ZATOICHI #22
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1971 • Japan
It's East meets East when one of Japan’s action idols crosses paths with an iconic kung-fu hero from Hong Kong. While traveling the countryside, Zatoichi comes across Wang Kang (Jimmy Wang Yu), a Chinese swordsman protecting a brutally orphaned young child. Despite the language barrier, the men forge a friendship, until nefarious enemies plant seeds of distrust to pit the two master martial artists against each other.
Up Next in Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman
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Zatoichi at Large
ZATOICHI #23
Directed by Kazuo Mori • 1972 • JapanZatoichi comes across a pregnant woman dying from sword wounds and helps deliver her baby. Her final request to him: take the boy to see his father. From here, the film evolves into one of the wilder rides in the ZATOICHI series, including such ...
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Zatoichi in Desperation
ZATOICHI #24
Directed by Shintaro Katsu • 1972 • JapanStar Shintaro Katsu sits in the director’s chair for this psychedelic and unremittingly bleak entry in the Zatoichi series, which is unlike any other in its grind-house grimness. A tale of innocence corrupted by sadistic, sleazy criminality,...
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Zatoichi’s Conspiracy
ZATOICHI #25
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1973 • JapanEverything comes full circle when Zatoichi returns to his hometown. Unfortunately, he finds that a childhood friend has become a feared crime lord, keeping the locals in debt and bilking them of their rice. Capping off Zatoichi’s feature f...
