Akira Kobayashi

Since I Left You (2024)

Scored by Australian electronic music group The Avalanches and produced by Junk Food Dinner, SINCE I LEFT YOU is a visual essay about synchronicity, electricity, and sending signals with complicated computers. ...

Road to the Don Theatrical Version (2003)

A young yakuza experiences various conflicts, tactics, betrayals, rules, etc. in the gangster world, stands out in the organization, and climbs to the top of the organization. The theatrical version of the popular video series adapted from the original wor ...

Shura Group Part 2 (2002)

Ryuji Inahara, the heir to the Atami Yamazakiya family, subsequently placed the group under the control of the influential members of the Guretai, known as the "Yokohama Four Heavenly Kings," and the Inahara group quickly expanded its influence from Yokoha ...

Shura Group (2002)

Remake of The Story of a Man Among Men (1984) ...

Shura Group Part 3 (2002)

Ryuji Inahara changed the name of the Inahara-gumi to the Inahara-kai, and accordingly unified the emblem of the Inahara-kai. Then, in 1961, Inahara-kai opened a new headquarters office in Roppongi, Tokyo. Further incidents and conflicts await Ryuji and th ...

Emperor of Upheaval (1993)

The anti-gangster law has been very bad for business, but one yakuza boss is running his syndicate like a ruthless conglomerate -- and thriving. ...

A Legend of Turmoil (1992)

A story about the development of a bright and strong yakuza. Otaki is an old-fashioned respectful yakuza who tries to protect his small yakuza family. When his boss gets shot, he decides to go after the plotters. ...

Again (1984)

An anthology that embodies the essence of Nikkatsu action films with a stylish flair, this movie follows an aging hitman (Jō Shishido) on a quest to find a former rival he once shared the screen with. The story unfolds as he roams, creating a distinctive ...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga (1980)

The 224-minute compilation edition of Battles Without Honor and Humanity compiles these four movies: Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Deadly Fight in Hiroshima, Proxy War, Police Tactics. ...

The Tragedy in the Devil-Mask Village (1978)

Tarao's services are called upon to solve the mysterious death of bride-to-be, Mariko, who was found dead with an eerie mask of a devil. ...

Tarao Bannai (1978)

Legendary detective returns. ...

The Gate of Youth Part 2 (1977)

Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu. ...

The Yakuza Code Still Lives (1976)

After spending eight years in prison for murder, Hiroshi leaves his yakuza family to start a new life as a labor racketeer. ...

Operation Plazma in Osaka (1976)

Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover. ...

Japan's Violent Archipelago: The Keihanshin Murder Corps (1975)

A violent upstart forms an alliance with the powerful Tensei-kai syndicate to fight on the front lines of an underworld war and take over all of Japan. ...

The Gate of Youth (1975)

Mainly the story of Shinsuke and his stepmother, ranging from Shinsuke's infanthood to his mid-teens. Coal workers and the mines dominate nearly every aspect of the life of the characters. Shinsuke's father dies while bravely using dynamite to rescue a gro ...

Code of Wolves (1974)

In gangster-infested 1920s Yokohama, gambler Ishiguro gets in with the local gang -- but his view of life changes after the Great Kanto Earthquake. ...

Father of the Kamikaze (1974)

Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi could see that Japan's defeat in WWII was inevitable. He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. The cold ...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode (1974)

While Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power. ...

The Maizuru Showdown between The Yakuza Brothers (1974)

With a Kansai syndicate vying for Tokyo, one man reunites with his roguish half-brother in the midst of negotiations, when all hell breaks loose. ...

Violent Streets (1974)

With a Kansai syndicate setting their sights on Tokyo, a former yakuza boss gets dragged back into a world of violence. ...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (1974)

As Japan gears up for the 1964 Olympic games, the cops start to crack down on the gangs, under pressure from the public and the press, adding a new dimension in the war for power among the yakuza families of Hiroshima. ...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (1973)

Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new friendships include a powerful underboss of the Muraoka family, Noboru Uchimoto. ...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza. ...

Zorome no San Kyoudai (1972)

In Osaka, a family sets up shop in Tsuruhashi. Trouble brews for three brothers – Jinzuke, Tadayoshi, and Eizo – when they come together in their hometown, Nakano Village, after getting word of their father's critical condition. In a Nakano Village div ...

The Killer (1971)

A former gang leader and lone wolf who has left the organization works behind the scenes in a new city to take revenge on a giant alliance of organizations. This film is amongst the last "straight" yakuza films made at Nikkatsu before the studio's switch- ...

Women Smell of Night (1970)

A 1970 crime film. ...

