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Movies Like Ichi the Killer

For those captivated by Ichi the Killer, will enjoy these picks that questions the purpose and weight of our choices while grounding the story in targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a perfect follow-up for your next session.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Lady Snowblood
7.5

Lady Snowblood

1973

Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.

Agitator
6.4

Agitator

2001

When a young Yakuza torments the customers in a rival crime family's nightclub, it is not long before his dead body is found. Soon, inter-family retaliation follows, resulting in the death for a prominent crime boss. Devastated by this turn of events, the temperamental Kenzaki vows to avenge his boss's death and, as bloody violence ensues, the body count reaches excessive proportions.

Kite
6.7

Kite

1998

Sawa, orphaned as a child by murderous thugs, now targets the scourge of society as a trained killer for a mercenary syndicate. Coquettish and capable of unimaginable violence, she's grown into the perfect weapon — but doubt takes hold in Sawa's mind when her fellow assassin, Oburi, decides he wants out.

Gozu
6.8

Gozu

2003

Minami mistakenly kills a gangster associate of his named Brother. Almost as soon as the murder takes place, the body of the deceased man is gone, prompting Minami to conduct a search. While looking, he finds a mysterious isolated hotel where he decides to take a rest. Not only are the front desk clerks a bit strange, but even the ambiance feels unusual. Minami soon realizes he may have gotten more than he bargained for.

THE FABLE: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill
7.0

THE FABLE: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill

2021

Akira is the legendary killer known as the Fable. Following the order of his boss and due to being overworked, he lives peacefully with his partner, Yoko, as ordinary siblings. Akira still works part-time at design company Octopus with CEO Takoda and employee Misaki. CEO Takoda and Misaki are unaware of Akira's background as an assassin. Meanwhile, Utsubo is a representative for an NPO. But, Utsubo works with contract killer Suzuki to set people up for extortion purposes. They target someone at design company Octopus.

Outrage
6.9

Outrage

2010

When a tough yakuza gangster is betrayed by his bosses, it means all out war. Bodies pile up as he takes out everyone in his way to the top in a brutal quest for revenge.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
7.1

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

1972

After being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.

Branded to Kill
7.2

Branded to Kill

1967

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

More Movies Like Ichi the Killer

Why Don't You Play in Hell?
7.4

Why Don't You Play in Hell?

2013

In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.

Blood-C: The Last Dark
7.1

Blood-C: The Last Dark

2012

Tokyo, Winter. Despite the use of the Youth Ordinance Bill to enforce curfews for minors and regulate the use of the Internet, young people continue to fight for their own freedom through underground methods. One such group calls themselves Surat. They have decided to take on Fumito Nanahara, a man who has great influence on the political world, and basically controls Tokyo with an iron fist. While using the Internet as a weapon to discover more information about Fumito, they learn about "Tower", the secret organization behind Fumito which engages in human experimentation.

Mezzo Forte
6.5

Mezzo Forte

2000

The target of hitgirl Mikura is a wealthy baseball team owner, but he turns out to be a powerful underworld boss. Mikura and her team are beset by countless heavily armed bodyguards and the boss' vicious daughter.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
6.4

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

2014

Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.

Imprint
6.9

Imprint

2006

An American journalist travels through 19th-century Japan to find the prostitute he fell in love with but instead learns of the physical and existential horror that befell her after he left.

The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain
7.0

The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain

2008

July 1998 - After a group of delinquents is found dead in their hangout place with all their limbs twisted and torn off, Aozaki Touko receives a request to find the murderer and asks Shiki for help. The main suspect is Asagami Fujino; a girl who was the boys' plaything until recently, who Shiki believes to be "one of her kind".

Ninja Scroll
7.8

Ninja Scroll

1993

Jubei is a masterless ninja who travels the land alone, lending his services to those with gold—or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways—and possibly his life.

Ninja III: The Domination
6.1

Ninja III: The Domination

1984

An aerobics instructor becomes a ruthless assassin after being possessed by a slain ninja's spirit, leading to a showdown with a martial arts expert.

Graveyard of Honor
6.6

Graveyard of Honor

1975

A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the yakuza but quickly loses his self-control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1
8.0

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

2003

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

Vengeance Is Mine
7.6

Vengeance Is Mine

1979

A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.

Strange Darling
6.9

Strange Darling

2024

Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.

Why These Movies Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Ichi the Killer (2001): Action and Crime themes, similar narrative structure, and comparable emotional depth. NoBadPicks uses a combination of TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface films most likely to resonate with fans of Ichi the Killer.

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