History Film / NihonNoDon

The first film, ''Yakuza senso: Nihon no don'' (''Yakuza War: Japan's Don'') chronicle the exploits of ''yakuza'' godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life ''yakuza'' boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima Group. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} and the Kanto area untouched. After being called in to help a major corporation deal with a blackmail problem, Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo. He assigns his BloodKnight NumberTwo Shuei Tatsumi (Koji Tsuruta) to lead the way with Tsukichi Sakoda (Creator/SonnyChiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, [[TheManBehindTheMan aided in secret]] by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive MobWar erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.

The second film, ''Nihon no don: yabohen'' (''Japan's Don: Ambition'') takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's [[TheRival rival]] Kozuke Oishi (Creator/ToshiroMifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the [[TheAlliance Kanto Alliance]]. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to continue his Tokyo expansion plans by having Matsueda, now serving as his underboss, manipulate the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of [[FictionalCountry the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia]], [[PresidentForLife President Annata]] (Youssef Omar),[[note]]Inspired by [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Indonesian dictator Sukarno]], who infamously consorted with the ''yakuza'' in RealLife.[[/note]] arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.

The third and final film, ''Nihon no don: kanketsuhen'' (''Japan's Don: The Final Chapter'') sees Kikuo Oyama ([[TheOtherDarrin now played by Chiezo Kataoka]]) fall victim to a rare form of stomach cancer. Naturally, with his position as Japan's most powerful political fixer seemingly up for grabs, both Sakura and Oishi try to succeed him. Oishi in particular is also pursuing his dream project: turning [[UsefulNotes/NorthernMarianaIslands Saipan]] into the [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas the Las Vegas of the Pacific]]. To this end he manipulates political party leader and CorruptPolitician Shigenori Karita (Ko Nishimura), whose [[StarCrossedLovers son is romantically involved with Oishi's daughter]] to act as a go-between in a bribery deal involving corrupt US Senator J.H. Gerald (Tony Diamond). However, things go south when armed men arrive, steal the money, and try to make a getaway before being chased and killed by the police, who also recover the money. With a massive scandal on his hands, things get worse for Oishi when [[MacGuffin the bribery receipt]] disappears. The burning question remains as to who set up the robbery as both Sakura and Oyama plan to finish off Oishi before they can settle amongst themselves who will rule the Japanese underworld.

** Sakura isn't too welcoming of his daughter hooking up with American drifter Al Sanders in ''Yabohen'', and he goes so far to call roulette "faggy" while calling ''[[https://l-pollett.tripod.com/cards70.htm tehonbiki]]''[[note]]A favorite game, especially in illegal gambling-for-money dens, where bettors try to guess the value of a hidden card.[[/note]] a "real game" in ''Kanketsuhen''.

** Sakura isn't too welcoming of his daughter hooking up with American drifter Al Sanders in ''Yabohen'', and he goes so far to call roulette "faggy" while calling ''honbiki''[[note]]A traditional Japanese gambling game[[/note]] a "real game" in ''Kanketsuhen''.

The first film, ''Yakuza Senso: Nihon No Don'' (''Yakuza War: Japan's Don'') chronicle the exploits of ''yakuza'' godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life ''yakuza'' boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima Group. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} and the Kanto area untouched. After being called in to help a major corporation deal with a blackmail problem, Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo. He assigns his BloodKnight NumberTwo Shuei Tatsumi (Koji Tsuruta) to lead the way with Tsukichi Sakoda (Creator/SonnyChiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, [[TheManBehindTheMan aided in secret]] by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive MobWar erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.

The second film, ''Nihon No Don: Yabohen'' (''Japan's Don: Ambition'') takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's [[TheRival rival]] Kozuke Oishi (Creator/ToshiroMifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the [[TheAlliance Kanto Alliance]]. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to continue his Tokyo expansion plans by having Matsueda, now serving as his underboss, manipulate the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of [[FictionalCountry the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia]], [[PresidentForLife President Annata]] (Youssef Omar),[[note]]Inspired by [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Indonesian dictator Sukarno]], who infamously consorted with the ''yakuza'' in RealLife.[[/note]] arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.

