Karate Bullfighter

"No one can touch this karate master... and live."

1975 1h 25m JA

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 14

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sonny Chiba plays Kyokushin Karate founder Masutatsu Oyama, who unexpectedly arrives at a karate tournament in rags, but wins the tournament. After turning down the chance to fight at future tournaments he returns to his simple village life. He reluctantly returns to karate for a final showdown against the students of a rival school.

“No one can touch this karate master... and live.”

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Cast

Sonny Chiba
Sensei Masutatsu Oyama
Jirô Chiba
Shogo Ariake
Kenji Imai
Masashi Ishibashi
Nanba
Mikio Narita
Nakasone
Yumi Takigawa
Chiako
Katsumasa Uchida
Gen
Etsuko Shihomi
Geisha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Writers: Norifumi Suzuki
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, shot by Yoshio Nakajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sonny Chiba and Jirô Chiba and Kenji Imai carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "No one can touch this karate master... and live.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0165348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi directs. Yoshio Nakajima behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
251 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, shot by Yoshio Nakajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Sonny Chiba and Jirô Chiba and Kenji Imai carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "No one can touch this karate master... and live.".
8IMDB entry: tt0165348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.