The new live-action series Last Samurai Standing has taken viewers by surprise and become one of Netflix’s most talked-about releases. The show officially dropped on November 13, 2025, after its first two episodes premiered earlier at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. Fans can’t get enough of the action, mystery, and emotional depth, and many are now curious about its origins.
Is ‘Last Samurai Standing’ based on a best-selling Historical Fiction?
What most people don’t know is that Last Samurai Standing is actually based on Ikusagami, a best-selling historical fiction novel by Shogo Imamura. Imamura, who won the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2022, is known for his deep and powerful storytelling. His novel, illustrated by Katsumi Tatsuzawa, was later adapted into a four-volume comic series published by Kodansha in the magazine Morning. Netflix began developing the TV adaptation in December 2022, around the same time the manga version was released.
Imamura was also involved in creating the show and stated that, while some parts were altered for television, the new version adds significantly more suspense and cinematic thrill. He praised how the adaptation uses visuals to make the story even more gripping, something that only film and TV can achieve.
The project came to life when Shinichi Takahashi, Netflix Japan’s director of live-action projects and a big fan of Imamura’s novel, approached actor Junichi Okada to star in and co-produce the show. Okada then teamed up with award-winning filmmaker Michihito Fujii, with whom he had earlier worked on the 2023 film Hard Days.
Director Michihito Fujii shared that Ikusagami felt surprisingly close to modern struggles. He said the story reminded him of the challenges people faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s about ideology, destiny, and survival, yet it’s also fast-paced and thrilling, like a game.
Set in 1878, the series shows Japan a decade after the fall of the samurai era. The once-powerful warriors have lost their swords, their status, and their sense of purpose in a rapidly changing world. Amid poverty and a deadly cholera outbreak, a mysterious survival tournament is announced, with a massive prize of 100 billion yen for the last man standing. But there’s a deadly catch: only one samurai will live to claim it.
Junichi Okada stars as Shujiro Saga, the central figure caught in this brutal game. The story moves from Kyoto to Tokyo, packed with action, emotion, and moral tension. The big question the show leaves viewers asking is not just who will survive, but who is truly pulling the strings behind this deadly contest.