Shadow Warriors (TV Series)
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is a
Japanese television Television in Japan was introduced in 1939. However, experiments date back to the 1920s, with Kenjiro Takayanagi's pioneering experiments in electronic television. Television broadcasting was halted by World War II, after which regular televisio ...
''
jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—''Portrait of Hel ...
'' show featuring
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
that ran for four seasons in the early 1980s. The first season was a
reimagining A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of the film ''Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzō'' directed by
Eiichi Kudo was a Japanese film director. Kudo directed 30 films between 1956 and 1998. His notable films are ''13 Assassins (1963 film), 13 Assassins'' (1963) and ''The Great Killing'' (1964). He joined the Toei Company, Toei film company in 1952 and made ...
which was released in 1980. Chiba played different
ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
characters in each series. In the first series he played Hattori Hanzō III, in the second he played Tsuge Shinpachi, in the third he played Tarao Hanzō, and in the fourth series and in ''Bakumatsu Hen'' he played Hattori Hanzō XV. In the 2003 direct-to-DVD series ''Shin Kage no Gundan'' (''New Shadow Warriors'') he played Hattori Hanzō I.


Seasons

*''Hattori Hanzō: Kage no Gundan'' (1980) - 27 episodes *''Kage no Gundan II'' (1981 - 1982) - 26 episodes *''Kage no Gundan III'' (1982) - 26 episodes *''Kage no Gundan IV'' (1985) - 27 episodes *''Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen'' (1985) - 13 episodes *''Shin Kage no Gundan'' (2003 - 2005) - 6 direct to video episodes (not part of the TV series)


DVD release

The complete first season of the show was released on April 17, 2007 on Region 1 DVD by BCI Home Entertainment.


In other media

Chiba reprised the Hattori Hanzō character for ''
Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins (Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) an ...
''.
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
stated in the supplementary material on the ''Kill Bill'' DVD that the character was named in tribute to Chiba's former role as Hattori Hanzō (the historical 16th-century Iga ninja) in ''Shadow Warriors (Kage no Gundan)''. The joke is that Chiba played multiple generations of the character: when the character died, the next installment would shift to covering his descendant, also named Hanzō after his famous predecessor. The implication is that the character in ''Kill Bill'', whom Tarantino called Hattori Hanzō XIV, is another descendant of the same lineage. Chiba's daughter
Juri Manase (also known as Julie Manase, born 1 January 1975) is a Japanese actress. Biography Early life Juri was inspired to be an actress at the age five by seeing her parents (Sonny Chiba and Yōko Nogiwa) on sets and stage. While she was in school, ...
also appears in ''Kill Bill'' as a member of the Crazy 88. A digitized version of a promo image for the series' second season infamously appears on the title screen of The Revenge of Shinobi.


Cast


Hattori Hanzō: Kage no Gundan (Season 1)

*
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
as
Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subjec ...
*Kenji Takaoka as Hyōroku *Naomi Hase as Okiri *
Shōhei Hino is a Japanese actor and singer. Hino was born in Tokyo and raised in Osaka. Hino appeared in many jidaigeki television dramas. He is best known for his roles in the Hissatsu series. He began his acting career at the age of 13. In 1966, he made ...
as Daihachi *
Junichi Haruta is a Japanese actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. His real name is . Haruta joined the J.A.C (Japan Action Club), a theater troupe founded by Sonny Chiba, after leaving high school. Filmography * ''The Yagyu Conspiracy'' (1978) - Harut ...
as Kiheiji *Kyoko Mitsubayashi as Okō *
Kantarō Suga was a leading Japanese actor. His film credits span three decades, from 1960 to 1990.
(Suga Kantarō) at Renji Ishibashi , born is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 15th Hochi Film Award for '' Rōnin-gai''. Filmography Film Television Video game * '' Yakuza: Dead Souls'' - Oyassan References External links * Renji Ishib ...
as Minakuchi Kisirō *
Hiroshi Inuzuka (born 23 March 1929, Tokyo) is a Japanese actor, comedian and bassist. Inuzuka is one of the members of the Crazy Cats. His first starring role in the film was in ''Suteki na Konban wa'' directed by Yoshitarō Nomura and played the leading rol ...
as ikoma *
Nobuo Kaneko was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1950 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is es ...
as
Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogu ...
*
Teruhiko Saigō was a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he was known as one of the three "''Gosanke''" (referring to ''gosanke'', the three great Tokugawa houses), along with Yukio Hashi and Kazuo Funaki. The stage name was based on the Meiji Restoration ...
as Tsutusmi Kyonosuke *
So Yamamura was a Japanese actor and film director. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. Yamamura graduated from University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre ...
as
Hoshina Masayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina Masayuki was born ...
*
Kirin Kiki (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother ...
as Orin *Yōko Kurita as O-ume


