Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zatoichi_meets_the_one_armed_swordsman.jpg]]
''Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman'' is a 1971 {{jidaigeki}}/{{wuxia}} movie starring Creator/ShintaroKatsu as the eponymous blind swordsman and Creator/JimmyWangYu as the titular one-armed warrior. It is the 22nd movie in the ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' series.
In this installment of Zatoichi's adventures, the blind swordsman runs into a Chinese fugitive, Wang Kang the Film/OneArmedSwordsman. Realizing that Wang Kang was framed by the Nanbu clan for the murders of innocent bystanders including a Chinese couple, Ichi attempts to help him and the orphaned Chinese child Xiaorong, but a series of misunderstandings leads to Wang Kang distrusting Ichi and going on the run from the Japanese authorities.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:Kang traveled all the way to Japan to escape the fighting in China just to find himself in yet another battle, this time against samurai. He also dies fighting Ichi.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Nanbu samurai and their allies all die to Ichi and Kang, but Ichi is forced to kill Kang in self-defense.]]
* BroadStrokes: The One-Armed Swordsman goes by a different surname "Wang" instead of "Fang" although his first name "Kang" is still the same as is his fighting style and clothing. Kang also never brings up his wife Xiaoman, whom Kang usually tries to keep out of his conflicts, nor does he talk about he and Xiaoman's child.
* EvilIsPetty: The Nanbu Samurai [[WouldHurtAChild attempt to murder young Xiaorong]], merely because he got in the way of the procession. They also proceed to murder every bystander to prevent any eyewitnesses from contradicting their story and try to save face by blaming the entire fiasco on Wang Kang.
* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: [[spoiler:{{Averted}}. Kang's superior maneuverability confuses Ichi at first, but Ichi adapts quickly and is able to keep up with Kang, with the final clash killing Kang.]]
* {{Foil}}: Both Ichi and Kang are {{handicapped badass}}es who created their own distinctive fighting styles to overcome their disabilities, but their disabilities are different, which leads to the two of them [[TellMeHowYouFight developing the opposite personalities and strategies]]. Ichi is a stoic BlindWeaponmaster who holds his CaneSword in a ReverseGrip because it's the same grip a blind person holds their walking stick; furthermore, his blindness motivates him to wait patiently for his opponents to get closer before attacking. In contrast, Kang is a hot-blooded OneArmedWarrior who uses a broken dao sword to accommodate his [[CloseRangeCombatant short-range fighting style]]; because of this, Kang is a nimble fighter who rushes at his enemies and overwhelms them with his dynamic movement and acrobatics.
* GenreMashup: Of {{wuxia}} and {{jidaigeki}}.
* NoodleIncident: Kang mentions that there is a war in China but doesn't go into detail.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: Played with. While the One-Armed Swordsman is a top-tier fighter in his home series, Kang's {{Flight}} and SuperStrength are nothing special in the ''One-Armed Swordsman'' franchise where the average kung fu practitioner has said abilities as well; as such, Kang usually overcomes his foes through his [[TheStrategist tactical thinking]] and [[FantasticFightingStyle unique one-armed fighting style]]. However, in the ''Zatoichi'' series, no one in Japan has a similar powerset, so Wang Kang is essentially too quick and too strong for any Japanese warrior to deal with. The only exception is Ichi, who is essentially superhuman due to the DisabilitySuperpower.
* OutOfGenreExperience: This is the only ''Zatoichi'' movie that is partially wuxia due to the crossover with the ''One-Armed Swordsman'', a wuxia series. As such, some special effects, such as WireFu, are used to faithfully portray Wang Kang's fighting style.
* OutsideGenreFoe: Wang Kang is a superhuman [[{{wuxia}} wuxia hero]] in a more realistic {{jidaigeki}} setting. As such, the samurai and yakuza have difficulty chasing him as Kang's high leaps and flight make him too mobile for them to catch or hit. When fighting Kang, Ichi has notable difficulty dealing with Kang's agility.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Wang Kang can only converse in Mandarin while Ichi can only speak Japanese, so neither of them can actually communicate with each other without a translator such as Xiaorong. It's PlayedForLaughs at first since Ichi mishears Kang's [[{{Mondegreen}} Mandarin phrases for Japanese words]], but it's later PlayedForDrama since Ichi is unable to clarify Kang's misinterpretation of the situation.
* SpiritualAntithesis: To the previous crossover ''Film/ZatoichiMeetsYojimbo''.
** Wang Kang is ContrastingSequelAntagonist to Daisaku. While both Daisaku and Kang are similar in that they are stronger than the usual ''Zatoichi'' FinalBoss, they cannot be any more different. Daisaku is a samurai who, like Ichi, hails from a jidaigeki series whereas Kang is a [[GenreRefugee wuxia warrior]] whose powers and kung fu are literally foreign to the setting.
** [[spoiler:The FinalBattle goes differently as well. Daisaku and Ichi contend in a [[IaijutsuPractitioner traditional iaijutsu duel]], a SingleStrokeBattle that ends with Daisaku holding the upper hand before the fight is called off. On the other hand, Kang and Ichi have a longer fight, a clash between Kang's acrobatic kung fu and Ichi's iaijutsu, before Ichi manages to win by landing a mortal wound on Kang.]]
** Continuity-wise, ''Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo'' is a StealthPrequel to the ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' duology; in contrast, this crossover is a StealthSequel to the ''Film/OneArmedSwordsman'' duology starring Kang.
* StealthSequel: To ''Film/ReturnOfTheOneArmedSwordsman'' as the [[Film/TheNewOneArmedSwordsman third]] ''[[Film/TheNewOneArmedSwordsman One-Armed Swordsman]]'' movie focuses on a different one-armed protagonist.
