Last Samurai Standing is already catching Netflix viewers’ attention, but who is in the star-studded cast of the new period drama?
Hannah McGreevy Assistant Editor
12:40, 13 Nov 2025
The Netflix action drama is being compared to Squid Game(Image: Netflix)
A new Japanese period drama called Last Samurai Standing has landed on Netflix featuring an all-star cast from Japan. The gripping series is set in Japan during 1878, a decade after the golden era of the samurai ended, with the warriors now stripped of their former status as social inequality grows.
Netflix’s synopsis states: “In Last Samurai Standing, 292 fallen samurai – facing poverty, a pandemic, and a new regime that has rendered them relics – are lured into a violent game called Kodoku, in which the last competitor left alive will claim a life-changing cash prize.
“Infused with a spirit and aesthetic unique to Japanese cinema, the series brings an emotional and thrilling chapter of history to life.”
The series draws inspiration from Ikusagami, a bestselling historical fiction novel penned by Naoki Prize-winning writer Shogo Imamura, reports the Express.
Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, producer Junichi Okada explained: “My hidden goal was to create a new kind of period drama, one that’s also an action drama… Something made entirely in Japan, but made for the world. It’s grounded in serious themes, but the characters are sharply drawn, and the story is truly entertaining.”
Given its ‘deadly competition’ concept featuring a massive cash reward, The Last Samurai Standing is likely to invite comparisons with Netflix’s phenomenal success, Squid Game.
The historical drama is being branded ‘epic’ by Netflix viewers(Image: Netflix)READ MORE: How many episodes are in Netflix’s As You Stood By?READ MORE: Squid Game The Challenge season 3 update as fans forced to make huge decision
Who is in the cast of Last Samurai Standing?
Renowned Japanese performer Junichi Okada takes the starring role of Shujiro Saga whilst also serving as producer and action choreographer for the series.
Junichi is one of the nation’s most celebrated actors, renowned for his performances in Hell Dogs, The Fable, Tiger and Dragon and Kisarazu Cat’s Eye.
His character Shujiro portrays a once-dreaded samurai who enters the Kodoku tournament to save his wife and son, both suffering from cholera.
In addition, fellow cast member Hideaki Itô, famous for his roles in the iconic Japanese action-drama Umizaru and the Netflix original miniseries Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan, is also part of the ensemble.
J-Pop sensation Kazunari Ninomiya, best recognised for his stint in the boy band Arashi, is another notable addition to the cast.
The period drama is now streaming on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
Get Netflix free with Sky
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £15
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.
Please find the cast list in full below:
- Junichi Okada as Shujiro Saga
- Riho Yoshioka as Shino Saga
- Yumia Fujisaki as Futaba Katsuki
- Kaya Kiyohara as Iroha Kinugasa
- Masahiro Higashide as Kyojin Tsuge
- Hiroshi Tamaki as Ukyo Kikuomi
- Hideaki Ito as Bukotsu Kanjiya
- Shôta Sometani as Kocha Kamui
- Takayuki Yamada as Jinbe Ando
- Wataru Ichinose as Raizo Tachibana
- Taichi Saotome as Shikura Adashino
- Yûya Endô as Sansuke Gion
- Taiiku Okazaki as Jinroku Keage
- Jyo Kairi as Shinnosuke Sayama
- Kazunari Ninomiya as Enju
- Yasushi Fuchikami as Sakura
- Gaku Hamada as Toshiyoshi Kawaji
- Arata Iura as Toshimichi Okubo
- Tetsushi Tanaka as Hisoka Maejima
All six episodes of Last Samurai Standing are available to stream on Netflix now.
