Movies and TV shows like Shogun

If you like "Shogun" you are looking for atmospheric, costume drama and mythical movies or TV shows about / with samurai, shogun, jesuit, martial arts, battles, historical event and japanese history themes of Adventure, Drama and History genre shot in USA or Japan.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
Shogun (1980)
 8.1
 14K
Shogun (1980)
Original name: Shōgun
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 547 min.
TV show
Story: An English navigator becomes both pawn and player in the deadly political games in feudal Japan.
Style: atmospheric, costume drama, mythical, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, surprise ending, saga ...
Plot: samurai, shogun, jesuit, martial arts, battles, historical event, japanese history, interracial relations, knight, time machine, ancient, renaissance, chivalry, white man asian woman relationship, edo period, sorcery, world history, wanderlust, literary, dutch history, tokugawa shogunate, twists and turns, heroes, military, betrayal ...
Time: 17th century, 20th century, medieval times, 1600s
Place: japan, portugal, asia

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to Shogun

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, captivating and epic films and TV series with plots about medieval, state affairs, samurai, heroes, sword fight, martial arts and ancient mostly in Drama, History and War genres. Some movies like Shogun: Marco Polo (2014), When the Last Sword is Drawn (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Vikings (2013), Marco Polo (1982). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Watch Trailers From This List to Choose a Movie
 7.9
 5K
Shogun (1980)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 159 min.
Story: In the 16th Century, a Dutch ship sails the Pacific from the Americas in order to escape the Spanish. Blackthorn is the pilot of the ship and the first to realize the possibilities of Japan. Japan is a feudal society which has a strong presence of ...
Style: realistic, captivating, serious, exciting, saga
Plot: samurai, feudal japan, seafaring, shogun, jesuit, politics, betrayal, escapades, war, heroes, edo period, battles ...
Time: 17th century, 16th century, middle ages
Place: japan, portugal
⇓ similarity ⇓
80%
 8.0
 78K
Marco Polo (2014)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: An epic adventure that follows the early years of the famous explorer as he travels the exotic Silk Road to the great Kublai Khan’s court. But Marco soon finds that navigating the Khan’s world of greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry will ...
Style: exciting, captivating, epic, atmospheric, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: medieval, intrigue, culture clash, danger, kung fu master, adventure hero, palace, strong violent content, rivalry, barbarian, conqueror, martial arts ...
Time: middle ages, 13th century, medieval times
Place: mongolia, asia, china, venice, beijing china
⇓ similarity ⇓
86%
When the Last Sword is Drawn (2002)
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 143 min.
Story: Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support ...
Style: atmospheric, captivating, realistic, bleak, serious ...
Plot: samurai, japanese history, medieval, sword fight, life is a bitch, tragic hero, human spirit, political unrest, emperor, martial arts, state affairs, unfulfillment ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
The Last Samurai (2003)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA, New Zealand, Japan
Duration: 154 min.
Story: Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the ...
Style: epic, breathtaking, serious, exciting, captivating ...
Audience: girls' night, manly, adult
Plot: samurai, sword fight, military, battles, war, japanese history, courage, warrior, katana, self discovery, pride and honor, human spirit ...
Time: 19th century, year 2003, victorian era, 1800s, middle ages ...
Place: japan, asia, africa, san francisco, tokyo ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Movie in collections
 8.5
 576K
Vikings (2013)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Ireland, Canada
Duration: 44 min.
TV show
Story: Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless ...
Style: exciting, atmospheric, heroic, captivating, historical drama ...
Audience: boys' night, adult
Plot: viking, battles, king, warrior, medieval, sword fight, sword and shield, legends and myths, norse mythology, historical character, war, adventurer ...
Time: middle ages, ancient times, medieval times, 9th century, 7th century ...
Place: scandinavia, chicago, ireland, europe, iceland
⇓ similarity ⇓
80%
 7.7
 1K
Marco Polo (1982)
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, USA, Japan, China
Duration: 504 min.
TV show
Story: The life and experiences of the 13th-century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.
Style: exciting, epic, historical drama, serious, realistic ...
Plot: explorer, medieval, historical event, sorcery, time machine, peplum, chivalry, ancient, white man asian woman relationship, islam, battles, human spirit ...
Time: medieval times, 13th century, middle ages
Place: persia, mongolia, venice, tibet, china
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 6.5
 15K
Emperor (2012)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story: As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.
Style: touching, captivating, sincere, epic, retro ...
Plot: world war two, japanese history, war, emperor, investigation, politics, occupation, military, war crime, political intrigue, moral dilemma, ruler ...
Time: 1940s, 1930s, 20th century, year 1932, year 1945 ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the ...
Style: exciting, serious, epic, captivating, stylized ...
Plot: viking, king, medieval, battles, danger, escapades, kingdom, castle, kidnapping, rivalry, heroes, political unrest ...
