If you think about the sorts of genres movies about samurai fall into, it’s understandable to think about epics (Seven Samurai), grim dramas (Harakiri), or maybe even Hollywood action movies (like The Last Samurai). Stories about samurai and samurai times can do a bit of everything when it comes to genre and tone, and that includes samurai movies sometimes also functioning as comedies.
Some of the following samurai films aren’t full-on comedies, and those that are appear closer to the end of this ranking. Otherwise, some others are over-the-top enough that they’re also funny in strange and surprising ways, while at least one also has some (possibly) unintentional humor. Basically, if you want at least a few laughs to be had while watching some samurai-themed, then these movies have got your back.
10
‘Zatoichi’ (2003)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
This won’t be the final mention of Zatoichi here, but this film is one of the last films featuring the iconic blind swordsman. It was something of a reboot, with Takeshi Kitano taking over as director and actor, playing the role of Zatoichi – and attempting to fill some big shoes – after Shintarō Katsu had made the role his own across nearly 30 movies and multiple episodes of a TV series.
Anyway, 2003’s Zatoichi is a little darker and edgier than some prior Zatoichi movies, but it’s also got the offbeat sense of humor one might expect to find in various Takeshi Kitano movies (yes, even his yakuza-focused ones). The resulting film is messy and not exactly balanced, nor does it feel like “pure” Zatoichi, but trying new things is always interesting, and this film… well, it’s definitely going for something, for better or worse.
9
‘Samurai Cop’ (1991)
Directed by Amir Shervan
Ah yes, we’re going to cheat a little here, and at a couple of other points in this ranking. There are some movies here that aren’t purely samurai films, but they contain either some elements associated with samurai movies, or perhaps just have samurai swords in action scenes. Take Samurai Cop, for example, which doesn’t take place in samurai times, and mostly takes place in the U.S., too.
There’s a cop who’s been trained as a samurai, and he uses his very special set of skills to take on various yakuza members who are causing trouble outside Japan. Samurai Cop is best remembered for being pretty awful on a technical front, but also a lot of fun. It’s a hard movie to hate, simply because it’s guaranteed to make you laugh at its incompetence more than a few times, and laughing feels good, you know (hope that’s not too crazy a hot take!).
Samurai Cop
- Release Date
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November 30, 1991
- Runtime
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96 minutes
- Writers
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Amir Shervan
- Producers
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Orlando Corradi
8
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
The purists might be mad at Kill Bill: Vol. 1 getting included here as a samurai movie, but like, come on… there’s so much sword-fighting action here, and much of the film revolves around getting a swordsmith to come out of retirement to craft his finest weapon yet. Said weapon is then put to good use in the film’s final act, which sees the main character using it to defeat a small army of warriors all well-equipped with their own swords and various other weapons.
Some of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is upsetting, intense, and a little sad, but there’s also a gleeful kind of style here that contributes to parts of this first half of the overall story being pretty funny. The level of violence, too, is pushed so far at times that it becomes less shocking, and more just funny in how absurd it is (your mileage may vary, but that scene where The Bride is basically break-dancing and slicing off feet as she does it? Hilarious).
Kill Bill
- Release Date
-
October 10, 2003
- Runtime
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111 minutes
7
‘Versus’ (2000)
Directed by Ryûhei Kitamura
There are mysterious portals featured heavily throughout Versus, and these doorways to other worlds or zones are put to good use, ensuring that Versus can also count itself within the confines of more genres than it can’t. It’s got zombies, samurai, and some other fantastical stuff, and it has a narrative that features action, adventure, horror, thrills, and even some comedy.
Well, part of the comedy might come from laughing nervously at all the weird things that happen; all the strange things that such an unlikely band of main characters have to defeat if they want to survive. It’s also extremely violent, making Versus something of a splatter movie, too, but all in a way that highlights fun and a certain self-awareness about the ridiculousness of it all (re-enter, fittingly, those comedic aspects of it).
6
‘The Hidden Fortress’ (1958)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Slight stretch here, considering Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress isn’t outright a comedy, nor even really a comedy in part… but it is a fun adventure movie, and plenty of the characters are strange or even quite over the top. So, the journey they’re on is chaotic, there’s quite a bit of banter, and the story is a bit less about having life-or-death stakes than some other Kurosawa-directed samurai movies.
So, sure, The Hidden Fortress might be more fun than it is funny, but it is extremely fun, and there are some moments of comedic relief sprinkled throughout that add to that feeling of it being somewhat lightweight. Also, for all these reasons, it’s one of the most approachable Kurosawa samurai films, alongside Seven Samurai (with that 1954 release, the only real hurdle for some potential viewers is the exceptionally long runtime… it flies by, but 3.5 hours is still a good chunk of time).