The third and final film, ''Nihon No Don: Kanketsuhen'' (''Japan's Don: The Final Chapter'') sees Kikuo Oyama ([[TheOtherDarrin now played by Chiezo Kataoka]]) fall victim to a rare form of stomach cancer. Naturally, with his position as Japan's most powerful political fixer seemingly up for grabs, both Sakura and Oishi try to succeed him. Oishi in particular is also pursuing his dream project: turning [[UsefulNotes/NorthernMarianaIslands Saipan]] into the [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas the Las Vegas of the Pacific]]. To this end he manipulates political party leader and CorruptPolitician Shigenori Karita (Ko Nishimura), whose [[StarCrossedLovers son is romantically involved with Oishi's daughter]] to act as a go-between in a bribery deal involving corrupt US Senator J.H. Gerald (Tony Diamond). However, things go south when armed men arrive, steal the money, and try to make a getaway before being chased and killed by the police, who also recover the money. With a massive scandal on his hands, things get worse for Oishi when [[MacGuffin the bribery receipt]] disappears. The burning question remains as to who set up the robbery as both Sakura and Oyama plan to finish off Oishi before they can settle amongst themselves who will rule the Japanese underworld.

* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: After he kills her boyfriend (a Nakajima goon who got personal with her) Makiko Skaura attempts to seduce Shiro Matsueda into sleeping with her. He turns her down, even when she evokes a WoundedGazelleGambit and screams that Matsueda's trying to rape her.

** The first film was primarily inspired by the Yamaguchi-gumi's attempts at invading the Tokyo-Yokohama area in the early 60s, traditionally the turf of the rival Inagawa-kai. In the movie and sequels, the Nakajimas' attempts are somewhat bloody and several mid-tier bosses on both sides up getting killed. In reality, the Yamaguchi's incursions did stir some trouble (and the attempted assassination of a boss allied with the Yamaguchi-gimi), but no full-scale gang war broke out. The Yamaguchi-gumi and Inagawa-kai ended up joining hands in an alliance that saw both gangs collectively take control of most of the Japanese underworld.

* TheDon: Naturally, Issei Sakura tries to become this for all of Japan, though he competes with Kosuke Oishi in the second and third films.

** Happens [[OncePerEpisode once per movie.]] [[spoiler: Tatusumi, Kataoka, and Kawanishi all get executed in their respective films after trying to betray Sakura. The Tatsumi's crime was for trying to dissolve his gang, Kataoka and Kawnaishi for trying to defect to Sakura's rivals.]]

The second film, ''Nihon No Don: Yabohen'' (''Japan's Don: Ambition'') takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's [[TheRival rival]] Kozuke Oishi (Creator/ToshiroMifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the [[TheAlliance Kanto Alliance]]. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to continue his Tokyo expansion plans by having Matsueda manipulate the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of [[FictionalCountry the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia]], [[PresidentForLife President Annata]] (Youssef Omar),[[note]]Inspired by [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Indonesian dictator Sukarno]], who infamously consorted with the ''yakuza'' in RealLife.[[/note]] arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.

* RankUp: In the first film, Matsueda is the secretary to Sakura's NumberTwo, Tatsumi. By the second film, he's taken Tatsumi's place. By the third film, Shunshuke Tenbo's {{Expy}}, Akira Kawanishi, now serves in this capacity.

** Tatsumi executes a Nakajima goon for having slept with Makiko Sakura.

* UndyingLoyalty: Sakura's lieutenants are this to him in general. Except for [[spoiler: when they're forced by the police or decide to defect to a rival gang. The only one who remains loyal is Matsueda, who commits suicide after his plans fail.]]

The second film, ''Nihon No Don: Yabohen'' (''Japan's Don: Ambition'') takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's [[TheRival rival]] Kozuke Oishi (Creator/ToshiroMifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the [[TheAlliance Kanto Alliance]]. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to take over Tokyo by manipulating the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of [[FictionalCountry the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia]], [[PresidentForLife President Annata]] (Youssef Omar),[[note]]Inspired by [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Indonesian dictator Sukarno]], who infamously consorted with the ''yakuza'' in RealLife.[[/note]] arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.

