Movies like Tenchu!: 20 to watch next

If you loved Tenchu! (1969) — a history, action and drama film directed by Hideo Gosha — these 20 movies are the closest matches.

The first picks are what fans of Tenchu! most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like assassin, sake and crucifixion. 7 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.

Where to watch Tenchu! →·Get picks for your whole taste →

1
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance 1972★ 7.4
Shares: Drama, Action
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
2
Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins 2012★ 7.5
Shares: Action, History
In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.
Stream in India on Netflix
3
13 Assassins 1963★ 7.5
Shares: Drama, Action
A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the Daimyo is the Shogun's younger brother, he will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the Daimyo. The two most brilliant strategic minds of their generation find themselves pitted against each other; one is tasked to defend a man he despises, and has a small army at his disposal. The other is given a suicide mission, and has 12 brave men. They are the 13 Assassins.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
4
13 Assassins 2010★ 7.3
Shares: Drama, Action
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
Stream in India on Brew
5
Killing 2018★ 7.1
Shares: Drama, Action
In mid-19th century Edo period, a masterless rōnin named Mokunoshin Tsuzuki resides in a peaceful village among those he helps. However, as the prevalent peace and tranquility are sure to be replaced by war and conflict across the land, the swordsman feels restlessness creeping upon him.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
6
Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno 2014★ 7.6
Shares: Action, Drama
Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is now in Kyoto, plotting with his gathered warriors to overthrow the new government. Against Kaoru's wishes, Kenshin reluctantly agrees to go to Kyoto and help keep his country from falling back into civil war.
Stream in India on Netflix
7
Samurai Assassin 1965★ 7.3
Shares: Drama, Action, History
Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
8
Lady Snowblood 1973★ 7.5
Shares: Action, Drama
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
9
11 Rebels 2024★ 6.9
Shares: Action, Drama, History
When the brutal Boshin War breaks out in Japan, a group of inmates on death row unite to defend a fortress against the Imperial army.
Stream in India on Netflix
10
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final 2021★ 7.7
Shares: Action, History, Drama
In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.
Stream in India on Netflix
11
Chûshingura 1962★ 7.1
Shares: History, Drama, Action
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
12
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell 1974★ 7.1
Shares: Action, Drama
With most of his family already dead at Ogami Itto's hands, Retsudo launches one final plot to destroy him, and when that fails, unleashes the fury of every remaining member of the Yagyu clan.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
13
Harakiri 1962★ 8.5
Shares: Action, Drama, History
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
14
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance 1974★ 6.4
Shares: Action, Drama
Lady Snowblood is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes. As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
15
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple 1955★ 7.2
Shares: Drama, Action
After years on the road establishing his reputation as Japan's greatest fencer, Takezo returns to Kyoto. Otsu waits for him, yet he has come not for her but to challenge the leader of the region's finest school of fencing. To prove his valor and skill, he walks deliberately into ambushes set up by the school's followers.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
16
The Sword of Doom 1966★ 7.8
Shares: Drama, Action
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
17
Sword of the Beast 1965★ 7.5
Shares: Action, Drama
Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his name and honor.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
18
Blade of the Immortal 2017★ 6.7
Shares: Action, Drama
Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.
Stream in India on Netflix
19
Sister Street Fighter 1974★ 6.6
Shares: Action, Drama
Li Mansei is a martial-arts champion turned undercover agent. When he is captured by a drug lord, his sister Li Koryu turns to his former martial-arts school, including the powerful Sonny Kawasaka, for help in the inevitable battle royale.
Stream in India on Artiflix, Tubi TV, Plex
20
Ran 1985★ 8.0
Shares: Action, Drama, History
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now