rival factions close in, and each episode delivers stylized swordplay, sudden bursts of violence, and mecha-scale spectacle. Told across a single six-episode season of roughly half-hour installments, it moves briskly through sengoku-era Japan with a blend of historical drama and science fantasy. The tone is intense and melancholic, with a strong sense of honor and displacement. Fans of Samurai Champloo, Afro Samurai and Blade of the Immortal will find resonance in its mix of period warrior storytelling and stylized action.

## Shows like Yasuke

- [BLUE EYE SAMURAI (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/143873)
- [Samurai 7 (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/5529)
- [Drifters (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59817)
- [Cannon Busters (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/70299)
- [Samurai Champloo (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1000)
- [Samurai Jack (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/2587)
- [Hell's Paradise (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/97767)
- [Samurai Deeper Kyo (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/32044)
- [Fena: Pirate Princess (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/88967)
- [NIPPON SANGOKU: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun (2026)](https://ember.film/tv/1104977)

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