* YourCheatingHeart:
** Makiko Sakura makes a pass at one of her bodyguards [[spoiler: who gets executed by Matsueda for it.]] She also makes a pass at Matsueda, but he isn't as receptive.
** In ''Yabohen'', TokenWhite Al Sanders sleeps with various hospital nurses despite being introduced as Makiko's boyfriend. [[spoiler: This, sadly, [[DrivenToSuicide drives (no pun intended) Makiko to suicide.]]]]

** The first film was primarily inspired by the Yamaguchi-gumi's attempts at invading the Tokyo-Yokohama area in the early 60s, traditionally the turf of the rival Inagawa-kai. In the movie and sequels, the Nakajimas' attempts are somewhat bloody and several mid-tier bosses on both sides up getting killed. In reality, the Yamaguchi's incursions did stir some trouble (and the attempted assassination of one Yamaguchi-gumi associate), but no full-scale gang war broke out. The Yamaguchi-gumi and Inagawa-kai ended up joining hands in an alliance that saw both gangs collectively take control of most of the Japanese underworld.

** Shuei Tatsumi was based on Yukio Junichi, Taoka's NumberTwo throughout most of the 50s and 60s. [[spoiler: Unlike Tatsumi, Junichi was not murdered to avoid the fall of the Yamaguchi-gumi; he was summarily dismissed and died in hospital due to lung cancer.]]
** Likewise, Tatsumi's subordinate, ArrogantKungFuGuy Tsunekichi Sakoda was inspired by a Japanese-Korean ''yakuza'' named Jiro Yanagawa, a Yamaguchi-gumi underboss who had experience in karate and at one point was a member of the Kyokushin Kaikan karate dojo and Comissioner of the International Boxing Federation's Japanese branch. [[spoiler: He did not commit suicide in jail as seen in the film, but dissolved his gang. After being released, Yanagawa changed his name and continued to pursue business ventures as an IBF Japan commissioner.]]

*** On the other hand, Bunta Sugawara's character in ''Kanketsuhen'', (himself an in-universe expy of his character in ''Yabohen'', Shunshuke Tenbo) is an expy of Yamaguchi-gumi underboss Kenichi "Yamaken" Yamamoto, who replaced Yukio Junichi as Taoka's number two. He was responsible for saving the gang from self-destructing and ran a successful mob war that eliminated a rival gang that tried to kill Taoka. Naturally, these earmarked him to succeed Taoka, but he died in prison before he could become boss. His death was also a contributing factor of the bloody [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama%E2%80%93Ichi_War Yama-Ichi War]].

** Oyama has stomach cancer in the third film, while Sakura is battling heart disease across the trilogy. [[spoiler: The latter eventually succumbs to it, while Oyama is killed off by Ichinomiya.]]

** Several happen in the second movie. [[spoiler: Sakura's second daughter Makiko (quite literally as she causes a road accident at high speed,) Nurse Miura after her ForcedMarriage with President Annata, and Matsueda after her suicide.]]

* PostVictoryCollapse: Delayed, but happens to [[spoiler: Sakura after Oyama's death and he briefly attains the title of "The Japanese Godfather".]]
* QuickDraw: Oishi's bodyguards outdraw Shinsuke Tenbo at the climax of the second film when he tries to kill their boss. [[spoiler: Somehow, he survives.]]

** In ''Yabohen'', the aftermath of the Nakajimas' failed attempt to invade the Kanto region in the first film have left them in severe need of reorganization. Indeed, the Yamaguchi-gumi were on the verge of being disassembled at around 1964 due to an increased police crackdown, but the gang managed to reconstitute itself thanks to Kazuo Taoka and the efforts of its underbosses.

* TheVamp: Played with in Naoko Koji in ''Yabohen''. She never does actively betray Sakura unlike her male associates, [[spoiler: but she does leave Matsueda to commit suicide after their schemes fail.]]

* YamatoNadeshiko: Sakura's wife, despite being a background character, has hints of this when she refuses to give her husband up under police interrogation in the first

** Shuei Tatsumi was based on Yukio Junichi, Taoka's NumberTwo throughout most of the 50s and 60s. Unlike Tatsumi, [[spoiler: Junichi was not murdered to avoid the fall of the Yamaguchi-gumi; he was summarily dismissed and died in hospital due to lung cancer.]]