Sign of the Jack (1970)

Hanamura, widely known in gangland a professional trouble shooter has the sign of the Jack tattooed on his chest. His follower is his sworn partner Kurahara. They attempt to help the Towada-Gumi gang against its rival group the Kamioka-Gumi which is seekin ...

Women's Police: Swirling Butterflies (1970)

Aboard a night ferry in the Inland Sea, Masaaki Kagari (Akira Kobayashi), a young tough, who supplies hostesses to night spots, encounters Yuko, his ex-sweetheart. He considers himself a private underworld sort of policeman-in the com- munity of such women ...

Records of Bloodshed (1970)

Post World War II, Minoru lives by selling supplies that had been stolen from the U.S. military. One day, he is arrested due to the plotting of Kurahata, a member of the Yakuza who doesn't like him. ...

Greatest Boss of Japan (1970)

A man who became the third boss faces off against delinquent foreigners and villains vying to rule the underworld in order to develop the port city. ...

Woman's Police: Appointment with Danger (1970)

Kagari (Akira Kobayashi), a scout and overseer of Ginza bar hostesses, receives an urgent phone call from Sawako, a hostess at the bar Rie, and rushes to Tokyo International Airport to meet her. When he arrives she is gone. At the bar he learns that Tabuch ...

Peonies And Dragons (1970)

Yakuza Ryuichi, nicknamed the Dragon-killer, went on a journey with his son Tatsuo after he lost his wife. Due to Tatsuo's sudden illness, Ryuichi had money problems, and he became dependent on the head of the local tekiya and finds himself involved in the ...

Bloody Territories (1969)

A once-powerful yakuza clan disbands as a result of a police crackdown, but one small group refuses to bow to police pressure, and launches a campaign to take over Tokyo's drug, prostitution, and gambling rackets. Someone wants to stop them. Is it the poli ...

Rising Dragon: Soft Skin Gambler (1969)

Japanese crime film ...

Family Crest: Loyalty Offering Hell (1969)

Nonaka Tetsugoro, a substitute for the Aoi group, held a flower party to celebrate the complete recovery of his boss. However, three rival bosses, trying to steal the Aoi's territory, made take-over plans in the shadows. The second in the two part Daimon ...

The Rough One (1969)

A tale of wannabe yakuza youths. When not cooking up scams with his buddies, Zenkichi develops a crush on Taro's disgusted sister, Miki. But soon the young hoods run afoul of their underworld idols when they rob the wrong gang, led by brutal boss Konno. Wh ...

The Elder Sister (1969)

Follows the struggles of a yakuza wife after his husband gets hurt in a knife fight. ...

Women's Police: Part II (1969)

Masaaki Kagari (Akira Kobayashi) is the recruiter and protector of hostesses at the Club Rose. One day he visits Club Aron, to complain about attempts to lure hostesses from Club Rose. Aron's madam Hisayo reminds him of a tragic experience five years befo ...

100 Gamblers (1969)

Set in Kyushu during the early Showa period, the son of a boss who is killed after a greedy boss takes over his territory, takes over and takes revenge on his nemesis. ...

Rising Dragon: Red-Hot Iron Skin (1969)

Japanese crime film ...

Women's Police (1969)

Around Ginza there is a night-city of bars and cabarets, hostesses, customers. Assisting to keep order here is Kagari (Akira Kobayashi) who specializes in the women, their problems and troubles. He has saved many a girl from blandishments of pimps, makes c ...

Exiled to Hell (1969)

It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the famous performance of storyteller Koiso Kikuji and performer Kataoka Koshin is reaching its climax when the Tawaraya family interferes... This is an entertaining a ...

Three Rogues (1968)

Two lone wolf yakuza (Hideki Takahashi and Kunie Tanaka) rob a gambling den, then split up when pursued by the angry gang. They eventually meet again at Tanaka's mother's rural farmhouse. By then, one-eyed Kobayashi has wrangled his way into the scenario, ...

Retaliation (1968)

Emerging from a stint in prison, yakuza lieutenant Sumukawa discovers that his gang has disintegrated. An ambitious type, he quickly hooks up with another gang who promise him a prominent position if he helps them deal with a rival family. But bonds are ma ...

Duel in the Storm (1968)

It is the Taisho era in Japan. A man has quit the Yakuza after five years and returned to Shikoku in order to begin his life anew as a ferryman. His boss, however, became ill and the boat is taken due to unpaid debts to the local thugs. His new life has no ...

Diamonds of the Andes (1968)

Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his fiancée Reiko. ...

