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Netflix has released an action-packed new trailer for the upcoming anime series Yasuke, which is inspired by the first African samurai warrior. LaKeith Stanfield voices the lead character in the series, who is based on the legendary black warrior from Feudal Japan. The series is set in an alternate version of feudal Japan where Yasuke returns to his violent samurai lifestyle to protect a young girl.
The story is set in a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, “the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.”
There’s also a great book about Yasuke called, African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan. The book was written by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard. Here’s the description of that book:
When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local tradition) Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan’s martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society.
The Yasuke series was created by LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters), who also serves as executive producer and director. Yasuke was created by Japanese animation studio MAPPA (Attack on Titan: The Final Season). Director and animator Takeshi Koike (Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine) created the character designs, and experimental hip-hop artist Flying Lotus will also be handling the music for the series.
Yasuke is set to premiere on Netflix on April 29th.