** Finally, like its boss, the Kanto Alliance has several potential expy organizations: first there's the Inagawa-kai and Kanto-kai as mentioned above; the other is the Sumiyoshi-kai, who are run by a ruling panel of bosses with a nominal chairman of the board.

** Sakura isn't too welcoming of his daughter hooking up with American drifter Al Sanders in '''Yabohen'', and he goes so far to call roulette "faggy" while calling ''honbiki''[[note]]A traditional Japanese gambling game[[/note]] a "real game" in ''Kanketsuhen''.

* TheVamp: Played with in Naoko Koji from ''Yabohen''. She never does actively betray Sakura unlike her male associates, [[spoiler but she does leave Matsueda to commit suicide after their schemes fail.]]

** In ''Yabohen'', TokenWhite Al Sanders, sleeps with various hospital staff, despite being as introduced as Makiko's boyfriend. [[spoiler: This, sadly, [[DrivenToSuicide drives (no pun intended) Makiko to suicide.]]]]

* YoureNotMyFather: Oishi's daughter, Atsuko, in the third movie, writes a letter condemning her father to the police after [[spoiler: he has her boyfriend killed.]]

* DeadlyDoctor: Dr. Ichinomiya, though very reluctantly. [[spoiler: By the end of the trilogy he can claim to have killed two major yakuza figures in Tatsumi and Oyama.]]
* DentedIron: In ''Kanketsuhen'' Sakura [[spoiler: finally succumbs to a final heart attack after surviving several across the series.]]

** Several happen in the second movie. [[spoiler: Sakura's second daughter Makiko, Nurse Kaoru Miura after being roped into an ArrangedMarriage with President Annata, and Matsueda after her suicide.]]
** A variant happens in the third: [[spoiler: When Sakura dies and Oishi claims final victory, Ichinomiya is left in a state of depression as his father figure is dead and his wife has left him following his dalliance with Nishimura's mistress. After resigning from his position as head doctor of a prestigious Tokyo hospital, he confronts Oishi [[SuicideByCop and asks to be killed since he doesn't have the heart to do so.]] Oishi refuses, so Ichinomiya shoots him, misses, and is promptly shot to death by Oishi's bodyguards before being stabbed by a waiter.]]

** Nobuo Kaneko's characters, Shoji Taguchi and Cabinet Secretary Hirayama, have two actual Japanese politicians involved in the infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_bribery_scandals#Japan Lockheed scandal that brought down Yoshio Kodama]]: Shoji Tanaka and Prime Minister Kakukei Tanaka (no relation.)
** The Kinjo-kai, the gang run by Eizo Iwami, is inspired by the Inagawa-kai gang and Kakuji Inagawa, their boss at the time. As said above, the Inagawas went head-to-head with the Yamaguchi-gumi when they tried to mount a hostile takeover of the Yokohama area before brokering a peace treaty and an alliance. Inagawa was also Yosio Kodama's protege and headed the Kanto-kai prior to its disbanding.

* GratuitousEnglish: Happens twice; in the second movie when the scenes involving Al Sanders, and in the third movie, when Karita and Gerald meet to exchange the bribe money. This is topped off with the bribery receipt reading: ''I have received 4 cigars.''[[note]]TruthInTelevision, apparently, since the ''yakuza'' and the corrupt US officials they dealt with frequently wrote their bribery receipts in code.[[/note]]

* IHaveNoSon: Sakura notably gives a cold shoulder to Makiko in the second movie and subjects Dr. Ichinomiya to a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown in the third.
* ItsPersonal: Why Kawanishi [[spoiler: masterminded the Saipan robbery. While he has his own personal greviances against Oishi for crippling him, Kanto Alliance thugs also shot up his sworn brother in a mob incident.]]

* MacGuffinTitle: An unusual variation. The whole series is about middle-aged ''yakuza'' bosses warring for the title of "The Japanese Godfather".

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sakura is this to the Nakajima Group; Oishi to the Kanto Alliance. Oyama has also been this for every major politician and gangster in the series.

