History YMMV / IchiTheKiller

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Seiichi Yamamoto and Boredoms knocked it out of the park with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKrJ6V3hjpw the soundtrack]], a NoiseRock odyssey of tunes that go from relaxed to high-octane abrasive that greatly complement the feverish and [[QuirkyWork trippy]] mood of the film.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: Any time Kakihara drops his jaw in the film. Really unfortunate, as it's otherwise effectively [[NightmareFuel REALLY disturbing.]]

** Kakihara [[Spoiler: falling to his death]] has some unconvincing bluescreen, but it can be NarmCharm considering he's tripping balls and we're seeing things from his perspective as he's in this state mind.

* MagnificentBastard: The mysterious "[[CoolOldGuy Old Man]]" is a [[VigilanteMan vigilante ex-cop]] set on destroying the vile {{Yakuza}}. Using the inhumanly strong yet psychotic [[PsychopathicManchild Ichi]], the Old Man sets about using him and a crew of criminals to eliminate and dispose of the body of Boss Anjō. Manipulating the monstrous Masao Kakihara into isolating himself from the Yakuza syndicate, the Old Man systematically eliminates both the Anjō gangsters and his own criminal subordinates, with fate taking years to finally catch up to him.

** [[CombatSadomasochist Masao Kakihara]] is the [[AxCrazy insane]], sadomasochistic right hand of the deceased Boss Anjō. Manipulated by the guilish Old Man into blaming a rival Yakuza, Kakihara violently tortures him before doing the same to one of the men responsible for covering up Anjō's death. After being kicked out of the syndicate out of fear for his insanity, Kakihara recruits Jirō and Saburō, brothers and equally sadistic [[DirtyCop corrupt police detectives]] who help him cut apart two more of the Old Man's associates for information. When finally facing down Ichi, Kakihara elates at the prospect of a bloody final battle challenging the one who could kill Anjō.
** [[CreepyTwins Jirō and Saburō]] are a pair of [[RabidCop torture-happy]] corrupt [[KillerCop police detectives]]. Working with Kakihara, the brothers gleefully help him in torture and murder, slaughtering a huge group of people before catching those who might be able to tell where Ichi is hiding and violently mutilating them. Upon one poor soul being wounded by Kakihara, Jirō even tries to wrench his arm off with his bare hands, eventually succeeding after enormous amounts of pain.

** [[CreepyTwins Jirō and Saburō]] are a pair of [[RabidCop torture-happy]] corrupt [[KillerCop police detectives]]. Working with Kakihara, the brothers gleefully help him in torture and murder, slaughtering a huge group of people before catching those who might be able to tell where Ichi is hiding and violently mutilating them. Upon one poor soul being wounded by Kakihara, Jirō even tries to wrench his arm off with his bare hands, eventually succeeding after enormous amounts of pain.

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** Kakihara’s CoDragons, [[CreepyTwins Jiro and Saburo]], brag that they've [[SerialRapist raped hundreds of women]]. Driven to [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne outdo one another]], they introduce themselves by asking a pair of lovers who the women preferred in bed. When the women give an answer, the offended twin viciously [[ColdBloodedTorture tortures]] and kills them. The two later abduct a prostitute after brutalizing her and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape her]] to get her pimp to talk. Despite Kakihara's orders not to kill them until he verifies their information, the two play a game to see who can hurt the two worse solely [[ForTheEvulz to prove who's better at causing pain]]. When one accidentally kills the pimp, the other kills the girl just to prove he can kill someone as well. After Ichi kills Jiro, Saburo is only angry because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he wanted to kill his brother himself one day]]. He then proceeds to kill a man Kakihara tortured earlier and rapes and murders the girl with him, before killing her with a [[GroinAttack knife through her genitals]].

* {{Darkness Induced Audience Apathy}}: ''Ichi'' treads perilously close to this trope. Everyone of plot significance is a depraved pervert, murderer, psychopath or manipulative bastard (and that's an INCLUSIVE "or," people!). There's really no character you can feel good about rooting for. Even Jiji, the puppet master whose scheme to destroy Kakihara's Yakuza clan could be seen as dolling out justice in a round about way [[spoiler:is, by the end, unmasked as a nihilistic maniac whose only real motivation for taking on the Yakuza was the pure amusement of the challenge]]. ''Ichi's'' cocktail of black versus black morality, horrific violence and buckets of squick can definitely be hard to stomach at times. Arguably averted (opinions are apt to differ considerably here) due to the extremely tense, coiled plot, and ''Ichi the Killer's'' surprisingly incisive philosophical musings.

* DesignatedHero: Ichi, Jijii, or Kakihara - pick one, then designate them the "hero".

* {{Narm}}: The faces of many of the characters are drawn in a somewhat comical and exaggerated way, diminishing the terrifying effect.

** [[VillainProtagonist Masao Kakihara]], a twisted {{combat sadomasochist}} whose boss is murdered by the titular [[PsychopathicManchild Ichi]], begins a hunt for the mysterious assassin in his obsession to discover the ultimate pain. Kakihara participates in a number of murders of Yakuza and civilians alike and has no compunction allowing rape or torture to occur under his watch. ColdBloodedTorture is his specialty, in fact, and he tortures one man by hanging him from multiple needles and hurling hot tempura oil over his bleeding back. Obsessed with the point where pain and pleasure meet, Kakihara terrifies all who meet him.

