Netflix’s Onimusha resurrects Toshiro Mifune as a demon-slaying samurai
Netflix shared the first trailer for its upcoming Onimusha anime on Wednesday, one week ahead of its Drop 01 animation showcase next week. The biggest surprise the trailer had to offer, aside from the reveal of the series’ very existence, was the appearance of the anime’s protagonist Miyamoto Musashi — modeled after the likeness of the late Japanese screen legend Toshiro Mifune, who died in 1997.
Directed by Shinya Sugai (Dragon’s Dogma) and Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), Onimusha will follow Musashi’s journey as a legendary swordsman and strategist, who’s sent on a covert mission to deliver a mystical artifact known as the “Oni Gauntlet” across a country plagued by poverty and political strife. The trailer itself is light on details but heavy on fast and frenzied action accompanied by a wild rock ’n roll soundtrack.
Another major detail that leapt out was the reveal that Onimusha will feature character designs by the late Kim Jung Gi, a prolific Korean illustrator who died in 2022. Prior to his death, Kim had worked on several variant covers for Marvel’s Civil War II and anniversary illustrations for League of Legends, as well as an unannounced collaboration with Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo.
Onimusha will premiere on Nov. 2 on Netflix.
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