New Netflix Samurai Series LAST SAMURAI STANDING Earns High Praise From Hideo Kojima — GeekTyrant
Netflix has rolled out a fresh slice of samurai action with its new original series Last Samurai Standing, and the show has been making a strong impression.
Critics are loving it, viewers are diving straight into full-season binges, and even legendary creator Hideo Kojima couldn’t resist jumping in. His reaction instantly amplified interest in the series, especially since he rarely comments this enthusiastically on new shows.
Kojima shared his thoughts on X before deleting the post for some reason, but fans had already locked onto his excitement.
In his message, he revealed that he blasted through all six episodes and came away impressed, saying it made his “heart skip.” He wrote, “I binged Ikusagami (Last Samurai Standing) up through Episode 6!
“It was so good. I love the Yamada Futaro × Squid Game kind of worldbuilding.” Kojima highlighted how the show blends survival-driven tension with the stylized energy found in works by famed Japanese author Yamada Futaro, which gives the series its own memorable flavor.
He continued with another enthusiastic note, “The cutbacks between the Kodoku-game side, the organizers, and the government side all move with great pacing. And they don’t hesitate to kill off well-drawn characters (with a stacked cast) either.
“The Tsubaki Sanjūrō-style directing moment made my heart skip.” His comparison to Tsubaki Sanjūrō is a strong compliment, especially since the classic samurai film from director Akira Kurosawa is still considered one of the best in the genre.
Set in the 19th century, Last Samurai Standing adapts Shogo Imamura’s novel and follows Shujiro Saga, played by Junichi Okada, a man desperate to secure a life changing cash prize of ¥100,000 to save his wife and child.
Shujiro enters a brutal survival challenge where strategy and instinct matter as much as skill. The story keeps the tension tight, weaving personal stakes with larger political maneuvering in a way that keeps viewers hooked episode after episode.
The series premiered on Netflix on November 13, 2025, and its early reception is impressive. Last Samurai Standing currently holds a flawless 100 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
With big praise from a respected creator like Kojima and strong word of mouth rolling in, this could be one of Netflix’s standout international hits of the year.
If you’re into stylish samurai action, high stakes drama, and tightly constructed storytelling, you’ve got to watch this show! It’s awesome!
