Is 'Last Samurai Standing' Based On A Best-Selling Historial Fiction? Here's What We Know

The live-action series, Last Samurai Standing, has left the audience in awe. For the unversed, the TV series, Last Samurai Standing, has finally been released on Netflix on November 13, 2025. The first two episodes of the 6-episode series premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. Now that the TV series has been released, people are curious about every little detail related to it. 

But do you know that Last Samurai Standing is based on a best-selling historical fiction novel? Yes, you read it right. So, without wasting any more time, let’s dive in to know more.

Last Samurai Standing is based on a best-selling historical fiction, Shogo Imamura

According to a report by Tudum, Last Samurai Standing is based on Ikusagami, a best-selling historical fiction written by Shogo Imamura. For the unversed, Soho won the Naoki Prize in 2022 and is widely known for writing historical fiction novels. The novel has been illustrated by Katsumi Tatsuzawa. Later, the historical fiction novel was adapted into a four-volume comic series and was published by Kodansha in Morning, a Japanese seinen manga magazine.

Netflix began developing the TV series, Last Samurai Standing, in December 2022, the same year that the novel was serialised into a comic series. The new TV series has also received the Naoki Prize-winning author, Shogo Imamura. Speaking about the series, Shogo said that there have been some changes in the novel, but they have added more suspense and visual excitement than a film can offer. The author was quoted as saying:

"Even the parts that were changed added suspense and visual excitement that only film can offer."

Shogo Imamura's historical fiction novel reflects the modern human struggle

Shinichi Takahashi approached Junichi Okada with a request to produce and feature in the TV series, Last Samurai Standing. For the uninitiated, Shinichi Takahashi is not only the director of live action projects at Netflix Japan, but also a fan of Shogo Imamura’s historical fiction novel, Ikusagami. After getting Shinichi Takahashi’s offer, Okada teamed up with Japan Academy Prize–winning writer and director Michihito Fujii. Earlier, the duo collaborated on a 2023 film, Hard Days.

When Michihito Fujii read the novel, he was awestruck by its relevance to the modern human struggle. He shared that the novel reflected the modern human struggles that were faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to Tudum, the director said:

"It felt unexpectedly close to our own experience with Covid-19. It’s a story about ideology and one’s destiny, yet it was entertaining and had a gamelike quality. I remember thinking I could never have come up with this myself."

What to expect in the series Last Samurai Standing?

The new TV series, Last Samurai Standing, is set in 1878 Japan, an era after 10 years of the samurai's glory days. After losing their power and social status, the samurai are struggling to fit into a fast-paced world. They are no longer allowed to carry swords. Meanwhile, the financial status game between the rich and the poor came to the forefront with a deadly cholera outbreak. However, one day, an unexpected opportunity for the samurai seemed like salvation had arrived.

A tournament has been arranged with a massive prize money of Rs. 100 billion yen. But this game has a deadly twist. Only one player will survive at the end of the game, which began in Kyoto and ended in Tokyo. The biggest question that lies underneath is who will survive his deadly battle, and who is the mastermind behind this murderous game. Junichi Okada is the protagonist of the story and portrays the role of 'Shujiro Saga'.

What are your thoughts on the series, Last Samurai Standing? Let us know.

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