‘Last Samurai Standing’ teaser: 300 samurai fight each other in Netflix’s dark and violent Japanese battle royale

Netflix on Monday (September 8) unveiled the teaser of its upcoming Japanese epic, Last Samurai Standing. The battle royale series, based on the ‘Ikusagami’ series of novels by Shogo Imamura (published by Kodansha Bunko), is set to premiere on the streamer on November 13.

The thrilling teaser shows us glimpses of a period drama, described as “Shōgun meets Squid Game,” in which 300 samurai warriors are pit against each other in a brutal battle for survival at Kyoto’s Tenryuji Temple, with a staggering 100 billion yen prize at stake

“Set in the late 19th century during the Meiji period, Last Samurai Standing thrusts viewers into a relentless life-and-death game. At nightfall, 292 warriors — including lead character Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada) — gather at Kyoto’s Tenryuji Temple, each lured by the promise of a massive cash prize. Each donning a single wooden tag, participants must steal the tags of their rivals and race to Tokyo to claim victory. As the signal sounds, the temple erupts into chaos, launching a brutal fight for survival where only one can stand victorious,” reads the logline.

Apart from Okada, the series also boasts an impressive ensemble, including Yumia Fujisaka, Kaya Kiyohara, Masahiro Higashide, Shota Sometani, Taichi Saotome, Yuya Endo, Yasushi Fuchikami, Kairi Jo, Takayuki Yamada, Wataru Ichinose, Riho Yoshioka, Kazunari Ninomiya, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Hideaki Ito.

With the teaser, the streamer also announced a new set of cast members: Gaku Hamada, Taiiku Okazaki, Arata Iura, Tetsushi Tanaka, and Ayumu Nakajima.

Billed as a “game-changer for the Japanese serial drama industry,” the six-episode series is written by Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, and Risa Yashiro. Fujii and Yamaguchi also direct the series along with Toru Yamamoto. With music scored by Takashi Ohmama, the series has cinematography by Keisuke Imamura and Hiroki Yamada.