* MutualKill: In the third movie's ending, [[spoiler: Dr. Ichinomiya gets stabbed by a young punk bartender trying to impress Oishi, but the doctor kills him with his last bullet.]]

* RankUp: In the first film, Matsueda is the secretary to Sakura's NumberTwo, Tatsumi. By the second film, he's taken Tatsumi's place.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Sort of. Dr. Ichinomiya in the climax of the third film decides to assassinate Oishi after [[spoiler: his father-in-law dies, but not out of vengeance. He gets shot up by his bodyguards and getting stabbed by the bartender.]]

** Tatsumi seems to be suffering from some respiratory related illness in the first movie. [[spoiler: Dr. Ichinomiya eventually kills him to preserve the honor of his father-in-law after Tatsumi leads the gang into hot water.]]

* ShortLivedLeadership: Sakura rules as "The Japanese Godfather" [[spoiler: for about a few days before succumbing to a heart attack.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: Sakura's lieutenants are this to him in general. Except for [[spoiler: Kawanishi.]]

* VictoryByEndurance: Oishi [[spoiler: outlives both Sakura and Oyama to be crowned "The Japanese Godfather".]]
* VillainProtagonist: The cast is chock full of ''yakuza'' and their associates.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Happens several times across the trilogy. [[spoiler: Tatsumi and Sakoda in the first, Kataoka and Matsueda in the second; Kawanishi, Karita and his son in the third.]]
* YoureNotMyFather: Oishi's daughter, Atsuko, in he third movie, writes a letter condemning her father for the police after [[spoiler: he has her boyfriend killed.]]

** Koji Tsuruta's character, Shuhei Tatsumi, did indeed have a real life-counterpart: Yukio Junichi, nicknamed [[BloodKnight "the slashing captain of the Yamaguchi-gumi"]]. Eventually, when Tatsumi's violent tactics end up putting the gang in hot water, [[spoiler: Sakura's son-in-law kills him with a morphine overdose]]. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Junichi was actually kicked out of the gang]] and died due to lung cancer complications.

** The Nakajima Group in general serve as this to the Yamaguchi-gumi, which at the time of the film's release was the most powerful ''yakuza'' family in Japan.
** Sakura is of course, based on the third Yamaguchi-gumi boss, Kazuo Taoka, who spearheaded the group's domination in the 50s and 60s.
** Koji Tsuruta's Shuei Tatsumi, as said above, was based on Yukio Junichi, Taoka's underboss before his summary dismissal.
** Likewise, LooseCannon and ArrogantKungFuGuy Tsunekichi Sakoda (Sonny Chiba) was inspired by Jiro Yanigawa, a Yamaguchi underboss who reportedly had experience in combat sports.

** The Kinjo-kai, the gang run by Bunta Sugawara's Eizo Iwami, is inspired by the Inagawa-kai gang and Kakuji Inagawa, their boss at the time. As said above, the Inagawas went head-to-head with the Yamaguchi-gumi when they tried to mount a hostile takeover of the Yokohama area before brokering a peace treaty and an alliance. Inagawa was also Yosio Kodama's protege and headed the Kanto-kai prior to its disbanding.

** Cabinet Secretary Hiryama, played by Nobuo Kanenko, is reportedly based off actual Japanese prime minister Kakukei Tanaka.
** Kosuke Oishi is a surprising inversion; Oishi's attempts at expanding overseas with were mirrored by the Ingawa-kai and other ''yakuza'' gangs in the years after the films came out. He does, however, like Iami before him, has shades of Kakuji Inagawa thanks to his close relationship with Oyama.
** Finally, the Kanto Alliance has two potential expies: first there's the Kanto-kai as mentioned above; the other is the Sumiyoshi-kai, who are run by a ruling panel of bosses with a nominal chairman.
** There are lot more, though it would be easier to refer to [[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/日本の首領 the trilogy's Japanese Wikipedia page]] if one wanted to list them.

