As part of its global expansion efforts, Netflix has unveiled its Japanese content slate for 2025. Leading the lineup is Last Samurai Standing, an upcoming period drama hailed as a blend of FX’s Shōgun and Netflix’s Squid Game.
Last Samurai Standing follows 300 samurai warriors who gather at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto to compete for the ultimate prize of 100 billion yen. A first-look image has also surfaced on social media, featuring Junichi Okada as Shujiro Saga, the protagonist. Armed and ready for battle, he is determined to win the prize to save his sick child and wife.
In addition to starring in the show, Okada serves as the lead action choreographer and one of the producers.
First look at ‘LAST SAMURAI STANDING’
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 12, 2025
• Described as ‘Shogun’ meets ‘Squid Game’
• Follows 300 samurai warriors gathered at Tenryuji Temple who fight in a battle royale to win a 100 billion yen prize
• Releasing in November on Netflix pic.twitter.com/xndNtFeREx
Directed by Michihito Fujii and based on Shogo Imamura’s manga Ikusagami, Last Samurai Standing explores the struggles of samurai in late 19th-century Japan following the Meiji Restoration. As Japan rapidly modernises and their traditional way of life disappears, these warriors must adapt to survive, facing the potential extinction of their class. The show highlights their resilience in a world that no longer has a place for them.
Netflix’s new slate of Japanese content also includes Bullet Train Explosion, directed by Shinji Higuchi and set for release on April 23. The film is a loose reimagining of the 1975 classic that inspired Speed. The lineup also features Alice in Borderland Season 3, scheduled to premiere in September, starring Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya.
The brutal tale of vengeance, Demon City, arriving on February 27, brings Masamichi Kawabe’s iconic manga to the screen. The film stars Toma Ikuta as a hitman seeking revenge after losing his entire family.
Two new productions are also on the horizon. Glass Heart (premiering in July), starring Takeru Satoh and Yu Miyazaki, is a music drama featuring large-scale concert scenes. Meanwhile, Romantics Anonymous, based on the French film Les Émotifs Anonymes, stars Shun Oguri and Han Hyo-joo as a couple facing unusual challenges—he is unable to touch others, while she avoids eye contact.
December will see the release of 10Dance, directed by Keishi Otomo and starring Keita Machida and Ryoma Takeuchi as rival dancers who find themselves in an unexpected partnership.
Soul Mate, an upcoming romantic drama set for release in August, boasts a talented cast, including Hayato Isomura and Ok Taec-yeon (a member of the popular Korean boy band 2PM). Set in Berlin, the story follows a Japanese man’s fateful encounter with a skilled Korean fighter.
In the realm of unscripted content, Final Draft is set to become Netflix Japan’s first-ever survival reality series. The show will feature 25 former pro athletes competing fiercely to secure their second careers and claim a grand prize of JPY 30 million ($195,000). Stay tuned for more updates!
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