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Shadow Warriors

Original title: Hattori Hanzô: Kage no Gundan
  • TV Series
  • 1980–19851980–1985
  • 54m
IMDb RATING
8.7/10
143
YOUR RATING
Shadow Warriors (1980)
Action
A band of ninjas has been forced to stand back and covertly go into business in order to stay out of the spotlight. Being out of favour with the shogun does that to you. With the said shogun... Read allA band of ninjas has been forced to stand back and covertly go into business in order to stay out of the spotlight. Being out of favour with the shogun does that to you. With the said shogun dead there is an opening for the band to return to activity, but at first the inclination... Read allA band of ninjas has been forced to stand back and covertly go into business in order to stay out of the spotlight. Being out of favour with the shogun does that to you. With the said shogun dead there is an opening for the band to return to activity, but at first the inclination is to remain dormant. That is, until a violent group of ninjas emerge.
IMDb RATING
8.7/10
143
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Shin'ichi Chiba
    • Kirin Kiki
    • Sô Yamamura
  • Stars
    • Shin'ichi Chiba
    • Kirin Kiki
    • Sô Yamamura
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes28

    Browse episodes
    1 Season
    1980

    Photos11

    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shin'ichi Chiba in Shadow Warriors (1980)
    Shadow Warriors (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Shin'ichi Chiba
    Shin'ichi Chiba
    • Hattori Hanzô
    Kirin Kiki
    Kirin Kiki
    • Orin
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    • Masayuki nishina
    Renji Ishibashi
    Renji Ishibashi
    • Kishiro
    Nobuo Kaneko
    Nobuo Kaneko
    • Tadakiyo sakai
    Mikio Narita
    Mikio Narita
    • Yorinobu tokugawa
    Takashi Kanda
    Takashi Kanda
    Shôhei Hino
    • Daihachi
    Kyoko Mitsubayashi
    • Oko
    Kantarô Suga
    • Kisaburo
    Yoshiko Shinohara
    Yôko Kurita
    • Oume
    Akira Kume
    Naomi Hase
    • Okiri
    Hideaki Nagai
    Kenji Takaoka
    • Hyoroku
    Takeo Tabata
    • Shinanonokami Nagai
    Teruhiko Saigô
    • Dr. Kyonosuke Tsutsumi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Shadow Warriors
    6.6
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    8.8
    Kage no Gundan: Bakumatsu hen
    Kage no gundan III
    9.4
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    Yagyu Clan Conspiracy
    7.1
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    Yagyû ichizoku no inbô
    9.0
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    Kage No Gundan II
    Kage No Gundan II
    Shogun's Shadow
    7.0
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    Eleven Samurai
    7.2
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    Jûsan-nin no shikaku
    7.4
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    Samurai Reincarnation
    6.5
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    Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki yuusha-tachi
    6.0
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    Shogun's ninja
    6.8
    Shogun's ninja

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Quentin Tarantino, while filming Pulp Fiction (1994), showed an episode of this show to star Bruce Willis to give him an idea of how to descend the stairs and attack in the film's infamous katana scenes. He also showed it to Bruce's victim in that scene, played by Duane Whitaker, to give him an idea of how he was supposed to die at Bruce's blade.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Making of 'Kill Bill' (2003)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Great Ninja TV show
    One of the best TV series ever! Sort of a blend of Shogun's Samuari - The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (also starring Sony Chiba) and the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Then throw in some Mission Impossible, Robin Hood, and The "A" Team! Reminds me of the Hanzo the Razor trilogy as well, with a surprising amount of violence and nudity for a TV show. The lead character in this show is Hanzo (??!!) Hattori (Sony Chiba) who is boss of an underground ninja clan. The exploits are inventive and interesting with many based on political intrigue, though there is a pervasive 80's soap opera (i.e. dramatic) element. The ensemble characters are all excellent, and the bath house setting provides relief from the heavy drama and adventure. I do have one complaint which keeps it from a perfect score - the music is okay, but the same themes / songs are repeated in virtually every episode and can wear out their welcome. One theme sounds like "Saint James Infirmary Blues", and another like Karen Carpenter singing "The Two Of Us" in a Japanese lounge. There are traditional styled Japanese melodies along with blaxploitation fuzz/funk influences. Don't worry about missing one as you'll hear most of them every episode. Just pace yourself and resist the temptation to watch them all at once. Highly recommended!
    helpful•11
    1
    • ejenkinsumc
    • Jul 8, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 1980 (Japan)
      • Japan
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Kansai Telecasting (KTV)
      • Toei Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 54 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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