Movies like Zatoichi's Cane Sword (1967)
The best movies like Zatoichi's Cane Sword (1967) are Samurai Wolf (1966), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955). If Zatoichi's Cane Sword 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 ratedSanjuro (1962)7.9/10 from 764 votes
- NewestHara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011)Released 2011
- In JapaneseSamurai Wolf (1966)Also in Japanese
- Same seriesZatoichi the Fugitive (1963)Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman
Samurai Wolf (1966)
This is the story of a vagrant samurai – the solitary, savage and scrupulous Kiba – who arrives at a village to defend a beautiful, blind woman against a sinister plot. Her assailants then send against him another samurai, named Sana, who is without scruples. The fight between them will become personal, for the honor and love of the blind woman.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & adventure
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: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSamurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
After years on the road establishing his reputation as Japan's greatest fencer, Takezo returns to Kyoto. Otsu waits for him, yet he has come not for her but to challenge the leader of the region's finest school of fencing. To prove his valor and skill, he walks deliberately into ambushes set up by the school's followers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi Challenged (1967)
Ichi is staying at an inn when a woman dies. Her dying wish is that Ichi take her son to his father, an artist living in a nearby town. After arriving in the town, Ichi finds out that the father has been forced by a local boss to create illegal pornography to pay off his gambling debts. Ichi makes it his mission to save the man and reunite the family, even though it brings him into conflict with a samurai he sort of befriended on his way to the town.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964)
Blind masseur Zatoichi is nursed back to health by a young woman after he is shot by a gang member. Zatoichi, who had come to the village to repay a debt, now feels further indebted. He commits himself to use his amazing sword skills to help the young woman's father, whose river-crossing service is under attack by the same gang responsible for Zatoichi's wounds.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi's Vengeance (1966)
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974)
Hanzo extracts a confession from a ghost using his assaulting methods, foils thieves, connects with Heisuke Takei a friend from his youth, offers protection to a forward-thinking physician Genan Sugino who has defamed his ruler, discovers a pleasure ring of young wives and a blind music teacher, and cuckolds a corrupt official under his very nose.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)
Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
Against the backdrop of the Edo treasury devaluing currency and driving many into poverty, Hanzo Itami enforces the law without regard to status. He shows inadequate respect to the treasurer, who wants him dead.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
The Last Samurai (1974)
The film follows the story of Sugi Toranosuke, a ronin, who returns to his home town of Edo many years after his attempted suicide as a sickly child. Rescued and adopted by a master swordsman, he has grown into a master swordsman and a very kind gentleman. The time is around 1868 the year that the nails were finally put into the coffin containing the feudal system that nurtured and sustained the samurai. Sugi is confused and unsure about what is happening but his teacher wants him out of the chaos of the multiple power struggles between the various clans.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Samurai Vendetta (1959)
Two amiable samurai wind up on opposite sides of the vendetta between Lord Asano's retainers and the family of Lord Kira that led to the famous revenge of the 47 Ronin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
The blind masseuse is targeted by the leader of a powerful yakuza group while also fending off a jealous husband bent on revenge. Zatoichi tours Edo's underground via a rousing onsen fight scene, gambling houses and the gender-bending character of Umeji, before a final, flame-filled conflagration.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
Ichi travels to the village of Itakura to pay his respects at the grave of Kichizo, a man he killed two years ago. When some tax money is stolen while in transit to the governor he is accused and sets out to find the money and clear his name.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like this13 Assassins (1963)
A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the Daimyo is the Shogun's younger brother, he will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the Daimyo. The two most brilliant strategic minds of their generation find themselves pitted against each other; one is tasked to defend a man he despises, and has a small army at his disposal. The other is given a suicide mission, and has 12 brave men. They are the 13 Assassins.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011)
A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi's Revenge (1965)
Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Through friendship with Denroku, a local dice thrower and devoted father, Ichi uncovers an unholy alliance between the governor and the area strongman: among their scams is falsifying tax records to put farmers in debt, then forcing their daughters into prostitution at the boss's brothel. With help from Denroku's daughter, Otsuru, Ichi comforts Osayo until he can provoke showdowns with the villains and their henchmen.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi in Desperation (1972)
After accidentally causing the death of an old lady, Zatoichi tries to do right by buying the lady’s daughter’s freedom from a brothel - but this causes more problems than solves them.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
Blind swordsman Zatoichi, jailed briefly, is implored by another prisoner to aid him in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death. Zatoichi is reluctant to get involved, because he knows how often such involvement has led to trouble in the past. But events conspire to thrust him repeatedly into involvement, and gradually he comes to believe in the man's innocence and determines to free him.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleven Samurai (1967)
The lord of the Oshi fief is killed by his trespassing neighbour, the cruel and despotic Nariatsu, son of the former Shogun. After an investigation, the Oshi clan is blamed for what happened and sentenced to be disbanded. Eleven of the best samurai of the clan refuse the sentence and are willing to give their life for justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & adventure
Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
When a local gambling house kidnaps some peasants because they failed to pay their debts, a rival gambling house pays their debts and sets them free.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSanjuro (1962)
In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNew 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: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZatoichi at Large (1972)
Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her cruel fate.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning.
Why it matches: Same series: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Zatoichi's Cane Sword and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Zatoichi's Cane Sword?
The closest matches to Zatoichi's Cane Sword are Samurai Wolf (1966), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Zatoichi's Cane Sword?
People who watched Zatoichi's Cane Sword most often go on to Samurai Wolf (1966), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955).
What is the highest-rated movie like Zatoichi's Cane Sword?
Sanjuro (1962), rated 7.9/10 by 764 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Zatoichi's Cane Sword?
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011) is the most recent release on this list.
Is Zatoichi's Cane Sword part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman, which includes Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963), Zatoichi Challenged (1967), Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964) and Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989).
Are there Japanese movies like Zatoichi's Cane Sword?
Yes: Samurai Wolf (1966), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955).
How are movies similar to Zatoichi's Cane Sword chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Zatoichi's Cane Sword, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.