Dice and Swords (1968)

The year is 1926. It has been three years since the Great Kanto earthquake hit Tokyo. Everything is being rebuilt from the ground up. Odera crime syndicate saw this as an opportunity to expand its territory. The Odera boss arranges marriage between his dau ...

My Sweetheart (1967)

It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by director Ishizaki and his film crew, Mitsuo is excited to star as the lead in "My Sweetheart". One day, half way through production, he meets his friends from a popul ...

Three Seconds to Zero Hour (1967)

"I like shady dealings," purrs undercover superspy Yabuki en route to infiltrating a sadistic, trigger-happy gang of international jewel thieves. Gone renegade from the shadowy espionage bureau that honed his killer instincts to a razor's edge, the implaca ...

The Singing Gunman (1967)

Fourth film in the Aitsu series. The outlaw-cum-travelling guitarist discovers that his friend has been killed by the gangsters who held up the bullion transport. ...

The Reckless One (1967)

Kosuke Suzuki returns to Hakata's hometown after learning that his best friend Takehara has disappeared. Kosuke is persistently hindered by Hasebe from Omura Sangyo. Kosuke's partner Kumagoro investigates and finds out that Hasebe, who killed the head of t ...

Immortal Guy (1967)

Kosuke Suzuki was presumed dead after boss Toseikai Setouchi lynched him and threw him into the sea off the coast of Kobe. However, three months later, Kosuke suddenly appears in Kagoshima and reunites with his partner, the vagrant Kumagoro. However, Kosuk ...

Shin yūkyōden (1966)

In this town, Kagosuke and Ryukichi of the Okamoto family, who are deeply committed to the yakuza way, are straightforward and justice-loving hot-blooded men. However, their slight clumsiness is a flaw, but they are extremely strong in fights, and there's ...

Fearless Comrades (1966)

The first film in the Fearless Guy series. Kosuke was part of a huge organized crime group, but decided to leave after his best friend died a brutal death at the hands of the gang leader. He goes on a trip with a guitar in his hand and ends up in Yokohama. ...

Black Tight Killers (1966)

Daisuke Honda, a war photographer in Vietnam, meets Yuriko Sawanouchi, a stewardess on his plane back to Japan. After drinking with her at a Tokyo bar, he becomes involved in saving Yuriko from assassination by stylish, female ninjas. When trying to rescue ...

The Black Gambler: Left Hand of the Devil (1966)

The fictional land "Pandora" sends three (numbered) graduates of the "National Gambling University" to Japan. You should defeat the master player Kôji, control the international casino empire and use the profits to achieve world domination. But Japan's mo ...

The Dragon of Macao (1965)

Ryu (Akira Kobayashi) sets foot on the Yokohama port with a suitcase filled with 300 thousand dollars. He was sent by a jewelry company in Hong Kong to retrieve a certain diamond that was stolen from them. The "Himalayan Star" is worth couple hundred milli ...

Bastards Without Borders (1965)

Counterfeit Japanese dollars are connected to a large-scale underground drug organization. An action masterpiece with Akira Kobayashi, in the role of an international secret police officer who challenges organizations throughout the world. ...

The Black Gambler: Murderous Dice (1965)

As a foreign gambling ring tries to take over the Japanese underworld, Himuro the ace gambler must face their leader - and his dangerous gadgets… ...

The Black Gambler: The Gambling Syndicate (1965)

Place your bets! Koji Himuro (Akira Kobayashi) is a makeout artist with unparalleled gambling skills. Shortly after his return to Tokyo, he is invited to attend a reception being held at the Suvenian Embassy of Tokyo. This "reception" was an undercover gam ...

Gambling is My Destiny (1965)

Shadowed and alone. Today, a melancholy guitar sobs in a wandering seaside town.... To make amends, he hides his identity and saves his girlfriend's sister from certain death. Filmed on location on the scenic Manazuru Peninsula, the action is set amidst ru ...

Traveling Alone with a Guitar (1964)

Kobayashi Akira stars as a wandering musician, who lost his brother and lover to dishonest rival Henmi. The third work in Nikkatsu's "Gambler" series. ...

The Call of Blood (1964)

Two brothers seek revenge on the yakuza responsible for the death of their father. ...

A Wandering Gambler (1964)

Koji Himuro, a brilliant gambler, was killed by his brother and lover for discovering cheating gambling. As a result, he vows never to roll the dice, but gets involved in the incident everywhere he goes. The first in the "Black Gambler Series". The feature ...

Punishment of a Lawless Villian (1964)

In the early Meiji era, two contrasting craftsmen, who had been bound by a ten-year strong friendship, suddenly hated each other and face many obstacles. Adapted from Shugoro Yamamoto novel. ...