Time: middle ages, 9th century, medieval times, future, 10th century
Place: england, chicago, britain, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Movie in collections
Samurai Banners (1969)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 165 min.
Story: Feudal Japan, 1543 to 1562. Kansuke Yamamoto is a samurai who dreams of a country united, peaceful from sea to sea. He enters the service of Takeda, the lord of Kai domain. He convinces Takeda to kill the lord of neighboring Suwa and take his wife ...
Style: serious, realistic, captivating, stylized, jidai geki
Plot: samurai, power relations, betrayal, politics, state affairs, military, fall in love, master warrior, dishonesty, heroes, medieval, violent content ...
Time: 16th century, medieval times
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
50%
 6.8
 8K
Taboo (1999)
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Japan, France, UK
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering around a handsome young samurai ...
Style: stylized, atmospheric, tense, realistic, disturbing ...
Plot: gay, gays and lesbians, secrets, murder mystery, samurai, sword fight, emperor, lgbt, boys love, medieval, wartime, life philosophy ...
Time: 19th century, year 1999, 1800s
Place: japan, asia, kyoto japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
67%
 7.9
 38K
Kagemusha (1980)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story: When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, in order to protect his clan from appearing weak and vulnerable. But he finds himself haunted by the warlord’s spirit as well as his own ambitions.
Style: captivating, enigmatic, bleak, costume drama, epic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, battles, martial arts, japanese history, war, warlord, medieval, doppelganger, emperor, death, feudal japan, culture clash ...
Time: 16th century, medieval times, year 1980
Place: japan, east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
 9.2
 14K
Shōgun (2024)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
TV show
Story: Set in feudal Japan, the series charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai: John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ...
Style: period piece, epic, period drama
Plot: medieval, feudal japan, translator, civil war, battles, shogun, army, warrior, samurai, katana, sword, female nudity ...
Time: 17th century
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
 7.6
 2K
47 Samurai (1962)
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 207 min.
Story: The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The ...
Style: epic, harsh, bleak, atmospheric, serious ...
Plot: samurai, vengeance, medieval, seppuku, brutality, justice, battles, martial arts, courage, society, redemption, human nature ...
Time: 18th century, middle ages, medieval times
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
The Bushido Blade (1981)
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA, Japan
Duration: 104 min.
Story: A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.
Style: action adventure, independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, ninja, imperialism, tokugawa shogunate, edo period, woman with a gun, samurai, battles, destiny, military life, political unrest, heist ...
Time: 19th century, 1850s, year 1981
Place: japan, asia, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Samurai Assassin (1965)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: February 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii, a powerful man in the Tokugawa government, which has ruled Japan for 300 years. They suspect a traitor in their midst, ...
Style: captivating, realistic, serious, bleak, rough ...
Plot: samurai, ronin, medieval, martial arts, father, sword fight, politics, fight, asian history, ancient, badass, american civil war ...
Time: 19th century, 1860s
Place: japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
The Hidden Blade (2004)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 132 min.
Story: Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his ...
Style: serious, sentimental, stylized, epic, romantic ...
Plot: samurai, martial arts, caste system, feudal japan, vengeance, politics, love and romance, family life, medieval, edo period, ninja, winter ...
Time: 19th century, 1860s
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Heaven and Earth (1990)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 125 min.
Story: Warlords Kagetora and Takeda each wish to prevent the other from gaining hegemony in feudal Japan. The two samurai leaders pursue one another across the countryside, engaging in massive battles of cavalry and infantry. Younger and less brutal, ...
Style: visually appealing, cult classic, epic, psychotronic, serious ...
Plot: samurai, medieval, katana, japanese history, legends and myths, fight, ancient, strong violent content, power relations, battles, chaos, family relations ...
Time: medieval times, 16th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor (1969)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: Near the end of the nineteenth century, as the balance of power shifts from Shogunate towards the Emperor, Japan restlessly awaits the dawning of a new age. But not all are content...The Shinsengumi, a small army of samurai, farmers and peasants, ...
Style: jidai geki
Plot: samurai, japanese history, medieval, martial arts, tokugawa shogunate, edo period, swordplay, ancient, katana, samurai era, sword fight, warrior
Time: 19th century, 1860s
Place: japan, kyoto japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
 8.2
 728
War & Peace (1972)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 890 min.
TV show
Story: The classic BBC dramatisation of Tolstoy's epic story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Anthony Hopkins heads the cast as Pierre Bezuhov (a role for which he won the 1972 Best Actor BAFTA); Morag Hood is the ...
Style: costume drama, historical drama, fairy tale, contemplative, exciting ...
Plot: russian empire, historical event, french revolution, age difference, medieval, time machine, napoleonic wars, soldier, family life, wartime life, parents and children, siblings relations ...
Time: 19th century
Place: russia
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min.
Story: The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.
