Parents Guide and Age Rating for the Animated Netflix Hit

Blue Eye Samurai may be getting its much-deserved buzz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone should be watching it.

As folks should know by now, animation is not a genre but a medium to convey a story. What this means is that while animated shows and movies are favored by kids, they’re not always the target audience. In fact, with the rise of anime’s popularity around the world, it seems like more and more animated projects are betting on older audiences, as people begin to recognize that this medium is just as good at conveying meaningful, complex, and daring stories.

Given this, it’s understandable and encouraged that parents keep an eye on what kind of animated content their kids are watching. There is some very gruesome animated content out there — Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen easily come to mind — that is not suitable for children. With this in mind, let’s take a look at Blue Eye Samurai‘s case.

What is Blue Eye Samurai‘s age rating?

Naturally, a show’s age rating can vary from country to country, so depending on where you are in the world, you may see a difference in Blue Eye Samurai‘s rating. In the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, it’s rated as TV-MA, meaning it should only be watched by mature audiences. In general, other countries seem to agree with this sentiment, such as the U.K., Taiwan, and Brazil, which deem the show unsuitable for people under 18. Australia and Norway are a bit more lenient, as the show’s rating goes down to MA15+ and 16, respectively.

Does Blue Eye Samurai contain violence and gore?

As one can likely deduce when considering a show about a samurai, this animated project contains a lot of violence and gore. There is a lot of blood shown throughout season 1, as well as depictions of sliced limbs, heads, dead bodies, and even a brief torture scene. Overall, Blue Eye Samurai is not a show for the weak of stomach

Does Blue Eye Samurai contain sex and nudity?

Most of Blue Eye Samurai‘s episodes contain nudity and some of it is full-frontal. The show also depicts sex scenes and there is an implied rape, so consider this before allowing your underage child to dive into it.

Does Blue Eye Samurai contain profanity?

If you don’t condone profanity and don’t want your child to watch content in which it is used a lot, it may be best for them to sit this one out. In Blue Eye Samurai, strong language is used with some frequency, including words such as “wh*re,” “f**k,” and “sh*t,” among others.

Does Blue Eye Samurai contain alcohol, drugs, or smoking?

In season 1, some characters are shown drinking Japanese rice wine, best known as saké. Some scenes include drugs and smoking, especially because Mizu’s mother is addicted to opium, which she’s seen smoking despite claiming that it’s for her headaches. At one point, Mizu is drugged with some type of hallucinogenic flower.

Overall, it’s obvious that Blue Eye Samurai is not suitable for all audiences, so bear all of this in mind when deciding whether or not your child should be watching it. Ultimately, the decision is yours.