Last Samurai Standing's ending laid the groundwork for the perfect twist to build anticipation for Season 2 following the introduction of Gentosai. Netflix's Japanese action thriller is based on Shogo Imamura's novel, revolving around a battle royale featuring a wide array of once-powerful samurai fighting each other to survive. This era in Japan pushed these samurai warriors to the brink, considering that the new government's modernization policies branded them as "shizoku," meaning that they were stripped of their privileges and employment.
At the center of the story is Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), a fading samurai warrior who agreed to join a mysterious Kodoku tournament where the last one standing will win 100 billion yen. The twist here is that the winner must outlast (survive) all the others during a journey from Kyoto to Tokyo, Japan. Basically, it's like Squid Game and The Long Walk but with samurai warriors instead of players.
The show's ending highlighted the resolution of Shujiro's rivalry with Bukotsu Kanjiya, and this was further elevated by Gentosai's true intentions.
Who Is Gentosai In Last Samurai Standing? Meaning of His Finale Role Explained
Gentosai (Abe Hiroshi) is among the samurai chosen to take part in the Kodoku, but he has deep ties to Shujiro's past.
For those unaware, Shujiro and his adopted siblings were previously trainees at the Kyohachi-ryu School, an institution that specialized in swordsmanship. Following the retirement of their first master, he announced that the school's ownership would be transferred to the person who was willing to kill the rest of their siblings. If they chose not to push through with this mission, then the master's enforcer, Gentosai, would pursue and kill them.
This certain Gentosai was considered a myth by the students, especially Shujiro. However, Episode 1 subtly revealed that Gentosai was, in fact, real, and he joined the tournament to finish his lifelong mission of eliminating the failed successors of the school, which includes Shujiro, Iroha (another one of Shujiro's newfound allies), Shikura, and Sansuke.
What makes Gentosai even more terrifying is the fact that he is an expert swordsman and essentially invincible during his duels with the other samurai warriors.
In the season finale, "Mortal Combat," Gentosai emerged to fulfill his lifelong mission of killing the failed successors, targeting Iroha before Sansuke and Shikura saved her.
Shikura tried to defeat Gentosai on his own, but he failed (though he escaped just in time to avoid death). After narrowly escaping their tragic fate, the trio agreed that they should eliminate Gentosai once and for all, considering that his mere existence would not allow them to progress in the tournament.
The trio would also need to convince Shujiro to kill Gentosai, but it would be easy because he is also the target of the deadly old man.
What makes things even more complicated for the Gentosai is the fact that he has a secret alliance with Kyojin, the friendly samurai who has been helping Shujiro and Futaba throughout the tournament. The finale revealed that it was Kyojin who revealed Iroha's location to Gentosai, thus complicating matters when Shujiro finds out about this betrayal in a potential Season 2.
Why Gentosai Is the Perfect New Villain in Last Samurai Standing Season 2
The Gentosai has proven throughout Last Samurai Standing Season 1 that he is not easy to kill, and his relentless pursuit of protecting the teachings of the old school makes him a far more dangerous big bad in a possible Season 2.
While there are still other villains present in the grand scheme of things in Last Samurai Standing, such as the ruthless organizers of the game, making the Gentosai a physical threat that runs around and pursues the protagonists in the remaining rounds of the tournament makes the story more compelling.
The dynamic between Gentosai and Kyojin is also expected to take center stage in the show's sophomore run, delving deep into Kyojin's betrayal and his reasoning for forming an alliance with a brutal killer like Gentosai. A grand showdown between the united front of Team Shujiro (Shujiro, Futaba, Iroha, Sansuke, and Shikura) and the duo of Gentosai and Kyojin could be the final climactic duel in Season 2.
