Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is an animated series that premiered on Netflix on October 10, 2024, and continued Lara Croft's journey after the events of the 2018 game. Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In the game, Lara closes the book on the Trinity organization and confronts her own demons, including the guilt of her father's death. The series begins from this point and explores the consequences of these events and sets the stage for new adventures.
With Lara's fate no longer tied to Trinity, the animated series delves deeper into her life as a seasoned adventurer as she pursues ancient artifacts and dangerous secrets. However, it also leaves room for emotional and personal stakes left over from previous episodes. One notable aspect of the show is how it addresses the unresolved storyline surrounding Samantha Nishimura (Sam), Lara's best friend, who played a key role in 2013. Tom Ridder Restart

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Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft sets up the return of a major character
Netflix's new Tomb Raider series suggests that a missing character may return in future seasons.
What you need to know about Lara's best friend Samantha Nishimura
Samantha Nishimura was a major figure in 2013 Tom Ridder reboot, where it is revealed that he is a descendant of Sun Queen Himiko, making him the target of a cult whose goal was to revive the queen. In fact, he was kidnapped and almost sacrificed. Although Lara Croft saved him, Sam's story took a darker turn due to Himiko's spirit taking over, which eventually led to her institutionalization.
However, in the new Netflix series, Sam makes a brief appearance late in Season 1 via a mysterious phone call. If the show is renewed for a season 2, this small setting could play a big role moving forward. Apart from Sam's brief presence in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Season 1 ends with the display of an artifact smuggling operation, which hints at a larger global conspiracy—another cliff to get around in order to move forward.
What if the show is not renewed for season 2?
If the show doesn't get a second season, unresolved issues, especially about Sam's fate, could be resolved in the next season. Tom Ridder Playing out the history of Sam's possession and her relationship with Himiko carries a lot of emotional and story stakes for Lara and should be perfectly normal. The games have already established their connection, and the series says that Sam's return could lead to new secrets and potentially darker adventures for Lara, making it necessary to continue the story.
Sam is connected to Lara's past and potential unresolved guilt and fear
This series sets the stage for a potential story arc where Sam's influence on Lara cannot be ignored. At this point, he's not just an old friend, but a symbol of Lara's past, and possibly her unresolved guilt and fear. Lara carries the weight of the decisions and losses she has experienced throughout her adventures and this adds to it. In addition, in Tomb Raider (2013) Sam was the emotional anchor that grounded Lara, but the unfinished supernatural elements surrounding her story, such as her possible connection to Himiko, remain poorly understood.
Finally, if Tom Ridder The animated series ends without further exploration of Sam's role in Lara's life, the next game must pick up the pieces. Can't put this relationship on hold. The emotional weight of Sam's story deserves closure, and the supernatural threads hinted at in the reboot and hinted at in the series deserve to be explored.