Mizu is a fierce, determined mixed-race samurai on a revenge quest against the four white men who made her a “creature of shame.” She’s taken in by the Swordmaker and learns to forge then wield swords. She wears amber-tinted sunglasses to hide her blue eyes and disguises herself as a man. 

Noizumi first fell in love with Erskine’s work through PEN15, as she “related so much to her feelings about growing up mixed-race Japanese in Southern California, which was my experience,” she said. “Sometimes I would watch her and knew that she felt my pain. She far exceeded our expectations as Mizu, and we hadn’t really seen her do anything this dramatic. But she really went above and beyond.”

Green praised how highly skilled, deeply trained, and serious an actor Erskine is — especially considering how much time she spent thinking about having a voice that masks your gender. “We all got to know her as a brilliant comedic actor from the show PEN15, and I think the world is about to get to know her as an action hero,” he said.

PEN15, Wine Country, Casual, Plus One, Crossing Swords, DC League of Super-Pets, Betas, Heartbeat, Insecure, Man Seeking Woman, 6 Balloons

Ringo is an overeager, loyal soba maker who leaves his father to apprentice with Mizu and guide her on her quest for revenge. He yearns to be a great samurai despite being born with no hands.

Heroes, Hawaii Five-0, Bullet Train, The Meg, Get Smart, Luis, Scrubs, Mozart in the Jungle, Jobs

Taigen is a chiseled samurai revered as an undefeated warrior until Mizu bests him at his dojo and ruins his engagement to Akemi. He vows to restore his honor by killing Mizu, but the two forge a complicated friendship.

Never Have I Ever, Love Hard, Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules, Gran Turismo, Skull Island

The gilded yet determined daughter of Lord Daichi of the Tokonobu clan, Akemi dreams of controlling her own fate. After her engagement to Taigen is thwarted, she sets out on the open road.   

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The Suite Life on Deck, Dollface, The Social Network, Dads, Pure Genius, Station 19, Amphibia, Secret Obsession, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, Phil of the Future

Seki is Akemi’s kind and wise attendant who spent years raising her. 

Star Trek, The Terror, Heroes, Supah Ninjas, Hit-Monkey, Love Monster, Kim Possible

The Swordmaker is a renowned bladesmith, also known as Master Eiji. After losing his eyesight in a fire, he has learned to use fire to make fearsome blades. The Swordmaker takes Mizu in and becomes a father figure to her while training her to make swords. 

The Last Emperor, Licence to Kill, Mortal Kombat, Planet of the Apes, Tekken, The Phantom, The Man in the High Castle, Johnny Tsunami, Vampires, Little Boy

Heiji Shindo is a trader of flesh, opium, and guns, and partner to Western trader Abijah Fowler. He plots to take control of the Shogunate with Fowler.

Fresh Off the Boat, Always Be My Maybe, Blockbuster, WandaVision and the Ant-Man Marvel films, Human Resources, Young Rock, Veep, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, The Interview, Shortcomings, Straight Up, Totally Killer

Abijah Fowler is Mizu’s potential father and main target. He’s an illegal trader from Ireland with perverse, violent tendencies and aims to kill the Shogun and break open Japan’s borders to Western influences. 

Henry V, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, A Haunting in Venice, Oppenheimer, Tenet, Dunkirk, My Week with Marilyn, Othello, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Fortunes of War, Celebrity, Wild Wild West, Wallander, Warm Springs

Madame Kaji is an exacting businesswoman who runs a mid-tier brothel catering to fetishes and “peculiarities.” Though at times harsh, she offers wisdom and protection to those in her keep.

Mulan, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Joy Luck Club, ER, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Stargate Universe, Vanished, The Batman, Mech Cadets, The Single Guy, Street Fighter, Prom Night, As the World Turns, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Yasuke

Ise is one of Madame Kaji’s employees who is wry, sarcastic, and particularly mean to Akemi until the two find common ground. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Joy Ride, The Path, Shortcomings, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Monkey King, Set It Up, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Takayoshi is a smaller, staid version of his father, the Shogun, and Akemi’s new betrothed. He struggles with a stammer but is not the violent man Akemi believed him to be. 

Glee, Shadowhunters, Crazy Rich Asians, the Step Up films, Grey’s Anatomy, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Caper, LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, Single by 30, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

Chiaki is the fearsome leader of the Four Fangs gang of assassins whose cruelty has earned him the moniker “Bloodsoaked Chiaki.” He fights with a broken blade stolen from Master Eiji. 

Hawaii Five-0, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Only the Strong, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Warrior, Blade of the 47 Ronin, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Wu Assassins, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight, Double Dragon