----
''Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman'' is a 1971 {{jidaigeki}}/{{wuxia}} movie starring Creator/ShintaroKatsu as the eponymous blind swordsman and Creator/JimmyWangYu as the titular one-armed warrior. It is the 22nd movie in the ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' series.
In this installment of Zatoichi's adventures, the blind swordsman runs into a Chinese fugitive, Wang Kang the Film/OneArmedSwordsman. Realizing that Wang Kang was framed by the Nanbu clan for the murders of innocent bystanders including a Chinese couple, Ichi attempts to help him and the orphaned Chinese child Xiaorong, but a series of misunderstandings leads to Wang Kang distrusting Ichi and going on the run from the Japanese authorities.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:Kang traveled all the way to Japan to escape the fighting in China just to find himself in yet another battle, this time against samurai. He also dies fighting Ichi.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Nanbu samurai and their allies all die to Ichi and Kang, but Ichi is forced to kill Kang in self-defense.]]
* BroadStrokes: The One-Armed Swordsman goes by a different surname "Wang" instead of "Fang" although his first name "Kang" is still the same as is his fighting style and clothing. Kang also never brings up his wife Xiaoman, whom Kang usually tries to keep out of his conflicts, nor does he talk about he and Xiaoman's child.
* EvilIsPetty: The Nanbu Samurai [[WouldHurtAChild attempt to murder young Xiaorong]], merely because he got in the way of the procession. They also proceed to murder every bystander to prevent any eyewitnesses from contradicting their story and try to save face by blaming the entire fiasco on Wang Kang.
* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: [[spoiler:{{Averted}}. Kang's superior maneuverability confuses Ichi at first, but Ichi adapts quickly and is able to keep up with Kang, with the final clash killing Kang.]]
* {{Foil}}: Both Ichi and Kang are {{handicapped badass}}es who created their own distinctive fighting styles to overcome their disabilities, but their disabilities are different, which leads to the two of them [[TellMeHowYouFight developing the opposite personalities and strategies]]. Ichi is a stoic BlindWeaponmaster who holds his CaneSword in a ReverseGrip because it's the same grip a blind person holds their walking stick; furthermore, his blindness motivates him to wait patiently for his opponents to get closer before attacking. In contrast, Kang is a hot-blooded OneArmedWarrior who uses a broken dao sword to accommodate his [[CloseRangeCombatant short-range fighting style]]; because of this, Kang is a nimble fighter who rushes at his enemies and overwhelms them with his dynamic movement and acrobatics.
* GenreMashup: Of {{wuxia}} and {{jidaigeki}}.
* NoodleIncident: Kang mentions that there is a war in China but doesn't go into detail.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: Played with. While the One-Armed Swordsman is a top-tier fighter in his home series, Kang's {{Flight}} and SuperStrength are nothing special in the ''One-Armed Swordsman'' franchise where the average kung fu practitioner has said abilities as well; as such, Kang usually overcomes his foes through his [[TheStrategist tactical thinking]] and [[FantasticFightingStyle unique one-armed fighting style]]. However, in the ''Zatoichi'' series, no one in Japan has a similar powerset, so Wang Kang is essentially too quick and too strong for any Japanese warrior to deal with. The only exception is Ichi, who is essentially superhuman due to the DisabilitySuperpower.
* OutOfGenreExperience: This is the only ''Zatoichi'' movie that is partially wuxia due to the crossover with the ''One-Armed Swordsman'', a wuxia series. As such, some special effects, such as WireFu, are used to faithfully portray Wang Kang's fighting style.
* OutsideGenreFoe: Wang Kang is a superhuman [[{{wuxia}} wuxia hero]] in a more realistic {{jidaigeki}} setting. As such, the samurai and yakuza have difficulty chasing him as Kang's high leaps and flight make him too mobile for them to catch or hit. When fighting Kang, Ichi has notable difficulty dealing with Kang's agility.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Wang Kang can only converse in Mandarin while Ichi can only speak Japanese, so neither of them can actually communicate with each other without a translator such as Xiaorong. It's PlayedForLaughs at first since Ichi mishears Kang's [[{{Mondegreen}} Mandarin phrases for Japanese words]], but it's later PlayedForDrama since Ichi is unable to clarify Kang's misinterpretation of the situation.
* SpiritualAntithesis: To the previous crossover ''Film/ZatoichiMeetsYojimbo''.
** Wang Kang is ContrastingSequelAntagonist to Daisaku. While both Daisaku and Kang are similar in that they are stronger than the usual ''Zatoichi'' FinalBoss, they cannot be any more different. Daisaku is a samurai who, like Ichi, hails from a jidaigeki series whereas Kang is a [[GenreRefugee wuxia warrior]] whose powers and kung fu are literally foreign to the setting.
** [[spoiler:The FinalBattle goes differently as well. Daisaku and Ichi contend in a [[IaijutsuPractitioner traditional iaijutsu duel]], a SingleStrokeBattle that ends with Daisaku holding the upper hand before the fight is called off. On the other hand, Kang and Ichi have a longer fight, a clash between Kang's acrobatic kung fu and Ichi's iaijutsu, before Ichi manages to win by landing a mortal wound on Kang.]]
** Continuity-wise, ''Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo'' is a StealthPrequel to the ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' duology; in contrast, this crossover is a StealthSequel to the ''Film/OneArmedSwordsman'' duology starring Kang.
* StealthSequel: To ''Film/ReturnOfTheOneArmedSwordsman'' as the [[Film/TheNewOneArmedSwordsman third]] ''[[Film/TheNewOneArmedSwordsman One-Armed Swordsman]]'' movie focuses on a different one-armed protagonist.
----
