Ever wonder what happens when you mix a ruthless war veteran, a 12-year-old indigenous survival expert, and a map tattooed onto the skins of 24 escaped serial killers?
That’s basically Golden Kamuy Season 1.
It’s weird. It’s gritty. Honestly, it’s one of the most tonally bipolar things ever put on screen. One minute you’re watching a man get his brains scrambled by a Russian bayonet, and the next, you’re learning the proper way to cook a squirrel’s brain with a pinch of salt.
If you haven’t seen it, the story kicks off in 1904. The setting is Hokkaido—the frozen, wild northern frontier of Japan. Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War known as "Immortal Sugimoto" for surviving things that should have killed him ten times over, is broke. He’s panning for gold to take care of his dead comrade’s widow.
Then he hears the legend.
A prisoner named Nopperabo (No-Face) stole a massive fortune of Ainu gold and hid it. To tell his accomplices where it is, he tattooed a map onto the torsos of 24 convicts and sent them out into the wilderness. The catch? You have to "skin" the map to read it. It’s a literal human jigsaw puzzle.
The Chaos of Golden Kamuy Season 1 Explained
Most people go into this expecting a standard treasure hunt.
They’re wrong.
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The first season, which aired in early 2018, is less of a race and more of a multi-sided meat grinder. You’ve got Sugimoto and his Ainu partner, Asirpa, trying to find the gold to help their people. Then there’s the 7th Division of the Japanese Imperial Army—led by Lieutenant Tsurumi, a man with a ceramic plate in his skull and a serious case of "war-brain." Finally, you’ve got a group of Shinsengumi survivors led by the legendary Hijikata Toshizo, who wants to use the gold to build a new republic.
It’s three-way chess where everyone is playing with real knives.
Why the CGI Bear is a Meme (and Why You Should Ignore It)
If you’ve heard anything about the animation by Geno Studio, it’s probably the bear.
Look, let’s be real: the CGI bear in the first couple of episodes looks like it crawled out of a 1998 PlayStation game. It’s janky. It’s jarring. It’s basically the only thing people complained about when the show premiered.
But here’s the thing.
The rest of the show is gorgeous. Director Hitoshi Nanba and the team put so much effort into the historical details—the rifles, the Ainu traditional robes (attush), and the snowy landscapes—that the occasional "Nintendo 64 animal" shouldn't stop you. By the time Sugimoto is fighting off the Nikaido twins or escaping a burning building, the production values find their rhythm.
The Ainu Connection: It’s Not Just "Set Dressing"
What makes Golden Kamuy Season 1 truly special is the respect it gives to the Ainu people.
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Asirpa isn't just a sidekick. She’s the heart of the show. Through her, we learn about kamuy (the spirits/gods in all things), hunting techniques, and the incredible food.
The series actually consulted linguistic experts to make sure the Ainu language was accurate. You’ll hear Asirpa say "Hinna, hinna" while eating—a term used to show gratitude for the food. It’s a survival guide wrapped in a blood-soaked action thriller.
The contrast is wild.
- Sugimoto: "I will kill anyone who touches this gold."
- Asirpa: "Eat this raw deer liver, it's good for you."
- Shiraishi: Does something incredibly stupid and gets stuck in a trap.
Characters That Will Ruin Your Moral Compass
In most anime, you know who the "good guys" are. Not here.
Sugimoto is our hero, but he’s a killing machine. Tsurumi is the villain, but he’s so charismatic you almost want to follow him. Then you have Hyakunosuke Ogata, a sniper with the emotional range of a damp rock. He’s a fan favorite for a reason, despite (or because of) being a complete wildcard.
The "Escape King" Shiraishi Yoshitake provides the comedy. He can dislocate his joints to squeeze through any gap. He’s a coward, a cheat, and a drunk, yet the trio’s chemistry is the only thing keeping the show from becoming too depressing.
Action That Actually Hurts
The fights in the first 12 episodes are brutal.
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We’re talking about hand-to-hand combat where fingers are bitten off and bayonets go through throats. It captures the "post-war" vibe perfectly. These characters aren't superheroes; they’re traumatized men who are very good at violence because that’s all they’ve known for years.
Where to Go After Season 1
Once you finish the first season, you’ve barely scratched the surface.
The plot thickens significantly in the following seasons as more prisoners are revealed, each one weirder than the last. We’re talking about taxidermists with "special" hobbies and guys who want to be eaten by bears.
Pro Tip: If you can’t wait for the animation, read the manga by Satoru Noda. The art is legendary, and it fills in some of the smaller hunting "side-quests" the anime had to trim for time.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're ready to dive into the world of Hokkaido's gold rush, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch the Sub first: While Ian Sinclair does a great job as Sugimoto in the dub, the Japanese voice acting (especially Chikahiro Kobayashi and Haruka Shiraishi) captures the specific Ainu pronunciations and the grit of the era perfectly.
- Don't skip the "Golden Kamuy Theater" shorts: These are little 30-second comedy bits that Geno Studio released alongside the episodes. They’re hilarious and give more insight into the characters' daily lives.
- Look up the real Hijikata Toshizo: The show uses real historical figures. Knowing the history of the Shinsengumi makes Hijikata’s appearance in the show ten times cooler.
- Check out an Ainu museum online: If the culture fascinated you, look up the Upopoy National Ainu Museum. It’s incredible to see how close the anime got to the real-life artifacts.
Golden Kamuy Season 1 isn't just an anime; it’s a chaotic, educational, and violent journey through a forgotten era of Japanese history. Grab a bowl of citatap and start watching.