* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Blue Eye Samurai
ブルーアイ侍
An adult animated series released on Netflix in 2023. Set in the Edo period, it follows Mizu, a mixed-race onna-musha embarking on a quest for vengeance. Praised for meticulous depiction of Japanese sword forging and technique, the series won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Holds a 97% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Description
The adult animated series Blue Eye Samurai, created and written by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green and directed by Jane Wu, began streaming on Netflix on November 3, 2023. Set in the Edo period (the sakoku era), the story follows Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine), a mixed-race samurai with a white father and a Japanese mother, known as 'Blue Eye' for her blue eyes. She sets out on a journey of revenge to find the white man who fathered her. One of the series' most distinctive features is its meticulous depiction of Japanese sword forging and swordsmanship. Swordsmithing is woven into the story, including scenes of Mizu learning sword-forging and kenjutsu under Master Eiji, a blind swordsmith, which reveals deep respect for Japanese sword culture. The swordplay also adopts movements that faithfully reproduce iaijutsu and kenjutsu forms, giving it a martial realism that goes beyond mere action staging. The 2D/3D hybrid animation by the French studio Blue Spirit was produced with the aim of creating 'moving paintings.' Season 1 earned a 97% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Season 2 is scheduled for release in 2027.
Real Swords Featured
Mizu's Sword
The Japanese sword carried by the protagonist, Mizu. Its design is based mainly on the uchigatana, the sword that swordsmen of the Edo period would likely have used, and the sword fighting in the series combines elements of iaijutsu, jūjutsu, and kenjutsu. The drawing strikes (nukitsuke) and the handling of distance reflect the actual movements of koryū martial arts.
Sword-forging Training (as depicted in the series)
In season 1, the story depicts Mizu's past, when she was raised by the blind swordsmith Master Eiji and learned sword forging and kenjutsu as his apprentice. Scenes of sword forging are woven into the story.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsRelated Content
Seven Samurai
Film七人の侍
Akira Kurosawa's 1954 enduring masterpiece, one of the most influential works in the history of world cinema. Set in the late Sengoku period, its story of seven masterless samurai gathered to protect a village from bandits vividly depicts the social role of the samurai and the practical side of the sword. It is a monumental work that made Japanese swordcraft known to the world, and it influenced countless films, including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, and Mad Max.
Nioh 2
Video Game仁王2
A Sengoku-period action RPG released in 2020, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo Games. As a prequel to the earlier "Nioh," it stars a half-yokai protagonist with yokai blood, who crosses swords with demons while encountering real Sengoku-period warlords.
Lupin III (Goemon Ishikawa & Zantetsuken)
Anime & Mangaルパン三世（石川五ェ門・斬鉄剣）
A franchise created by Monkey Punch in 1967 that has spread worldwide as a long-running anime series. The Zantetsuken sword carried by Goemon Ishikawa XIII—capable of cutting through anything—became an iconic symbol of Japanese swords in pop culture. Ranked 3rd in a 2025 anime sword popularity poll.
Nobunaga's Ambition
Game信長の野望
A historical simulation game series developed and sold by Koei Tecmo Games since 1983. It is a national-favorite series in which players control Sengoku daimyo, including Oda Nobunaga, in pursuit of unifying the country. Depending on the title, famous swords also appear as items, making it a historical game series that touches on the bond between Japanese swords and warlords.
This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.