Sonny Chiba

Acting

Sonny Chiba

Born — Died

1939-01-23 — 2021-08-19

Place of birth

Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Known for

Acting

Credits

94 titles

Sonny Chiba (born January 23, 1939 - August 19, 2021), also known as Shin'ichi Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fukuoka, Chiba played a variety of sports in high school, including baseball and volleyball. He also practiced gymnastics and participated at the National Sports Festival of Japan in his third year. When he was a university student, he learned martial arts, earning a black belt in Kyokushin Karate in 1965 and later receiving a fourth degree in 1984. Chiba's career began in the 1960s, when he starred in two t…

Known for

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 poster
8.0

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

2003

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 poster
7.9

The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

2004

Key Hunter poster
7.0

Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. "Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".

Key Hunter

1968

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair poster
8.1

A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

2011

Wind and Cloud poster
7.1

Wind and Cloud are orphans raised by the powerful Lord Conqueror, who taught them martial arts in order to help him dominate the world.

Wind and Cloud

2002

Space Sheriff Gavan poster
8.0

Earth is invaded by the criminal organization known as Makuu, led by Don Horror, who had first destroyed a space colony near Earth. Don Horror wants to dominate the whole universe, and the Earth represents an obstacle that he has to overcome by turning it into a domain for all evil. In response to Makuu's attack, Space Sheriff Gavan of the Galaxy Federal Police is deployed to Earth to defend his mother's home world.

Space Sheriff Gavan

1982

Film credits

2010s · 4 titles

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair poster
8.1

A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

2011

Sushi Girl poster
5.5

Fish has spent six years in jail. Six years alone. Six years keeping his mouth shut about the robbery, about the other men involved. The night he is released, the four men he protected with silence celebrate his freedom with a congratulatory dinner. The meal is a lavish array of sushi, served off the naked body of a beautiful young woman. The sushi girl seems catatonic, trained to ignore everything in the room, even if things become dangerous. Sure enough, the four unwieldy thieves can't help but open old wounds in an attempt to find their missing loot.

Sushi Girl

2012

修羅の花道 poster
NR

A period of rapid economic growth. The Sanno-kai, a giant organization in the Kansai region, has expanded into Yokohama. Under these circumstances, Takamasa Ishida, who succeeded to the fifth generation Yokosuka family, is working hard to stop the movement of Sanno-kai.

修羅の花道

2012

Unification Of Japan 2 poster
NR

Himuro (Yasukaze Motomiya), who joined Kyowakai, steadily rose through the ranks with his calm and clear mind. Tamura (Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi) was also released from prison and Ryuseikai was thought to gain even more power. At that time, there is an internal split in Kyowakai as a whole, caused by an unusual executive appointment, and Himuro and others get caught in the vortex. After the conflict, the leader of the Ueda group, Ueda (Okazaki Jiro) and other gang members withdrew from Kyowakai, create a new organization called Shintokai in Kyoto, and attack Kyowakai executives.

Unification Of Japan 2

2013

2000s · 7 titles

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 poster
8.0

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

2003

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 poster
7.9

The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

2004

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift poster
6.6

In order to avoid a jail sentence, Sean Boswell heads to Tokyo to live with his military father. In a low-rent section of the city, Sean gets caught up in the underground world of drift racing

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

2006

Battle Royale II: Requiem poster
5.0

It's three years after the events of the original Battle Royale, and Shuya Nanahara is now an internationally-known terrorist determined to bring down the government. His terrorist group, Wild Seven, stages an attack that levels several buildings in Tokyo on Christmas Day, killing 8000 people. In order for the government to study the benefits of "teamwork", the new students work in pairs, with their collars electronically linked so that if one of them is killed, the other dies as well. They must kill Nanahara in three days - or die.

Battle Royale II: Requiem

2003

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka poster
6.6

After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing other Yakuza leaders leading to a final confrontation by the old man's killers.

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka

2002

Survive Style 5+ poster
7.3

Five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one another eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.

Survive Style 5+

2004

Born to Be King poster
6.3

Triad member Chicken is designated by Taiwan's San Luen Gang to marry Nanako, the daughter of the fifth generation leader of the Yamada Gang in Japan. Later, the leader of the triad group gets murdered. Actually, all the San Luen Gang members suspect Chicken attacked their leader Liu, in order to make a chance for him to rule the Gang and thus have adopted an extremely hostile attitude towards him.

