Movies like Zatoichi
If you like "Zatoichi" you are looking for atmospheric, humorous and exciting movies about / with samurai, martial arts, sword fight, master warrior, gang, vengeance and violence themes of Action, Comedy and Crime genre shot in 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.
Zatoichi (2003)
50K

Original name: 座頭市
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
Zatôichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision. While wandering, Zatôichi discovers a remote mountain village at the mercy of Ginzo, a ruthless gang-leader. Ginzo disposes of anyone who gets in his way, especially after hiring the mighty samurai ronin, Hattori, as a bodyguard. After a raucous night of gambling in town, Zatôichi encounters a pair of geishas--as dangerous as they are beautiful--who've come to avenge their parents' murder. As the paths of these and other colorful characters intertwine, Ginzo's henchmen are soon after Zatôichi. With his legendary cane sword at his side, the stage is set for a riveting showdown.
Style:
atmospheric, humorous, exciting, harsh, stylized, entertaining, brutal, enigmatic, bleak, breathtaking ...
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, sword fight, master warrior, gang, vengeance, violence, good versus evil, protector, blind character, escapades, rivalry, gangsters, geisha, yakuza, murder, medieval, heroes, dancing, brutality, cult, blindness, mafia, twists and turns, fight ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
Most similar movies to Zatoichi
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, rough and stylized films with plots about violence, rivalry, crimes, vengeance, brutality, violent and samurai mostly in Drama, Action and Thriller genres. Some movies like Zatoichi: Ichi (2008), Blind Fury (1989), Sonatine (1993), Yojimbo (1961), Lady Snowblood (1973). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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4K

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the ...
Style:
exciting, suspenseful, epic, rough, scenic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, ninja, blind woman, female protagonist, rivalry, heroes, crimes, escapades, vengeance, swordswoman, japanese woman, good versus evil ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
japan, asia, ancient china
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In the third film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
Style:
bloody, stylized, talky, affectionate, unusual plot structure ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, kung fu, ninja, samurai, assassin, master warrior, cult, gunfight, violence, villain, martial artist, duel ...
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
A blind Vietnam vet, trained as a swordfighter, comes to America and helps to rescue the son of a fellow soldier.
Style:
exciting, suspenseful, serious, visually appealing, unusual plot structure ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
martial arts, vengeance, gangsters, rescue, heroic mission, samurai, righting the wronged, adventure, obsessive quest, crimes, buddies, vietnam war ...
Time:
80s
Place:
vietnam, asia, australia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
22K

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with a few of his henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war, supposedly to mediate between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans ...
Style:
bloody, stylized, gloomy, ironic, splatter ...
Plot:
yakuza, mafia, gang, organized crime, gunfight, dark humor, beach, crimes, samurai, revenge, medieval, gangsters ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
japan, tokyo, hong kong, asia, okinawa japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
43%
Movie in collections
124K

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant ...
Style:
cynical, realistic, atmospheric, bleak, allegory ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
samurai, sword fight, small town, bodyguard, betrayal, martial arts, rivalry, gang war, tough guy, ronin, mercenary, gang ...
Time:
19th century, future, 1860s, 18th century
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
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Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
Style:
art house, realistic, serious, captivating, atmospheric ...
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, sword fight, yakuza, medieval, ninja, exploitation, fencing, ancient, gang war, heroes, gambler ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
asia, japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. ...
Style:
suspenseful, exciting, melancholic, rough, bloody ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, rape, revenge, prison, childbirth, murder, vengeance, female killer, female protagonist, samurai, female assassin, female warrior ...
Time:
19th century, 1870s, 1890s
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
67%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Detective Azuma is a Dirty-Harry style rogue cop who often uses violence and unethical methods to get results.
Style:
bloody, neo noir, bleak, brutal, absurd ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
police, police corruption, violence, hitman, drug dealer, yakuza, crimes, mafia, gangsters, vigilante, corrupt cop, crime boss ...
Time:
80s
Place:
japan, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
36%
Movie in collections
23K

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, France, Japan
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
A Japanese Yakuza gangster’s deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, California, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother’s gang. This is the first English film by Takeshi Kitano.
Style:
harsh, intense, serious, rough, exciting ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, mafia, culture clash, gangsters, gang, samurai, suicide, sibling relationship, family relations, fish out of water, siblings relations, interracial relations ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
los angeles, japan, tokyo, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
36%
14K

