Movies like Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
The best movies like Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963) are New Tale of Zatoichi (1963), Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972). If Zatoichi the Fugitive hooked you with its adventure and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Hidden Fortress (1958)8.0/10 from 753 votes
- NewestSpirit World (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseNew Tale of Zatoichi (1963)Also in Japanese
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza in order to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must eliminate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hidden Fortress (1958)
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBleach (2018)
High school student Ichigo Kurosaki lives an ordinary life, besides being able to see ghosts and the blurry memories of his mother's death under strange circumstances when he was a kid. His peaceful world suddenly breaks as he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a God of Death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like this47 Ronin (2013)
Kai—an outcast—joins Oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honour to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNaruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower (2010)
Assigned on a mission to capture Mukade, a missing-nin, Naruto Uzumaki sets out for the once glorious historic ruins of "Ouran", where he pursues and corners the rouge ninja. Mukade's goal is revealed to be a dormant leyline within the ruins; he unleashes the power of the leyline, causing a light to envelop Naruto, sending him into the past, 20 years before the series began. When Naruto awakens, he comes into contact with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar (2022)
The Elric brothers meet their toughest opponent yet — a lone serial killer with a large scar on his forehead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008)
A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006)
Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and Rock Lee are assigned to protect the prince of the Land of the Moon, Michiru, during his world trip; other escorts had been hired, but quit due to being treated poorly. The Land of the Moon is a very wealthy nation, so Michiru tends to buy whatever he wants, and has a very materialistic worldview. His Hikaru, also acts in much the same manner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisK-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces (2008)
In an alternate version of 1949 Japan in which World War II never happened, the Japanese capital of Teito is home to both an ultra rich upper class and the dirt poor masses. The city is thrown into a state of panic when a phantom thief called “The Kaijin (Fiend) with 20 Faces” (K-20 for short) begins to use his mysterious abilities to steal from the rich and give to the poor. One day a circus acrobat named Heikichi Endo (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is framed for K-20’s crimes and becomes determined to clear his name. He teams up with K-20’s next target, a wealthy duchess named Yoko Hashiba (Takako Matsu) and her detective fiancé (Toru Nakamura), to take K-20 down once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStreet Fighter: Assassin's Fist The Movie (2014)
If one man changes his path, will he be able to change his destiny...or will he only delay the inevitable? Ryu and Ken are two traditional warriors who find themselves isolated in some corner of Japan to carry out their training as fighters, trying to master an ancient style of fighting, known as "Ansatsuken" (The Killing Fist). There they will begin to learn about the mysterious past of their trainer, Goken, and the tragic and dark legacy that the Ansatsuken style hides. Will they be able to choose their destiny or will history repeat itself once again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Piece Episode of East Blue (2017)
Experience the inspiring moments that launched Luffy and the first four members of his crew on their grand adventure to find the One Piece! It’s all here—from Shanks giving Luffy the straw hat, to Nami facing the Fish-Men at her hometown. Along the way, Zoro finds his swordsman’s zeal, Usopp pays for his pranks, and Sanji sizzles up the Baratie. Join the crew where it all began in the waters of East Blue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: Dimensional Sniper (2014)
A rash of sniper attacks leaves the streets of Tokyo empty and the public terrified to go outside. It’s up to Conan and his friends to find the culprit, but the case goes deeper than it seems. Military cover-ups, conspiracies and murder abound in this fast-paced, thrilling mystery!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHunter x Hunter: The Last Mission (2013)
Isaac Netero is the chairman of the Hunter Association. Decades ago he sealed away Jed, a Hunter who had mastered the use of On, the dark "shadow" of Nen. Now On users have reappeared at the Heaven's Arena "Battle Olympia" tournament. For Netero, this is the last mission: to protect the Association and the world from a threat driven by hatred and the thirst for revenge. And he's going to need all the help he can get in order to succeed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFate/Grand Order Final Singularity – Grand Temple of Time: Solomon (2021)
