Afro Samurai Is A Perfectly Bingeable Samuel L. Jackson Anime Miniseries

Samuel L. Jackson's most overlooked role comes from an exceptional anime miniseries. From Pulp Fiction's Jules Winnfield to Star Wars' Mace Windu and Marvel's Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson has embedded himself in pop culture as a living legend. Jackson has appeared in a wide variety of movies, from unapologetically unserious action flicks like Snakes on a Plane to critical darlings like Django Unchained, becoming one of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood history along the way.

Samuel L. Jackson’s unmatched career extends well beyond live-action cinema. On television, Jackson has starred in shows as different as The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and Secret Invasion. In animation, Samuel L. Jackson voiced Frozone in The Incredibles and Mace Windu in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Jackson notably delivered one of the best video game performances as Officer Frank Tenpenny in GTA: San Andreas, and lent his voice to the animated satire The Boondocks. As if this weren't enough, Jackson also starred in an endlessly rewatchable anime series.

Afro Samurai Is An Easily Bingeable Anime Gem

Samuel L. Jackson's Afro Samurai Anime Miniseries Is A Must-Watch

Afro Samurai began as a self-published dōjinshi manga created by Takashi Okazaki before evolving into one of the most stylistically distinctive anime projects of the 2000s. Blending samurai iconography with hip-hop aesthetics, the 2007 five-episode Afro Samurai miniseries follows the stoic swordsman Afro, who seeks revenge against Justice, the gunslinger who killed his father. Afro Samurai's standout feature, of course, is Samuel L. Jackson, who voices the titular protagonist. Jackson had long been an anime enthusiast, and his backing helped propel the project into an international co-production.

The voice cast reflects the project’s cross-cultural ambition. Samuel L. Jackson performs dual roles as both Afro and the irreverent Ninja Ninja, the latter functioning as comic relief. Ron Perlman voices Justice with his usual gravitas, and Kelly Hu portrays Okiku, whose personal vendetta intertwines with Afro’s path. Characterization is minimalist but deliberate. Afro is quiet and stern, Justice is nihilistic and power-hungry, and Ninja Ninja is anarchic, to say the least.

Afro Samurai's unique mix of Japanese swordplay tradition and American hip-hop sensibility is underscored by a score produced by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. Though it earned strong critical reactions and won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, Afro Samurai never achieved the sustained mainstream momentum of long-running shōnen franchises. It did became a cult phenomenon, celebrated for its adult tone and its unapologetic stylization. Afro Samurai's mature rating likely limited its broader reach, but it also helps the miniseries remain a unique, bingeworthy experience.

Afro Samurai Doesn't Stop At The Anime

Despite not becoming a mainstream hit, Afro Samurai enjoyed sustained success following its release. The story continued with the 2009 feature-length movie Afro Samurai: Resurrection, which raises the stakes by forcing Afro back into conflict when both the Number One and Number Two headbands are stolen, triggering a renewed cycle of vengeance. Resurrection introduces Lucy Liu's Sio, who mirrors Afro's grief and revenge. Afro Samurai: Resurrection increases the scale of its set pieces, with larger battle sequences, ultimately winning an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.

Beyond animation, Afro Samurai expanded into interactive media with a 2009 video game adaptation, released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, featuring voice work from Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Perlman, followed by 2015's Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma on PS4. The Afro Samurai games translate the anime’s kinetic combat into combo-driven hack-and-slash mechanics and fluid swordplay. Together, the manga, the anime, the sequel movie, the soundtrack, and the video game make Takashi Okazaki's work an unmissable multimedia project.

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  Release Date 2007 - 2007

  Network Spike

  Showrunner Takashi Okazaki, Fuminori Kizaki

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  Release Date January 4, 2007

  Network Spike

  Episodes 5