How many episodes are in Song of the Samurai?

Song of the Samurai has 6 episodes in this listed season.

When does Song of the Samurai premiere?

Song of the Samurai premieres on 2026-05-09.

Is Song of the Samurai a new series?

Song of the Samurai is a new series (Season 1).

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Song of the Samurai(2026)

Also known as Chiruran: Shinsengumi Chinkon-ka • ちるらん新撰組鎮魂歌江戸青春篇 • ちるらん新撰組鎮魂歌～京都決戦篇～

Archived · TBS

8.115+6 eps

S01

Action & AdventureActionDrama

ON AIR: MAY 9Season 1Archived listing

What to Expect

PremiereLens read

Song of the Samurai is a high-intensity miniseries built around sword combat and the specific codes that govern it. Set in the turbulent final years of the Edo period, it moves at a propulsive pace, staging action sequences with the weight of historical consequence rather than spectacle alone. The Shinsengumi warriors here are not chasing victory so much as choosing how to meet an end they already see coming.

Rivalries between the men sharpen over time without neatly resolving, and the bonds forged inside that pressure carry real friction. Hijikata and his fellow warriors burn through the story with a kind of fierce clarity, loyalty tested not by doubt but by the mounting cost of holding to it. That combination of brotherhood and impending loss gives the drama its particular charge.

Best for

honor-code samurai, high-octane sword action and Action & Adventure

Story lane

Action & Adventure and Action

Commitment

Season 1 · 6 episodes

Where

TBS

Official Premise

The Japanese drama series "Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem," internationally titled "Song of the Samurai," follows Toshizo Hijikata and the warriors of the Shinsengumi as they fight through the violent final years of the Edo period. Blending historical drama with intense "Japanese Sword Action," the series depicts the bonds, rivalries, and fiery lives of men who chose to burn brightly and fall with honor.

Watch Next If This Is Your Lane

Start with the closest match, then check out two more shows with a similar feel, pace, mood, or theme.

Last Samurai Standing

Netflix • Nov 13, 2025

DramaAction

In 1878, 292 samurai gather for a battle royale lured by a 100 thousand yen prize. Wooden tags are given; the last survivor reaching Tokyo wins. Shujiro Saga participates to save his sick family. A dangerous game of survival unfolds.

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Strongest Match

Last Samurai Standing keeps the same Edo-era intensity you get in Song of the Samurai, with nonstop danger and men pushed to the edge by a strict code of survival. Wooden-tag eliminations turn every fight into a countdown, and the personal desperation of one competitor adds a colder, more mechanical pressure than the brotherhood-focused sword drama.

The Murky Stream

Disney+ • Sep 26, 2025

DramaAction

Takryu tells the story of a man who was a gangster who would become a legend in Joseon. He was known as a gangster at Han River's Mapo Port and eventually became a Joseon legend because of his body and skills.

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Why this pick

The Murky Stream brings the same high-octane historical combat energy as Song of the Samurai, trading battlefield honor for street-level fights that escalate fast. Underworld loyalty and family pressure keep characters moving through brutal set pieces, with jokes and swagger cutting through the violence, then snapping back into real consequences.

Operation Safed Sagar

Netflix • Aug 7, 2026

DramaAction

As the Kargil War erupts between India and Pakistan, an Air Force squadron takes flight on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. The series follows the unit’s high-risk operations as its members confront the pressures, uncertainty, and urgency of aerial combat during the conflict.

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Why this pick

Operation Safed Sagar shares Song of the Samurai’s focus on warriors under immediate pressure, where every decision costs something and the pace never settles. Aerial missions deliver constant danger and tight team cohesion, but the tension is more procedural and command-heavy, with fewer moments of brotherhood-by-sword and more urgency in the air.

Want the bigger picture?

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