Born to Be King

2000

1990s · 6 titles

The Storm Riders poster
6.5

Heeding a prophecy, a warlord trains two orphans after killing their parents. But the skills he teaches could lead to his downfall.

The Storm Riders

1998

Iron Eagle III poster
4.1

Chappy discovers a drug-smuggling scheme at his own air base. It turns out that the lives of some village people in Peru are at stake, and he decides to fly there with ancient airplanes and friends to free them.

Iron Eagle III

1992

Immortal Combat poster
5.6

Two police officers discover an island laboratory where a madwoman is turning martial artists into superkillers.

Immortal Combat

1994

The Triple Cross poster
7.2

Following the bloody aftermath of a heist, three robbers are double-crossed by a new accomplice, who is then tracked down amid escalating carnage and spectacular car chases.

The Triple Cross

1992

Saito Dosan: Rage of Power poster
6.5

During the age of warring clans (Sengoku Jidai), many samurai lords sought to unite the country under their banners by becoming the supreme leader. One of the first to vie for power in this way was Saito Dosan, the 'Viper'. His son-in-law, Oda Nobunaga, did in fact unite the nation after subduing all of his enemies, yet falling at last to the treachery of one of his most trusted generals. This story is a pre-cursor to those later events as the brilliant military strategist Saito Dosan rises to power and notoriety as a great lord in his own right. Directed by Kudo Eiichi and with a tremendous supporting cast that includes Nakamura Toru as Oda Nobunaga and Chiba Shinichi as Akechi Mitsutsugu, battle scenes of awesome power and a unique view of Japanese history, this is a marvelous production highlighted by the action scenes done by the Japan Action Club (JAC).

Saito Dosan: Rage of Power

1991

Body Count poster
5.3

A cold-blooded assassin is out for revenge against an elite corps of Special Crimes Agents headed by Eddie Cook and Vinnie Rizzo. When Cold blooded hit man Makoto escapes from prison, he and his sexy and lethal partner set out to execute the agents who sent them away. As the Special Crimes Agents are systematically gunned down, Cook and Rizzo find themselves in a deadly race to find the assassins and stop the bloodbath.

Body Count

1995

1980s · 11 titles

Virus poster
6.3

Scientists in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure to a military virus that was released in a plane crash and has wiped out the rest of the world.

Virus

1980

Ninja Wars poster
5.6

A fortuneteller prophesizes that whoever marries the beautiful Ukio will become the ruler of the world. Naturally, this makes her very popular with those vying for power, particularly the insatiably greedy Lord Donjo. Only the ninja Jotaro can stop Donjo's plan, but to do so, he must first battle the deadly team of "Devil Monks" serving the lord. Will Jotaro succeed in his mission? And if so, will Ukio marry him, thus making him the ruler of the world?

Ninja Wars

1982

Samurai Reincarnation poster
5.9

After surviving the slaughter of many Christians 350 years ago, a samurai denounces God for ignoring the pleas of believers. He sells his soul to Satan and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him in a murderous rampage.

Samurai Reincarnation

1981

Fall Guy poster
6.5

Ginshiro, threatened by poor repute and upcoming star Tachibana, forces his friend Yasu to marry Konatsu, Ginshiro's pregnant mistress; Yasu becomes a stuntman to make ends meet.

Fall Guy

1982

Shogun's Shadow poster
6.9

A shogun's eldest son must do whatever it takes to survive a series of attempts on his life. He receives much-needed aid from seven warriors who are led by a strong leader.

Shogun's Shadow

1989

Legend of the Eight Samurai poster
5.9

The evil Hikita clan rises from the dead to fulfill a curse on the Satomi clan by restoring the face of their warlord by using the skin of Princess Shizu. In the process of trying to capture her, the clan murders her entire family, but Princess Shizu escapes their clutches. She enlists the aid of eight samurai warriors, possessors of powerful magic crystal, led by Dosetsu (Sonny Chiba!) to help rescue the remaining members of her court and revenge her family. Along the way, they must fight undead warriors, evil spirits, poisonous beauties and a giant centipede.

Legend of the Eight Samurai

1983

The Bushido Blade poster
5.3

A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.

