Set in 1600s Japan, the series stars Maya Erskine as a mixed-race samurai named Mizu, driven by a quest for bloody revenge. The show, titled Blue Eye Samurai, features breathtaking fight scenes and an all-star cast. One memorable sequence sees Mizu backed to the edge of a seaside cliff, surrounded by the Four Fangs, master swordsmen intent on her demise. Over an intense eight minutes, she transforms the precarious terrain into a battleground, defying physics as she dismantles her enemies. The scene culminates in a stunning visual with a death blow delivered against the backdrop of a crashing wave bathed in the red glow of sunset, resembling combat on the lip of a volcano.
For most martial arts stories, this would be the climax, but for Blue Eye Samurai, it’s merely an appetizer for the mayhem to come. The adult animated drama, which debuted its eight-episode first season on Netflix, was created by Logan screenwriter Michael Green and his wife, Amber Noizumi. Set in Edo-period Japan, when the borders were closed and white people banished, the story follows Mizu, a woman disguised as a man. Her blue eyes reveal her mixed heritage, marking her as an outcast. Mizu conceals her gender and masters swordsmanship to seek out and kill the four white men who might be her father, avenging the misery she endured.
Inspired by Noizumi’s mixed-race heritage, the show blends elements of Kill Bill and Yentl. Despite leaning more towards Tarantino than Streisand, Blue Eye Samurai balances elaborately choreographed violence with moments of beauty, longing, and humor. Mizu’s would-be apprentice, Ringo (played by Masi Oka), provides comic relief. Despite his disability, Ringo’s determination gradually endears him to Mizu, creating a compelling dynamic.
The series doesn’t shy away from depicting naked flesh, both in violent and sexual contexts, without feeling gratuitous. A subplot follows Akemi (Brenda Song), a princess eager to escape Edo society’s constraints, who uses different methods than Mizu. Her journey through brothels deepens her character rather than simply titillates.
Visually, Blue Eye Samurai is stunning, combining 2D and 3D animation to create lifelike landscapes and characters. The animation allows for epic battles that would be costly to produce in live-action. Throughout the season, Mizu faces off against an army of gangsters, bosses in Fowler’s fortress, and even an attempted coup of Japan.
Creators Green and Noizumi ensure the story’s heart remains with its characters. Mizu is portrayed as both supernatural and deeply human, capable of surviving odds that would kill a normal person. Yet, the series never loses sight of the toll her quest for revenge takes on her, transforming her into the monster her countrymen see.
Blue Eye Samurai is a powerful example of animation’s potential to create vivid worlds and characters, rivaling live-action storytelling.
See also
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Shogun's Samurai
Shogun's Samurai, is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts film directed and co-written by Kinji Fukasaku. This film is the first of two unrelated Fukasaku films starring Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba as Jubei Mitsuyoshi Yagyu, with the other being Samurai Reincarnation.
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Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
"Musashi Miyamoto" is a 1954 Japanese film directed and co-written by Hiroshi Inagaki, starring Toshiro Mifune. It is the first film in Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy of historical adventures. The film is adapted from Eiji Yoshikawa's novel "Musashi," originally serialized in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun from 1935 to 1939, and is loosely based on the life of the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
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Samurai Champloo
"Samurai Champloo" is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series and the debut production of studio Manglobe. Spanning 26 episodes, it aired from May 2004 to March 2005, initially on Fuji TV and later across the Fuji Network System. In North America, it was broadcast on Adult Swim and released commercially by Geneon Entertainment and later Crunchyroll. MVM Films handled the English release in the United Kingdom, while Madman Entertainment managed distribution in Australia and New Zealand. A manga adaptation was serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace in 2004 and subsequently released in North America by Tokyopop the following year.
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Samurai Jack
"Samurai Jack" follows the journey of a young prince (voiced by Phil LaMarr) from a feudal Japanese kingdom. His father, the emperor of Japan (voiced by Sab Shimono as an elder and Keone Young as a younger man), received a magical katana from three gods—Ra, Rama, and Odin—which he used to defeat and imprison the demon Aku (voiced by Mako, and later by Greg Baldwin in Season 5). Eight years later, Aku escaped, conquered the land, and imprisoned the emperor. The prince's mother sent him away to train and return with the magic sword to defeat Aku. Upon his return, the now-samurai prince nearly defeats Aku, but the demon casts him into the distant future.
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Samurai Cat
What happens when you combine the internet’s favorite animal with sword-wielding Japanese warriors? You get the 2014 Japanese comedy-drama "Neko Samurai," or "Cat Samurai" (or "Samurai Cat").
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Samurai Assassin 1965
Based on a famous incident in Japanese history, Samurai Assassin presumes some historical knowledge from its audience, but don’t let that deter you. Most of the movie is fictional.
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Red lion
The film by the Japanese director Kihachi Okamoto "Red Lion" was first seen by the audience in 1969. The plot of the picture takes place during a period of turbulent events in the history of Japan in 1866-67, which ended the Edo era and preceded the imperial restoration. Kihachi Okamoto's favorite features are the introduction of sudden plot twists and an unexpected ending. The film "Red Lion" was no exception in this sense. It begins as a set of comedic situations that take place with comical characters. But gradually the plot becomes more and more serious coloring and eventually ends in tragedy.
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Love and Honor
The Japanese film "Love and Honor" was released on October 20, 2006. It is part of a trilogy directed by Yoji Yamada set in the Edo period. The first films of this saga were "Twilight Samurai", released in 2002 and "Hidden Blade" in 2004.