The Hidden Fortress
- Release Date
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October 6, 1960
- Runtime
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126 Minutes
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Toshiro Mifune
General Rokurota Makabe
-
-
Kamatari Fujiwara
Matashichi
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Susumu Fujita
General Hyoe Tadokoro
5
‘Six-String Samurai’ (1998)
Directed by Lance Mungia
One more slight cheat in the same vein as Samurai Cop: here’s Six-String Samurai, which is more interesting in taking some inspiration from samurai movies and reworking/remixing such conventions in weird and unexpected ways. The main character is a mysterious stranger who wields a six-string guitar and a samurai sword, and he finds himself wrapped up in a conflict that’s too crazy to summarize here.
If you ever wanted to see a more low-budget Mad Max with more music and sillier comedy, then Six-String Samurai is probably just what you’re looking for. It’s very much a B-movie in every single way, but it doesn’t seem ashamed about that; it just wants to do its own thing, and that’s kind of endearing. If you give it a shot, you may well come away pleasantly surprised, especially if you can get on Six-String Samurai’s (admittedly unique) wavelength.
Six-String Samurai
- Release Date
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September 18, 1998
- Runtime
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91 minutes
4
‘Yojimbo’ (1961)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Here’s another Akira Kurosawa samurai movie, and one that might well be perfect, too: Yojimbo. This one sees a lone warrior waltzing into a strange town that’s been torn apart by a vicious gang war. Instead of moving on, this unlikely hero decides to communicate with both sides, eventually working out that he can convince both he’s friendly. Then, in time, he’ll be able to manipulate them to get rid of each other.
It’s not a broadly comedic movie, but Yojimbo has quite a few laughs throughout that are designed to break up the tension, and things rarely get too bleak, too. Also, Toshirō Mifune is just about at his most charismatic and forceful here, and even if that’s not quite funny necessarily, his enthusiasm for playing such a character so well is still worth cracking a smile at while watching.
Yojimbo
- Release Date
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April 25, 1961
- Runtime
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110 minutes
- Director
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Akira Kurosawa
- Writers
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Akira Kurosawa, Ryûzô Kikushima
3
‘Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo’ (1970)
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
What’s this? Zatoichi and Yojimbo in the same movie? Well, obviously (for the most part), given that’s the title and Zatoichi appears here, as does Toshirō Mifune… but the character in Yojimbo was known as Sanjuro or just “The Samurai.” So, is he the exact same person? It doesn’t matter. Seeing two legendary characters – and equally legendary actors associated with the samurai genre – in the same movie means just about anything can be hand-waved.
It’s one of the more light-hearted Zatoichi films, with the two main characters getting into a series of complicated situations (and sometimes fights) between each other, all with the pace rushing forward and the comic relief being generous. It’s an exciting, well-oiled, and sometimes pretty funny samurai flick, even if, more often than not, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo focuses on delivering expectedly great action (and it succeeds there, too).
2
‘Sanjuro’ (1962)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
If we’re talking about great samurai movies directed by Akira Kurosawa that were released in the 1960s, then Yojimbo is still the GOAT. However, if you want to argue Sanjuro is the funnier, more action-packed, and perhaps even more entertaining film of the duo, then it wouldn’t be the most difficult thing in the world to put forward arguments for such statements.
The plot gets a little messier here, but does mostly boil down to Toshiro Mifune’s character helping out a group of young warriors who believe their clan has been overrun – and subsequently ruined – by corrupt forces. Sanjuro ends up deconstructing certain ideas about the samurai, but in a way that’s generally more fun and humorous than something like the also excellent Harakiri, which came out the same year and was overall bleaker and more despairing in just about every way.
Sanjuro
- Release Date
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January 1, 1962
- Director
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Akira Kurosawa
- Writers
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Akira Kurosawa, Shûgorô Yamamoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima
1
‘Kill!’ (1968)
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
With a title that’s simultaneously exciting, punchy, and violent, you probably don’t know quite what you’re in for when you first enter into something like Kill!… and that’s okay. This is both a samurai movie and something of a yakuza film, with its story revolving around two swordsmen arriving in a new town. One wants to become more noble, while the other finds himself enticed by the criminal forces in that area.
This sets up inevitable conflict and action set pieces, but Kill! is also extremely funny at times, and also more than a little irreverent when it comes to depicting samurai times. Maybe it’s not a full-on parody of the genre, but you could argue it’s also not far off. Additionally, it has value for showing that Tatsuya Nakadai can excel in comedies, too, given most of his best-known roles are in more serious movies (like High and Low, Ran, The Sword of Doom, and Harakiri).
Kill!
- Release Date
-
June 22, 1968
- Director
-
Kihachi Okamoto
- Writers
-
Kihachi Okamoto, Akira Murao, Shûgorô Yamamoto
