Who was 'Yasuke'? Is the Netflix show based on a real Japanese samurai? Find out below

Yasuke is the latest anime Netflix that is creating headlines. The show follows the life of a black Samurai who previously worked under a daimyo in 16th century Japan. Interestingly, the titular character is of African descent and witnesses the downfall of his daimyo and soon chooses to put his past behind and be a ronin. So who was Yasuke? Is the Netflix series based on a true character? 

Who was Yasuke? Is the Netflix show based on a true story?

Netflix has slowly been building its anime library and anime fans are here for it. The latest addition to this collection is the ONA series, Yasuke. The show follows the story of an African descent Black Samurai who has been given the task to protect a child who possesses mysterious magical powers. But while Yasuke is busy protecting the daughter of a local bar singer, he comes face to face with his past.

So, who was Yasuke? Is Yasuke based on a true story? According to a report by SCMP, Yasuke was real black samurai who served a feudal lord daimyo named Oda Nobunaga. But as mentioned earlier, Yasuke witnessed the downfall of his lord and soon chose to move on. Since he was no longer governed by a master, Yasuke was now a ronin a.k.a. a Black Samurai.

According to the media portal’s report, Yasuke was a historical Black Samurai, who had African ancestors. He arrived in Japan in 1579 and soon started working for Oda Nobunaga. Hence, the Netflix show is loosely based on Yasuke’s real story. Turns out, Yasuke is considered to be a major historical figure in Japan but the details about his life are still debatable.

Furthermore, the report mentions research done by professor, Thomas Lockley, from Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, Yasuke was sent to India due to the slave trade that took place during the Mughal era. Lockley believes that Yasuke fought for Ibrahim Hussain Mirza’s army and defended Surat. He soon arrived in Goa and met the Jesuits, the Society of Jesus. This missionary order led him to arrive in Japan and as Christianity grew, many lords converted to Christianism. Yasuke soon began to work as a bodyguard for a Jesuit missionary and thus his journey as samurai began. Watch the Yasuke trailer below.

• Image Credit: As seen in a still from Yasuke trailer