The Flower and the Angry Waves (1964)

A young yakuza in love with the girl who's to marry his clan oyabun, kidnaps the girl before fleeing with her. In Tokyo, he hides under the identity of a worker while the young woman becomes a waitress in a restaurant. ...

Tale on Tokai Chivalry (1964)

The film is set in Fukagawa in the early Showa period and depicts a fateful confrontation between two men who rise and fall in a black stream, trying to live a real human life, violating the cruel laws of the passing generation. ...

Kanto Wanderer (1963)

Handsome young Katsuta tries to follow the yakuza code, but even his boss doesn't believe in it. Diamond Fuyu is less ethical, and allows the idiotic Tetsu to trick a schoolgirl he fancies, Hanako, into a type of bonded prostitution. Because of gang confli ...

Whirlwind Call the Storm - Ginza Hoodlum's Diary (1963)

A kidnapping occurred over a seven-million-dollar diamond that was sewn into his stomach. Takuya Nikaido, the hero of Kamideki, challenges the underground organization of fear. The final work of Asahi Kobayashi's "Ginza Whirlpool Child (Mitsugai)" series. ...

Ore wa Jigoku no Butaichou (1963)

Badge of the Night (1963)

A noir action whodunit with Kobayashi his usual jaunty self as the smart aleck private eye whose missing person search soon becomes a murder case. Nightclub-managing, drug-dealing gangster Uchida is the prime suspect in the case until he commits suicide. K ...

Utau abarenbō (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

Bōkyō no umi (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

Jigoku no yoru wa makka da ze (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

The Rambler Returns Home (1962)

Final installment of THE WANDERING GUITARIST series. ...

Dahil Sa Iyo – The Song of Sad Love (1962)

Return of the Whirlwind (1962)

Based on the original work of Yasunori Kawauchi of "Moonlight Mask", this is the fifth in the "Ginza Whirlwind Child (Mitsutogai)" series in which Asahi Kobayashi dressed as a hero of the dead ghost. Familiar Takuya Nikaido challenges the international cal ...

Song of a Traveller (1962)

A crime film released in 1962 ...

A Rampage Full of Dreams (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

Love in the Air (1962)

Satake Shoji had been a trapeze artist in the Ezaki Circus, but when Shingo, his team mate, slipped and fell to his death, he had felt responsible and, sick at heart, left the circus for a life at sea. On land again Shoji goes to a cabaret where he is soon ...

The Rambler Goes North (1962)

In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan's back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip. ...

The Black Scar (1961)

A yakuza frames another yakuza who goes to jail for 5 years. When he is released he goes to seek revenge only to fall in love with the daughter of the man who framed him. ...

Standing Towards the Great Forest (1961)

Strife between competing lumber mills. ...

The Plateau Man (1961)

Japanese Western set at a mountain ranch in Kyushu. ...

Rambling in the Sea (1961)

Seventh in the nine-film series, "The Wandering Guitarist". ...

Ginza Whirlwind: The Call of the Storm (1961)

The Ginza Whirlwind (Akira Kobayashi) attempts to solve a murder. ...

The Rambler under the Southern Cross (1961)

In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan's back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip. ...

The Angry Rambler (1960)

Fourth installment of Nikkatsu's "Drifter" series, with Kobayashi Akira. ...

The Rambler Rides Again (1960)

In this fifth episode of the "Wataridori" series, Taki Shinji (Kobayashi Akira) drifts north to Hokkaido, where he helps protect an Ainu village from unscrupulous land developers. ...

The Rambler on a Pearl Farm (1960)

Set in Uwajima, Shikoku, an action film starring Akira Kobayashi who uncovers evils related to pearl farming. ...

Tokyo Mighty Guy (1960)

Mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal bu ...

The Rambler in the Sunset (1960)

The young rambler, Shinji Taki, with his guitar arrives a hot spa town at the foot of Mount Aizu Bandai. Of course he solves the problems in the town while encountering the sinister rival, Masa "the pistol guy". ...

Wind of Volcano (1960)

An airplane loaded with 50 million yen for the reconstruction of Amami Oshima crashes en route from Kagoshima, Kyushu, but neither the money nor the remains of the pilot can be found. ...

Return of the Vagabond (1960)

The 3rd film of the famous "Wataridori" (The Rambler) series from Nikkatsu. The young rambler, Shinji Taki (Akira Kobayashi), with his guitar arrives in Sadogashima Island, Niigata, Japan. Of course, Shinji meets yet another beautiful girl named Noriko, wh ...

He's the Witness (1960)

Takuya witnesses the homicide of the detective leading an investigation into the murder of the chairman of the People's Economic Association, and he disguises himself. ...

