the first black samurai yasuke gets animated series and comic book!

The hidden history of the first black Samurai, Yasuke, is re-emerging through the form of an animated series and comic book created by Deranta’ Avaloy. Titled Yasuke: Birth of A Samurai, Avaloy and team have launched a HatchFund campaign to bring to life their take on Yasuke’s story. Production on ‘Yasuke’ has already begun, but the team is now raising funds to produce the preview issue of the comic.

“Yasuke: Birth of A Samurai was created out of the desire to fill a gap that has been long ignored in the superhero genre. The need for a hero of color that is not a sidekick, a joke or a character that is mandated by those that can’t relate to the African American culture.

The biggest thing we want to accomplish is to provide a character that the children can look up to, read the stories, watch the cartoons and be able to relate to the main characters and know that they are able to see reflections of themselves and feel a sense of pride,” Avaloy writes on HatchFund.