Netflix has revealed its 2025 slate of Japanese films and television series, with the streamer offering a rich mix of period series, action films and intriguing unscripted offerings.
The standout highlight from the lineup, and a potential breakout global hit, is the period series Last Samurai Standing. The series hails from filmmakers Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi and Toru Yamamoto and could appeal to fans of both FX’s Shogun and Netflix’s Squid Game with its survivalist premise and period setting. Junichi Okada leads the cast in this story that takes place at the tail end of the samurai era in Japan and is about 292 warriors who are invited to compete to the death for a cash prize. Last Samurai Standing is an adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, which has already been adapted into a popular manga series.
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Hirokazu Koreeda’s Asura is among the streamer’s 2025 Japanese slate but was released in February. The series is set in 1979 and follows four sisters — Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko — whose lives are shaken by the discovery that their aging father is having an affair.
The biggest Japanese title returning in 2025 on Netflix is the third season of Alice in Borderland. The sci-fi thriller, based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso, has proved popular globally, with fans praising writer-director Shinsuke Sato’s violent action scenes.
The most intriguing Japanese feature film release for 2025 is the action thriller Bullet Train Explosion, a remake of Junya Sato’s 1975 classic The Bullet Train, which later partly inspired the 1994 Keanu Reeves movie Speed. Bullet Train Explosion is directed by Attack on Titan and Shin Godzilla filmmaker Shinji Higuchi and has been made in cooperation with the East Japan Railway Company, meaning real bullet trains were used during the production.
Below is Netflix’s full 2025 Japan slate.
SERIES
Asura
Logline: “One winter day, the four Takezawa sisters — ikebana teacher Tsunako (Rie Miyazawa), housewife Makiko (Machiko Ono), librarian Takiko (Yu Aoi) and waitress Sakiko (Suzu Hirose) — get together for the first time in a while. Takiko suspects that their aging father, Kotaro, has a lover and a child. While the other sisters find this unbelievable, they agree to keep this from their mother, Fuji. However, this revelation brings to light various conflicts and secrets that lurk in the women’s lives.”
Date: Now streaming
Director, writer: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Producers: Yasuo Yagi, Miyuki Fukuma, Eiji Kitahara, Hijiri Taguchi
Writer: Kuniko Mukoda
Production company: Bunbuku
Cast: Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose
Glass Heart
Logline: “Glass Heart tells the story of Akane Saijo (Yu Miyazaki), a college student and aspiring drummer, who finds herself suddenly kicked out of her band. However, things take a turn when the brilliant musician Naoki Fujitani (Takeru Satoh) stumbles upon her talent and invites her to join his new ensemble. The series sets a new benchmark in Japanese drama with its massive filming scale, including scenes featuring tens of thousands of extras for music performances.”
Date: July 2025
Directors: Kensaku Kakimoto, Kotaro Goto
Producers: Takeru Satoh, Gô Abe
Writers: Mari Okada, Tomoko Akutsu, Shiho Kosaka, Anna Kawahara
Production company: Robot
Cast: Takeru Satoh, Yu Miyazaki, Keita Machida, Jun Shison, Masaki Suda
Soul Mate
Logline: “After unintentionally destroying the life of a close friend, Ryu Narutaki leaves everything behind in Japan and escapes to Berlin. While visiting a local church, Ryu gets caught in a fire and is saved by a Korean boxer named Johan Hwang. The two young men, both bearing deep wounds, cross paths in a once-in-a-lifetime encounter and discover that they share a unique and inexplicable bond — but the more they desire to be together, the more cruelly their relationship is tested.”
Date: August 2025
Director/writer: Shunki Hashizume
Producers: Koichi Murakami, Shinji Nomura
Production company: Robot
Cast: Hayato Isomura, Ok Taec-yeon
Alice in Borderland Season 3
Logline: “Based on Haro Aso’s manga series of the same name, Alice in Borderland follows the story of Arisu, who is transported to a parallel universe where he has to play and win games to stay alive. The games are divided into four categories, represented by the suits in a deck of playing cards. The Joker card has now appeared, marking the triumphant return of Alice in Borderland.”
Date: September 2025
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Producers: Akira Morii, Tomoki Takase
Production company: Robot, The Seven
Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya
Romantics Anonymous
Logline: “This romantic comedy features an Asian ensemble cast, with Shun Oguri as Sosuke, a man unable to have physical contact with others, and Han Hyo-joo as Hana, a woman who fears eye contact. Their mutual love for chocolate brings them together. Joining them are Jin Akanishi as bar owner and love interest Hiro, and Yuri Nakamura as Irene, a therapist Irene.”
Date: October 2025
Developed by: Park So-yeon
Director: Sho Tsukikawa
Writer: Kim Ji-hyun
Producers: Lim Seung-young, Kim Yong-eun, Choi Gi-young, Kim Keum-sil, Takuro Nagai, Mao Osaki
Production company: Yong Film
Cast: Shun Oguri, Han Hyo-joo, Yuri Nakamura, and Jin Akanishi
Last Samurai Standing
Logline: “Set in the late 19th century during the Meiji period, as the age of the samurai approached its end, Last Samurai Standing takes place at the Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto. Come nightfall, 292 samurai warriors gather, lured by the promise of a grand prize of 100 billion yen. Among them is our protagonist, Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), who enters this dangerous game with one goal: to save his ailing wife and child. Based on the widely praised “Ikusagami” series of novels by Shogo Imamura, winner of the 166th Naoki Prize in 2021, this series depicts the life-and-death games of samurai, heralding a new era for Japanese dramas.”
