Japanese TV series that originally aired from 1980 to 1985 for four
seasons.
The series takes place in Edo during the early years of the Tokugawa
shogunate.
It stars Sonny Chiba, who plays a different protagonist each season.
The first season ran in 1980 with 27 episodes.
In this series, Sonny Chiba plays the ninja Hattori Hanzo III.
The first episode begins with
the announcement that Tokugawa Ietsuna has just become the fourth shogun at
the age of five.
Hanzo and his gang are hiding out as a communal bath keeper. There is a lot
of bare breasts in the more titillating bath house scenes.
Hanzo's group is from Iga and their rivals are ninja from Koga. There is a
lot of sword fighting between the two.
There are many characters: samurai, nobles, warrior monks, townsfolk,
female spies, ronin, etc., that constantly stir the pot.
There is a lot of intrigue, sword fighting, assassinations, suicides,
seppuku, politics, and ninja trickery.
A lot of blood, a lot of gore, some nudity, lots of action, a bit of
romance, and some comedy.
Jidaigeki
at its finest, with plenty of Edo town color.
Each episode runs 60 minutes. Individually, each of these episodes is mostly a complete story and
may be watched independent of order.
- Tigers Sharpen Their Claws in a Storm
- A Female Leopard Hiding in the Dark
- A Devil Called Ousha Highway
- The Spring of Kyoto: The Trick of the Black Teeth
- Soft Skin Sunk Into a Whirlpool
- The Woman Disappeared Into the Port on a Foggy Night
- The Target is a Mystery Woman
- Infiltration! The Ladies' Chambers Night and Day
- The Female Ninja's May in Shadows
- The Black Hair Burned With the Grudge
- A Bride and a Murderous Fiend
- Kill Night Spiders Even if they are Parents
- Midnight Beauty
- The Shogun Disappeared! The Plot of the Female Foxes
- Mysterious Priest, Inviting Hell
- Don't Get Involved With Dangerous Women
- The Living Shadow Shogun
- The Killer in the Eyes
- Palace of the Bloodsucking Woman!
- I'm Going To Be Killed
- Hiding! The Hole of Snakes
- The Dreadful Instigator
- The Red Eyes of a Snake are a Death Sentence
- Shudders! Sacrifice of the Virgin
- The Trick Ceiling of the Tragic Love
- The Ominous Place: The Cursed Flute
- Intrusion! 24 Hours In the Women's Bath
Episodes of the first season are the only videos available with English
subtitles (DVD Region 1). It is marketed as Shadow Warriors - The Complete
First Season. The set comes with seven DVDs, including an interview with
Sonny Chiba in the last DVD of the set.
NOTE: The word ninja is rarely used in Japan. The word for
ninja most commonly used in Japanese is shinobi.
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