Kinya Kitaoji

Hai Itto and his young son Daigoro seek vengeance against the Yagyu clan in this tale of swordsmanship and wandering in 17th-century Japan.

Princess Hiroko vanishes after escaping marriage and disguises herself as a man while Shusui and allies battle ninjas to uncover her whereabouts.

Sawatari Shusui travels to Hachijo Island on a quest for truth after saving a geisha from a ninja attack, unaware of the danger that awaits him.

On a mission to root out corruption in Nagasaki, a vassal of Shogun Tsunayoshi crosses swords with officials and helps a mysterious woman in danger.

Mondonosuke rescues Ryukyu envoys from Satsuma tyranny, igniting a perilous intrigue as assassins target him to silence their plea for justice.

Merchant Daitokuya controls Kaga and schemes to rule Japan, but Shusui moves to stop him, uncovering Oyumi’s true origin and a secret rebellion plot.

The celebrated Battles Without Honour and Humanity series continues with its second episode, Hiroshima Death Match, setting aside part one protagonist Shôzô Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) to follow a side story showcasing genre icons Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter) and Meiko Kaji (Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion). Hiroshima, 1950. Demobilised kamikaze pilot Shôji Yamanaka (Kinya Kitaôji) is released from prison and finds himself hungry and broke. Following a bust up with a local gang, he earns the psychotic wrath of local underboss Ôtomo (Chiba), but Yamanaka’s suicidal impulses are soon put to good use as a hitman for another gang, befriending series hero Shôzô Hirono in the process. Despite a budding but forbidden romance with the boss’s niece (Kaji), Yamanaka’s instability and recklessness soon begin to make him a dangerous liability. Taking an even more fatalistic turn than the series’ original entry, Hiroshima Death Match tells the story of the ultimate loser, based on a true story uncovered by screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara while interviewing real-life Hiroshima yakuza for part one. A prosperous era may be dawning for the protagonists, but one with new characters and new grudges to draw them more deeply into its world of blood and betrayal.

Intrigue unfolds as Shusui discovers a plot involving buried gold, sparking a crisis that leads to uncovering a deceptive identity.

Three brothers are torn apart in the Yakuza underworld as rival gangs ignite a brutal conflict that tests loyalty, family, and survival.

Mondonosuke embarks on a journey to Satsuma after the death of Naito Yamashiro no Kami, facing attacks and meeting the mysterious Oren along the way.

Saotome Mondonosuke is drawn to a castle by a false illness, revealing a marriage plot and rebellion rumors, leading him to a dangerous investigation.

Amidst deep family secrets and political power plays, the ambitious son of a business tycoon battles for success and approval in 1960s Kobe, Japan.