Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance

Ogami Itto was once the Shogunate's top executioner, feared for his precision and loyalty. After being framed for treason by the rival Yagyu clan, he loses his standing and becomes a hunted man. Rather than surrender, he sets out on a lone campaign to survive and seek justice, with his infant son Daigoro as his lone companion. Each encounter on the road tests his sword skill, his wits, and his resolve to protect the boy at all costs. The pair move through a brutal world where allegiance is fragile and violence often speaks louder than law. The film blends stark landscapes with carefully staged action, focusing on grit over glamour.

Directed by Kenji Misumi and released in 1972, the movie adapts Kazuo Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub manga. It helped establish a kinetic, stylized approach that defined the early series.

Across Asia and beyond, Sword of Vengeance helped cement the Lone Wolf and Cub franchise in popular culture. Its controlled camera work, minimalist dialogue, and poised swordplay influenced later action cinema and manga adaptations. The image of a father protecting his child in a wheeled cart became a recognizable emblem.

Critics praised its spare storytelling and intense set pieces, noting themes of honor, vengeance, and the burdens of parenthood. The film treats its violence as a means to reveal character rather than spectacle, offering a stark look at power and loyalty in a corrupt system.

Box office data for this release is not widely documented and worldwide gross figures are not readily available, so no reliable numbers can be provided.