Capcom‘s long-running but long-dormant Onimusha video game franchise is being adapted into an anime series by Netflix, with the first trailer for the incoming project revealing slick samurai swordplay, and gorgeous Japanese landscapes.
This adaptation of Onimusha will follow warrior Musashi Miyamoto – who is a real-life historical figure, but first debuted in video game form in 2003’s Onimusha: Blade Warriors as a guest character – on a secret mission that will take him across Japan. This version of Miyamoto has been heavily inspired by actor Toshiro Mifune, who is well known for his roles in iconic Akira Kurosawa films like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Rashomon.
He will be voiced by Akio Ōtsuka, a prolific voice actor known for roles in Metal Gear Solid, Ghost in the Shell, My Hero Academia, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Kingdom Hearts – and notably, he also voiced Oda Nobunaga in multiple Onimusha games.
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You can check out the first look at Miyamoto’s journey in Onimusha via the newly-released anime trailer, courtesy of Netflix:
As noted in the official press release for the series, the direction of the series is being handled by Takashi Miike, who is most known for his work on stylish action movies like Ichi the Killer, Blade of the Immortal, and 13 Assassins.
Here’s the official series description, per Netflix:
Capcom’s Onimusha, the landmark survival action video game series set in Japan’s feudal Sengoku period, is being adapted into an anime series that will start streaming from Thursday, November 2, only on Netflix.
Directed by Takashi Miike, this ambitious series will focus on Miyamoto Musashi, who is modelled after Toshiro Mifune, the Japanese film icon known around the globe. This is the beginning of an intense series full of realistic action in which Musashi’s blade slices through evil as he traverses a land plagued by poverty.
Onimusha will launch as a complete series via Netflix on 2 November 2023.