Kage no Gundan II (Season 2)

*
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
as Tsuge Shinpachi *Jun Eto as Tsuruzō *Masato Hoshi as Utanosuke *Hikaru Kurosaki ( :ja:黒崎輝) as Koroku *
Mayumi Asaka (born September 6, 1955) is a Japanese actress. One of her television roles was as the ninja Sagiri in the jidaigeki ''Abarenbo Shogun.'' As of 2005, she is still active in television commercials. On August 31, 2006, she played a guest-star role ...
as Otoki *
Isamu Nagato was a Japanese actor from Kurashiki Okayama Prefecture. He was an actor who specialized in playing comical roles. He became popular for his role as Sakura Kyōjyurō in the ''Three Outlaw Samurai series''. Selected Filmography Films * ''Taiyō ...
as Gohei *
Etsuko Shihomi Etsuko (written: 悦子, 英津子, えつ子, えつこ in hiragana or エツコ in katakana) is a feminine Japanese given name. The most common meaning is joy child. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese football player *, Japanese c ...
as Shiina Misato *
Mikio Narita was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing villains. He often worked with Kinji Fukasaku. Narita graduated from Haiyuza Theatre Company acting school and joined Daiei Film. His career as a screen actor started in 1963. His film debut ...
as Ōoka Tadamitsu *
So Yamamura was a Japanese actor and film director. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. Yamamura graduated from University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre ...
as
Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese polymath and ''rōnin'' of the Edo period. Gennai was a Pharmacology, pharmacologist, student of ''Rangaku'', physician, author, painter and inventor well known for his ''Elekiter, Erekiteru'' (electrostatic generator), ''Kandan ...
*
Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...
as Hayate Kozō *
Kirin Kiki (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother ...
as Orin


Kage no Gundan III (Season 3)

*
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
as Tarao Hanzō *
Etsuko Shihomi Etsuko (written: 悦子, 英津子, えつ子, えつこ in hiragana or エツコ in katakana) is a feminine Japanese given name. The most common meaning is joy child. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese football player *, Japanese c ...
as Ochō *
Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...
as Sasuke *
Keizō Kanie was a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 1st Yokohama Film Festival for '' Angel Guts: Red Classroom'' and '' Jūkyūsai no Chizu'' and at the 12th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Ware ni utsu yoi ari'' and ''Boku to ...
as Takebayashi Toramaro *
Hikaru Kurosaki , also known as ''Space Wolf Juspion'', is a Japanese tokusatsu television series and part of the Metal Hero Series franchise. Produced by Toei Company, it was originally broadcast from 15 March 1985 to 24 March 1986, running for 46 episodes. Th ...
as Shunta *Kawarasaki Kenzō as Ryuken *
Kyoko Kishida is a very common feminine Japanese given name. Not to be confused with Kiyoko. Possible writings The final syllable "ko" is typically written with the kanji character for child, 子. It is a common suffix to female names in Japan. The first s ...
as Takatsukasa Takako *
Yoko Akino Yōko Akino (秋野 暢子 ''Akino Yōko'', born Yōko Tashiro, 田代 暢子 ''Tashiro Yōko'', born 18 January 1957 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a perf ...
as Kobue *
Eitaro Ozawa , also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō. Selected fi ...
as Tokugawa Mitsusada


Kage no Gundan IV (Season 4)

*
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
as Hattori Hanzō *
Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza. 週刊現代6月5日号「私の地図」第485回 p84-86 Selected filmography Film Television Awards a ...
as Hyōsai *
Kimiko Ikegami is an American-born Japanese actress. She is best known for playing the lead role of Gorgeous in the 1977 film ''House''. Early life Born in Manhattan, New York City, United States to Japanese parents, she moved to Kyoto at age 3. Kimiko graduat ...
as Satsuki *
Jun Miho Jun or JUN may refer to: People and anthroponymy * Jun (given name), a common Japanese given name * Jun (singer), a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS * Tomáš Jun, Czech footballer * A spelling of common Korean family name Jeon (Korean surn ...
as Ayame *
Junichi Ishida is a Japanese actor and television personality from Tokyo. He is married to professional golfer Riko Higashio. Biography Junichi Ishida was born in Tokyo. His father was a foreign correspondent for NHK, and he lived in the U.S. from the ages of ...
as Kikuji *
Kenji Ohba , known professionally as is a prolific Japanese actor and former stuntman best known for his roles in the Super Sentai and Metal Heroes series, especially as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in the 1982 TV series '' Space Sheriff Gavan''. He is the presi ...
as Gamahachi *
Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...
as Zenkyu * MIE as Ochō *
Etsuko Shihomi Etsuko (written: 悦子, 英津子, えつ子, えつこ in hiragana or エツコ in katakana) is a feminine Japanese given name. The most common meaning is joy child. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese football player *, Japanese c ...
as Oren *
Hikaru Kurosaki , also known as ''Space Wolf Juspion'', is a Japanese tokusatsu television series and part of the Metal Hero Series franchise. Produced by Toei Company, it was originally broadcast from 15 March 1985 to 24 March 1986, running for 46 episodes. Th ...
as Junta * Mari Chihara as Toki *
Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...
as
Katsu Kaishū Count , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku ) by Sakuma Shōzan. He ...
*
Mikio Narita was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing villains. He often worked with Kinji Fukasaku. Narita graduated from Haiyuza Theatre Company acting school and joined Daiei Film. His career as a screen actor started in 1963. His film debut ...
as
Ii Naosuke was ''daimyō'' of Hikone (1850–1860) and also Tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858, until his death, assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident on March 24, 1860. He is most famous for signing the Ha ...
*
Gaku Yamamoto Gaku (written: 岳 or 学) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese actor *, Japanese politician *, Japanese politician *, Japanese alpine skier *, Japanese aikidoka *, Japanese politician *, Japanese p ...
as
Hotta Masayoshi was the 5th Hotta ''daimyō'' of the Sakura Domain in the Japanese Edo period, who served as chief ''rōjū'' in the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate, where he played an important role in the negotiations of the Ansei Treaties with various fo ...
* Kantaro Suga as Murayama Taizō *
Masanori Sera Masanori Sera ( ja, 世良公則) is a Japanese singer and actor from Fukuyama Hiroshima. He graduated from Osaka University of Arts. As a singer Sera's rock band, Sera Masanori&TWIST appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen twice (1978 and 1979). He ...
as
Sakamoto Ryoma Sakamoto (written: ) is the 40th most common Japanese surname. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include: *Chika Sakamoto (born 1959), voice actor and singer *Fuyumi Sakamoto (born 1967), enka singer *, Japanese professio ...
*
Bunjaku Han (Chinese: Fàn Wénquè) was a Japanese-speaking Taiwanese people, Taiwanese actress who lived and worked in Japan. Career She was mostly known as a character actress. She became famous playing an unfortunate half-Japanese, half African-America ...
as Osai *
Kirin Kiki (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother ...
as Botan


Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen (Season 5)

*
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
as Hattori Hanzō *
Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza. 週刊現代6月5日号「私の地図」第485回 p84-86 Selected filmography Film Television Awards a ...
as Hyōsai *
Kenji Ohba , known professionally as is a prolific Japanese actor and former stuntman best known for his roles in the Super Sentai and Metal Heroes series, especially as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in the 1982 TV series '' Space Sheriff Gavan''. He is the presi ...
as Gamahachi *
Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...
as Zenkyu * MIE as Ochō *
Isao Natsuyagi was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1963 to 2013. Career In 1960, Natsuyagi began attending the Bungakuza actors school while attending Keio University. He eventually left Keio before graduating and entered the H ...
as
Oguri Kozukenosuke Oguri Kozukenosuke (Oguri Tadamasa, 16 July 1827 – 27 May 1868) was a statesman of the Tokugawa government in the last stage of the Edo period, and he is often regarded as a rival of Katsu Kaishu. At the time when the power of the Tokugawa ...
*
Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...
as
Katsu Kaishū Count , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku ) by Sakuma Shōzan. He ...
*
Masanori Sera Masanori Sera ( ja, 世良公則) is a Japanese singer and actor from Fukuyama Hiroshima. He graduated from Osaka University of Arts. As a singer Sera's rock band, Sera Masanori&TWIST appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen twice (1978 and 1979). He ...
as
Sakamoto Ryoma Sakamoto (written: ) is the 40th most common Japanese surname. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include: *Chika Sakamoto (born 1959), voice actor and singer *Fuyumi Sakamoto (born 1967), enka singer *, Japanese professio ...
* Seiichirō Kameishi as Tateoka Dōsetsu *
Kirin Kiki (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother ...
as Botan


References


External links

* * * *{{IMDb title, 0182602, Kage no Gundan IV: Bakumatsu Hen 1980 films 1980s Japanese television series Direct-to-video film series 1980s Japanese-language films Japanese drama television series Jidaigeki films Ninja fiction Jidaigeki television series Cultural depictions of Hattori Hanzō 1980s Japanese films