Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai Synopsis

Afro Samurai follows a warrior on the path to avenge his father’s murder. Set in feudal Japan, this anime series depicts a journey in which the hero encounters love, betrayal, loss and brutality… Last episode: Justice Afro finishes up his battle with Kuma and continues up the mountain. Now, the final battle with Justice is at hand. The samurai is now ready to finally avenge his father’s untimely death, by slaughtering the deranged gunman.

Afro Samurai Story

In a futuristic yet feudal Japan, it is said that the one who wields the Number 1 headband is the fiercest fighter in the world and shall possess godlike powers. The only way to obtain the Number 1 headband is to challenge and defeat him in combat. However, only the Number 2 can challenge the Number 1, while anyone can challenge the Number 2, which causes a constant struggle for the Number 2 headband.

Justice, the owner of the No. 2 headband, goes to fight the owner of the No. 1 headband, Rokutaro. The two battle, ending with Justice decapitating Rokutaro and claiming his headband. Rokutaro’s head rolls in front of his son, a young boy named Afro, as he sobs and vows revenge.

Now an adult, Afro Samurai is the current No. 2 and a master swordsman. He travels Japan trying to make his way to the mountain-top keep where Justice awaits. As he makes his way to Justice, he recalls his journey from a frightened young boy to a master samurai. Along the way, many people challenge Afro for his headband, including the “Empty Seven Clan” who send various agents, including a robotic Afro, to kill him throughout his travels. He is also being hunted by his vengeful childhood friend Jinno, who was long thought to be dead. Afro eventually defeats his enemies, Jinno, and confronts Justice, whom he defeats and takes the No. 1 headband from.

Afro decides to live in the mountains once again, when Jinno, adorned with every headband in existence, confronts Afro for the No. 1 band and his revenge.

Afro Samurai Characters

Afro Samurai

The main protagonist of the series, as a child, Afro saw his father being killed by Justice. Wearing the Number Two Headband, he is on a quest to avenge his father and reclaim the Number One Headband.

Young Afro – Voiced by: Crystal Scales
Teenage Afro – Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Adult Afro – Voiced by: Samuel L. Jackson

Ninja Ninja

Perhaps the most debated character within the story, “Ninja” is Afro’s complete antithesis, always speaking and usually saying aloud what Afro can’t bring himself to say; generally, Afro refuses to respond to anything he says other than telling Ninja Ninja to “shut up.” As his name implies, he dresses in a ninja motif. He also seems to have a counter color scheme to Afro, while also having a similar frame and hair cut though he slouches when he walks. This can best be seen at the end of episode 2, where they are walking side by side after the fire.

Voiced by: Samuel L. Jackson

Rukotaro

Afro’s father, Rokutaro, was the Number One at the beginning of the series, who lost his title and life to Justice when Justice decapitated him. How he attained the Number One headband, what he did during his time as Number One, and how long he’d had it prior to Justice killing him remains unclear. According to Justice, it was Rokutaro’s intention to end the headband wars by hiding The Number One headband, but people kept fighting and killing each other to possess the other headbands.

Voiced by: Greg Eagles

Otsuru – Okiku

A young woman who specializes in the art of healing, Otsuru is an excellent cook and adores fireworks. She is the one who discovered Afro in the shrine after he lost the Number Two headband as a boy, and took him to Sword Master’s dojo where he befriended Jinno.

Voiced by: Tara Strong / Kelly Hu

Sword Master

A one-eyed samurai who housed orphans and trained them to become warriors. When a young Afro first approaches him about the headbands, he receives a beating and is told by Sword Master that wearing the headbands leads to a life of murder, saying “We are born men in order to live, not to kill”. Afro asks about the headbands again at dojo graduation, after hearing a rumor about Sword Master holding the Number Two Headband.

Voiced by: Terrence C. Carson

Sasuke

A teenage student of Sword Master, and a friend to both Afro and Jinno. He wears a pair of glasses which are held to the face by string, similar to those worn in feudal Japan and late dynastic China.

Voiced by: Jason Marsden

The Empty Seven

The Empty Seven is a group of six monks who believe that attaining both ancient headbands will lead to immortality and godhood. They employ robots and mercenaries to do their dirty work, since the monks themselves have greatly inferior fighting skills when compared to Afro and Justice possibly due to their age difference.