The Bushido Blade

1981

Shogun's Ninja poster
6.2

In the middle of the 16th century, Hideyoshi, a power hungry warlord sets out to destroy the Momochi clan. He sends his war commander in search of the clan's hidden gold only to find that two daggers are the key to the hiding place of the treasured gold. Spanning decades, the quest for the missing daggers takes Shiranui through war and ancient tradition.

Shogun's Ninja

1980

Space Sheriff Shaider: The Movie poster
6.5

An alien assassin, Omega, who makes a living by hunting down Space Sheriffs, arrives on Earth. Adapting a helmet, twin shoulder cannons, and other weapons into his fighting style after losing to Gavan and Sharivan, Omega is now targeting Shaider and challenges him to a fight to the death. Space Sheriff Shaider is the film adaptation of the Metal Heroes series of the same name. This movie takes place between episodes 19 & 20 of the TV show.

Space Sheriff Shaider: The Movie

1984

The Last True Yakuza poster
5.7

A made man during the height of Hiroshima's yakuza turf war must maneuver through the violence and betrayal inside the criminal underworld.

The Last True Yakuza

1985

Cabaret poster
4.8

A young jazz musician's desire to advance in his career runs afoul of organized crime in this thriller from Haruki Kadokawa. After a saxophonist starts playing at a particular nightspot, a thug from the Yakuza adopts him as a special friend for no greater reason than he plays one of his favorite songs well. As the dangerous life of the gangster intertwines with that of the musician, it brings harm to the musician's girlfriend, who is raped. This changes the young saxophonist's attitude about his patron, but his Yakuza "friend" is still too embroiled in his own problems to worry about anything else.

Cabaret

1986

1970s · 28 titles

The Street Fighter poster
6.8

Takuma Tsurugi takes on the government, the police, the mafia and an international ring of kidnappers who aim to dispossess a beautiful young heiress of her millions.

The Street Fighter

1974

The Street Fighter's Last Revenge poster
5.5

Terry Sugury is hired to recover one of two tapes containing a formula for making heroin for a price of 200 dollars a pound. But he gets double crossed. So he wants the tape back.

The Street Fighter's Last Revenge

1974

The Bullet Train poster
6.9

A Japanese bullet train is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train slows below 80 km/h, unless a ransom is paid. Police race to find the bombers so the train crew can learn how to defuse the bomb.

The Bullet Train

1975

Return of the Street Fighter poster
6.1

Martial artist Takuma Tsurugi returns to take on a Yakuza family that may be embezzling money from charities to finance their own operations. Both the police and the Yakuza find themselves battling Tsurugi, but Tsurugi's fight ultimately is with the mob, and he concentrates on them.

Return of the Street Fighter

1974

Karate Warriors poster
6.8

Sakata protects a little boy while coping with rival gangs.

Karate Warriors

1976

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima poster
7.3

Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima

1973

Soul of Chiba poster
6.5

This mid-1970s martial arts classic stars Sonny Chiba as Mu Yun Tek, a young man trained in the Thai fighting style since childhood to one day avenge his parents' death. When a fellow student kills their teacher, Mu Yun's thirst for vengeance grows. The brutal action never stops as Mu Yun teams up with an Interpol agent (Tadashi Yamashita) to find the culprit, who insists that their former master was a drug dealer who had to be destroyed.

Soul of Chiba

1977

Bodyguard Kiba 2 poster
6.4

Kiba is back again, but this time he has fallen from grace and sent to prison for all the violent acts he has committed. Once he's out, he begins working as a bodyguard in a club that is crawling with gangsters.

Bodyguard Kiba 2

1973

The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf poster
6.3

A seemingly run-of-the-mill corporate salaryman leads a double life as a vicious criminal by night. In a delicious scheme of payback, he seeks to dominate the corporation that employs him by day.

The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf

1979

The Killing Machine poster
5.6

Mr. Soh, a righteous man with a cold stare and fists of steel, returns to a lawless post-war Japan in 1946. He protects the weak, defends the poor and knocks some good sense into friends and enemies alike. Rapists and gangsters get the worst of it, as Mr. Soh builds up his school on the island of Shikoku.

The Killing Machine

1975

A Kamikaze Cop poster
5.8

An undercover cop befriends a yakuza underling who through his contacts helps him infiltrate two rival Yakuza gangs. He pits the two rival gangs against each other in hopes that they will cross each other out.

