Based on the real historical figure, Yasuke will be arriving this April
Netflix recently announced the latest updates regarding their upcoming anime Yasuke, which tells the story of the first Black samurai, a real historical figure who arrived at Japan during the feudal era. The man went on to climb the ranks of the samurai and became the greatest Ronin in Japan. The show has been created by LeSean Thomas and animated by studio MAPPA.
Story and premiere
Aside from the press release by Netflix, Thomas also gave out a statement along with some first look images from the show. According to the series description, the story will be focusing on Yasuke (voiced by LaKeith Stanfield) who tries to protect a local child from bloodthirsty warlords who attacked the village. Thomas spoke about his excitement in brining this reimagined version of Yasuke.
The first look images shows Yasuke in samurai armor, along with a young girl who is presumably the child that he’s been protecting. The first episode will consist of sex episodes and will be coming to Netflix on April 29, 2021.
Coming at an important time
Yasuke is an exciting project for anime fans, because even though there are Black characters that occasionally appear in anime, they are not the protagonists. Also, after the Black Lives Matter protests that were a major part of 2020, more movies and television shows have made efforts to have more representation of Black characters.
It was also announced in 2019 that the late Chadwick Boseman will be playing the character in a live-action movie. No news regarding the movie was made following the actor’s death.
For now, the Netflix series looks promising and it will be a great source for positive representation that will attract a lot of viewers.