Zatoichi is this blind masseur traveling the Japanese countryside... wait a minute, didn't my last review start like that? Maybe it's because the director of this movie, not Kenji Misumi, must have been told to make the exact same movie as Misumi did because the last one made money. The twist here, if you want to call it a twist, is that the other master swordsman is played by the actor who would later play Ogami Itto in the Baby Cart movies. Maybe they'll get that series, and if they do, some of the people who are saying this is the greatest thing ever should be speechless. It was my intention to watch all of these and give a review of each one, but if they keep going downhill, I really don't see the point... we'll see. Still, I would say go ahead and watch it, it's entertains just enough.

story, cast, filming and message all superb...good fight scenes and a great character zatoichi is. He is noble, wise, kind hearted, fair and strong in his intensity and will to live. Great message, especially compared the the ruthlessness of the gangs...