Movies like The Missing Heir (1955)
The best movies like The Missing Heir (1955) are The Karate Kid Part II (1986), Yojimbo (1961) and Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005). If The Missing Heir hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedYojimbo (1961)8.1/10 from 1,787 votes
- NewestMy Happy Marriage (2023)Released 2023
- In JapaneseYojimbo (1961)Also in Japanese
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYojimbo (1961)
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 Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisShinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
Even though Gennosuke and Oboro are from rival ninja villages, they are secretly in love. At an annual conference with the Lord, it is dictated that a competition--a fight to the death--will take place between the five best shinobi from each village. Gennosuke and Oboro's love is made even more impossible when they each got picked as the leader of the five to represent their respective villages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun, Japan's most powerful clan leader. He's also challenged to fight by the supremely confident and skillful Sasaki Kojiro. Takezo agrees to fight Kojiro in a year's time but rejects Shogun's patronage, choosing instead to live on the edge of a village, raising vegetables. He's followed there by Otsu and later by Akemi, both in love with him. The year ends as Takezo assists the villagers against a band of brigands. He seeks Otsu's forgiveness and accepts her love, then sets off across the water to Ganryu Island for his final contest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUgetsu (1953)
In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRepast (1951)
In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe End of Summer (1961)
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGate of Hell (1953)
Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Twilight Samurai (2002)
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Makioka Sisters (1983)
This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Realm of the Senses (1976)
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoad to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (2012)
Sixteen years ago, a mysterious masked ninja unleashes a powerful creature known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox on the Hidden Leaf Village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki, the Demon Fox's living prison or Jinchūriki, manage to seal the creature inside their newborn son Naruto Uzumaki. With the Tailed Beast sealed, things continued as normal. However, in the present day, peace ended when a group of ninja called the Akatsuki attack Konoha under the guidance of Tobi, the mysterious masked man behind Fox's rampage years ago who intends on executing his plan to rule the world by shrouding it in illusions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThrone of Blood (1957)
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRanma ½ (2011)
Akane is the youngest of three daughters for Soun Tendo. Her father Soun Tendo runs a dojo for martial arts. Akane hopes to carry on her father's dojo into the distant future. Meanwhile, Akane has been selected to marry Ranma, the son of her father's long time friend Genma. Akane and Ranma's relationship has developed into a love and hate relationship. Also, Ranma isn't your typical boy. While on a training journey Ranma fell into the Spring of the Drowned Girl and now changes into a women whenever cold water is splashed on him. Warm water will allow him to revert back to a male. Problems arise when Akane's father declares that the successor to their dojo must be a male. Now, Akane and Ranma (being a man only half of the time) must find a secret spring that can cure him of his curse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
Princess Yum Yum falls in love with Tack and saves him from being executed. Later, when the protective orbs of the palace get stolen, Tack and Yum Yum set out to find them and save the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOkko's Inn (2018)
12-year-old Oriko Seki, who lost her parents in a car accident, ended up living in her grandmother's Onsen Ryokan "Haru no Ya." With the ghost "Uribou" cohabitating with her and all the other odds, she ended up training to be a young female innkeeper. At first, she didn't like the training, but gradually felt her admiration for her title and began to train seriously. Thus, the growth of the young warrior Oriko begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFate/stay night: Heaven's Feel II. Lost Butterfly (2019)
Shirou has lost his Servant, Saber, and is no longer a Master in the Holy Grail War. Despite this, he refuses to leave the battle, determined to protect Sakura. Meanwhile, a mysterious shadow engulfs the city, killing Masters and Servants one by one. As Shirou faces new dangers, Sakura is drawn deeper into her own destiny as a mage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSleeping Beauty (1959)
Cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent when she was a baby, Princess Aurora is sent into hiding under protection from three good fairies. As she grows up far away, Maleficent becomes increasingly determined to seal the princess's fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Happy Marriage (2023)
An unhappy young woman from an abusive family is married off to a fearsome and chilly army commander. But the two learn more about each other, love may have a chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMemoirs of a Geisha (2005)
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like The Missing Heir and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Missing Heir?
The closest matches to The Missing Heir are The Karate Kid Part II (1986), Yojimbo (1961) and Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Missing Heir?
Start with The Karate Kid Part II (1986), the closest match to The Missing Heir.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Missing Heir?
Yojimbo (1961), rated 8.1/10 by 1,787 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Missing Heir?
My Happy Marriage (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The Missing Heir?
Yes: Yojimbo (1961), Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005) and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956).
How are movies similar to The Missing Heir chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Missing Heir, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.