Movies like Where The Legend Lives (2008)
The best movies like Where The Legend Lives (2008) are Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973), Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014) and Girl in the Box (2016). If Where The Legend Lives hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSamurai Rebellion (1967)8.2/10 from 283 votes
- NewestFujiko (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973)Also in Japanese
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973)
Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBuddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014)
2500 years ago, in India, Siddhartha was born as a prince of the Shakya clan, but he gives up his position as a prince to see the world. He meets a strange boy named Assaji, who can predict the future, a monk with only one eye and Depa. Siddhartha continues traveling. Siddhartha is overwhelmed by the sufferings he witnesses around him. Meanwhile, Prince Ruri of Kosara begins his attack on the Shakya clan. Second Buddha movie from Tezuka Productions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamurai Rebellion (1967)
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisModest Heroes (2018)
Two tiny, aquatic humanoids search for their missing father, a boy battles a lethal allergy to eggs, and an invisible salaryman tries to become a hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScarlet (2025)
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRevival of Evangelion (1998)
Revival of Evangelion is a re-edit of the Neon Genesis Evangelion films , released in 1998. It consists of Evangelion: Death (which was essentially a clip show that summarized the entire regular series) and The End of Evangelion , re-edited together to make a version that tells the entire story of Evangelion. It is considered to be the final form of the Evangelion films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMai Mai Miracle (2009)
Inspired by her grandfather's stories, young Shinko embarks on wild flights of fancy about the history of the little town she lives in. But dreams can't fend off the realities of growing up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Wind Named Amnesia (1990)
A wind has swept the Earth taking all the memories from everyone. No one knows who they are, how to speak, or how to use the tools of modern civilization. Two years later, a young man who has been re-educated travels across America on a mysterious journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
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 drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStand by Me Doraemon (2014)
Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato (2019)
In the midst of an industrial revolution, the people of Hinomoto fight hordes of undead creatures, known as Kabane, using powerful armored trains. Half a year after the events of the original TV series, the heroes of the Iron Fortress attempt to take back Unato Castle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwenty-Four Eyes (1954)
From 1928 to 1946, the lives of 12 young people and their school teacher in a poor Japanese village are profoundly affected by historical events and personal circumstances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram (2011)
The Kingdom of the People of the Earth once ruled over the land, but now all that remains is the Sword of the Earth. in the city of Eindoak. Satoshi, Iris, and Dent arrive in Eindoak during a harvest festival's Pokémon Tournament and meet the legendary Pokémon Victini who wishes to share its powers of victory to someone. Elsewhere in the city, a descendant of the People of the Earth named Dred Grangil has arrived who seeks to revive the kingdom's power with the Sword of the Earth, bringing them back into power over the land, and Satoshi and his friends must stop him before he destroys the land along with Victini.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIf Cats Disappeared from the World (2016)
A postman learns that he doesn't have much time left to live due to a terminal illness. A devil then appears in front of him and offers to extend his life if he picks something in the world that will disappear. The man thinks about his relationships with ex-friends, ex-lovers, relatives and colleagues who will be sincerely sad when he dies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFate/Grand Order the Movie: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot 1 Wandering; Agateram (2020)
The wandering knight, Bedivere, reaches the end of his journey. It is A.D. 1273 in Jerusalem. The Holy Land has been transformed into a massive desert and its people have been forced out of their homes as three major powers wage war with each other in this wasteland. The Knights of the Round Table come together to protect the Holy City and their Lion King. With the whole of his kingdom summoned into a strange land, Ozymandias, the Sun King, quietly plots against the tyranny of this bizarre realm. The mountain people, protectors of those who were stripped of their land, await their chance at rebellion. In order to fulfill his mission, Bedivere heads for the Holy City where the Lion King rules. There he meets humanity’s final Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who has come to Jerusalem, accompanied by his Demi-Servant, Mash Kyrielight, in their quest to restore human history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom (2011)
The Kingdom of the People of the Earth once ruled over the land, but now all that remains is the Sword of the Earth. in the city of Eindoak. Satoshi, Iris, and Dent arrive in Eindoak during a harvest festival's Pokémon Tournament and meet the legendary Pokémon Victini who wishes to share its powers of victory to someone. Elsewhere in the city, a descendant of the People of the Earth named Dred Grangil has arrived who seeks to revive the kingdom's power with the Sword of the Earth, bringing them back into power over the land, and Satoshi and his friends must stop him before he destroys the land along with Victini.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYamada Todoroki Law Office (2026)
Postwar Ueno: lawyer Yone Yamada’s sister is attacked and the truth buried. Fueled by rage, Yone writes “Article 14” on a wall and, after reuniting with Taichi Todoroki, opens a law office to fight for the oppressed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Fighting Elegy (1966)
Kiroku boards with a Roman Catholic family and falls for the daughter Michiko. He ignores his feelings, joins a gang, gets in fights and, eventually, becomes involved with the radical Kita Ikki group.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFujiko (2026)
Subjected to harsh treatment by her husband Jiro’s family, Fujiko is devastated when Mari is kidnapped by Jiro’s relatives. With the help of her own mother, Chiyo, Fujiko regains her child. Against the advice and judgment of those around her, she chooses to raise Mari as a single mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kabei: Our Mother (2008)
Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStreet of Shame (1956)
Follows five prostitutes employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation debates the passage of an anti-prostitution law.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (1973)
Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new friendships include a powerful underboss of the Muraoka family, Noboru Uchimoto.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (1974)
As Japan gears up for the 1964 Olympic Games, the cops start to crack down on the gangs, under pressure from the public and the press, adding a new dimension in the war for power among the yakuza families of Hiroshima.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTenjō no Hana (2022)
Tatsuji Miyoshi regards Sakutaro Hagiwara as his teacher. Feelings run deeper since he loves Sakutaro’s youngest sister, Keiko, but she rejects him. A decade later and as the Pacific War rages, Tatsuji finds out that Keiko is recently widowed and he divorces his wife and leaves his children and marries Keiko. They honeymoon quietly Echizen Mikuni but their personalities don’t match as Tatsuji is unable to keep up with the more uninhibited Keiko.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
YUKIKAZE (2025)
Just 80 years ago, the peaceful sea was a battlefield. Soldiers continued to fight, dreaming of returning home, and their families continued to pray and wait for their safety. What stories were there in each of their lives, and what were they each thinking?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Where The Legend Lives?
The closest matches to Where The Legend Lives are Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973), Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014) and Girl in the Box (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Where The Legend Lives?
Start with Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973), the closest match to Where The Legend Lives.
What is the highest-rated movie like Where The Legend Lives?
Samurai Rebellion (1967), rated 8.2/10 by 283 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Where The Legend Lives?
Fujiko (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Where The Legend Lives?
Yes: Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973), Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014) and Samurai Rebellion (1967).
How are movies similar to Where The Legend Lives chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Where The Legend Lives, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.