Date: November 2025
Directors: Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, Toru Yamamoto
Writers: Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, Risa Yashiro
Producers: Kosuke Oshida, Junichi Okada
Production company: Office Shirous
Cast: Junichi Okada, Yumia Fujisaki, Kaya Kiyohara, Masahiro Higashide, Shota Sometani, Taichi Saotome, Yuya Endo, Yasushi Fuchikami, Jyo Kairi, Takayuki Yamada, Wataru Ichinose, Riho Yoshioka, Kazunari Ninomiya, Hiroshi Tamaki, Hideaki Ito
FILM
Demon City
Logline: “Based on the comic “Oni Goroshi,” which ran until 2024, this revenge tragedy unfolds in the provincial city of Shinjo, following a hitman seeking vengeance after losing his wife and daughter. Known for its intense and brutal depiction of violence, the comic captivated readers and is now being brought to life on screen. Just as hitman Shuhei Sakata is about to clean up his act for his family, the mysterious organization Kimen-gumi murders his wife and daughter, pinning the blame on him and sullying his name. Shot in the head, he miraculously survives but falls into a coma. Twelve years later, the Kimen-gumi attacks him again, but his dormant killer instinct awakens, setting him on an epic course of revenge. However, what awaits him is a truth that threatens to completely alter his destiny.”
Date: Feb. 27, 2025
Director: Seiji Tanaka
Writer: Seiji Tanaka
Producer: Yasuhiro Masaoka, Takeshi Sawa
Production company: Amuse, Digital Frontier
Cast: Toma Ikuta, Matsuya Onoe
Bullet Train Explosion
Logline: “This film is a reboot of the original movie The Bullet Train, from 50 years ago which inspired the Hollywood blockbuster Speed. Director Shinji Higuchi, known for merging spectacular visuals with human drama in works like Shin Godzilla, creates another panic-suspense thriller, depicting the intense struggles of those racing to save lives under extreme conditions.”
Date: April 23, 2025
Directors: Shinji Higuchi
Writers: Kazuhiro Nakagawa, Norichika Oba
Producers: Kota Ishizuka
Production company: Episcope
Cast: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
10Dance
Logline: “The film follows the story of two dancers named Shinya. Takeuchi plays Shinya Suzuki, Japan’s Latin dance champion, who is skilled enough to compete globally but remains fixated on domestic competitions. Machida plays Shinya Sugiki, the Japanese champion and second-ranked dancer in the world in the Standard Ballroom category, who invites Suzuki into the world of the 10Dance Competition. As these two Shinyas — hailing from entirely different worlds with clashing personalities — form an unlikely duo, aiming to win the 10Dance Competition, they develop feelings for each other along the way.”
Date: December 2025
Director: Keishi Otomo
Writer: Tomoko Yoshida, Keishi Otomo
Producers: Takako Miyauchi, Kota Ishizuka
Production company: Episcope
Cast: Ryoma Takeuchi & Keita Machida
UNSCRIPTED
Offline Love
Logline: “Following the success of popular reality romance series like The Boyfriend and Love Village, Offline Love offers a fresh take on dating reality shows. Ten men and women embark on a journey to find love in the picturesque city of Nice, without using digital devices. But there’s a twist: they only have 10 days to meet and connect. Despite no guarantee of crossing paths, chance meetings and inevitable encounters suggest that they might be destined for love. Will the participants find their soulmates and experience true love? The series features studio commentary from Kyoko Koizumi and the comedy duo Reiwa Roman, both making their debut as emcees for a dating reality show.”
Date: Feb. 18, 2025
Commentators: Kyoko Koizumi, Reiwa Roman
Production Company: East Inc.
Badly In Love
Logline: “Produced by Megumi, a former “yankee” (delinquent), wildly authentic romance reality show brings together true outsiders. They love their friends and hometowns, and are willing to risk everything for the ones they love Get ready for a fiery, pure-love reality show about open and honest delinquents.”
Date: TBC, 2025
Producer: Megumi
Final Draft
Logline: “This is the first Japanese Netflix survival reality series featuring former professional athletes. Twenty-five athletes who ended their first careers, either involuntarily or by choice, try to knock one another down and be the last one standing as they compete for a 30-million-yen grand prize that can be used to explore and fund a second career. While struggling with near-impossible competitions that push them to the brink, they must face not just their rivals but also their own physical limits. The stage is set for this survival game that combines strategy, one-upmanship and psychological battles featuring athletes aiming to once again capture a life in the spotlight.”
Date: TBC, 2025
Showrunner: Kazuaki Hashimoto
Production company: The Far Eastern TV Entertainment, Inc.
Welcome, Now Get Lost
Logline: “Outbursts of anger and bursts of laughter erupt as insulted comedians navigate a most unwelcoming village! Originally created by Nobuyuki Sakuma — the mastermind behind Last One Standing and Lighthouse — for the popular YouTube channel NOBROCK TV, where it earned 15 million views, the series is coming to Netflix with a new host, Koji Higashino.”
Date: TBC, 2025
Commentator: Koji Higashino
Producer and director: Nobuyuki Sakuma
