Season 1
24 episodes Jul 31, 2019 7.4
Overview
Ohma Tokita enters a hidden world where corporate disputes are settled in brutal gladiator bouts. Forget the money, he just wants to fight — and win.
Seasons
2 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 2 seasons
- Episodes
- 52 episodes
- First aired
- Jul 31, 2019
- Last aired
- Aug 15, 2024
- Episode length
- 23m
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S2 E28 Finale (Aug 15, 2024)
Season 2
28 episodes Sep 21, 2023 7.9The second round of the Kengan Life-or-Death Tournament continues — without Ohma. As the mighty gladiators clash, a shadowy figure plots a violent coup.
Cast
Reviews
5 min readBodies in a Corporate Colosseum
I keep coming back to the simplest thing about KENGAN ASHURA: it understands that a fight can be an argument, a confession, a sales pitch, and a nervous breakdown all at once. That’s the series’ real hook, more than the premise about corporations settling disputes through underground combat. latestnetflix.com's read is that People talk in fists here because the world has already decided speech is ornamental.
You can see why this idea has lasted. It’s absurd, of course. Also weirdly lucid.
What struck me most while I was watching is how little the series cares about explaining itself in the polite, introductory way so many action shows do. It doesn’t stop to tutor you in its mythology so much as throw you into the ring and trust that you’ll catch up by watching elbows, teeth, and balance. The first season, which adapts Yabako Sandrovich’s manga, plays like a contact sport version of boardroom capitalism: polished executives at the edges, savage human consequence at the center.
That tension is the whole machine. In one corner, suits. In the other, bodies that have been trained, broken, rebuilt, and sold.
The conversation around the series, as far as I can tell, has always been split between its motion and its look. Some viewers bounced off the first impression of the CGI animation, especially in the earlier episodes, where faces can seem slightly detached from the violence they’re supposed to be sweating through. Fair complaint.
I felt it too at moments. But once the fights start to accumulate, the style reveals its purpose: this isn’t a show interested in prettifying impact. It wants weight, torsion, strain.
Limbs wind up like machinery. Shoulders buckle. A body doesn’t just fly across the frame; it submits to momentum.
The effect is less balletic than transactional. Every hit is a debt collected.
That’s also why the series’ best scenes often aren’t the biggest ones. I’m thinking of the moments before a match, when the show lets a fighter’s stillness become part of the choreography. A narrow corridor.
A hand flexing once. A mouth half-open, then shut. The camera lingers just long enough for the viewer to feel the calm as a kind of pressure.
Then the ring. Then the eruption. Anime action can sometimes feel weightless in the bad, miraculous way — too clean, too frictionless. KENGAN ASHURA is usually better when it remembers that muscles are made of hesitation as much as force.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 7.4/10
"KENGAN ASHURA delivers an intense, unapologetic adrenaline rush for combat enthusiasts, relying on brutal underground tournament spectacle to hook martial arts fans."
Centered on underground gladiator Tokita Ohma fighting on behalf of corporate interests in high-stakes wagers, the anime struck a strong chord with action fans seeking bone-crunching tournament excitement. Russian and international viewers appreciated the relentless momentum and varied martial arts disciplines on display, highlighting matchups featuring formidable lineages like the lethal Kure clan. As [latestnetflix.com]() observes, the production succeeds largely because of its unapologetic combat focus, even as audience scores reflected a modest climb in appreciation as the tournament rounds progressed into the second part.
What viewers praise
- Visceral Tournament Combat High-stakes underground brawls and diverse fighting styles provide intense, engaging showdowns throughout the competition.
- Distinct Fighter Lineages Intriguing character backgrounds, including lethal combat clans and storied lineages, build compelling clash dynamics.
Common complaints
- Uneven Early Reception Audience reception was somewhat mixed during the opening part before warming up significantly in the later tournament stages.
Recommended for
Fans of aggressive martial arts anime and tournament arcs Viewers who enjoy brutal, fast-paced underground fight choreography
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of Kengan Ashura (2019): Voice Actor Drama and Production Secrets
Kengan Ashura (2019) delivered brutal martial arts action to Netflix audiences, but its behind-the-scenes story is just as intense as its on-screen fights. From production splits to a major voice actor scandal, here’s what went down during the anime’s creation.
A Two-Part Release Strategy
The first season of Kengan Ashura didn’t drop all at once. Instead, it was split into two parts—episodes 1–12 premiered on July 31, 2019, while episodes 13–24 followed on October 31 of the same year 
. The anime was produced by LARX Entertainment, a subsidiary of Studio Hibari, though details about the director and key creative decisions remain scarce . This staggered release was likely a strategic move to maintain hype, but it also meant fans had to wait months for the second half of the tournament arc.
Tatsuhisa Suzuki: The Voice Behind Ohma—and a Major Scandal
Tatsuhisa Suzuki, the voice actor for protagonist Tokita Ohma, was a central figure in Kengan Ashura—and in a real-life controversy that rocked the industry. In early 2022, Suzuki was exposed for cheating on his wife, LiSA, one of Japan’s biggest pop stars 
. The scandal escalated when Suzuki reportedly attempted suicide following the backlash . While the incident occurred years after Kengan Ashura’s release, it cast a shadow over his role in the series, with fans divided over separating the art from the artist.
Suzuki wasn’t the only notable voice actor in the cast. Junya Enoki (Cosmo Imai) and Hayato Kaneko (Ichirou Nakata) also played major roles, each appearing in all 24 episodes of the first season . However, no other cast members have been linked to similar controversies.
Reception and Ratings: Mixed but Passionate
Kengan Ashura’s first season earned a modest but dedicated following. On SensCritique, Part 1 holds a 6.6/10 rating from 931 votes, while Part 2 improved slightly to 6.9/10 from 189 votes . The anime’s action-heavy, tournament-style storytelling clearly resonated with fans of the manga, though some critics found the pacing uneven. Notably, the series hasn’t received widespread critical acclaim or awards attention, but its cult following remains strong.
Unanswered Questions
Despite its popularity, Kengan Ashura’s production details are surprisingly thin. There’s no confirmed information about the director, budget, or behind-the-scenes challenges—like whether the split release caused issues for the animation team. Rumors about a potential second season have circulated, but nothing has been officially announced .
For now, Kengan Ashura’s legacy is defined by its high-octane fights and the real-life drama of its lead voice actor. Whether the anime will return for more seasons—or if Suzuki’s role will be recast—remains unconfirmed.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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