''Nihon No Don'' (日本の首領, approximately translating as or "Japan's Don" or "Godfather of Japan") is a Japanese trilogy of organized crime films released from 1977 to 1978. [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory Very loosely based on the real-life exploits of Japan's biggest yakuza gangs,]] the series was adapted from [[FilmOfTheBook a novel by journalist Kazuo Kasahara]] and was produced by Creator/{{Toei}}, who earlier rewrote the rules of the ''yakuza'' genre with Kinji Fukasaku's ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity''.[[note]]Also worthy of note is that Kasahara also wrote the source novel for both series while the films share a screenwriter in the form of Koji Takada.[[/note]]

The first film, ''Yakuza Senso: Nihon No Don'' (''Yakuza War: Japan's Don'') chronicle the exploits of ''yakuza'' godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life ''yakuza'' boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima family [[note]]Itself based off Taoka's Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which around the time the films were released was and still is the world's largest organized crime syndicate.[[/note]] and his attempts to be crowned "The Japanese Godfather", ruler of the ''yakuza'' underworld. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} and the Kanto area untouched. After being called in to help a major corporation deal with a blackmail problem, Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo. He assigns his BloodKnight NumberTwo Shuei Tatsumi (Koji Tsuruta) to lead the way with Tsukichi Sakoda (Creator/SonnyChiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, [[TheManBehindTheMan aided in secret]] by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive MobWar erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.

The third and final film, ''Nihon No Don: Kanketsuhen'' (''Japan's Don: The Final Chapter'') sees Kikuo Oyama ([[TheOtherDarrin now played by Chiezo Kataoka]]) fall victim to a rare stomach cancer. Naturally, with his position as Japan's most powerful political fixer up for grabs, both Sakura and Oishi try to succeed him. Oishi in particular is also pursuing his dream project: turning [[UsefulNotes/NorthernMarianaIslands Saipan]] into the [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas the Las Vegas of the Pacific]]. To this end he manipulates political party leader and SleazyPolitician Shigenori Karita (Satoshi Nishimura), whose [[StarCrossedLovers son is romantically involved with Sakura's daughter]] to act as a go-between in a bribery deal involving corrupt US Senator J.H. Gerald (Tony Diamond). However, things go south when armed men arrive, steal the money, and try to make a getaway before being chased and killed by the police, who also recover the money. With a massive scandal on his hands, things get worse for Oishi when [[MacGuffin the bribery receipt]] disappears and ends up in Oyama's hands. The burning question remains as to who set up the robbery as both Sakura and Oyama plan to finish off Oishi before they can settle who gets to rule the Japanese underworld.

** The first film was primarily inspired by the Yamaguchi-gumi's attempts at invading the Tokyo-Yokohama area in the early 60s, traditionally the turf of the rival Inagawa-kai. In the movie, the Nakajima's attempts are somewhat bloody and several mid-tier bosses ended up getting killed. In reality, according to the book ''Yakuza'' the Yamaguchi's incursions did stir some trouble (and the attempted assassination of one Yamaguchi-allied boss), but no full-scale gang war broke out. The Yamaguchi-gumi and Inagawa-kai ended up joining hands in an alliance that saw both gangs collectively take control of most of the underworld.
** Additionally, Koji Tsuruta's character, Tatsumi, did indeed have a real life-counterpart: Yukio Junichi, nicknamed [[BloodKnight "the slashing captain of the Yamaguchi-gumi"]]. Eventually, when Tatsumi's violent tactics end up putting the gang in hot water, [[spoiler: Sakura's son-in-law kills him with a morphine overdose]]. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Junichi was actually kicked out of the gang]] and died due to lung cancer complications.

* EpicMovie: Of the ''jitsuroku'' or "true-life" films that Toei put out.

* HeelFaceTurn: Defied in the first film. After their aggressive attempts at expanding into Tokyo place police pressure on them, Nakajima underboss Seiji Kataoka decides to renounce his criminal way of life and dissolve his gang [[TenMinuteRetirement Flashforward to the next movie and he's working for Sakura as if nothing happened.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sakura is this to the Nakajima family; Oishi to the Kanto Alliance. Oyama has also been this for every major politician and gangster in the series.

