Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo (1980): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1980, Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo is an action, drama and war film directed by Eiichi Kudō, running about 133 minutes. “Eiichi Kudo's strangest film that started the Shadow Warriors ball rolling” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. The tale takes place around 1650, after the death of the third Tokugawa shogun, when ronin were expelled from Edo, the military capital. During the political instability following the death of Iemitsu Tokugawa, Hanzo's Iga ninja clan battles against the Koga clan as various factions vie to seize power. The child shogun Ietsuna is kidnapped but turns out to be hidden under (or over) everyone's noses in a castle turret which is reinforced by a comic book villain, the fire-spitting black ninja. The good ninja has to get through all the traps & save the child.

Who’s in it. Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo stars Teruhiko Saigō as Upper Hanzo, Mikio Narita as Matsudaira Izu Mamoru Nobutsuna, Ken Ogata as Koga Shiro Samurai and So Yamamura as Masayuki Hoshina, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo page.

If you liked it. Fans of Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.