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
The story begins with Sekiuchi, boss of the Sannokai, a huge organized crime syndicate controlling the entire Kanto region, issuing a stern warning to his lieutenant Kato and right-hand man Ikemoto, head of the Ikemoto-gumi. Kato orders Ikemoto to ...
Style:
tense, serious, cynical, realistic, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gang member, yakuza, gang, gangsters, organized crime, hanging, criminal heroes, crimes, gang war, rivalry, merciless, criminal's revenge ...
Time:
contemporary, 21st century
Place:
japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
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Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan, UK
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
Style:
suspense, unusual plot structure, intense, visually appealing, harsh ...
Plot:
samurai, samurai sword, sword fight, warrior, seppuku, violent, battles, martial arts, revenge, massacre, shogun, swordsman ...
Time:
19th century, 1840s
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A businessman on a trip to Tokyo ends up in the middle of a centuries old feud between a criminal Ninja cult and a Samurai when he witnesses a assassination performed by the Ninja-cult leader.
Style:
exciting, suspense, brutal, intense, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
ninja, samurai, sword fight, murder, vengeance, martial arts, violence, revenge, brutality, survival, betrayal, assassin ...
Time:
80s, 90s
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In the fifth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is challenged by five warriors, each has one fifth of Ogami's assassin fee and one fifth of the information he needs to complete his assassination.
Style:
suspenseful, atmospheric, stylized, epic, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, ninja, kung fu, fight, superhero, ancient, assassin, heroes, one man army, hitman, drifter ...
Place:
japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Sex & Fury chronicles Ocho's exploits as she searches for her father's killers, each identified by unique tattoos on their backs (a deer, a boar, and a butterfly). Along the way, she also crosses paths with Shonusuke, a radical set on ...
Style:
erotic, disturbing, bloody, exciting, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, revenge, female yakuza, murder, exploitation, gambler, samurai, erotica, sexploitation, gambling, nun, yakuza ...
Time:
20th century, 19th century, 1880s
Place:
japan, asia, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Terry is a tough mercenary and a master of martial arts. When an important business magnate dies, leaving billions to his daughter, the Mafia and Yakuza try to hire Terry to kidnap the daughter. When they refuse to meet his exorbitant price, then ...
Style:
bloody, stylized, breathtaking, splatter, talky ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, kung fu, karate, samurai, fight, mafia, kidnapping, exploitation, violence, yakuza, vengeance, kung fu classic ...
Time:
70s, 80s, 20th century
Place:
japan, hong kong, tokyo, china, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
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Movies like Ninja Assassin
39K

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of ...
Style:
atmospheric, tense, witty, stylized, exciting ...
Plot:
samurai, sword fight, corruption, betrayal, rescue, police investigation, martial arts, visceral, culture clash, transformation, small town, one against many ...
Time:
19th century, future
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
Style:
disturbing, rough, macabre, bloody, surreal ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
sadism, violence, organized crime, rage, torture, psychopath, yakuza, gangsters, massacre, mob boss, insanity, murder ...
Time:
21st century, contemporary
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
50%

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Masaki, a baseball player and gas-station attendant, gets into trouble with the local Yakuza and goes to Okinawa to get a gun to defend himself. There he meets Uehara, a tough gangster, who is in serious debt to the yakuza and planning revenge.
Style:
bloody, neo noir, semi serious, realistic, exciting ...
Plot:
yakuza, gangsters, tragic event, baseball, car accident, revenge, interracial relations, organized crime, mafia, empire, sex crime, gas station ...
Time:
80s
Place:
japan, okinawa, asia, okinawa japan, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Movie in collections

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
An assassin is shot at the altar by her ruthless employer, Bill and other members of their assassination circle – but 'The Bride' lives to plot her vengeance. Setting out for some payback, she makes a death list and hunts down those who ...
Style:
tense, non-linear, bloody, suspense, visually appealing ...
Audience:
girls' night, boys' night
Plot:
revenge, martial arts, vengeance, female protagonist, mentor, dark hero, katana, organized crime, one man army, gangsters, hate, samurai ...
Time:
80s, 90s, 2000s, 20th century, 21st century ...
Place:
japan, tokyo, austin texas, asia, usa ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
31K

