Trivia / Zatoichi

• Directed by Cast Member:
  • Shintaro Katsu directed two of the later films and multiple episodes of the TV series.
  • The 2003 film, directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano.
• Sequel Gap: Zatoichi, Darkness is His Ally, the final film, was released in 1989, 17 years after the previous release and 10 years after the last episode of the television series.
• What Could Have Been: Bruce Lee was considered to play Ichi on film and even went as far as to do some costume tests, according to the documentary Bruce Lee, The Legend.
• You Look Familiar: Quite a few mooks appear in other Zatoichi films, but Tatsuo Endo appears as the Big Bad of five different Zatoichi films and as a minor character in a sixth. This is also done with a number of actresses. And Tomisaburo Wakayama, Shintaro Katsu's brother, who appears in several of the films.

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