Zatoichi the Fugitive
1963 · 86 min · ★ 6.9 · Adventure, Action, Drama
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.
Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka · Written by Seiji Hoshikawa
Your Rating
Where to Watch
Cast
-
Shintarō Katsu Zatoichi -
Miwa Takada Onobu -
Masayo Banri Otane -
Katsuhiko Kobayashi -
Jun'ichirō Narita Sakichi -
Tōru Abe Boss Yagiri Tokyuro - S San'emon Arashi
-
Yūji Hamada - S Sumao Ishihara
-
Jun Katsumura Wrestling yakuza -
Kōichi Mizuhara Boss Unosuke - Y Yasuhiro Mizukami Boss Tamamura
Make it a double feature
2h 51m togetherBoth from Tokuzō Tanaka.
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman CollectionSee all →
The Tale of Zatoichi · 1962The Tale of Zatoichi
★ 7.31962
MovieAdventureAction
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues · 1962The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
★ 7.11962
MovieAdventureAction
Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.
Zatoichi on the Road · 1963Zatoichi on the Road
★ 6.91963
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is sworn to protect the life of a young girl and without any real allies finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war.
New Tale of Zatoichi · 1963New Tale of Zatoichi
★ 7.01963
MovieActionDrama
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.
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold · 1964Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
★ 6.91964
MovieActionDrama
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.
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword · 1964Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
★ 6.91964
MovieActionDrama
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.
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight · 1964Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
★ 6.81964
MovieAdventureAction
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and together they travel to find the baby's father. But they do not reckon on the father's reaction to their arrival, nor on their own growing feelings for the child.
Adventures of Zatoichi · 1964Adventures of Zatoichi
★ 6.71964
MovieAdventureAction
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert · 1965Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
★ 6.71965
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man · 1965Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
★ 6.81965
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi's Revenge · 1965Zatoichi's Revenge
★ 6.61965
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi's Vengeance · 1966Zatoichi's Vengeance
★ 6.91966
MovieActionDrama
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.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage · 1966Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
★ 7.11966
MovieDramaAction
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.
Zatoichi Challenged · 1967Zatoichi Challenged
★ 7.01967
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi the Outlaw · 1967Zatoichi the Outlaw
★ 6.71967
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword · 1967Zatoichi's Cane Sword
★ 7.41967
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi comes upon the town of Tonda, overrun by gangsters. Using one of his favorite techniques, Zatoichi proceeds to win 8 ryo in a rigged gambling game. Of course, the local gangsters attempt to kill him, and the adventure begins. It turns out a blacksmith named Senzo examines Zatoichi's cane sword, and discovers it to be forged by his old mentor. Senzo discovers the sword is at the end of its usefulness and will break when it is used next.
Zatoichi and the Fugitives · 1968Zatoichi and the Fugitives
★ 7.01968
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
Samaritan Zatoichi · 1968Samaritan Zatoichi
★ 6.81968
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo · 1970Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
★ 6.81970
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival · 1970Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
★ 6.81970
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman · 1971Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
★ 6.81971
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.
Zatoichi at Large · 1972Zatoichi at Large
★ 6.71972
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi in Desperation · 1972Zatoichi in Desperation
★ 6.71972
MovieAdventureAction
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.
Zatoichi's Conspiracy · 1973Zatoichi's Conspiracy
★ 7.01973
MovieActionDrama
Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, returns to his home village for the first time in many years. He is befriended by Omiyo, who had the same wet-nurse as Zatoichi. He also encounters a boyhood friend, Shinbei, who is now wealthy and appears not to remember Zatoichi. Shinbei seems to be interested in repaying the villagers' debts, but is, in reality, manipulating the ownership of a now valuable rock quarry. Zatoichi learns of the subterfuge and confronts his old friend, who has a score of yakuza swordsmen backing his play.
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally · 1989Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally
★ 6.51989
MovieActionDrama
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.
More from Tokuzō TanakaSee all →
Akado Suzunosuke vs. the Birdman with 3 Eyes · 1958Akado Suzunosuke vs. the Birdman with 3 Eyes
★ 10.01958
MovieActionFantasy
Suzunosuke faces perhaps his wildest foes. This evil gang is lead by a one-eyed birdman and other demonic creatures.
Hissatsu Shigotonin · 1979Hissatsu Shigotonin
★ 10.01979
SeriesDrama
Nakamura Mondo was relegated to a post in Hachioji from the Minamimachi Bugyōsho and he has retired from professional assassin. But one day he was ordered to return to the Minamimachi Bugyōsho. Shikazō worked behind the scenes to get Mondo back to the Minamimachi Bugyōsho. Shikazō asks Nakamura Mondo to kill a man, once Mondo refuses but he is blinded by big money and eventually take the offer. Mondo restarts killing villains again with Kazarishokunin no Hide and Nawate Samon.
Kenkaku Shōbai · 1973Kenkaku Shōbai
★ 10.01973
SeriesDrama
Kohei Akiyama, a popular master swordsman, and his son Daijiro live in the town of Edo in good faith. While running a dojo, Daijiro and his father find themselves wrapped up in a series of events with the town's people.