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A police officer leaves the force in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into a depression, he makes questionable decisions.
Style:
bleak, emotional, bloody, art house, lyrical ...
Plot:
gangsters, yakuza, police, character study, dying, samurai, visceral, loss, couple relations, life is a bitch, love and romance, loss of partner ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia, mount fuji
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
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Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
In the second film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.
Style:
bloody, atmospheric, stylized, affectionate, unusual plot structure ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, master warrior, sword fight, ninja, fight, martial artist, female ninja, lone wolves, survival, dark hero, violence ...
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%

Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopathic samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
Style:
cerebral, tense, stylized, bleak, affectionate ...
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, ninja, medieval, fencing, vengeance, master warrior, sword fight, existentialism, maze, violent, visceral ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George's kidnapped daughter - and ends up on the wrong side of the Yakuza, the notorious Japanese mafia...
Style:
neo noir, tense, intense, harsh, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, gangsters, crimes, kidnapping, friendship, culture clash, rescue, sword fight, organized crime, haunted by the past, rivalry, male female relationship ...
Time:
70s, 80s, 20th century, post world war two
Place:
japan, tokyo, california, asia, kyoto japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%

Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
In the fourth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
Style:
stylized, macabre, affectionate, unusual plot structure, thought provoking ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
samurai, martial arts, assassin, hitman, kung fu, violence, sword fight, revenge, weapons, violent, visceral, catastrophe ...
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Ryūichi and his small gang of Triad vie for control of the Japanese underworld in a crime-ridden Shinjuku quarter while Detective Jojima tries to bring it down. Jojima attempts to start a gang war between the Triad and yakuza. Ryūichi and Jojima ...
Style:
disturbing, brutal, serious, suspenseful, surreal ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gangsters, yakuza, massacre, drugs, brutality, gratuitous violence, violent, insanity, contests and competitions, mafia, stripper, violence ...
Time:
90s
Place:
japan, tokyo, taiwan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
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Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Chen is a city boy who moves with his cousins to work at an ice factory. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fight. However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factory, the ...
Style:
stylized, brutal, harsh, sexy, atmospheric ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, kung fu, smuggling, factory, master warrior, fight, brutality, revenge, drugs, gang, fight scenes, drug smuggling ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
china, thailand, tokyo, hong kong, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Brazilian-Japanese gangster Mario rescues his Chinese girlfriend Kei as she's about to be deported from Japan. Desperate to escape, he hides in Tokyo's booming Japanese-Portuguese community and seeks passage from the country from a Russian ...
Style:
disturbing, atmospheric, harsh, exciting, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gang, gangsters, organized crime, love triangle, lovers on the run, hitman, crimes, rivalry, drug dealing, master criminal, chase, martial arts ...
Time:
90s
Place:
japan, tokyo, brazil, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
124K

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Indonesia, USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
After fighting his way through an apartment building populated by an army of dangerous criminals and escaping with his life, SWAT team member Rama goes undercover, joining a powerful Indonesian crime syndicate to protect his family and uncover ...
Style:
brutal, stylized, realistic, bloody, suspense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, gangsters, kung fu, mafia, warrior, gang, violence, police corruption, brutality, violent, crimes, corruption ...
Time:
contemporary, 21st century
Place:
indonesia, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
21K

Genre: Drama, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two begin a series of adventures which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a ...
Style:
road movie, sad, surreal, uplifting, touching ...
Plot:
boy, on the road, summer, pervert, friendship, violence, road trip, bittersweet, youth, yakuza, surrealism, gangsters ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
His only friend called him 'the man from nowhere'... Taesik, a former special agent becomes a loner after losing his wife in a miserable accident and lives a bitter life running a pawnshop. He only has a few customers and a friend named ...
Style:
suspense, serious, tense, brutal, intense ...
Audience:
boys' night, girls' night, teens
Plot:
revenge, martial arts, crimes, one man army, lone hero, kidnapping, rivalry, drugs, master warrior, heroes, drug lord, violent ...
Time:
21st century, contemporary
Place:
korea, asia, seoul, south korea
⇓ similarity ⇓
23%
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