Sakamoto Days isn’t just another anime adaptation, it’s a cultural reframing. Here the assassin’s creed is domesticity, the battlefield is the grocery aisle, and the real war is the constant tug-of-war between family life and the ghosts of violence that refuse to stay buried.

What makes Sakamoto Days compelling isn’t merely the spectacle of action, it’s the subversion of the assassin’s trope. The usual story says the assassin is hollow, destined to live violently and die alone at work. Sakamoto Days turns that on its head, making its hero a narrative conundrum.

The retired assassin Taro Sakamoto has the skills to level armies, yet his true test is keeping his daughter safe, his wife happy, and his corner shop running without slipping back into the carnage of his past. This is the quiet revolution of the series: violence is never far away, but it is framed against the hum of everyday life, giving each absurd shootout or showdown a strangely human weight.

This might be the time to point out Taro Sakamoto has promised his wife he wouldn’t kill anyone, even other assassins. But he was retired so that shouldn’t be a problem anymore, right?

In a media landscape oversaturated with grimdark antiheroes, Sakamoto Days leans on joy, humor, and an almost slapstick sense of exaggeration. Gunfights collapse into comedic timing, hitmen crash into domestic chores, and every bullet fired is matched by a beat of levity. The show’s heart isn’t in the kill count, but in the insistence that ordinary life, messy, mundane, and imperfect, can be worth more than all the glamour of violence.

The series also thrives on its cast. Aoi Sakamoto, the steady wife, and Hana, their spirited daughter, provide the grounding center. Shin Asakura, the telepathic ex-assassin; Lu Xiaotang, the ramen-loving triad daughter; and sniper Heisuke Mashimo round out a crew that constantly collides with the elite assassins conspiring with the head of the Order.

Playing for the other side, Nagumo, one of the Order (an elite assassination squad) and an old acquaintance of Sakamoto. He blends charm and menace. Every ally, rival, and complication reinforces what’s at stake: the possibility of peace in a world addicted to bloodshed.

It is rare that older characters take center stage in anime, and Sakamoto Days feels refreshing for letting a graying, slightly overweight shopkeeper be the hero who schools the next generation.

Taro’s past doesn’t weigh him down so much as sharpen the contrast: the assassin who once lived by death now finds his strength in protecting life, family, and even the customers in his shop. If you enjoy eccentric character designs, over-the-top fight choreography, and a colorful gallery of assassins to cheer for, this series delivers with style.

Created by Yuto Suzuki and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Sh?nen Jump since 2020, the manga quickly built a reputation for balancing slapstick comedy with explosive action.

Its anime adaptation, produced by TMS Entertainment, premiered in January 2025 and captures the spirit of Suzuki’s original vision with frenetic energy and surprising warmth. Sakamoto Days is more than just another assassin story—it’s a reminder that life after the battlefield can be just as wild, absurd, and meaningful.

A satisfying series, leaving me only one question: Who was that Sword Saint? You’ll know him when you see him.

SAKAMOTO DAYS (2025)
EPISODES: Season 1 will have 22 episodes when complete.

• Season 1, Part 1 has 11 episodes, which ran from January 11 to March 22, 2025.
• Part 2 also has 11 episodes, beginning July 14, 2025, and running weekly.