* TruthInTelevision: ''Kanketsuhen'' sees the Kanto Alliance attempt to expand their operations to Saipan with the intent of turning it into a gambling hub. Historically, the yakuza have indeed expanded to Saipan and other Pacific Islands, using them as drug-running fronts. In fact, the Kanto Alliance's real life-counterpart, the Inagawa-kai, were the first yakuza syndicate to go overseas, though in an odd case of LifeImitatesArt, they only started to ramp this up long after the movies came out.
* UndyingLoyalty: Sakura's lieutenants are this to him in general. [[spoiler: Except for Kawanishi.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: When Oishi comes under fire after the Saipan incident, Oyama offers ambitious Nakajima family underboss Akira Kawanishi a role as his NumberTwo after they finish off Sakura. Kawanishi accepts, but [[spoiler: Oyama dies, Oishi goes free, and Kawanishi is later killed for his treachery.]]

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Happens several times across the trilogy. [[spoiler: Tatsumi in the first, Kataoka and Matsueda in the second; Kawanishi, Karita and his son in the third.]]

Although ''Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' is often called the Japanese answer to ''Film/TheGodfather'', Toei commissioned the trilogy to cash in on the success of both. They would later try to cash in on [[''Film/ANew Hope Star Wars'']] with 1978's ''Film/MessageFromSpace''.

** Additionally, Koji Tsuruta's character, Tatsumi, did indeed have a real life-counterpart: Yukio Junichi, nicknamed [[BloodKnight "the slashing captain of the Yamaguchi-gumi"]]. Eventually, when Tatsumi's violent tactics end up putting the gang in hot water, [[spoiler: Sakura's son-in-law kills him with a morphine overdose]]. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Junichi was actually ''kicked out'' of the gang]] and died due to lung cancer complications.

''Nihon No Don'' (日本の首領, approximately translating as ''The Japanese Godfather'' or ''The Japanese Don'') is a Japanese trilogy of organized crime films released from 1977 to 1978. [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory Very loosely based on the real-life exploits of Japan's biggest yakuza gangs,]] the series was adapted from [[FilmOfTheBook a novel by journalist Kazuo Kasahara]] and was produced by Creator/{{Toei}}, who earlier rewrote the rules of the ''yakuza'' genre with Kinji Fukasaku's ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity''.[[note]]Also worthy of note is that Kasahara also wrote the source novel for both series while the films share a screenwriter in the form of Koji Takada.[[/note]]

The first film, ''Yakuza Senso: Nihon No Don'' (''Yakuza War: The Japanese Godfather'') chronicle the exploits of ''yakuza'' godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life ''yakuza'' boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima family [[note]]Itself based off Taoka's Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which around the time the films were released was and still is the world's largest organized crime syndicate.[[/note]] and his attempts to be crowned "The Japanese Godfather", ruler of the ''yakuza'' underworld. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} and the Kanto area untouched. After being called in to help a major corporation deal with a blackmail problem, Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo. He assigns his BloodKnight NumberTwo Shuei Tatsumi (Koji Tsuruta) to lead the way with Tsukichi Sakoda (Creator/SonnyChiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, [[TheManBehindTheMan aided in secret]] by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive MobWar erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.

The second film, ''Nihon No Don: Yabohen'' (''The Japanese Godfather's Ambition'') takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's [[TheRival rival]] Kozuke Oishi (Creator/ToshiroMifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the [[TheAlliance Kanto Alliance]]. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to take over Tokyo by manipulating the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of [[FictionalCountry the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia]], [[PresidentForLife President Annata]] (Youssef Omar),[[note]]Inspired by [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Indonesian dictator Sukarno]], who infamously consorted with the ''yakuza'' in RealLife.[[/note]] arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.

The third and final film, ''Nihon No Don: Kanketsuhen'' (''The Japanese Godfather's Finale'') sees Kikuo Oyama ([[TheOtherDarrin now played by Chiezo Kataoka]]) fall victim to a rare stomach cancer. Naturally, with his position as Japan's most powerful political fixer up for grabs, both Sakura and Oishi try to succeed him. Oishi in particular is also pursuing his dream project: turning [[UsefulNotes/NorthernMarianaIslands Saipan]] into the [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas the Las Vegas of the Pacific]]. To this end he manipulates political party leader and SleazyPolitician Shigenori Karita (Satoshi Nishimura), whose [[StarCrossedLovers son is romantically involved with Sakura's daughter]] to act as a go-between in a bribery deal involving corrupt US Senator J.H. Gerald (Tony Diamond). However, things go south when armed men arrive, steal the money, and try to make a getaway before being chased and killed by the police, who also recover the money. With a massive scandal on his hands, things get worse for Oishi when [[MacGuffin the bribery receipt]] disappears and ends up in Oyama's hands. The burning question remains as to who set up the robbery as both Sakura and Oyama plan to finish off Oishi before they can settle who gets to rule the Japanese underworld.

