Four action figures based on the Spike TV show Afro Samurai were released this week. Created by DC Direct, the characters Afro Samurai, Kuma, Ninja Ninja and Justice are brought to life with amazing detail and capture the style of the hit anime in every possible way. The scale of each figure is also impressive, ranging from 7 to 8.25 inches tall. If you’re not familiar with the show, Afro Samurai (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is an epic tale of a black samurai’s hunt for Justice (played by Ron Perlman) who murdered his father. Composed by famed artist RZA (from the Wu Tang Clan) Afro Samurai blends traditional Japanese culture, funky technology and hip-hop to create a brutally fresh experience.
Based on the manga series created by Takashi Okazaki, Afro Samurai was adapted into a five-episode anime miniseries that first appeared on Spike TV in 2007. The regular DVD and director’s cut DVD are both available now and worth every penny.
A new season has been announced for 2008 on Spike TV. In season two, Okazaki told Mainichi Daily News that Afro “loses his way, gets tired of all the killing.” The new season, he said, follows Afro as he finally “wakes up to his destiny, which is to be the world’s number one warrior.” I’m sure Samuel L. Jackson, who co-produced the original series, will reprise his role as Afro and he will face an “alluring” female warrior. “Seduction and violence — those are musts for American TV,” says Okazaki.
Plans are also in the works to produce a live-action Afro Samurai movie, starring Samuel L. Jackson, although production has not yet begun. And a video game adaptation of the series has been announced for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but again no release date has been announced.
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Check out the trailer for Afro Samurai below or click here.
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