Style: tense, emotional, stylized, black and white, sincere ...
Plot: samurai, father son relationship, rebellion, revenge, medieval, martial arts, violence, vengeance, kidnapping, family relations, injustice, master warrior ...
Time: 18th century, year 1967
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
 8.0
 153
Shinsengumi! (2004)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: Shinsengumi! is a Taiga drama television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about the Shinsengumi, a Japanese special police force from the Bakumatsu period.
Style: tense, captivating, exciting, historical drama, costume drama ...
Plot: fight, warrior, power struggle, war, samurai, showdown, fight for supremacy, ronin, samurai era, battles, edo period, taiga ...
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
 7.8
 24K
The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story: Set in 17th century Paris, musketeers Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan are members of an elite band of soldiers who fight for what is just. They are heroes in the truest and most abiding sense – men that can be trusted and believed in to ...
Style: exciting, historical drama, costume drama, realistic, serious ...
Plot: musketeer, swords and armor, heroic mission, sword fight, danger, state affairs, king, partner, good versus evil, escapades, swordsman, shrewd ...
Time: 17th century
Place: france, paris france
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
 8.0
 360
Ryōmaden (2010)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: Ryōmaden is the 49th NHK Taiga drama. It was shown on NHK from January 3 to November 28, 2010 spanning 48 episodes. The story centers on the life of 19th-century Japanese historical figures Iwasaki Yatarō and Sakamoto Ryōma. It has been announced ...
Style: suspense, captivating, tense, disturbing
Plot: samurai, historical figure, political intrigue, historical character, fight, competitor, power struggle, life philosophy, intrigue, edo period, taiga, tokugawa shogunate ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
Movie in collections
Peter the Great (1986)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 371 min.
TV show
Story: This is the story of Peter I, Tsar of Russia from 1682, and the constant struggle between him, his sister Sophia and the Streltsy, an important Russian military corp. The story depicts the efforts of Peter in transforming Russia in an "all ...
Style: historical drama, captivating, serious, realistic, atmospheric ...
Plot: royalty, royal family, historical event, time machine, european history, imperial russia, ancient, czar, prince, ruler, leadership, heroes ...
Time: 18th century, 17th century
Place: russia, soviet union
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Love and Honor (2006)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Kimura) and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.
Style: serious, psychological, romantic, poignant, jidai geki ...
Plot: samurai, blind character, social differences, blindness, hopes, rivalry, society, vengeance, political unrest, medieval, master warrior, japanese history ...
Time: year 2006
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 7.3
 5K
Napoleon (2002)
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: France, Germany, Italy, Canada, USA, UK, Hungary, Spain, Czech Republic
Duration: 380 min.
TV show
Story: The year is 1816, and NAPOLEON, held prisoner by the British on the island of St. Helena, is telling the young English girl BETSY his life story.
Style: exciting, captivating, realistic, serious, epic ...
Plot: napoleonic wars, napoleon bonaparte, megalomaniac, battles, rise and fall, imperial russia, conquering, ambition, leadership, rise to the top, society, politics ...
Time: 19th century, 1810s, 1800s, 18th century, regency period ...
Place: austria, france, europe, prussia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 8.3
 253
Atsuhime (2008)
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: The 47th NHK Taiga Drama is a life story of Princess Atsu, who was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, then called Satsuma, and became the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. She accedes to the highest rank in Ooku, the ...
Style: tense, disturbing, captivating, thought provoking, costume drama
Plot: shogun, palace intrigue, revolution, royal palace, political unrest, princess, politics, female protagonist, intrigue, historical figure, feudal japan, political intrigue ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 7.3
 48K
Red Cliff (2008)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, USA
Duration: 145 min.
Story: In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military ...
Style: epic, realistic, breathtaking, brutal, visual ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: war, martial arts, battles, strategy, kung fu, historical event, chinese emperor, ancient history, horse, medieval, visceral, revenge ...
Time: year 2008, medieval times, ancient times
Place: china, ancient china, greece, rome italy, tibet ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
The Jewel in the Crown (1984)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: UK
Duration: 778 min.
TV show
Story: The British Raj: though their position seems secure, thoughtful English men and women know that "their" time in India is coming to an end. The story begins with an unjust arrest for rape, and the consequences of this echo through the ...
Style: captivating, sincere, emotional, realistic, serious ...
Plot: forbidden love, british raj, world war two, rape, politics, racism, life is a bitch, culture clash, tragic love, dishonesty, state affairs, false accusation ...
Time: 1940s, 50s
Place: india, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
The Shogun's Samurai (1978)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min.
Story: Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother ...
Style: perverse, epic, exciting, captivating, realistic ...
Plot: samurai, ninja, martial arts, medieval, japanese history, shogun, asian history, kung fu, rivalry, strong violent content, conspiracy, uninhibited rivalry ...
Time: 17th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
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