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Season 1 – Yasuke

Play trailer 2:14 Poster for Season 1 – Yasuke Apr 2021 Action Adventure Fantasy Anime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In feudal Japan, a samurai warrior of African descent must return to his life of sword and violence in order to protect a mysterious girl from dark forces.
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Yasuke — Season 1

Yasuke — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by an impressive voice cast led by a solid Lakeith Stanfield, Yasuke's expertly crafted, gorgeously animated blend of fantasy and history is an epic ode to the titular samurai.

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Critics Reviews

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Valerie Complex io9.com 05/04/2021
C
A decent first attempt at continuing the legacy of a historical figure that is too often forgotten. Go to Full Review
Tyler Hersko IndieWire 05/04/2021
C+
If you've seen any recent Marvel or "Star Wars" title, or practically any other mainstream action film in the last decade, you get the idea. It's a shame, because there are glimmers of potential that suggest "Yasuke" could be so much more. Go to Full Review
Nick Schager The Daily Beast 05/01/2021
Mind-meltingly awesome... Go to Full Review
Mariló Delgado Espinof 07/25/2022
3.5/5
Yasuke gets points for daring to cross genres, here we see a feudal Japan filled with fantastical creatures and advanced technology sci-fi. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Collier Jennings But Why Tho? A Geek Community 06/25/2021
9
Yasuke beautifully blends the legend of the first black Samurai with fantasy elements, topped off with a soulful performance from LaKeith Stanfield and stunning animation sequences. Go to Full Review
Chauncey K. Robinson People's World 06/22/2021
C
People who enjoy high action adult animation will like the series, but it will leave those of us seeking more historical depth not completely satisfied. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Rob A Jul 31 Not a lot of smart people reviewing here. At least this says it's a fantasy about Yasuke, and not a true telling(Looking at you, Ubisoft). No one really knows about him, other than he was retained by Oda Nubanaga, despite what some idiots might say. I've enjoyed it. It has a nice Samurai Champloo feel, with the music blending well with the themes. It's no worse than any other anime of its type, and is entertaining. I t isn't overbearing with its themes, and portrays Yasuke as a flawed hero, not as a superman, relying on his skills and knowledge. I'm digging it; and maybe the agenda-heavy review bombers could lighten up a bit. See more Mr. B @Uijgfcc 01/19/2025 One of the biggest wastes of a budget and a story I have ever seen. Incompetence and short-cutting corners leads what could've been an anime epic about a legendary samurai into a jarring mismatch of the most watered-down paint by numbers story you could ever imagine and the overpopulation of too many ideas and no idea what to do with them. Combine this absolute inability to make an interesting story about a preexisting and already interesting story with some of the worst dialog and plot writing that has existed in the modern era and you have Yasuke. This show literally manages to writes itself into a corner within 3 episodes (circling around leaving the village) and outright lies to itself, its' characters, and its' audience multiple times to try and poorly get out of it. Parts of the animation are pretty good, parts of the performances aren't entirely terrible. Save yourself the time and skip this disgrace to a legend. See more Julian F 05/15/2024 I came in with pretty high expectation, then it all went downhill from there. The characters are generic and flat, the writing is inconsistent and it feels like the overall vision was thrown across the table multiple times. The story key moments are highly predictable and it was just all... not interesting. The pretty art did not help. Yasuke could literally be replaced by any generic protagonist and it would have all been the same. It starts out pretty decently with beats that keeps you at your seat, but the show quickly dwindles down into generic slop of boring tropes and got even worse with the nonsensical final arc. I don't recommend wasting your time watching this. See more Christopher P 12/03/2023 I was super excited for this show and they went with some future, magic bullshit. Very disappointing See more Y V 09/12/2022 It's hard to find a great show like this nowadays. It's a little rushed and not a lot of time for the characters to develop but great touching plot blend with some history, some nowadays issues and connection between the characters. If you like different, funny, weird, aggressive but emotional this is a show for you. See more LacosteTK T 03/07/2022 Yasuke Has a Great Animation, The Writing Is Fine, It Felt Short And Rushed, Could've Had So Much To Explore And Themes That Are Timeless. The Music Is Perfection, With The Voice Cast. Great Bloody Action Scenes. I Do Recommend It But Don't Expect The Level Of Demon Slayer Quality Level Anime... See more Read all reviews
Yasuke — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Apr 29, 2021 Ronin When her young daughter is stricken by a mysterious malady, Ichika asks Yasuke to bring them upriver to a doctor, but Yasuke refuses. Details

Season Info

Creator
LeSean Thomas
Executive Producer
LeSean Thomas, Flying Lotus
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date
Apr 29, 2021
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