Sucker Punch successfully interpreted Japanese culture in the 13th century in Ghost of Tsushima. From this game, a lot of gamers are attracted to the story of Jin Sakai. During the game’s development, Sucker Punch also adapted several classic samurai movies directed by Akira Kurosawa in the 1950s.

If you have watched Ghost of Tsushima and want to enjoy another samurai story, you can watch the best classic samurai movies on the list below.

1. Harakiri (1962)

Harakiri is a film directed by Masaki Kobayashi and released in 1962. The film is set in the peaceful Japan in the 17th century. This causes the Shogun to quit the army and causing hundreds of samurai to face the reality where there’s no more work and fall into poverty. This triggers a lot of samurai to do harakiri (an act of committing suicide) to retain their honor rather than living a difficult life.

The movie Harakiri presented the conflict well. It’s not surprising to see the film released in 1962 has a lot of positive response and becomes one of the most recommended samurai films.

2. Sanjuro (1962)

Sanjuro is a classic samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and released in 1962. The film tells us about the journey of a ronin named Sanjuro, where he finds out the scheme of young samurai to rebel against the corrupt people.

Looking at the odd veteran samurai, Sanjuro lends his help to the young samurai. He then becomes the tactical leader to lead the battle. The samurai battle is thick in essence and the black and white film also makes the nuance to be darker.

3. Yojimbo (1961)

Besides Sanjuro, Akira Kurosawa released another samurai film the previous year titled Yojimbo. The film is about a ronin who wanders into a small village under the leadership of two dictators. Both dictators employed fugitives and criminals to protect their business. The ronin named Yojimbo then decided to cause a riot in the illegal business competition. The two dictators then employed another ronin to kill Yojimbo. Still, Yojimbo went through a lot of trouble to destroy the two dictators.

4. Shogun Assassin (1980)

Shogun Assassin is one of the unique samurai films directed by Kenji Misumi. Taken from the legendary manga “Lone Wolf and Cub,” the film is about a samurai who wanders with no master while carrying a baby. The samurai called Lone Wolf wanders the land of Japan with the baby. During his adventure, Lone Wolf faced a lot of enemies that tried to kill him. Shogun Assassin is still a legendary story for the Japanese people.

5. Samurai Rebellion (1967)

Samurai Rebellion is a film directed by Masaki Kobayashi and released in 1967. The film is set during the Edo era in 1725. The film is about a samurai named Isaburo Sasahara who follows the leader of the Aizu clan, Masakata Matsudaira. Isaburo is the best samurai in Japan and his rival is his good friend, Tatewaki Asano.

Samurai Rebellion tells us about the honorable battle between two samurai wrapped in a story of loyalty, romance, and betrayal.

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6. 13 Assassins (2011)

13 Assassins is set during the Shogun Tokugawa era in 1844. Where at that time a group of assassins is accused of killing the Shogun’s sibling. The group of 13 samurai is a scapegoat because the real culprit is immune to the law. Together they tried to unveil the truth and what is actually happening. The film directed by Takashi Miike was the recipient of several awards such as  Best Cinematography in Award of the Japanese Academy.

7. Seven Samurai (1954)

This is one of the best classic samurai films directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film is set in Japan during the Sengoku era. The film tells us about a group of seven samurai who are employed by the villagers to protect their village from bandits. At a glance, the plot offered in this film may seem straightforward. But at that time, the use of “ensemble cast” in a film was still rare because usually the main character always goes into a battle alone or with one sidekick.

The armed bandit steals the harvest of the villagers. Some of the farmers went out to find individuals that can protect them from the bandits. They found an ex-samurai who is willing to help them and he asked for them to employ 6 more samurai to help him. The story of Seven Samurai became the inspiration of The Magnificent Seven that was released in 2016.     

8. Ran (1985)

Ran is another film directed by Akira Kurosawa and released in 1985. In a much modern era, the film comes in a colored format and left behind the “noir” impression. Ran tells us about the king who decided to split his territory to his three sons. Unfortunately, two of his sons work together to kick the other child. The event causes a war to erupt in the kingdom.

Akira is rumored to spend a big budget to make the film. He even builds a castle at the foot of Mount Fuji for a movie prop.

9. The Last Samurai (2003)

The Last Samurai is a samurai film by Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. The film stars Ken Watanabe as a samurai named Katsumoto and Tom Cruise who played as Nathan Algren. The film tells use about a lone samurai who tried to retain the spirit and tradition of a samurai and an emperor who tried to erase the role and existence of samurai in Japan during the Meiji Restoration.

10. Rurouni Kenshin (2012)

Last but not least is Rurouni Kenshin, the action film adapted from an anime with the same title. The film director by Keishi Otomo is about a retired samurai who long for a normal life. He then encountered a dojo who almost has no students and tried to live a peaceful life. But during one event, Kenshin has to unsheath his sword and become a samurai once again. Although the film was released in 2012, Rurouni Kenshin is still one of the best samurai films to watch today.

That’s the list of the best classic samurai film that you can watch after you have finished playing Ghost of Tsushima. Wait for more information about films and don’t forget to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for more interesting information every day.

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