What is cholera? Tragic true story behind Last Samurai Standing

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Netflix’s newest live-action manga adaptation, Last Samurai Standing, features a high-stakes competition similar to Squid Game, where 292 fighters compete for a large cash prize. However, the show is based on a tragic real-life event: a cholera outbreak.

Netflix has become a major player in bringing popular anime and manga to life with live-action adaptations, including hits like One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Alice in Borderland.

Last Samurai Standing is unique in its story and how it’s told. The show takes place during the Meiji era of the late 1800s, a period of fast-paced change in Japan as western ideas became popular. During this time, samurai warriors were increasingly seen as unimportant.

Shujiro Saga, played by Junichi Okada, is one of several fighters lured into a dangerous competition with a small cash prize of 100,000 yen (about $650). The competition feels like a blend of historical Japanese drama and the intense survival challenges of Squid Game, but there’s a hidden and terrifying reason so many are willing to risk everything: a spreading outbreak of cholera.

What is cholera?

Cholera is a serious infection caused by bacteria that spreads through contaminated food or water. It affects the digestive system, causing severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Without quick treatment, cholera can be fatal, sometimes within just a few hours.

According to the World Health Organization, cholera can be easily prevented and cured with quick medical attention. This mainly involves restoring fluids and, for serious cases, using antibiotics. Safe water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene are crucial for preventing the disease.

Cholera first appeared in the Ganges Delta region of India, becoming common there because of polluted water. The first major outbreak began in 1817, traveling along trade routes through Asia and the Middle East before eventually spreading to Europe and North America.

In the following hundred years, six more large-scale pandemics occurred, each causing hundreds of thousands of deaths and spreading more easily due to growing worldwide trade and travel.

Cholera is still a serious health problem around the world, especially in areas where people don’t have clean water or good healthcare. The World Health Organization estimates there are 1.3 to 4 million cases annually, leading to 21,000 to 143,000 deaths each year.

Today, most people who get sick with this condition can fully recover thanks to simple treatments like oral rehydration salts. Sometimes, fluids given through a vein or antibiotics are also needed, but when these treatments are used correctly, the death rate is now less than 1%.

When is Last Samurai Standing set?

Set in 1878, Last Samurai Standing unfolds ten years after the peak of samurai power. While the film’s central competition is made up, Japan historically faced a serious cholera epidemic during this period.

In the first episode of the Netflix series, Shujiro’s wife and daughter fall ill along with many others. Desperate to find food and supplies for his family, he discovers an advertisement for the “Kodoku” tournament.

After his daughter passed away, he entered a competition hoping to improve things for his wife and remaining son. He soon realized he wasn’t alone – many others were facing similar struggles.

Japan experienced a major cholera epidemic from 1877 to 1879, resulting in over 160,000 cases and more than 100,000 deaths.

The disease quickly spread through busy port cities such as Nagasaki and Osaka. A lack of clean water and sewage systems, combined with little knowledge about how diseases spread, made it extremely difficult to stop the outbreak.

These outbreaks were incredibly damaging to communities and also made existing inequalities worse. People with fewer resources suffered the most due to poor living conditions and limited access to help.

Last Samurai Standing highlights this contrast by showing the characters’ suffering, but also through its fictional competition. The tournament is designed to entertain wealthy, callous viewers who bet on the participants – similar to the VIPs in Squid Game.

How the Boshin War shaped Japan

The recent cholera outbreak isn’t the only piece of history featured in Last Samurai Standing. The Netflix series is also set about ten years after the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, a key battle that signaled the start of the end for the Boshin War.

The Boshin War, a key conflict from 1868 to 1869, dramatically changed Japan and marked the end of the samurai period. It was fought between supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate – who had governed for more than 250 years – and those who wanted to return power to the Emperor Meiji.

The Battle of Toba–Fushimi took place close to Kyoto and pitted the emperor’s forces against the shogun’s samurai warriors. The emperor’s troops had been updated with modern weapons and strategies from the West. Although the samurai were skilled and well-trained, they were overwhelmed by the superior firepower and ultimately lost the battle.

The emperor’s win solidified his power and launched the Meiji Restoration, rapidly modernizing Japan. However, as a new TV show reveals, this period meant the end of a way of life for the samurai and the loss of long-held traditions.

The recently established government ended the feudal system and prohibited people from carrying swords. It then replaced the old way of life with a system of required military service and a more organized government structure. This left many warriors, who were previously Japan’s most respected figures, feeling lost and without a clear role.

It’s true that there are strong similarities to Squid Game, as everyday people are forced into a dangerous situation due to a system that has failed them.

While modern competition and the pursuit of wealth often lead to hardship, the players in Last Samurai Standing are motivated by something different: the loss of their traditional way of life.

Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m watching Last Samurai Standing on Netflix – it’s pretty good! If you’re looking for other stuff to check out, they’ve got a list of the best live-action anime, plus all the new movies hitting Netflix this month. And if you’re a TV show planner like me, they even have a calendar of what’s coming in 2025.

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2025-11-14 18:50