WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Yasuke, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's Yasuke paints an intriguing picture of the Black samurai during 16th Century Japan. The six episodes dive into the horror fantasy realm that sees Yasuke partner with an array of mystical warriors to stop the evil Daimyo, a witch hellbent on ruling all feudal territories.
Luckily Yasuke has the mage, Saki, to help banish the demon goddess, which results in the two returning to their village. However, Yasuke makes one more stop on his journey in a post-credits that's quite heartbreaking, as he seeks closure on something very dear to him.
Yasuke ends up at a grave for Natsumaru, one of the soldiers he fought with decades ago for Nobunaga's Oda clan. Nobunaga found Yasuke as a bodyguard on a port and hired him after seeing the Black warrior protect a young boy in a battle of honor. Yasuke rose through the ranks and became a legendary samurai in the clan, alongside Natsumaru. Ironically, it was her brother he saved years ago and while she couldn't intervene, she kept Yasuke in high regard for being so virtuous.
However, flashbacks revealed Natsumaru wasn't who she said she was. It turns out she was a spy sent by Hattori Hanzo, leader of the Iga clan, to infiltrate Nobunaga's clan as they knew it was willing to be more progressive and use female samurais. Yasuke figured it out when he killed some of Hanzo's men and spotted a crest that Natsumaru wore. He kept military info from her, using her to seed out false information that led to an ambush of Hanzo's men.
As the battle raged, Yasuke confirmed Natsumaru was the one leaking intel and they fought, leading to him impaling her with her own sword. She admitted maintaining her loyalty to Hanzo as she felt he'd be the better leader. Still, she told Yasuke not to worry as he was still honorable in her eyes. The saddest thing about this is that Yasuke and Natsumaru, both being outsiders, had an unspoken love.
Natsumaru's death haunted Yasuke for years but after being inspired by Saki, he returns her sword as he no longer needs to use it to atone. Her brother, much older now, is ecstatic as he remembers how Yasuke saved him. Interestingly, while Yasuke lets him know Natsumaru was a warrior to the very end, he never tells anyone she was a traitor. He couldn't stain her legacy but before the teen could ask more, Yasuke disappears, finally gaining closure on someone he thought of as a soulmate.
Yasuke is then seen back in Saki's village, embracing nature. He doesn't seem to be a boatman anymore, with the people having accepted him as one of their own. He has a new sword with a necklace on it that belonged to Saki's adoptive mother, Ichika. It has the same crest as Natsumaru's people, hinting that Ichika was also of the Iga clan. However, she stole Saki from an evil cult, hoping the girl wouldn't be turned into a weapon and sacrificing herself to protect her. Thus, Yasuke has no problem taking this necklace -- it reminds him how powerful the women from that clan can be, and how they showed him a path to the light.
Created by LeSean Thomas, Yasuke stars LaKeith Stanfield as Yasuke, Takehiro Hira as Nobunaga, Maya Tanida as Saki, Ming-Na Wen as Natsumaru, Paul Nakauchi as Morisuke, Darren Criss as Haruto, Julie Marcus as Nikita and William Christopher Stephens as Achoja. The series is out now on Netflix.