A Kamikaze Cop

1970

Message from Space poster
5.9

The peaceful planet of Jillucia has been nearly wiped out by the Gavanas, whose leader takes orders from his mother rather than the Emperor. King Kaiba sends out eight Liabe holy seeds, each to be received by a chosen one to defend the Gavanas. Each recipient, ranging from hardened General Garuda to Gavana Prince Hans to young Terrans Meia, Kido, and Aaron all have different reactions to being chosen.

Message from Space

1978

G.I. Samurai poster
5.8

A squadron of Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers find themselves transported through time to their country's warring states era, when rival samurai clans were battling to become the supreme Shogun.

G.I. Samurai

1979

Wolf Guy poster
5.8

Akira Inugami is the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers.

Wolf Guy

1975

Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon poster
5.5

Duke Togo (codename: Golgo 13) is a ruthless assassin who's accepted a tricky assignment from an American drug syndicate. His mission is to "rub out" Hong Kong's underworld kingpin. His main obstacle is the relentless Detective 'Smitty' Smith, determined to stop Togo no matter the cost. The result is an explosive adventure through the seamy, violent streets of Hong Kong.

Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon

1977

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2: Head of the Boss poster
7.4

The seventh in the shocking "Jingi Naki Tatakai" movie series, which exposes the true lives of the yakuza that is hidden by a mask of "jingi". The next stage of this continuing drama is the Kanmon Channel where the Owada and the Kyoei groups are battling for territorial rights and drug smuggling. The Owada sends their man, Tetsu, and his friend Shuji to kill the Kyoei boss. With the promise of fame and riches, Shuji takes the fall and goes to jail for 7 years. But when he's released, he discovers that he and Tetsu have been all but forgotten by the Owada. Feeling betrayed, Shuji takes matters into his own hands and becomes an unsuspecting pawn in an internal conflict and an assassination attempt on the Owada boss. And now angered, Shuji seeks revenge...

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2: Head of the Boss

1975

Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy poster
7.0

Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.

Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy

1978

Sister Street Fighter poster
6.6

Li Mansei is a martial-arts champion turned undercover agent. When he is captured by a drug lord, his sister Li Koryu turns to his former martial-arts school, including the powerful Sonny Kawasaka, for help in the inevitable battle royale.

Sister Street Fighter

1974

The Horrible Obsessions poster
6.3

Detective Kikuchi is sent to Okinawa to investigate why a girl jumped from a window after shooting heroin. There, he encounters the usual assortment of addicts, dealers, pimps and sleazy American GIs.

The Horrible Obsessions

1972

The Fall of Ako Castle poster
6.8

This is the story of "The Forty-Seven Ronin." Based on historical events in 1701-2, the movie tells the tale of the Asano clan's downfall and the revenge of its former samurai on the perpetrator of the catastrophe. Lord Asano was goaded, or tricked, into drawing his sword inside the Shogun's palace -- a crime which carried the death penalty. The newly installed Shogun was furious at Asano and ordered all his clan's assets seized, meaning some 20,000 samurai and commoners were unemployed and landless at a stroke. Forty-seven of these ronin (masterless samurai) banded together to take attempt revenge on Lord Kira, who had goaded Asano into drawing his sword.

The Fall of Ako Castle

1978

The Bodyguard poster
5.1

Karate master and anti-drug vigilante Chiba returns to his home in Japan, where he holds a press conference announcing his intention to wipe out the nation's drug industry. He also offers his services as a bodyguard to anyone who is willing to come forward and provide information about the drug lords' activities. He is soon approached by a mysterious woman claiming to have important information and asking for Chiba's protection. She seems to be legitimate, but is she really what she appears to be?

The Bodyguard

1973

Japan's Don poster
7.2

A yakuza leader must balance his violent tactics necessary for the rough streets of 1960s Tokyo with the domestic needs of his daughters.

Japan's Don

1977

Yakuza Wolf: I Perform Murder poster
6.8

A fearless man confronts a yakuza organization pushing the envelope of extravagant & all sorts of violence.

Yakuza Wolf: I Perform Murder

1972

Hokuriku Proxy War poster
6.9

A Yakuza group from Osaka with dreams of national dominance moves into the snowy Hokuriku region, sparking a bloody turf war with local gangs.