The Empty Seven Clan

Brother 1 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 2 Voiced by: John DiMaggio
Brother 3 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 4 Voiced by: Terrence C. Carson
Brother 5 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 6 Voiced by: Greg Eagles

Dharman

Dharman is an insane cyborg scientist employed by the Empty Seven Clan to build their machine-ninja army and the Afro Droid. He also helped rebuild and heal Jinnosuke whom he considers his masterpiece, referring to him as his “Teddy Bear”. His name comes from the fact that he closely resembles a Japanese Dharma doll.

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr

Afro Droid

A semi-sentient robot copy of Afro created by the Empty Seven Clan (specifically their personal scientist, Dharman). It was created from combat data siphoned from Afro’s mind by Okiku, and is able to reproduce all of his learned techniques and abilities. It is physically superior to Afro, and its external appearance is identical. The Afro Droid is also equipped with guns, lasers, and explosives.

Afro Droid

Kuma

A swordsman who wears a cybernetic teddy bear mask, the same design as Otsuru’s teddy bear from their time as children in their dojo, earning him the nickname “Kuma,” which means “Bear” in Japanese. He wears black keikogi and hakama, and his geta sandals have toe straps made of metal instead of cloth. Jinnosuke possesses great skill in wielding twin blades and is an old friend of Afro from his days at the dojo. Back then Jinno thought of Afro as a brother, but when Afro killed their master for the Number Two headband, Jinno vowed vengeance against him.

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal

Justice

The holder of the Number One headband for most of season one, Justice is the man who killed Afro’s father before his eyes many years ago and told Afro to challenge him when he was ready. He is a remarkably skilled gunman, dressing in a cowboy garb with the Number One headband tied around his wide-brimmed hat. He has discolored, diseased-looking skin, which his bio on the official site implies is the result of a past accident which would explain his abnormal abilities.

Voiced by: Ron Perlman

Sio

Kuma’s blood sister who arrives in part two, “Afro Samurai Resurrection.” She convinces Kuma to try to kill Afro, but in the end Kuma realizes that he is really Jinnosuke and not Kuma and that he must defend his “brother” of the sword, Afro. Sio is Jinno’s blood sister unlike Otsuru, who is related to Jinno the way Afro is, by a bond stronger than blood.

Adult Sio Voiced by: Lucy Liu
Young Sio Voiced by: Ariel Winter

Bin

Bin is one of Sio’s henchmen and protector. When Sio was young, he was part of her foster family and always made people laugh because of the funny mask he wore. But after the town where he lived was destroyed (Sio blames Afro for this event), he was almost killed and was reconstructed by the mad professor Dharman as a cybernetic fighter (similar to Jinno’s situation).

Voiced by: Mark Hamill

Michael

Michael is Sio’s second henchman. Similar to Bin, he was part of Sio’s foster family and used to entertain people by dressing in a dragon costume. He was also reconstructed by the scientist Dharman as a cyborg after he had suffered nearly fatal injuries. He wears a cloak and a red dragon mask which fires flames and rockets when it opens its mouth.

Tomoe

Tomoe is Sio’s third henchman. Part of her foster family, Tomoe was a woman who was seen holding a shamisen (guitar-like Japanese instrument) and was very kind to Sio (teaching her to dance among other things). Like the other two henchmen, she became a cyborg assassin after the tragic event that occurred in her town. She wears a wide hat and holds the same instrument that she used to sing at in the past, now being capable of turning it into a deadly weapon.

Voiced by: Grey DeLisle

Shichigoro

Shichigoro is the possessor of the Number Two headband and a very skilled swordsman. Much like Afro’s swordmaster, Shichigoro believes that by hiding the headband he would stop all the killings, but once he meets Afro, he accepts his challenge because he desires to personally kill him for all that Afro did in the past. Shichigoro is eventually killed by Afro, who takes the Number Two headband from him after his death.

Voiced by: Liam O’Brien

Kotaro

Kotaro is Shichigoro’s adopted son. After witnessing the death of his father at the hands of Afro, he seeks for revenge against him. At the end of the movie, Afro hands him the Number Two headband telling the child that he can challenge Afro ‘whenever he is ready’ – a scene reminiscent of Justice’s speech to Afro as a child.

Voiced by: Zachary Gordon

Takimoto

Takimoto is the last person seen, greeting Justice. In the manga, he holds a similar duty to Justice that The Empty Seven and Kuma held in the anime, protecting the “Number One” and defeating the current “Number Two”.

Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson