Japan Synopsis
里見八犬伝
The evil Hikita clan rises from the dead to fulfill a curse on the Satomi clan by restoring the face of their warlord by using the skin of Princess Shizu. In the process of trying to capture her, the clan murders her entire family, but Princess Shizu escapes their clutches. She enlists the aid of eight samurai warriors, possessors of powerful magic crystal, led by Dosetsu (Sonny Chiba!) to help rescue the remaining members of her court and revenge her family. Along the way, they must fight undead warriors, evil spirits, poisonous beauties and a giant centipede.
The 1982–1984 Japan Window
57 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Legend of the Eight Samurai sits at position #47.
#1Space Cobra
★ 8.3 · 1982
#2Super Dimension Fortress Macross
★ 8.1 · 1982
#3Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
★ 7.9 · 1984
#4The Transformers
★ 7.9 · 1984
#5Captain Tsubasa
★ 7.8 · 1983
#6Kinnikuman
★ 7.8 · 1983
#7Voltron: Defender of the Universe
★ 7.6 · 1984
#8Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
★ 7.6 · 1982
Other Titles From Toei Company
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1980s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Legend of the Eight Samurai premiered. 280 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #4,030 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (12th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -1.1 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Fantasy productions specifically: #1,186 of 1,274 (top 93%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Company, KADOKAWA |
| Runtime | 2h 13m |
| Release Date | December 10, 1983 |
| IMDb | tt0086244 |