Hokuriku Proxy War

1977

The Great Okinawa Yakuza War poster
7.6

Chiba, looking gnarly, and acting as animalistic as ever, stars alongside Matsukata as violent gangsters battling their way through fight after bloody fight with rival yakuza on the streets of Okinawa.

The Great Okinawa Yakuza War

1976

Truckster of Guts poster
8.0

The fifth movie of the “Truck Yaro” series, which is comical road movies of two long-distance truckers. This time Momojiro falls in love with beautiful Minako in Sado, Niigata.

Truckster of Guts

1977

13 Steps of Maki: The Young Aristocrats poster
6.6

Maki is the leader of a female gang who fights for justice, but she ends up being framed and sent to a sadistic woman's prison. Will Maki be able to escape and take revenge?

13 Steps of Maki: The Young Aristocrats

1975

The Decisive Power of Aikido poster
7.8

It is about the life of Ueshiba - the founder of aikido. We can see how he decided to develop aikido and how he did it. We can see why he developed aikido and where he has learned martial arts.

The Decisive Power of Aikido

1975

1960s · 4 titles

Series credits

Key Hunter poster
7.0

Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. "Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".

Key Hunter

1968

Wind and Cloud poster
7.1

Wind and Cloud are orphans raised by the powerful Lord Conqueror, who taught them martial arts in order to help him dominate the world.

Wind and Cloud

2002

Space Sheriff Gavan poster
8.0

Earth is invaded by the criminal organization known as Makuu, led by Don Horror, who had first destroyed a space colony near Earth. Don Horror wants to dominate the whole universe, and the Earth represents an obstacle that he has to overcome by turning it into a domain for all evil. In response to Makuu's attack, Space Sheriff Gavan of the Galaxy Federal Police is deployed to Earth to defend his mother's home world.

Space Sheriff Gavan

1982

Shadow Warriors poster
8.0

Shadow Warriors is a Japanese television jidaigeki show featuring Sonny Chiba that ran for four seasons in the early 1980s. Chiba played different ninja characters in each series. In the first series he played Hattori Hanzō III, in second one he played Tsuge Shinpachi, in the third one he played Tarao Hanzō, in the fourth series and in Bakumatsu Hen, he played Hattori Hanzō XV. In the 2003 direct-to-DVD series Shin Kage no Gundan he played Hattori Hanzō I.

Shadow Warriors

1980

Space Sheriff Sharivan poster
8.5

Space Sheriff Sharivan is the second installment in Toei's Metal Hero Series and aired on the TV Asahi network from 4 March 1983 through 24 February 1984. It served as a direct sequel to its predecessor, Space Sheriff Gavan and featured many of the same characters. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as Shariban, The Space Guardian.

Space Sheriff Sharivan

1983

Samurai Banners poster
7.6

Fūrin Kazan was the 46th NHK Taiga drama beginning on January 7, 2007. It was aired throughout 2007. The four characters from left to right are wind, woods, fire, and mountain. The title is a reference to the war banner used by Takeda Shingen, which in turn was taken from Sun Tzu's The Art of War. It means "Swift as the Wind, Silent as a Forest, Fierce as Fire and Immovable as a Mountain."

Samurai Banners

2007

Nanairo Kamen poster
9.0

Seven Color Mask (七色仮面, Nanairo Kamen) is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called New Seven Color Mask (新七色仮面, Shin Nanairo Kamen). It was created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also created Moonlight Mask. This B&W TV show was the first superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes divided into 7 segments. Aside from being Toei's first TV superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba, who was 19 at the time, who took over the title role from Susumu Namijima after Episode 32.

Nanairo Kamen

1959

Robot Detective poster
8.5

A scientist builds a humanoid robot detective complete with human-like personality to fight a band of murdering robots created and led by her crazed brother.

Robot Detective

1973

Team Astro poster
7.3

A young boy, J. Shuro, meets the legendary pitcher Eiji Sawamura in the Philippines during World War II. Sawamura shares his dreams of one day gathering the nine Astro Superhumans – who all were born nine minutes and nine seconds past nine on September 9th of the 29th year of Showa (1954) and all have baseball-shaped birthmarks on their bodies – to form the ultimate baseball team capable of beating the Yomiuri Giants and any U.S. Major League team. When Sawamura dies during the war, Shuro decides to help fulfill his idol’s dream and goes in search of the nine ball players. But the team that is formed does not play ordinary ball. These extraordinary players demonstrate extraordinary plays on the field and some will not stop until everything – even their lives – is left on the field.