After battling their way through all seven Singularities, the Chaldea Security Organization has finally arrived at the endpoint of the Grand Order: The Final Singularity, Grand Temple of Time: Solomon. Now is the time to defeat the root of all evil, Solomon, the King of Mages. Now is the time to reclaim the future. With the final operation looming large, Romani Archaman considers the choices he will soon have to make, Mash Kyrielight dwells on life's limitations, and Fujimaru prepares to receive a new Mystic Code. All their many encounters have led to this moment as Fujimaru and Mash at last embark on their final operation...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBleach the Movie: Hell Verse (2010)
Hell – A place where beings that have committed mortal sins during their lifetime are sent. It is a realm where even Soul Reapers are forbidden to interfere. When a group of vicious Sinners plot to escape from this eternal prison, they discover that Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki is the key to their freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaruto: The Lost Story - Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (2003)
Naruto and his friends must get back a jug of stolen holy water from a band of higher class ninjas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: The Last Wizard of the Century (1999)
Kaitou Kid dares to challenge the police once more, setting his sights on the Russian Imperial Easter Egg. With the date, time, and place, the Osaka police force scrambles to stop him. But this time, Kid may have bitten off more than he can chew—Conan Edogawa, Heiji Hattori, and numerous others are also trying to get their hands on the jeweled egg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (2023)
D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a noblewoman from being kidnapped. Once in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers, unaware that his quest will lead him to the very heart of a war where the future of France is at stake. Aided by King's Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, he faces the machinations of villainous Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter, while falling in love with Constance, the Queen's confidante.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTatara Samurai (2017)
In 16th century Japan, a young man has to choose between becoming a master steel maker like his father and grandfather before him, or becoming a samurai so that he can help protect his village from attacks by the various clans which want the high-quality steel made there.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Lone Wolf Isazo (1968)
Isazo is a traveling gambler and living legend in the world of yakuza, known for his swordsmanship and bravery, his impeccable manners, and his brilliant talent in gambling. One late fall at an inn in Kiso Fukushima, Isazo befriends a young boy whose mother turns out to be his old love Yoshino, with whom he was not unable to consummate a marriage due to the class differences between them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Queen & Country (2015)
In this sequel to Hope and Glory (1987), Bill Rohan has grown up and is drafted into the army, where he and his eccentric best mate, Percy, battle their snooty superiors on the base and look for love in town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKenpu Renpeikan (1944)
Near the end of the shogunate in Japan, Katsura Shogoro and his fellow samurai from the southwestern domain of Choshu enter the dojo of Saito Yakuro, the famed Shindo Munen Ryu swordsmen of Renpeikan in Edo. Katsura is initially not welcomed by the other, senior dojo followers. Undeterred, he focuses on improving his skill not only in swordsmanship but also learning how to repel the foreign British and American ships that threaten their domain.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Spirit World (2025)
Legendary singer Claire Emery flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert. But when the show ends, so does Claire’s life on earth. However, an unexpected new life in the spirit world - where she will be guided by Yuzo, one of her biggest fans - awaits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Ballad of Isabel Winslow (TBA)
In 18th century England, two penniless con artists, Isabel Winslow and John Banterbury, rig a high-stakes card game against a hot-headed young nobleman, Lord Benedict.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
My 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: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurderer! (1976)
A cowardly samurai is sent as an official executioner targeting the clan's former sword instructor, a man whose sword and spear skills are second to none.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Ride or Die (2021)
Rei helps the woman she's been in love with for years escape her abusive husband. While on the run, their feelings for each other catch fire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Zatoichi the Fugitive?
The closest matches to Zatoichi the Fugitive are New Tale of Zatoichi (1963), Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Zatoichi the Fugitive?
Start with New Tale of Zatoichi (1963), the closest match to Zatoichi the Fugitive.
What is the highest-rated movie like Zatoichi the Fugitive?
The Hidden Fortress (1958), rated 8.0/10 by 753 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Zatoichi the Fugitive?
Spirit World (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Zatoichi the Fugitive?
Yes: New Tale of Zatoichi (1963), Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972).
How are movies similar to Zatoichi the Fugitive chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Zatoichi the Fugitive, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.