Brian Tyree Henry’s New Netflix Anime Bass X Machina: Cast, Story & Season 2

If you have been searching for Brian Tyree Henry’s new Netflix anime, the show you are looking for is Bass X Machina. The Oscar-nominated actor voices a steampunk, mechanical-armed version of real Old West lawman Bass Reeves in this adult animated series, which premiered worldwide on Netflix on November 3, 2026.

Here is everything you need to know: the release details, the full voice cast, what the story is about, the real history behind it, what critics are saying, and whether a Season 2 is coming.

Bass X Machina: Quick Facts

Is Bass X Machina an Anime?

Netflix promotes the show through its Netflix Anime channels, and it is drawn in a clear anime style, so most fans call it an anime. Technically it is an American-created adult animated series, made by creator LeSean Thomas with Korean powerhouse Studio Mir handling the animation. Studio Mir is the team behind The Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary Defender, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, X-Men ’97 and Netflix’s Devil May Cry, which is why Netflix’s own teaser opened with “From the studio that brought you Devil May Cry.”

If you enjoyed Netflix’s other big adult animation release this season, check out our Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 release guide.

Bass X Machina Story: What Is It About?

The series is set in an alternate, post-Civil War American West where steam-powered “Boilertech” machines, outlaws and supernatural threats run wild. Bass Reeves is a war veteran turned bounty hunter who came home with a bionic metal arm. He hunts bounties to support his family, including his pregnant wife, Glory.

Bass gets an offer he can’t easily refuse. The U.S. Army wants him to find a missing scientist, Eugene Starr, somewhere in the Badlands. In return, he would become the first Black U.S. Marshal, paid the same as white marshals. Eugene’s niece Dana, a sharp young inventor, joins the hunt, and the mission slowly pulls Bass toward a conspiracy tied to his own past.

Netflix’s official logline sums up the stakes: a father forced to become judge, jury and executioner to keep his family safe, even if it costs him everything.

The trailer shows exactly what to expect: gunfights, a runaway train chase and giant war machines tearing through frontier towns. One line from the teaser has already become a fan favourite. When an outlaw asks what happens if they don’t disarm peacefully, Bass simply answers: “That happens.”

Bass X Machina Cast: Full Voice Cast List

• Brian Tyree Henry as Bass Reeves, the bounty hunter with a mechanical arm (Henry is also an executive producer)
• Janelle Monáe as Glory, Bass’s wife
• Tati Gabrielle as Dana Starr, the inventor niece of the missing scientist
• Cree Summer as Ahni
• Chaske Spencer as Lighthorse, a Native American lawman and Bass’s old friend who chases the same bounty
• Currie Graham as Rivenbark
• Starletta DuPois as Etta, a cranky inventor who becomes Dana’s idol
• Nick Thurston in a supporting voice role

Brian Tyree Henry, known for Atlanta, Causeway and Bullet Train, carries the show. Critics have singled out his chemistry with Tati Gabrielle, whose Bass and Dana pairing gives the series its father-daughter heart. For another animated voice cast breakdown, see our Mister Miracle cast guide.

Who Was the Real Bass Reeves?

The show is fiction, but its hero is real. Bass Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, in July 1838. He escaped to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), where he learned Native languages and became an expert tracker.

In 1875, he was recruited as a deputy U.S. marshal for the court of the famous “hanging judge” Isaac C. Parker, becoming one of the first Black deputy marshals west of the Mississippi. Over a career of more than 30 years, he is credited in some accounts with over 3,000 arrests. In one of the most painful episodes of his life, he arrested his own son, Bennie, for murder in 1902. Reeves died in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on January 12, 1910.

Some historians, notably Art Burton, have suggested his story may have inspired the Lone Ranger. Bass X Machina keeps the man’s core (the tracking, the moral code, the family stakes) and drops him into a world of steam-powered mechs and supernatural threats. His life was also dramatized in live action in Paramount+’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which reviewers say shares the broad outline of this show’s story.

Bass X Machina Review: What Critics Are Saying

Early reviews are strongly positive. Collider called it “the dark Western epic you didn’t know you needed” and scored it 8/10, praising the animation and the final showdown on a robot-filled construction site. Ready Steady Cut called it an ambitious reimagining that pulls no punches, and praised how it uses technology to show segregation and prejudice instead of ignoring them.

The common complaints: the first couple of episodes start slowly, the broad story beats feel familiar, and the middle stretch slows down. Several critics say it clicks around Episode 3, when the twists start landing. As of launch, Rotten Tomatoes had not yet posted a Tomatometer score.

Our take: if you liked Yasuke, Devil May Cry or Arcane-style action with real-world themes, Bass X Machina is an easy six-episode weekend binge. Push past the first two episodes.

The Music: Janelle Monáe’s “Honor Killing”

Janelle Monáe doesn’t just voice Glory; she also performs the show’s theme song, “Honor Killing.” The original score is by Roman GianArthur, who co-wrote the theme with Nate Wonder of Monáe’s Wondaland collective. The mix of Western twang, soul and electronic beats matches the show’s steampunk mood.

How to Watch Bass X Machina

All six episodes of Bass X Machina are streaming now, only on Netflix, in every region where the service is available, including India. The show is rated TV-MA for violence and language, so it is not one for kids.

Will There Be a Bass X Machina Season 2?

Netflix has not announced Season 2 yet. Reviewers say Season 1 wraps up its main story in a satisfying way while leaving plenty of room for more world-building. Netflix usually decides on renewals after looking at the first few weeks of viewership, so the show’s performance in the Netflix Top 10 will matter. We will update this article as soon as there is news.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Brian Tyree Henry’s new Netflix anime called?

It is called Bass X Machina. Henry voices Bass Reeves and also serves as an executive producer.

When did Bass X Machina release on Netflix?

All episodes premiered on November 3, 2026.

How many episodes does Bass X Machina have?

Season 1 has 6 episodes.

Is Bass X Machina based on a true story?

It is inspired by Bass Reeves, a real deputy U.S. marshal who escaped slavery, but the steampunk machines, bionic arm and supernatural elements are fictional.

Who made Bass X Machina?

It was created by LeSean Thomas, written and executive produced with Chad Handley, and animated by Studio Mir.