Movies like Cut the Shadow (1963)
The best movies like Cut the Shadow (1963) are Gintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018), Gintama: The Very Final (2021) and Gintama: The Movie (2010). If Cut the Shadow hooked you with its action and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedKagemusha (1980)7.8/10 from 778 votes
- NewestGolden Kamuy (2024)Released 2024
- In JapaneseGintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018)Also in Japanese
Gintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018)
The Yorozuya gang returns to protect the country's shogun when the Shinsengumi police force finds itself in a crisis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGintama: The Very Final (2021)
The countdown to destruction has begun! Gintoki and the others set out to fulfill the wishes of their teacher Shoyo and thwart Utsuro's plans. Shinpachi, Kagura, the Shinsengumi, members of the Kabuki District, and even former enemies will join their fight. As Utsuro's power grows, Takasugi fights for his very life. Will Gintoki be able to put an end to all this?!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGintama: The Movie (2010)
Odd Jobs Gin has taken on a lot of odd work in the past, and when you're a Jack of All Trades agency based in a feudal Japan that's been conquered and colonized by aliens, the term "Odd Jobs" means REALLY ODD jobs. But when some more than slightly suspicious secrets from the shadows of Gintoki Sakata's somewhat shady former samurai past and a new pair of odd jobs collide, the action is bound to get so wild and demented that only a feature film will do it justice!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKill! (1968)
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGintama (2017)
In an era where aliens have invaded and taken over feudal Tokyo, a young samurai finds work however he can.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAccident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022)
The Accident Man is back, and this time he must best the top assassins in the world to protect the ungrateful son of a mafia boss, save the life of his only friend and rekindle his relationship with his maniacal father figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Paper Tigers (2020)
Three middle aged men polish their martial arts skills to avenge their fallen master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya (2013)
What would have happened if the Shiroyasha never existed? Edo is thrown to chaos by a mysterious cause. Sakata Gintoki, now lives in a world where the future has changed, without him. What has happened to the Yorozuya? Gintoki, who is now a ghost of the past, must once again carry the burden in order to save his friends. He must finish the biggest job ever, which may be the final job of Yorozuya.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisShowdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
An American with a Japanese upbringing, Chris Kenner is a police officer assigned to the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Kenner is partnered with Johnny Murata, a Japanese-American who isn't in touch with his roots. Despite their differences, both men excel at martial arts, and utilize their formidable skills when they go up against Yoshida, a vicious yakuza drug dealer with ties to Kenner's past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRyuzo and the Seven Henchmen (2015)
Ryuzo and his 7 former henchmen are all retired yakuza, but they now live as regular old men. One day, Ryuzo becomes the victim of a phishing fraud. He calls his 7 men together to reform their society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShogun Assassin (1980)
A Shogun who grew paranoid as he became senile sent his ninjas to kill his samurai. They failed but did kill the samurai’s wife. The samurai swore to avenge the death of his wife and roams the countryside with his toddler son in search of vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStreet Fighter Alpha: Generations (2005)
When Ryu returns to pay homage to his deceased mentor, Gouken, he is tormented by disturbing memories of his master's killer (Gouki). In a quest to become a true martial arts master, he sets out to hone his street fighting skills and deliver himself from the haunting legacy of the dark hadou.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994)
Bison, the ruthless leader of the international terrorist organization Shadowlaw, has been desperately searching for the greatest fighter on the planet for years. He finds it in Ryu, a young wanderer who never stays in one place long enough for Bison to find him. He does, however, get a fix on Ken Masters, an American martial arts champion who studied with Ryu as a child under the same master. Meanwhile, Major Guile of the United States Army is forced to team up with Chun Li from China in hopes of apprehending Bison and putting a stop his international ring of crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlade of the 47 Ronin (2022)
A new class of warriors emerges among the Samurai clans to keep a sought-after sword from falling into the wrong hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: The Secret Treasure of Buri Buri Kingdom (1994)
The Noharas win a vacation to the Kingdom of Buri Buri -- but the whole thing was just a clever ploy by an evil organization to kidnap Shin-chan!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFemale Fight Squad (2017)
A former fighter reluctantly returns to the life she abandoned in order to help her sister survive the sadistic world of illegal fighting and the maniac who runs it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995)
The Z Warriors discover an unopenable music box and are told to open it with the Dragon Balls. The contents turn out to be a warrior named Tapion who had sealed himself inside along with a monster called Hildegarn. Goku must now perfect a new technique to defeat the evil monster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShootfighter: Fight to the Death (1993)
Nick and Ruben are hoodwinked into a "shootfighter" (no-holds-barred, to the death) martial arts match by the evil Mr. Lee, who has a grudge against world shootfighter champ(and teacher of Nick and Ruben) Shingo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Back Down: Revolt (2021)
An amateur fighter is lured by a trafficking syndicate specializing in elite underground fighting where her brutal captor forces her to fight or face certain death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHana (2006)
In a poor district of Edo lives a young samurai named Soza. He has been sent by his clan to avenge the death of his father. He isn't an accomplished swordsman however, and he prefers sharing the life of the residents, teaching the kids how to write etc. When he finally finds the man he is looking for, he will have to decide whether he follows the way of the samurai or chooses peace and reconciliation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMomotarō Zamurai III (1994)
Momotaro carries this sword into battle against injustice in shogunate Japan. Aided by ninja he must now wage a furious battle against the terrible “Ran” clan, villains in league with Ohara Ukon, a bitter samurai nursing a grudge against the shogunate. Together the ruthless conspirators will threaten the foundations of shogunate rule over Japan. Only the relentless slashing sword of Momotaro may save the nation from the Ran clan's army of killers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & action
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
The four turtles travel back in time to the days of the legendary and deadly samurai in ancient Japan, where they train to perfect the art of becoming one. The turtles also assist a small village in an uprising.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSamurai Fiction (1998)
A warrior-in-training and his bumbling friends go in pursuit of a stolen sword.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKagemusha (1980)
A feudal epic presenting the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. The impostor becomes comfortable living his life among nobility, but his responsibilities to his station grow more demanding the longer he occupies it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSamurai Secret Agent (1983)
A master swordsman is ordered to go undercover on a mission to find and destroy a cannon factory being used by two samurai clans that try to usurp power and gain the position of shogun for one of their own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Izo (2004)
Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fort of Death (1969)
The second Bounty Hunter film, when master killer Shikoro Ichibei takes up the cause of a group of farmers being driven to despair by the vile Lord Ozeki. The villainous lord has driven them to mounting their last stand at a deserted fort against an army of attackers. Wakayama Tomisaburo is superb as an expert in killing and military tactics, who leaves his medical practice at a clinic for the poor in order to counter the vicious tactics of that vile lord.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Lady Samurai (2019)
This is the story of Kaori Kawabuchi, a samurai sword performer, singer and motion capture actor. An inspiring woman keeping alive ancient traditions and spirituality in modern Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
Struggling to elevate himself from his low caste in 17th century Japan, Miyamoto trains to become a mighty samurai warrior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cut the Shadow?
The closest matches to Cut the Shadow are Gintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018), Gintama: The Very Final (2021) and Gintama: The Movie (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cut the Shadow?
Start with Gintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018), the closest match to Cut the Shadow.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cut the Shadow?
Kagemusha (1980), rated 7.8/10 by 778 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cut the Shadow?
Golden Kamuy (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Cut the Shadow?
Yes: Gintama 2: Rules Are Made to Be Broken (2018), Gintama: The Very Final (2021) and Gintama: The Movie (2010).
How are movies similar to Cut the Shadow chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cut the Shadow, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.