“Bass X Machina”: Netflix’s Punk-Rock Western Anime Just Dropped A Bloody First Look

Netflix went all-in at Anime NYC, and the standout reveal wasn’t a sequel or a familiar franchise — it was a steampunk western anime built around a real American legend, Bass Reeves. Star and executive producer Brian Tyree Henry took the stage to unveil the first five minutes, and it’s exactly as gritty as it sounds.

What Is “Bass X Machina” About?

Created by LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, Yasuke) and produced by Studio Mir (Devil May Cry, Skull Island), the series reimagines Bass Reeves — the first Black U.S. Marshal — as a slick bounty hunter navigating a hyper-stylized world of outlaws, war machines, and supernatural threats. Henry described it as a deliberate mission: give Black and Indigenous frontier history the “punk rock Western” treatment it’s historically been denied on screen.

Bass X Machina: Key Details

Who’s In The Cast?

Janelle Monáe plays Bass’s wife, Glory Reeves, and also contributes the series’ original opening theme. She’s joined by Tati Gabrielle as Dana, Cree Summer as Ahni, Chaske Spencer as Lighthorse, Starletta DuPois as Etta, and Currie Graham as Rivenbark.

What The Footage Showed

The panel screened the show’s opening sequence: Bass Reeves boarding a hijacked train, taking down armed criminals with cold precision, and revealing a mechanical arm that transforms into a shotgun mid-fight — all set to a hip-hop-scored, blood-soaked action sequence that closes with Monáe’s original theme song. Henry emphasized how hands-on he was in shaping both the visual tone and voice direction to keep the show feeling grounded despite its wild premise.

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