Fiction · HISTORICAL PROFILE

The Last Samurai

Name: The Last Samurai
Genre: Fiction
Released: 2003-12-05
Duration: 154 min
Rating: 7.8

2003154 minENIMDb 7.8/10 · 511K votes

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.

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REPRESENTED HISTORY

1876 → 1877

Primary placement confidence: high. Importance on the World History timeline: 5/5.

Historical relation: Period Setting
Historical accuracy: 2/5
Periods: 1
Events: 1
People: 1
Places: 2

STREAMING AVAILABILITY

Where to watch

Availability may change · checked 15/10/2026.Streaming availability powered by JustWatch via TMDB.

Curated watch paths2

History of JapanCourt culture, shoguns, modernization and war→The Meiji RestorationThe fall of the Tokugawa order and Japan’s rapid transformation, 1853–1912→

Historical periods1

Meiji eraPrimary · Historical Era

Japanese imperial reign period from 1868 to 1912, associated with institutional transformation, modernization and overseas expansion.

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Events1

Satsuma RebellionPrimary Subject · Civil War And Samurai Revolt

The 1877 uprising of former samurai in southwestern Japan against the Meiji government, ending with the defeat of the rebels and the death of Saigō Takamori.

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People1

Emperor MeijiMajor Character · Historical

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Places2

JapanPrimary Setting · Country

The principal setting, undergoing political centralization, military modernization, and the decline of the samurai order.

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TokyoSetting · City

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External references2

IMDBtt0325710↗TMDB616↗