Best Movies Guide: Why Kagemusha Still Matters

Kagemusha (1980) — an evergreen reference for this movie: the essentials, the cast, where to watch and what to watch next. The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own.

Where to watch

TMDB's U.S. watch-provider data lists Google Play Movies, YouTube. Availability changes by country and date, so check your streaming app before watching.

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha; Tsutomu Yamazaki as Nobukado Takeda; Kenichi Hagiwara as Katsuyori Takeda; Jinpachi Nezu as Sohachiro Tsuchiya; Hideji Ōtaki as Masakage Yamagata; Daisuke Ryū as Nobunaga Oda; Masayuki Yui as Ieyasu Tokugawa; Kaori Momoi as Otsuyanokata

About Kagemusha

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

More like Kagemusha

• Kingdom
• The Hidden Fortress
• 11 Rebels
• Buddha: The Great Departure
• Kingdom III: The Flame of Destiny
• Ugetsu
• Sword of the Stranger
• Fate/Grand Order the Movie: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot 1 Wandering; Agateram

Figures and availability come from public TMDB data and are provided as a sourced reference.