Last Samurai Standing

Set in 1878, when Japan's modernizing Meiji state has left the samurai class without a place, Last Samurai Standing (original title Ikusagami) opens at night at Tenryūji Temple in Kyoto. There, 292 warriors gather after being promised a huge cash prize. They learn they have entered Kodoku, a deadly game in which they must travel the old Tōkaidō Road to Tokyo within one month, collecting points to get through seven checkpoints. Only the last one standing gets paid.

The story follows Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), a haunted swordsman who joins the game for one reason: to save his sick wife and child. On the road he takes a frightened teenager, Futaba, under his protection. He also meets people from his own past, including Iroha, a woman who trained beside him, and a growing list of rivals, some desperate and some who simply enjoy killing.

The six-episode first season works like a road movie, a battle royale and a period drama at once. It ends in the middle of the journey. Netflix has renewed the series for a second season, so the fight for the Tōkaidō is still going.

At heart, Last Samurai Standing is about what happens to people when history decides they are no longer needed. The Kodoku game takes a whole class of men and women that the new Japan has made obsolete and turns them into a show. Their skill with the sword becomes something to buy, sell and use up. Against this, the series sets protective love. Shujiro fights for his family and to keep Futaba alive, not for glory. The show suggests that what gives a warrior's violence meaning is whom it protects, and that humanity can survive even inside a system built to wipe it out.

As a battle royale: Some viewers take it mainly as a stylish survival thriller, closer to Squid Game with swords.

The series arrived as Japanese period drama was drawing more global attention. Critics described it as Kingdom meets Squid Game, pairing samurai history with the battle-royale format. It topped Netflix's Global Top 10 (Non-English Series), made the Top 10 in 88 countries, and held No. 1 in Japan for four straight weeks. Netflix called it "a global sensation proudly made in Japan" when it announced the Season 2 renewal.

In interviews with Deadline, Okada and Fujii described streaming as a "place to experiment." The show's practical, large-scale action is an example of Japanese productions using that freedom. Its 1878 setting, the moment samurai lost their place, puts it among stories that deal with Japan's troubled modernization, and TIME published a piece on the real history behind the show.

Season 1 was widely acclaimed. It held a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and reached the top of Netflix's global non-English chart. Reviewers praised the stunning production, the practical large-scale action, the fast pace and the character-driven storytelling. Heaven of Horror highlighted the focus on revenge and survival.

The main complaint was structural: after only six episodes the season ends in the middle of the story, which left some viewers frustrated. The quick Season 2 renewal eased that concern. Overall, it was one of Netflix Japan's standout hits of 2025.