Yasuke is an anime on Netflix about Japan's famous black samurai of the same name. Today we look at Yasuke's African cultural heritage and the history of his people.


The anime Yasuke is made by Mappa studio. Yasuke is an animated series loosely based on a historical figure also called Yasuke. He was a warrior of African descent who served under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period of samurai conflict in 16th century Japan. Created by LeSean Thomas and animated by Japanese animation studio MAPPA, the series stars LaKeith Stanfield as the titular character. The anime blends history with science fiction and fantasy elements to make this entertaining series.


Yasuke's original name is Eusebio Ibrahimo Baloi and his people are known as the Yao A.K.A Yawo. This is not the only African culture referenced in Yasuke however, another character named Achoja belongs to the Benin culture. That said, we only focus on Yasuke's origins for this discussion. The Yao people's heartland is in Mozambique but they can be found in some other countries as well including Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In the video we talk about these Africans' way of life including there food, beliefs, traditions, myths, and their matrilineal society. A matrilineal society means one's mother's ancestors are more important and so one's ancestral descent is traced through the mother's line of decent.


For fun, I have scattered a bunch of other anime references into the video including: Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday, Berserk, Michiko and Hatchin, Outlaw Star and more. So I hope otakus enjoy all the easter eggs. Can you name all the animes in this video?



If you're wondering what my review is for the anime, Yasuke, well that will come later but the short answer is I like it. Obviously for now, the focus of this video is to look more so at the African culture that Yasuke comes from. But having said all that, what did you think about this Yasuke anime? Let us know in the comment section below.



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