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Masato Harada

Masato Harada

Writer and director, also editor · Died December 8, 2025, aged 76 · Numazu, Prefettura di Shizuoka, Giappone

Masato Harada is a Japanese film director, film critic, and sometimes an actor; he is best known to foreign audiences as Omura in The Last Samurai and as Mr Mita in Fearless.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 3, 1949
Died
December 8, 2025 (aged 76)
From
Numazu, Prefettura di Shizuoka, Giappone
Works as
Writer and director, also editor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 31% in 30 days

What are Masato Harada's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
24%
Bonds
19%
Morality
19%
Self
18%
Ideas
9%
Society
7%
Power
4%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Contemplative
4
Melancholic
3
Thrilling
3
Dread
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Masato Harada's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Masato Harada's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Bad Lands(2023)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Hell Dogs(2022)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Killing for the Prosecution(2018)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Sekigahara(2017)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Scoop!(2016)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Emperor in August (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Kakekomi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Chronicle of My Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Early Autumn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Writer

  • Climber's High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Shadow Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Writer

  • The Suicide Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Writer

  • Fearless(2006)

    as Mita

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Beat Kids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Writer

  • Bluestockings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Writer

  • The Last Samurai(2003)

    as Omura

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Choice of Hercules (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Inugami(2001)

    Director · Screenplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Jubaku: Spellbound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Ring 2(1999)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Spiral(1998)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Bounce Ko Gals(1997)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The President's Christmas Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Adaptation

  • Rowing Through (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Trouble-Shooters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Writer

  • Kamikaze Taxi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Writer

  • Painted Desert - TUFF Theatrical Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Tuff Part V - Killing Anthology (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Tuff Part IV - Harvest of Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Tuff Part III - Business Killing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Tuff Part II - Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Screenplay

  • Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Tuff Part I - Origin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Gunhed(1989)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Heartbreak Yakuza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Onyanko the Movie - One Shot Crisis! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Paris/Dakar 1500 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Writer

  • Terra Warrior Ψ BOY (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Writer

  • Out of Focus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Windy Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Writer

  • Goodbye, Flickmania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1979 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Killing for the Prosecution (2018)

$26M worldwide

Highest rated

Bounce Ko Gals (1997)

Midcredits 82nd

Most popular right now

Hell Dogs (2022)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 41: 2 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting32 of 41: 3 only directing, 29 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stWriting34 of 41: 5 only writing, 29 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stProducing4 of 41: 2 only producing, 2 with another role

41 titles, 29 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 29 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s15 · crew2000s9 · 2 acting · 7 crew2010s6 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Masato Harada's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 12 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director, writer

Killing for the Prosecution (2018)

64th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Last Samurai (2003)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 45/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Masato Harada work with?

People who share at least 2 of Masato Harada's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eugene Harada shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers