Movies Like Fujisawa Shuhei's Sparkling Sword: Puppeteer in the Shadows

If you liked Fujisawa Shuhei's Sparkling Sword: Puppeteer in the Shadows (1997), a drama and action movie directed by Toshio Masuda and Makoto Ohara, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Challenge (1982)
★ 5.9/10Also action and drama
Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and…
2
47 Ronin (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and action
Kai—an outcast—joins Oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honour to their homeland, the…
3
Ninja Assassin (2009)
★ 6.8/10Also action
Ninja Assassin follows Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is…
4
Beast (2026)
★ 7.5/10Also action and drama
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal…
5
Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022)
★ 6.4/10Also action
A new class of warriors emerges among the Samurai clans to keep a sought-after sword from falling into the wrong hands.
6
Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)
★ 7/10Also drama and action
Picking up after the events of Never Back Down 2, former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.
7
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
★ 6.8/10Also action
Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American…
8
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations (2005)
★ 6.7/10Also action
When Ryu returns to pay homage to his deceased mentor, Gouken, he is tormented by disturbing memories of his master's killer (Gouki). In a quest to become a true martial arts master, he sets out to hone his street…
9
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu - Day of the Departed (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also action
When Cole returns to Yang's haunted temple to seek revenge on a former Airjitzu Master, he accidentally uses a powerful Dark Magic blade that unleashes the spectral forms of Ninjago's greatest villains and traps…
10
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
★ 8.1/10Also action
After the vicious slaughter of his family by stone-cold mercenary Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the torturous Netherrealm. There, in exchange for his servitude to the sinister Quan Chi, he’s given a chance to…
11
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and action
After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
12
Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
★ 6.4/10Also action and drama
A peaceful ex-ninja's life shatters when his son's kidnapping forces him back into violence amid an American-Japanese criminal drug war.
13
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
★ 7.6/10Also action
When Shao Kahn's Outworld barbarians terrorize Earthrealm, Lord Raiden is determined to put an end to the carnage once and for all. This leaves one option: a final Mortal Kombat tournament for the future of Earthrealm…
14
In the Blood (2014)
★ 5.8/10Also action
When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible.
15
Jawbone (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also action and drama
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner…
16
Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and action
Four fighters from different backgrounds come together to train under an ex MMA rising star and then ultimately have to fight each other and the traitor in their midst.
17
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)
★ 7.7/10Also action
The vicious, power-mad Kano is determined to take over Earthrealm, one soul at a time. Assisted by a trio of cold Black Dragon mercenaries, he embarks on a brutal assault from town to defenseless town. The choice is…
18
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)
★ 6.8/10Also action
In 1980s Hollywood, action star Johnny Cage is looking to become an A-list actor. But when his costar, Jennifer, goes missing from set, Johnny finds himself thrust into a world filled with shadows, danger, and deceit…
19
Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist The Movie (2014)
★ 7.2/10Also action
If one man changes his path, will he be able to change his destiny...or will he only delay the inevitable? Ryu and Ken are two traditional warriors who find themselves isolated in some corner of Japan to carry out…
20
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
★ 8/10Also action
An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.