Yasuke was a really solid anime. It follows a black samurai and a young girl who possesses some special powers. He is looking to live a quiet, low-profile life, having stepped away from the sword. But as things tend to go, he ends up becoming her protector after agreeing to help her reach someone, and the situation quickly takes a turn.

The show explores some of the dynamics one might expect to find within the samurai class, particularly surrounding a samurai who begins as a purchased servant, earns the favor of his lord, rises in rank, and navigates all of that as a black man in feudal-era Japan.

Yasuke is a strong and capable character, but he is not portrayed as untouchable, which I actually appreciated. I went in expecting him to breeze through every encounter without a scratch, and while he is certainly formidable, he is still human and bound by the limits of his skills. He takes his share of hits throughout the series. That said, it works in the show’s favor because it gives everything a more grounded, realistic feel. What is also interesting is that the girl he is supposed to be protecting ends up saving him on more than one occasion. Her abilities come in handy in ways that keep the dynamic between them genuinely engaging.

The main villain is the Daimyo, a powerful and ruthless feudal lord who shows no mercy to those who stand against her. I will leave her motivations out of this to avoid spoilers, but I will say that I genuinely enjoyed this series from start to finish. Yasuke was a strong watch and one I would recommend without hesitation.