Netflix has officially renewed Last Samurai Standing for Season 2, confirming that the Japanese survival drama will continue after its explosive first chapter. The announcement makes clear that Kodoku — the brutal contest at the heart of the series — is far from over, and that the story will now move closer to the forces controlling it.
Set against the collapse of the samurai era, Last Samurai Standing transforms historical upheaval into something raw and volatile: a survival contest where pride, grief, and desperation collide at sword’s length. Season 1 strands nearly 300 fallen warriors inside a deadly game and forces its hero to confront what honor means when survival itself demands compromise. That story is now officially continuing. Here is everything you need to know about Last Samurai Standing — from the Season 1 plot and cast to what Netflix has confirmed about Season 2, reviews, and release details. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
Last Samurai Standing: All the key details
- Title: Last Samurai Standing
- Original title: Ikusagami
- Format: Series
- Episodes: 6 (Season 1)
- Genre: Action, Historical drama
- Country of production: Japan
- Original language: Japanese
- Release date: November 13, 2025
- Director / Creator: Michihito Fujii
- Lead cast: Junichi Okada, Yumia Fujisaki, Kaya Kiyohara, Hiroshi Abe
- Produced by: Netflix
What Last Samurai Standing is about
Set in 1878, Last Samurai Standing unfolds during Japan’s early Meiji era, a moment when samurai are stripped of their privileges and left to navigate poverty, social collapse, and a spreading cholera epidemic. Into that chaos comes Kodoku, a tournament promising unimaginable wealth to the last warrior standing.
The series follows Shujiro Saga, once known as an undefeated samurai, who enters the contest to save his family and villagers. The survival-game structure gives the show its momentum, but its emotional engine comes from watching warriors trained for loyalty and restraint adapt to a system that rewards speed, deception, and lethal efficiency.
Last Samurai Standing Season 1 plot
Season 1 begins when 292 fighters are summoned to Kyoto’s Tenryu-ji Temple and thrust into Kodoku. The rules are merciless: competitors must travel toward Tokyo, passing checkpoints by delivering a required number of wooden tags taken from fallen opponents.
As the field thins, temporary alliances form and fracture. Shujiro’s journey intersects with other survivors, including Futaba Katsuki, while the violence steadily exposes a deeper truth – Kodoku is not a spontaneous bloodbath, but an organized system sustained by unseen powers. By the finale, the contest has become as much about control and manipulation as it is about strength.
Last Samurai Standing Season 2 plot: what Netflix has confirmed
Netflix’s official renewal announcement confirms that Season 2 picks up with Kodoku still underway and only the strongest warriors remaining. Shujiro receives a new summons and heads toward Tokyo with Futaba, determined not only to survive, but to uncover who is orchestrating the game.
The announcement also sets up a parallel pursuit: Shujiro’s adopted siblings – Iroha Kinugasa, Shikura Adashino, and Sansuke Gion – move to reunite with him while confronting Gentosai, the samurai who once trained them and has now turned against them. The next season is positioned as both a continuation of the tournament and a direct confrontation with the forces behind it.
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Confirming the renewal, director Michihito Fujii said, “I’m honored to say that the series has officially been greenlit for a second season. It gives me chills just thinking about all the exciting days that lie ahead with this amazing production team led by Junichi Okada.” He added that there was “no doubt that Season 2 will be even bigger and better than the first.”
Okada, who stars as Shujiro and also serves as a producer and action choreographer, framed the return as unfinished business rather than celebration. “I’m excited to get back into this wild world and once again charge into battle with the production team,” he said, adding, “We hope to make the next season even more energetic and action-packed.”
Last Samurai Standing cast: the main characters
Junichi Okada leads the series as Shujiro Saga, a feared swordsman whose discipline and endurance are repeatedly tested by the demands of Kodoku. His involvement behind the camera helps shape the series’ physical language, with action scenes built around character rather than spectacle alone.
The cast also includes Yumia Fujisaki as Futaba Katsuki, Kaya Kiyohara as Iroha Kinugasa, and Hiroshi Abe as Gentosai, whose presence looms larger as the story moves into its second season.
Is Last Samurai Standing based on a true story?
No. The series is adapted from Ikusagami, a historical fiction novel by Shogo Imamura, with illustrations by Katsumi Tatsuzawa. While the Meiji-era setting reflects real historical upheaval, the Kodoku tournament and central storyline are fictional.
What reviews say about Last Samurai Standing
Season 1 launched with strong critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 100% Tomatometer based on published critic reviews at the time of writing, a result driven less by novelty than by execution. Reviews consistently highlight the precision of the fight choreography, which favors clarity and physical storytelling over chaos, as well as the show’s restrained visual style, which lets tension accumulate rather than relying on constant escalation. Several critics also point to the series’ disciplined pacing, noting that it takes time to establish mood and character before fully unleashing its violence — a choice that gives the later episodes greater weight instead of turning the tournament into a repetitive spectacle.
Why watch Last Samurai Standing
If you enjoyed Squid Game or Alice in Borderland, this series fits naturally into that space, blending survival-game tension with samurai-era grit and a historical backdrop that gives the violence emotional weight.
Last Samurai Standing Season 2 release status on Netflix
Season 2 is officially confirmed, but Netflix has not yet announced a release date. Production details and a premiere window have not yet been disclosed.
Last Samurai Standing release date on Netflix
Available now. Last Samurai Standing Season 1 is already streaming on Netflix, where it is currently attracting strong viewer attention.
Release date: November 13, 2025.
Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81607397
