Legend of the Devil

"His heart craves vengeance . . . his sword demands blood!"

1996 1h 30m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

ActionDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A gang of evil ninjas has stolen the sacred sword of the Lady Mayu and are demanding that her family exchange her for the family treasure. The world's greatest swordsman, Shuranosuke Sakaki, is called in to get the sword back.

“His heart craves vengeance . . . his sword demands blood!”

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Cast

Masaki Kyomoto
Shuranosuke Sakaki
Takeshi Yamato
Kenji Takano
Kyôko Togawa
Rieko Miura
Kaori Shimamura
Rie Imamura
Mistress Mayu
Kumiko Taga

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masaru Tsushima
Writers: Takeshi Narumi, Hiromichi Nakamoto
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Masaru Tsushima, shot by Shôji Ehara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hiroki Sakaguchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Koichi Sonoi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Masaki Kyomoto and Takeshi Yamato and Kenji Takano carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His heart craves vengeance . . . his sword demands blood!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masaru Tsushima directs. Shôji Ehara behind the camera. Hiroki Sakaguchi scores. Koichi Sonoi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Masaru Tsushima, shot by Shôji Ehara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hiroki Sakaguchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Koichi Sonoi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Masaki Kyomoto and Takeshi Yamato and Kenji Takano carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "His heart craves vengeance . . . his sword demands blood!".
9IMDB entry: tt0230780 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.