A Samurai Never Tells a Lie · 1963A Samurai Never Tells a Lie
★ 9.51963
MovieDrama
The shogun's vassal Harima Aoyama and a chamber maid are in love with each other, but they cannot be together due to a difference of their status. Soon, an offer of marriage is brought to Harima. Trying to test his love, Okiku breaks one of the plates of the family treasure of the Aoyama family, but Harima doesn't notice. However, someone surrounding her witnesses the moment Okiku breaks the plate on purpose.
Sansho the Bailiff · 1954Sansho the Bailiff
★ 8.11954
MovieDrama
In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushio and Anju, are sold into brutal servitude under the cruel bailiff Sansho.
Lone Wolf and Cub · 1973Lone Wolf and Cub
★ 8.11973
SeriesAction & Adventure
Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku.
One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun.
Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.
Rashomon · 1950Rashomon
★ 8.01950
MovieCrimeDrama
Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
Ugetsu · 1953Ugetsu
★ 8.01953
MovieFantasyDrama
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.
Bloody Shuriken · 1965Bloody Shuriken
★ 8.01965
MovieDramaAction
Ronin samurai Ibuki-san enters a town and sells his skills to the warring families. He falls in love with the beautiful horse stable owner but like all heroes, cannot stay.
Chikamatsu Monogatari · 1954Chikamatsu Monogatari
★ 7.81954
MovieDramaRomance
When the wife of a 17th-century Kyoto scrollmaker is falsely accused of having an affair with his best employee, the pair flee the city and find themselves truly falling for one another.
Conflagration · 1958Conflagration
★ 7.11958
MovieDrama
Learning of his family's collapse, acolyte Goichi, sent to study silently at the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, must endure acute psychological distress.
New Tale of Zatoichi · 1963New Tale of Zatoichi
★ 7.01963
MovieActionDrama
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.
Nemuri Kyōshirō · 1989Nemuri Kyōshirō
★ 7.01989
MovieActionDrama
Kyoshiro rescues Shizu who was being abused by her husband, even since she had been violated by the man posing as Ieyoshi. He then learned that Ieyoshi had been acting oddly ever since returning from Kyoto six months ago. Sir Fumiya's investigation of the O'oku (Shogun's harem in Edo Castle) uncovered the plot and reported that Sir Higo-no-Kami had been controlling the fraud. That's when Kyoshiro heads to Kyoto to find clues...
The Snow Woman · 1968The Snow Woman
★ 7.01968
MovieHorrorFantasy
Two sculptors spend the night in a mountain lodge after being caught in a snowstorm. A female spirit appears and takes the life of one of the men. She spares the other man's life on the condition that he never tell anyone what happened that night.
The Whale God · 1962The Whale God
★ 7.01962
MovieAdventureDrama
A fishing village is terrorized by a giant whale, and the fishermen are determined to kill it.
Homeless Dog · 1964Homeless Dog
★ 7.01964
MovieActionCrime
First movie of the Inu series directed by Tokuzō Tanaka
More Like This
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom · 1984Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
★ 7.31984
MovieAdventureAction
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade · 1989Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
★ 7.91989
MovieAdventureAction
In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!
Beverly Hills Cop II · 1987Beverly Hills Cop II
★ 6.51987
MovieActionComedy
Axel Foley returns to the land of sunshine and palm trees to investigate the near-fatal shooting of police Captain Andrew Bogomil. With the help of Sgt. Taggart and Det. Rosewood, they soon uncover that the shooting is associated with a series of "alphabet" robberies masterminded by a heartless weapons kingpin—and the chase is on.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon · 2000Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
★ 7.42000
MovieAdventureDrama
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Lost in Translation · 2003Lost in Translation
★ 7.42003
MovieDramaComedy
Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 · 2003Kill Bill: Vol. 1
★ 8.02003
MovieActionCrime
An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest · 2006Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
★ 7.42006
MovieAdventureFantasy
Captain Jack Sparrow’s got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. To escape eternal servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, ever-crafty Jack must track down the still-beating heart of Jones. But he won’t do it alone: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are drawn back into another one of his perilous quests—assuming they can evade execution for aiding a pirate.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers · 2002The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
★ 8.42002
MovieAdventureFantasy
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King · 2003The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
★ 8.52003
MovieAdventureFantasy
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
Lady Snowblood · 1973Lady Snowblood
★ 7.51973
MovieActionCrime
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
The Bourne Supremacy · 2004The Bourne Supremacy
★ 7.32004
MovieActionDrama
A CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent, who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne and Marie have been living. The pair run for their lives and Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.
The Bourne Ultimatum · 2007The Bourne Ultimatum
★ 7.42007
MovieActionDrama
Bourne is brought out of hiding once again by reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar, an upgrade to Project Treadstone, in a series of newspaper columns. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally uncover his dark past while dodging The Company's best efforts to eradicate him.
Nobody Knows · 2004Nobody Knows
★ 8.02004
MovieDrama
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
