Movies like Japan Gangster War (2019)
The best movies like Japan Gangster War (2019) are Yakuza Apocalypse (2015), Blood on the Sun (1945) and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013). If Japan Gangster War hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSaga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie (2019)8.0/10 from 221 votes
- NewestGolden Kamuy (2024)Released 2024
- In JapaneseYakuza Apocalypse (2015)Also in Japanese
Yakuza Apocalypse (2015)
When young protege Akira Kageyama is bitten by his dying vampire boss, Genyo Kamiura, he must get used to his new powers before seeking revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood on the Sun (1945)
Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda of the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013)
After the defeat of Majin Buu, a powerful God of Destruction known as Beerus searches for the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to Earth, the Z-fighters must stop him. Only Goku, humanity’s last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and save the planet, and possibly the entire universe!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKokoda (2006)
A bitter battle is fought between Australian and Japanese soldiers along the Kokoda trail in New Guinea during World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth (1988)
The Sun God Abel returns to life, bent on punishing the humans and cleansing Earth from their presence. When Athena joins him, leaving humans to their fate, the Bronze Saints must defend the world in their greatest battle yet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGolden Kamuy (2024)
On the Hokkaido frontier, a war veteran and Ainu girl race against misfits and military renegades to find treasure mapped out on tattooed outlaws.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhy Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBuddha: The Great Departure (2011)
Prince Siddhartha is heir to the Shakya kingdom, which is constantly at war with the more powerful Kosala kingdom. His father tries to raise as him as a warrior leader and to shield him from the miseries of the world. Meeting the young outcast girl Migaila, Siddhartha experiences love for the first time but also witnesses the suffering that afflicts humankind. Meanwhile, in Kosala, Chapra rises through the military, despite his lowly origins, to become a hero and general of the army. A final showdown between the two kingdoms forces Siddhartha to re-evaluate the path he is following.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris (1987)
In the first anime film of the Saint Seiya series, Seiya and the gang must defeat mysterious Ghost Knights to save the world from the pending resurrection of Eris, the Goddess of Chaos!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLetters from Iwo Jima (2006)
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Samurai (2003)
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 name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSamurai X: The Motion Picture (1997)
The war against the Tokugawa Shogunate ended years ago. But there are some who are not happy with the outcome. Shigure Takimi watched his friends and family get slashed down in the name of freedom and prosperity. Now he and a band of desparate rebels have sworn to settle one final score. Only one man stands in their way: Rurouni Kenshin. Will the former assassin take up his sword to fight again? When Shigure discovers Kenshin's true identity and his fight becomes a personal vendetta, the young hero will have no choice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie (2019)
The time is UC 1926. The Imperial Army's 203rd Air Mage Battalion led by Major Tanya Degurechaff has won the battle to the south against the Republic's stragglers. They expected to be given a vacation after returning victorious, but instead receive special orders from Staff HQ as soon as they get home. They are told that there were signs of a large-scale deployment near the Empire-Federation border. Faced with the prospect of a new major enemy, the desperate Empire fans the flame of war. Meanwhile, an international volunteer army spearheaded by the Commonwealth set foot in Federation territory. As they say, the enemy of an enemy is your friend. They suffer through misfortune purely out of national interest, and among them is a young girl. She is Warrant Officer Mary Sue, and she takes up arms hoping to bring the Empire, who killed her father, to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRevenge of the Ninja (1983)
A peaceful ex-ninja's life shatters when his son's kidnapping forces him back into violence amid an American-Japanese criminal drug war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Challenge (1982)
Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. At the behest of the businessman, Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, but joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisKingdom III: The Flame of Destiny (2023)
To defend their kingdom against a sudden invasion, a mighty general returns to the battlefield alongside a war orphan, now grown up, who dreams of glory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this13 Assassins (2010)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution (2019)
After accepting an invitation from a mysterious trainer, Ash, Misty and Brock meet Mewtwo, an artificially created Pokémon who wants to do battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAzumi 2: Death or Love (2005)
Young assassins Azumi and Nagara continue their mission to prevent a civil war. In their hunt for Masayuki Sanada, who is protected by both an army and a dangerous clan, they meet Ginkaku, a person who shows a remarking resemblance with former friend Nachi.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Japan Gangster War?
The closest matches to Japan Gangster War are Yakuza Apocalypse (2015), Blood on the Sun (1945) and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Japan Gangster War?
Start with Yakuza Apocalypse (2015), the closest match to Japan Gangster War.
What is the highest-rated movie like Japan Gangster War?
Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 221 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Japan Gangster War?
Golden Kamuy (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Japan Gangster War?
Yes: Yakuza Apocalypse (2015), Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013) and Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012).
How are movies similar to Japan Gangster War chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Japan Gangster War, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.