** Additionally, Koji Tsuruta's character, Tatsumi, did indeed have a real life-counterpart: Yukio Junichi, nicknamed [[BloodKnight "the slashing captain of the Yamaguchi-gumi"]]. Eventually, when Tatsumi's violent tactics end up putting the gang in hot water, [[spoiler: Sakura's son-in-law kills him with a morphine overdose]]. Junichi actually died due to lung cancer complications.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Dr. Ichinomiya in the climax of the third film decides to assassinate Oishi after [[spoiler: his father-in-law dies. Sadly he ends up missing Oishi and gets shot up by his bodyguards and getting stabbed by the bartender.]]

* MacGuffin: The third movie has the bribery receipt Senator Gerald gives to Karita. It switches hands several times in the movie, before finally ending up with [[spoiler: Sakura's son-in-law Dr. Ichinomiya, who burns it before he tries to kill Oishi.]]

* MacGuffinTitle: An unusual variation. The whole series is about middle-aged ''yakuza'' bosses warring for the title of "The Japanese Godfather".

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sakura is this to the Nakajima family; Oishi to the Kanto Alliance. Oyama has also been this for every major politician and gangster in the series.
* TheRival: Oishi, to Sakura.
* TheYakuza: Another Creator/{{Toei}}-produced ''yakuza'' film saga in the vein of ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity''.
* QuickDraw: Oishi's bodyguards outdraw Shinsuke Tenbo at the climax of the second film when he tries to kill their boss. [[spoiler: Somehow, he survives.]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: The second film has Oishi and Sakura doing this to each other, with Oyama [[BatmanGambit Batman Gambiting]] both all the way in the third. [[spoiler: It's Oishi who ends up winning.]]

The first film, ''Yakuza Senso: Nihon No Don'' (''Yakuza War: The Japanese Godfather'') chronicle the exploits of ''yakuza'' godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life ''yakuza'' boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima family [[note]]Itself based off Taoka's Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which around the time the films were released was and still is the world's largest organized crime syndicate.[[/note]] and his attempts to be crowned "The Japanese Godfather", ruler of the ''yakuza'' underworld. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} and the Kanto area untouched. Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo with the aid of his loyal lieutenants Shuei Kawashira (Koji Tsuruta), Tsukichi Sakoda (Creator/SonnyChiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, [[TheManBehindTheMan aided in secret]] by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive MobWar erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.

* DentedIron: Sakura [[spoiler: finally succumbs to a final heart attack after surviving several across the series.]]

** In the first film, [[spoiler: Kawashira does this after being thrown in the slammer.]]

* GratuitousEnglish: Happens twice; in the second movie when the scenes involving Al Sanders, and in the third movie, when Karita and Gerald meet to exchange the bribe money. This is topped off with the bribery receipt reading:
--> ''I have received 4 cigars.''

* NumberTwo: Kawahsira, Kataoka, and Matsueda, to Sakura.

* SecretlyDying: Oyama has stomach cancer in the third film, while Sakura is battling heart disease across the trilogy. [[spoiler: The latter eventually succumbs to it, while Oyama is killed off by Sakura's son-in-law doctor.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sakura is this to the Nakajima family; Oishi to the Kanto Alliance. Oyama has also been this for every major politician in the series.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Happens several times across the trilogy. [[spoiler: Sakoda in the first, Kataoka and Matsueda in the second; Akira Kawanishi, Karita and his son in the third.]]

* YourCheatingHeart:
** Al Sanders, an American national who has an affair with Sakura's younger daughter, is not above making advances on Ichinomiya's nurses.
** Dr. Ichinomiya, while HappilyMarried to Sakura's older daughter, goes on a dalliance with Karita's mistress for [[spoiler: Karita's bribery receipt.]]