Team Astro

2005

Judo Icchokusen poster
NR

Based on the manga by Ikki Kajiwara, with art by Shinji Nagashima and Yuzuru Saito. After his father dies following defeat at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Naoya Ichijo meets the mysterious judoka Shusaku Kuruma and becomes his disciple, mastering special techniques such as the "Jigoku-guruma" (Hell Wheel) and "Ebi-guruma" (Shrimp Wheel) while fighting rivals and foreign judoka on the way to becoming a top judoka.

Judo Icchokusen

1969

Shotgun Marriage poster
8.0

Ryunosuke, who directs commercials, receives a phone call. On the other end of the phone is a friend from his college days inviting Ryunosuke to come out to the beach. Ryunosuke first turns down the offer because of his workload, but when he learns that some girls are coming, he says yes. Several months later, he hears from Chiyo – a girl he had met at the beach that day – that she is pregnant with his child. Although the news bewilders Ryunosuke at first, he ultimately decides to raise the baby. However, he will later have to face the strong objections from Chiyo’s father, the ever-changing situation at work, and many other obstacles. With help from friends and family, Ryunosuke and Chiyo take a step forward on their way to marriage and the birth of their baby.

Shotgun Marriage

2001

风云争霸 poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

风云争霸

2004

Layout poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Layout

2021

The Yagyu Conspiracy poster
7.7

It takes place at the time of the Shogunate rule with Shogun Hidetada and who will succeed Hidetada. A struggle for power between the family and the daimyos. Historically the Yagyu's have always been close to the Shogunate, and helped...

The Yagyu Conspiracy

1978

Yagyu's Secret Quest poster
NR

Yagyu Abaretabi is the tale of members of the Yagyu Clan and their travels all around the nation seeking to fight injustice and corruption... and there are plenty of surprises along the way.

Yagyu's Secret Quest

1980

Yagyu Jubei Secret Quest poster
10.0

The sequel to The Yagyu Conspiracy picks up when Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba) has a falling out with the Shogun, and sets out on his own as a wanted man. Featuring the martial art skills of Sue Shiomi (Sister Streetfighter) as she is on official patrol with Jubei watching over her, making sure that he gets to fight in each episode as well. This is one of the best and most exciting television series to ever hit the airwaves.

Yagyu Jubei Secret Quest

1982

The Bodyguard poster
NR

Sonny Chiba stars as a member of a private bodyguard company.

The Bodyguard

1974

Daihijôsen poster
NR

An action detective drama depicting the activities of detectives belonging to a fictional department called the Fifth Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, commonly known as "Danger". From January to March 1976, a total of 10 episodes were broadcast on the NET (now TV Asahi) the leading role is Shinichi Chiba.

Daihijôsen

1976

Takeda Shingen poster
8.0

During the 16th Century Japan was involved in the Sengoku Period, an era of Civil Wars and the powerful Warlords who fought them. One of the earliest and strongest of these men was the Great Lord TAKEDA Shingen. A tremendous military genius, his battles are the stuff of legend.

Takeda Shingen

1991

Notes on Tokugawa Villainies poster
7.0

Matsudaira Tadateru (Shin'ichi Chiba) the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu that was stripped of his title and began life under an assumed name in the Red Light district of Edo. He solves crimes, heals the sick, saves the Geisha from evil Samurai and along the way he teams up with Yagyu Jubei (a role played numerous times by Chiba himself). Awesome Samurai Action.

Notes on Tokugawa Villainies

1992

Yume ni Mita Hibi poster
NR

The story follows Yonemura Hiroko, a bank clerk reeling from the betrayal of her lover, who is engaged to another woman. After a public outburst, Hiroko’s senior Tsuchiya Taeko steps in at the request of the branch manager, first by taking her to dinner and offering her to transfer to the better branch, and later by involving her in a new acquaintance whom they accidentally met in a peculiar way. That acquaintance turns out to be Sekimoto Shinsaku, a former professional baseball player struggling with his past and lack of confidence. Together, Hiroko, Tsuchiya, and Sekimoto invest in revamping a failing coffee shop called “River”, transforming it into "Terrace". As they struggle through setbacks and rebuild the shop, each of them slowly overcomes their emotional scars while pursuing their dream.

