Parents' Guide to

Afro Samurai

By Scout Davidson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Stylish animation can't mask extreme violence and language.

TV Spike Drama 2007
Afro Samurai Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Sergio M.
Sergio M. Adult
May 20, 2018
age 18+

Afro Samurai

There's some kissing and a long sex scene with some female nudity. The violence is very strong, gory and constant. People are constantly killed in gory ways, with Japanese weapons and samurai swords throughout. There are some uses of strong language, such as "f***" and "motherf*****". Milder swears are more frequent: "s***", "bastard", "hell", "damn", "bulls***", "son of a b****", and other profanities. Afro is often seen smoking what looks like a joint, as are some other characters. Drinking is seen briefly.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
christian2011
christian2011 Adult
August 11, 2013
age 16+

Dark and edgy anime series loaded with graphic violence and profanity.

Afro Samurai is truly one of a kind with it's interesting characters with a flamboyant "swag" attitude, including Afro, whom is a professional killer highly proficient with a samurai sword and quite calm/collected throughout. After the unfortunate death of his father right before his eyes as a child, he swore an oath to bring the killer to justice (which the antagonist's name is Justice) with the iron will of revenge. Even though this is an animated series, it's definitely not for children or young teens, due to the pervasive amount of graphic bloody violence (people are explicitly beheaded, dismembered, sliced in half, torn apart, beaten to death). Language is strong and frequent - uses of f**k, motherf**ker, c**ksucker, sh*t, b*tch, and other crude name-calling. There's a couple graphic sex scenes between characters (breasts, buttocks, thrusting) is shown. Multiple characters are seen smoking and drinking in most scenes, even when fight scenes occur. Mature older teens whom are very familiar and used to this sort of violent and crude content should be fine with it.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

As a child, young Afro (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) witnesses his father -- the "number one" samurai -- being murdered by the number two samurai, Justice (Ron Perlman), who then usurps the title. Afro spends his whole life in training, and, upon adulthood, goes after Justice. He defeats one foe after another in increasingly violent fights before reaching the mountain where Justice lives -- where he prepares for the most important battle of his life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (6):

While it's decidedly not for children, AFRO SAMURAI is surprisingly well made. Its primary strength is in its art, which is lush and detailed. Many critics have argued that the story is somewhat generic, which is probably true. But fans of anime and martial arts likely won't be swayed by such concerns.

Teenage boys will love this one -- if they're mature enough to handle its themes of violent retribution and sexual conquest. The awesome soundtrack by The RZA (of legendary hip hop group The Wu-Tang Clan) is just icing on this (very bloody) cake.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it means to seek revenge. Why is Afro so single minded in his pursuit of Justice? Do the ends ever justify the means?

  • If this is a show for adults, why do you think it's animated? Should cartoons only be for kids?

  • How does the violence compare to that in other shows you've seen? Does it have the same impact that it would if it were filmed in live action? Why or why not?

TV Details

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