Yasuke: 10 Mind-Blowing Historical Facts From The Netflix Anime

Oda Nobunaga is a fascinating historical figure, and his role in Yasuke - despite all its strange and outrageous fantasy and sci-fi elements - is fairly accurate. He's portrayed as a great man, but not necessarily a perfect or good one, with many flaws that the series doesn't shy away from showing.

In the series, he's shown to be more forward-thinking, giving opportunities to those who prove themselves, such as Yasuke himself, despite traditional views. He's also a very capable military tactician, shown to be brutal in his military campaigns, not sparing the lives of innocents in his "war of unification". These all align with real life accounts of Nobunaga, as one who encouraged free trade and reform, while also being merciless against opposition.

One of Nobunaga's generals, Mistuhide, betrays Nobunaga and leads the attack that forces Nobunaga to commit seppuku in both the series and in real historical accounts. Brief mention in the show is also made of Nobunaga's son and his failed attempt to rebel against the new regime, which Yasuke supposedly joined. This seems to reference Mitsuhide's historical attack on Nobunaga's son Nobutada, which also led to Nobutada committing seppuku.