Recently, we’ve learned that the video game Ghost of Tsushima is getting a movie adaptation. And, to get yourself ready to follow the story of the lonesome samurai, there are other samurai movies that you can watch. Samurai were the military nobility during the medieval and early-modern Japan of the warrior class. The cinema world often depicts them as people who wield a special sword (katana) in sword fights.  

Samurai movies were a hit in the 50s, which prompted many filmmakers to use the historical value of samurai as part of their stories. Now, there are so many movies that feature several aspects of the Japanese warriors. With that in mind, on this occasion, Dunia Games would like to give you a list of the 12 best samurai movies you should watch.

1. Crazy Samurai Musashi (2020)

This movie is inspired by Miyamoto Musashi. Crazy Samurai Musashi isn’t the only movie that depicts the life of the legendary Samurai, but it’s the most recent one. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is the first movie adaptation of the legend, released in 1954 and won a Special/Honorary award at the 1955 Academy Awards for Outstanding foreign language film. In Crazy Samurai Musashi, we’ll see Musashi in action, slashing through 400 opponents one by one with his katana. Aside from Musashi, this movie also follows another legendary Samurai, Kojiro Sasaki.

2. 47 Ronin (2013)

Directed by Carl Rinsch, this fantasy-action movie follows the 47 Ronin, a group of masterless samurai under daimyo Asano Naganori in 18th century Japan. Kai, played by Keanu Reeves, is an outcast who’s taken care of by a mysterious creature, the myth of the Tengu Forest. One day, he meets Lord Asano Takumi No Kami, the ruler of the Ako Domain, who then teaches Kai to become a warrior. Seeing Kai’s potential, Oishi asks for his help to join the attack on the Shogun (court lord), along with the other 46 samurai (Ronin). The 47 samurai then avenge Naganori’s death by confronting his rival, Kira Yoshinaka. 

3. Rurouni Kenshin (2012-2021)

The live-action version of the popular manga Rurouni Kenshin, also known as Samurai X, follows the story of the wanderer, Himura Kenshin, in several parts. The first entry, Rurouni Kenshin: Origins, aired in 2012 and focuses on the fictional early period of Meiji-era Japan. Followed by Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno in 2014 and the subsequent entry, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, which was also released in the same year. In 2021, two of the latest entries of the series: Rurouni Kenshin: The Final was released in April 2021 and  Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning in June 2021.

4. 13 Assassins (2010)

Set in 1840, 13 Assassins is directed by Takashi Miike. It tells the story of an honorable samurai who gathers a group of elite samurai to rise up against the sadistic Lord Naritsugu. Lord Naritsugu commits multiple crimes, such as rapes, tortures, and murdering his own people. Being aware that the situation needs to stop, a justice minister by the name of Shinzaemon, rents a trustworthy samurai to kill the lord. 13 Assassins is a remake of a Japanese drama by Eiichi Kudo released in 1963.

5. The Last Samurai (2003)

Directed by Edward Zwick, The Last Samurai stars Tom Cruise as the main character. It follows an American captain of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, who’s on a mission in Japan. He was appointed to liaise for a discussion with the Japanese emperor in order to train a new Imperial Japanese Army to defend the Imperial position in 1870. The plot of the movie was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori and the modernization that was happening in Japan. However, in this movie, the US is portrayed as the primary force behind it.

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6. The Hidden Blade (2004)

This movie is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa. It follows several samurai during a time of change in the ruling of Japan in the 1860s. Munezo Katagiri is a mid-ranked samurai at the end of the Tokugawa era, several years before the Meiji Restoration in 1867. It follows Katagiri and his friend/fellow samurai, Yaichiro Hazama, on their journey to Edo, and Kie a beautiful family servant who takes care of Katagiri’s mother.

7. The Twilight Samurai (2002)

The story follows a poor samurai named Iguchi Seibei, three years prior to the Meiji Restoration. The movie focuses on Seibei’s heartbreaking life story. Aside from being impoverished, he’s also dealing with the loss of his wife, who succumbed to tuberculosis. Plus, he needs to take care of his two daughters, Kayano and Ito, as well as his mother who suffers from dementia. One night, when Seibei is accompanying his childhood friend, Tomoe, he encounters Tomoe’s ex-husband Toyotaro, who’s drunk and tries to take Tomoe back from her hiding. Seibei gets angry when Toyotaro slaps Tomoe. The drunkard then challenges Seibei for a duel near the river.

8. Unforgiven (2013)

Also called Yurusarezaru Mono in Japan, this movie is a remake of the 1992 original version by Clint Eastwood. Unforgiven is written and directed by Lee Sang-il in a Jidaigeki Western-style instead of Eastwood’s cowboy-style western. The story follows Jubee Kamata, known as a deadly samurai who’s feared by the Meiji government. He’s nicknamed "Hitokiri Jubee", which means Jubee the assassin, for killing so many of his opponents, including the ones during the Boshin War, which ended with the defeat of the Tokugawa Shogunate defended by Jubee.

9. Blade of The Immortal (2017)

Based on Hiroaki Samura’s manga (1993-2012), Blade of The Immortal is directed by Takashi Miike and written by Tetsuya Oishi. The movie follows a samurai who’s cursed with immortality. Manji is a cursed samurai who needs to kill 100 men with his sword to break the curse. The curse started when he was badly injured in a war, then he was healed by the mysterious Yaobikuni. 50 years later, he meets a girl named Rin who seeks vengeance over her father’s killers. Manji then becomes an assassin working for Rin.

10. Killing (2018)

Killing is the latest movie by the well-known director Shinya Tsukamoto. The story revolves around Mokunoshin Tsuzuki, a young masterless samurai who spends his peaceful days helping the peasants in a remote village. He also spends time practicing swordsmanship with Ichisuke, the teenage son of his host family. One day, a samurai named Sawamura comes to the village. The seasoned samurai wants to recruit other samurai to join him for war in Kyoto. Mokunoshin accepts the offer, and he joins the war with the inexperienced Ichisuke.

11. When The Last Sword is Drawn (2002)

Directed by Yojiro Takita, When The Last Sword is Drawn is a movie about a samurai loosely based on real historical events. Interestingly, the story is told in a reverse chronology from the perspectives of two characters: Ono Chiaki, a doctor, and Saito Hajime, an old man who’s visiting the doctor’s clinic, where he’s taken back to his past after seeing a photograph. His memory tells of two Shinsengumi samurai, Saito Hajime & Yoshimura Kanichiro. Saito is known as a cold-blooded killer, whereas Yoshimura is known as a money-grabbing swordsman from the northern area known as Nambu Morioka. 

12. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (2002)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch, this movie may not be about Japanese samurai, but it’s a crime movie that follows a mysterious hitman. The hitman is employed by an American mafia, yet he follows the ancient code of the samurai and adopts the wisdom of ‘Hagakure’ in carrying out his contracts. The movie combines Japanese traditional values with the western action movie style. 

So, those were the 12 best samurai movies that you should watch before the release of the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima movie adaptation. Stick around for more anime, movie, and gaming info, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

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