The Guitarist from the Sea (1960)

Plans to build a touristic hot spring on the island of Izu Oshima run afoul of the Kobe yakuza group, which intends to use the island as a relay base for drug smuggling. ...

The Poem of the Blue Star (1960)

Might Guy Akira's unique action drama depicts the bizarre fate of a young doctor who vows to avenge his girlfriend, who was shot by a yakuza on a whim! ...

The Guitarist and the Rancher (1960)

Rambler Shinji arrives in town armed with nothing but a guitar. With assistance from an old gun-for-hire friend, he sets about to stop the mob from turning an honest ranch into a gambling resort. ...

Who is in the Background? (1959)

Based on the original work of Yasunori Kawauchi of "Moonlight Mask", this is the second in the "Ginza Whirlwind Child (Mitsutogai)" series in which Asahi Kobayashi plays an active role in the death of a divine ghost in a skillful disguise. Takuya Nikaido a ...

The Rambling Guitarist (1959)

Arriving in the town of Hakodate, a wandering musician, Shinji Taki, is soon recruited by the local gang as a hired hand. However, with the arrival of a sinister gunman, Taki's mysterious past catches up with him. ...

The Human Cyclone (1959)

The first in the Ginza Whirlwind Child series. A poignant action giant depicting the activities of Mait Guy Akira, who calls people to Ginza Boring Man, popular and longing everywhere, and who is on the side of justice of the divine ghost. ...

Farewell to Southern Tosa (1959)

Story of an ex-con trying to go straight, but of course the old ways die hard. ...

Dynamite ni Hi o Tsukero (1959)

An action masterpiece about Might Guy Akira, a hot-blooded man who explodes against the backdrop of a large landfill full of intrigue and violence. ...

Wakai hyou no mure (1959)

A blockbuster youth action film that explodes with the charm of Maiko Guy and Akira, based on the serialized novel in Nikkan Sports by Yoshirō Akinaga, now adapted for the screen. Due to the passage of time since the film's release, some scenes may be mar ...

Tokyo no Kodoku (1959)

A coming-of-age story about two newcomers to the world of professional baseball who compete for Rookie of the Year honors and love. ...

I Will Challenge (1959)

Akira, a student who is professionally engaged in boxing, aspires to follow in the footsteps of his late father and become a champion when, during training, he becomes embroiled in a murder case. His school friend is involved in the case, and Akira also be ...

Friendship of Jazz (1959)

Kenichi, who lives like a stray dog among fellow gangsters, finds his love for the first time while the police are trying to catch him on suspicion of murder. ...

The Perfect Game (1958)

College students come up with a scam to rob a gambling house. When it comes time to collect, the money isn't there, leading the young men into even more serious crime. ...

Zesshou (1958)

The story of the tender love between Junki, the son of a wealthy landowner, and Kayuki, the daughter of a forester, who decided to unite their destinies against their parents' wishes. Neither war nor years of separation could kill this love. It was only cu ...

Young Breasts (1958)

A delinquent young man (Kobayashi Akira) from a wealthy family decides to get in on a blackmailing scheme targeting his young stepmother (Watanabe Misako). However, he doesn't realize that his fellow blackmailers have their eyes on his girlfriend next. ...

The Boy Who Came Back (1958)

Nobuo is a hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past. ...

The Nun (1958)

Rusty Knife (1958)

Udaka is a new, post-war city where corruption has already taken hold. A persistent district attorney wants to arrest and convict Katsumata, a laughing, self-confident thug. The D.A. gets an anonymous letter about the suicide five years' before of a city c ...

A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era (1957)

Saheji, a man-about-town, gets stuck at a high-class brothel when he can't pay the bill. He makes the best of his situation by performing various tasks amidst the tumult of the end of the shogunate—but always by making sure to get a "commission" for his ...

Who's the Real Killer (1957)

Film about a car dealer who gets into financial trouble. ...

This Day's Life (1957)

The Champion (1957)

Eikichi Yamashiro, who is a former contender for the boxing title, works as a manager at a Club Champion owned by his fiancé Natsuko's father. He lost a title match five years ago as he was besotted by Natsuko, but Eikichi actually cannot give up the drea ...

Hungry Soul, Part II (1956)

A continuation of Hungry Soul, from the same year. Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband's business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him ...

Hungry Soul (1956)

Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband's business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with ...

The Demon Comes in Spring (1989)

Island villagers find a young woman and young man swept ashore near their remote village in northeastern Japan. The two have tried to escape the girl's enforced marriage to another man, in order that they may marry themselves. The ancient custom of the vil ...

Ore wa Jigoku no Butaichou (1963)