Yume ni Mita Hibi

1989

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Oda Nobunaga

1989

Messenger of Allah poster
NR

Messenger of Allah, known in Japan as Allah no Shisha, is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei Company starring a young Sonny Chiba, at the time known as Shin'ichi Chiba. It was created by writer Yasunori Kawauchi, who was also responsible for creating Moonlight Mask and Seven Color Mask. The series ran from July 7, 1960 to December 27, 1960 on NET (now TV Asahi) for a total of 26 episodes. The film for the first episode is all that is known to have survived.

Messenger of Allah

1960

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Seiryuu Densetsu

1996

Juujiro poster
NR

A home drama that includes comedy, youth, and romance in which two contrasting men who travel all over Japan work together to solve various problems of people they meet from city to city, and in the process deepen their friendship. Junzou Kihara is a trucker transporting luxury foreign vehicles to their destination. Shouhei Taguchi is a salesman who sells teaching materials. Each of them travels all over Japan, but they met in Hokkaido during one winter. Taguchi, whose rental car broke down, was left stranded in the remote wilderness. Kihara passes by and picks up Taguchi. Due to circumstances, a woman in a flashy outfit was also on board. After traveling as three people for a while, Kihara becomes angry at Taguchi who talks too much, and at the time leaves Taguchi behind. They also have personal problems to deal with. Kihara left his wife and child many years before, and Taguchi had been torn between the demands of his wife and his mother.

Juujiro

1978

No artwork available
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

1988

Late Night Salute poster
NR

Stories about encounters, interactions, and human drama set in a late-night convenience store where diverse people gather.

Late Night Salute

1986

No artwork available
NR

Although it is a detective drama, most of the detectives in this series usually work in uniform in the accounting or traffic departments of each precinct. They are a "special secret investigation team" that only gets active when a case occurs and they are called together. Their existence is kept secret even within the police force itself. When a case occurs, the detectives are so thorough that they take time off from their regular duties to investigate.

Blazing Dragnet

1975

Behind the camera

Yellow Fangs poster
7.1

Based on actual events that occurred in Hokkaido, Japan, 1915. Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki yuusha-tachi tells the story of a group of bear hunters that are tracking a 900 pound brown bear nicknamed Red Spots that is terrorising the area. It attacks and kills men, but it feasts only on women.

Yellow Fangs

1990

Yellow Fangs poster
7.1

Based on actual events that occurred in Hokkaido, Japan, 1915. Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki yuusha-tachi tells the story of a group of bear hunters that are tracking a 900 pound brown bear nicknamed Red Spots that is terrorising the area. It attacks and kills men, but it feasts only on women.

Yellow Fangs

1990

Fighting Fist poster
6.0

The Yakuza of Japan has infiltrated the universities of Hong Kong and are conducting illegal activities such as underground bare knuckle fights,gambling and drugs. Hong Kong Police team up with the Japanese Secret Service to bring down the ruthless gang but their agents always seem to wind up dead. As a last resort they have a female detective (Sibelle Hu) infiltrate the organization in order to bring them down.

Fighting Fist

1992

Oyaji poster
10.0

Surrounded by violence for as long as he can remember, Ryoudo Numata has steeled himself into a tremendously tough man, growing to become the very essence of "manliness" himself in order to live his life in peace. When members of a yakuza clan set on fire to his house to facilitate a real estate transaction, Kumada murders them and gets jailed for it. 15 years later, finally free, he will now have to reconnect with his family who clearly are in disarray due his long absence and face the distrust of his children who know nothing of their father except that he had abandoned them.

Oyaji

2007

Oyaji poster
10.0

Surrounded by violence for as long as he can remember, Ryoudo Numata has steeled himself into a tremendously tough man, growing to become the very essence of "manliness" himself in order to live his life in peace. When members of a yakuza clan set on fire to his house to facilitate a real estate transaction, Kumada murders them and gets jailed for it. 15 years later, finally free, he will now have to reconnect with his family who clearly are in disarray due his long absence and face the distrust of his children who know nothing of their father except that he had abandoned them.

Oyaji

2007

Sensei poster
8.0

In one of the districts of Tokyo, an old school is planned to be torn down after the summer holidays. The only person who is seriously worried about this is the Japanese language teacher Nakajima. He decides to hold special additional classes for the lagging students during the summer holidays, which they will keep as a memento of the old school.

Sensei

1989