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StatusFinished AiringSeasonWinter 1985StudioMadhouse, Project Team ArgosSourceNovel
Story
Synopsis
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late Edo period, a young boy named Jiro is falsely accused of murdering his adoptive family and forced into exile. Taken in and trained as a lethal assassin by the shadowy Buddhist priest Tenkai, Jiro is dispatched on covert missions for the Shogunate. Years later, he discovers a horrifying truth: Tenkai ordered the murder of Jiro's father Tarouza and framed him. Armed with a mysterious decorative dagger and cryptic clues, Jiro journeys across the frozen wilderness of Siberia to the American Old West in search of legendary pirate treasure, seeking the strength to avenge his fallen kin.
⚠ Background — may contain spoilers
Directed by Rintaro and produced by Madhouse alongside Project Team Argos, *The Dagger of Kamui* premiered in Japanese theaters in March 1985. Based on the expansive historical adventure novel series by Tetsu Yano, the two-hour epic was celebrated as a technical tour de force of eighties anime filmmaking. Featuring character designs by Moribi Murano and a soaring, eclectic soundtrack blending traditional Japanese instrumentation with rock synthesized motifs, the film garnered critical acclaim worldwide for its hyper-kinetic ninja combat, sweeping international scale, and ambitious synthesis of samurai cinema and American frontier Westerns.