** [[VillainProtagonist Masao Kakihara]], a twisted {{sombat sadomasochist}} whose boss is murdered by the titular [[PsychopathicManchild Ichi]] begins a hunt for the mysterious assassin in his obsession to discover the ultimate pain. Kakihara participates in a number of murders of Yakuza and civilians alike and has no compunction allowing rape or torture to occur under his watch. ColdBloodedTorture is his specialty, in fact, and he tortures one man by hanging him from multiple needles and hurling hot tempura oil over his bleeding back. Obsessed with the point where pain and pleasure meet, Kakihara terrifies all who meet him.

* CompleteMonster: This is a twisted manga, and its VillainProtagonist and his CoDragons reflect this.
** Kakihara, a twisted sadomasochist whose boss is murdered by the titular [[PsychopathicManchild Ichi]] begins a hunt for the mysterious assassin in his obsession to discover the ultimate pain. Kakihara participates in a number of murders of Yakuza and civilians alike and has no compunction allowing rape or torture to occur under his watch. ColdBloodedTorture is his specialty, in fact and he tortures one man by hanging him from multiple needles and hurling hot tempura oil over his bleeding back. Obsessed with the point where pain and pleasure meet, Kakihara terrifies all who meet him.
** The CreepyTwins and CoDragons to Kakihara, Jiro and Saburo, brag they've raped hundreds of women. Driven to outdo one another, they introduce themselves by asking a pair of lovers who the women preferred in bed. When the women give an answer, the offended twin viciously tortures and kills them. The two later abduct a prostitute after brutalizing her and rape her to get her pimp to talk. Despite Kakihara's orders not to kill them until he verifies their information, the two play a game to see who can hurt the two worse solely to prove who's better at causing pain. When one accidentally kills the pimp, the other kills the girl just to prove he can kill someone as well. After Ichi kills Jiro, Saburo is only angry because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he wanted to kill his brother himself one day]]. He then proceeds to kill a man Kakihara tortured earlier and rapes and murders the girl with him, before killing her with a knife through her genitals.

** The CreepyTwins and CoDragons to Kakihara, Jiro and Saburo, brag they've raped hundreds of women. Driven to outdo one another, they introduce themselves by asking a pair of lovers who the women preferred in bed. When the women give an answer, the offended twin viciously tortures and kills them. The two later abduct a prostitute after brutalizing her and rape her to get her pimp to talk. Despite Kakihara's orders not to kill them until he verifies their information, the two play a game to see who can hurt the two worse solely to prove who's better at causing pain. When one accidentally kills the pimp, the other kills the girl just to prove he can kill someone as well. After Ichi kills Jiro, Saburo is only angry because [[TheOnlyAllowedToDefeatYou he wanted to kill his brother himself one day]]. He then proceeds to kill a man Kakihara tortured earlier and rapes and murders the girl with him, before killing her with a knife through her genitals.

** The CreepyTwins and CoDragons to Kakihara, Jiro and Saburo, brag they've raped hundreds of women. Driven to outdo one another, they introduce themselves by asking a pair of lovers who the women preferred in bed. When the women give an answer, the offended twin viciously tortures and kills them. The two later abduct a prostitute after brutalizing her and rape her to get her pimp to talk. Despite Kakihara's orders not to kill them until he verifies their information, the two play a game to see who can hurt the two worse solely to prove who's better at causing pain. When one accidentally kills the pimp, the other kills the girl just to prove he can kill someone as well. After Ichi kills Jiro, Saburo is only angry because [[OnlyIAmAllowedToDefeatYou he wanted to kill his brother himself one day]]. He then proceeds to kill a man Kakihara tortured earlier and rapes and murders the girl with him, before killing her with a knife through her genitals.

* CompleteMonster: Jiro and Saburo are twin brothers, whose sibling rivalry makes them bring out the worst in each other. It's hard to say what's the most terrifying about them. These [[CreepyTwins unnerving twins]] ooze tension whenever they appear and their [[UncannyValley uncanny faces like parodies of humanity]] with features squashed together only add to their scariness. Their actions are so violent and insane that even their fellow Yakuza gangsters are shocked and disgusted. The twins keep marathoning further and further beyond the [[MoralEventHorizon depravity line]] and by the time Saburo rapes a girl to death by shoving a sword in her vagina, you barely feel anything.
** Kakihara is only slightly less twisted. An extreme sadomasochist, he hideously tortures and kills people at the drop of a hat, whether or not it's warranted. His actions are so extreme that [[EvenEvilHasStandards everyone else in the Yakuza organization and most of the men under his control are revolted by them]]. This eventually gets him kicked out. He then starts looking for the titular Ichi the killer in his quest for ultimate pain and pleasure.

* {{Narm}}: The faces of many of the characters are drawn in a somewhat comical and exagerated way, diminishing the terrifying effect.

* CompleteMonster: The twin brothers Jiro and Saburo. Kakihara, despite not being a rapist, is also this trope, torturing and murdering people at the drop of a hat.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Ichi.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: At least one instance per chapter.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Ichi.

* CompleteMonster: The twin brothers Jiro and Saburo. kakihara, despite not being a rapist, is also this trope, torturing and murdering people at the rop of a hat.

* CompleteMonster: The twin brothers Jiro and Saburo.