Netflix’s 8-Episode Historic Masterpiece Is the Perfect Game Of Thrones Replacement

Published Oct 16, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT

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Set in 17th-century Japan, Blue Eye Samurai brings political rivalries and revenge into the mix, with some absolutely gorgeous animation to go along with its brutal sword fights. It has the same interest in people fighting for power and settling old scores, except the battles here can get very personal, very quickly.

There's even a little Ned Stark in the way Blue Eye Samurai deals with honor, though its central character has a rather different way of handling problems. Anyone who misses the early days of Game of Thrones, when politics could be just as bloody as a battlefield, should give this eight-episode animated Netflix series a shot.

Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai Has The Cutthroat Politics Game of Thrones Forgot About

One thing Game of Thrones understood better than most historical-setting shows is that a personal grudge can turn into a political disaster pretty quickly. Arya Stark had her list, the Lannisters had their schemes, and everyone in Westeros seemed to have a reason to stab someone in the back. Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai plays in that same territory, except its eight episodes trade medieval castles for 17th-century Japan, with a swordfighter whose revenge quest puts her on a collision course with people far more powerful than she is.

Mizu, the series' mixed-race lead, disguises herself as a man while hunting four white men who were in Japan around the time of her birth. One may be her father, and she has no intention of letting that question go unanswered. Arya's journey took her from a frightened girl to a deadly fighter, but Mizu begins her story already terrifying with a blade. The trouble is that being good at killing doesn't make revenge any less costly. Her encounters with samurai, assassins, and powerful figures keep pushing her toward choices that would feel right at home in Westeros.

The comparison goes beyond revenge, though. Game of Thrones had noble houses plotting against each other for control of the Iron Throne, while Blue Eye Samurai puts the shogunate's grip on Japan at the center of its political conflict. Mizu's hunt brings her into the path of Abijah Fowler, an Irish smuggler plotting to overthrow the shogunate and force Japan open to the West.

It's the sort of scheme that could easily sit alongside the power plays in King's Landing, where one person's ambition can put an entire kingdom at risk. Add vicious sword fights and shifting loyalties, and Blue Eye Samurai delivers the political tension and consequences that made early Game of Thrones so hard to stop watching.

An Emmy Win And Serious Hollywood Pedigree Prove Blue Eye Samurai Is Not A Standard Animated Series

The fact that Blue Eye Samurai is animated shouldn't put anyone off. This isn't the kind of show to throw on in the background while scrolling through a phone. The sword fights are vicious, the characters are messy, and the story gets surprisingly dark for a series with such gorgeous visuals. Co-created by Michael Green, known for movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Logan, the show has also earned serious industry recognition, including six Annie Awards and the 2024 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.

For Game of Thrones viewers, the appeal goes beyond the bloodshed. Blue Eye Samurai has that same knack for making revenge personal while letting political schemes turn one person's problems into something much bigger. The difference is that Mizu's story keeps the focus tight, making every fight and betrayal feel close to home. With Blue Eye Samurai season 2 in the works and Mizu's story set to continue, there's plenty of reason to catch up on these eight episodes before her hunt takes her somewhere new.