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.
Other Titles From Toei Company
Fantasy + Adventure in Japan
719 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Fantasy and Adventure genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Legend of the Eight Samurai itself).
The 1982–1984 Japan Window
In the crowded 1982-1984 Japan release window, Legend of the Eight Samurai sits at #47 of 57. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
#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
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Legend of the Eight Samurai premiered alongside 17 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 17 other Japan films in 1983.
The 607th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
22 audience reviews — more than 39% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 32th percentile among Japan films.
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 |