Highlights

  • Mizu's journey to Europe in the 16th century will take her through trade routes including China, India, and possibly Madagascar, highlighting the dangers of European colonialism.
  • Constantinople, now Istanbul, was a major metropolitan center in the 16th century, serving as a hub for trade and transportation between the East and West.
  • Akemi, a character in Blue Eye Samurai, could find inspiration from Queen Nzinga, who resisted European colonialism and the slave trade in Ndongo and Matamba.

These days, getting from one side of the globe to the other is only a matter of getting the proper weight on one's carry-on, but only a few hundred years ago, it was an epic undertaking. The 16th century, in particular, was an Era of Exploration, and with it came all the power of colonialism in the form of tall ships, gunpowder, and the promise of fortune and glory.

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The fire that consumes imperial Edo at the end of the first season of Blue Eye Samurai is intended to be the Great Fire of Meireki, which took place in 1657. Mizu has a long road ahead of her before she reaches London, and the world is a very different place in the 16th century. With any luck, viewers might see a variety of new places in the next season of Blue Eye Samurai.

6 Edo Japan

Rebuilt Under The Tokugawa Shogunate

blue eye samurai taigan and akemi in the snowy landscape with a big tree and palace in the background

Blue Eye Samurai is a fictional story, but it's framed by real historical events. The burning of Edo in the last episode of Season 1 was based on something that actually happened, and even though the main character is heading to Europe, there will likely be a parallel storyline that continues in Japan.

This plotline could follow Akemi and her actions as part of the royal court and provide a venue for Madame Kaji to return. Any court intrigue would include her in-laws, and it would also be interesting to see how the dynamic between Akemi and her new family evolves.

5 Joseon

A Mighty Empire Across The East Sea

Mizu in Blue Eye Samurai

Mizu's trip to Europe will take her west through the old trade routes that lead to places like China and India, but another major empire of the era was in the neighborhood already. During this period, the Joseon Dynasty ruled the Korean Peninsula, and their seat of power was located in the southern part of the country near the modern city of Daegu.

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The last we saw of Mizu, she was leaving by ship, but there are months of travel ahead, and stops will be required. This might be the point where a decision has to be made regarding how to get to London. It's possible to continue their journey overland in a time when trade and travel between China and Korea was common instead of going by sea the whole way.

4 Madagascar

A Dangerous Island For Various Reasons

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If the writers of Blue Eye Samurai want to dive even more deeply into the sordid crimes that blossomed under the spread of European colonialism, a worthy example would be Madagascar. The Portuguese built their first settlement in 1513, and their efforts continued for decades with more forts, cities, and conversion missions. It's on the way to London should Mizu continue her journey by ship.

Japan's response to a similar European incursion was to close its borders completely and only allow foreigners very limited contact for trade. It might have worked for a while but ended badly, and the several kings that ruled Madagascar at the time weren't able to make a similar move. It wasn't only colonists that made this place dangerous but the pirates that constantly patrolled the nearby coastline and trade routes.

3 Constantinople

A Possible Overland Route

blue-eye-samurai-series Cropped

This ancient city presently retains its original name of Istanbul, officially changed in the 1930s after the Turkish War of Independence, but in the late 16th century, it was still named after the Roman Emperor of centuries past. Every travel route from east to west and vice versa led through Constantinople. Most of the Crusades traveling directly by boat from Europe would dock in Constantinople to continue their journey east.

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In the 16th century, Constantinople was the closest thing the world had to a major metropolitan center, complete with bustling transportation, trade of virtually anything, entertainment, media, and all the comforts of big city life. This also came with drawbacks, like pollution, crime, and poverty to a degree that Mizu has never seen, and Fowler only dreams about.

2 Ndongo and Matamba, West Africa

Mighty Kingdoms That Resisted The Slave Trade

taigan blue eye samurai

If Akemi could look outside of Japan for inspiration, she might find Queen Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande, who ruled the Ambundu Kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba in the late 16th century. Her reign was a tumultuous one, and she was one of the African rulers known for resisting European colonialism, specifically the slave trade.

This portion of the African continent was a hotspot for Portuguese and Dutch colonialism, along with pirates, and the Pacific coast is notorious for its deadly waters. However, it's also an area that Mizu might have to traverse on her way to Europe, depending on the route she takes.

1 Ireland

Fowler's Home

Blue-Eye-Samurai-Abijah-Fowler-Netflix

Abijah Fowler never explicitly says where he's from, but he talks about his past and childhood memories enough for viewers to conclude he's from Ireland. He mentioned how the famine was engineered to starve out revolutionaries and how he and his sister resorted to cannibalism to survive. His life of crime and debauchery seems to have been prompted by her death.

This doesn't mean that Mizu and Fowler have to go to Ireland themselves, although it's a possibility. Some flashbacks about Fowler's early life and how he came to know Violet, Skeffington, and Routely would also be interesting.

Blue Eye Samurai
Blue Eye Samurai
Action

Creator
Amber Noizumi, Michael Green
Release Date
November 3, 2023
Streaming Service(s)
Netflix