Japanese screenwriter and film producer who is best known for co-writing the screenplays for several Akira Kurosawa films, including Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo and High and Low. He also produced several of Kurosawa's early 1960s films. In addition to his work with Kurosawa, screenplays he wrote or co-wrote include Tora! Tora! Tora!, Hiroshi Inagaki's Arashi and The Birth of Japan, and Mikio Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, on which he also served as producer.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 28, 1914
- March 18, 1989 (aged 75)
- Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
- Writer, also producer
- 20 on MovieCove · 98 credits in all
What are Ryûzô Kikushima's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 16
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 13
Grounded 3 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 6
Gentle 2 · Charged 7 · Intense 10
Steady 6 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 2
Casual 5 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 5
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 8
Resolved 14 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous2
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 Ryûzô Kikushima's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (10).
- High and Low (1963) · writer, producer
- Red Beard (1965) · writer, producer
- Sanjuro (1962) · writer, producer
- Yojimbo (1961) · writer, producer
- The Hidden Fortress (1958) · writer
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) · writer, producer
- The Bad Sleep Well (1960) · writer
- Throne of Blood (1957) · writer
- Stray Dog (1949) · writer
- Scandal (1950) · writer
Subscription and free streaming for Ryûzô Kikushima'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
98 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.
Highest 2 Lowest(2025)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
黒の斜面 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Last Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Tsubaki Sanjuro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Inferno(1999)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Last Man Standing(1996)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
My Phoenix (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The Demon Comes in Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Princess from the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Greatest Man in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Runaway Train(1985)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Cliff of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Willful Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Shag (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Ame no meguri ai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Last Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Sorrow of Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Hashū Hankachō (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Stray Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Kogarashi Monjiro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Man on a False Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Kaoyaku (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Live Again Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Tora! Tora! Tora!(1970)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Magoichi Saga (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Gateway to Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Tsugaru zessho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Trigger-Happy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
春日和 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Django(1966)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
You Can If You Try (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Hoodlum Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Red Beard(1965)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
A Fistful of Dollars(1964)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Fumiko's Five Benefactors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
She Came For Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Zero Escape Visibility (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Fifty-Fifty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Legacy of the 500,000 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
High and Low(1963)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Shin kitsune to tanuki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Yoru no keisha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Sanjuro(1962)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Shadow of a Flower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Age of Lawless Moneymaking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Yojimbo(1961)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Chikuhō no kodomotachi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Bad Sleep Well(1960)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
12 Ounces to Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Life of a Country Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Ôana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
White Cliffs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Afraid to Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Across the Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Three Treasures(1959)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films妻の勲章 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Fox and Raccoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Story of Iron Arm Inao (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Hidden Fortress(1958)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Days of Evil Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Undefeated Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Gion Tempest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Fancy Talker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Unbalanced Wheel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Eleventh Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Last Days of the Samurai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Throne of Blood(1957)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Wakanohana: The Story of the Devil of the Dohyō (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Dotanba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Fighter in the Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Will-o'-the-Wisp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Gendai no yokubô (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Wicked Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Underworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Rikidozan: Man of Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Samurai of Edo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Six Assassins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Till We Meet Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
No Time for Tears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Immortal Pitcher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Vanished Enlisted Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
A Man Among Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Hirate Miki the Swordman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Black Current (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Kunisada Chūji (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Hanran (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Made in Japan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The End of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Machi no kotengu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Tange Sazen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Daigaku no kotengu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Scandal(1950)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Stray Dog(1949)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all filmsA Fistful of Dollars Remake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 97 titles, 96 of them dated from 1949 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Last Man Standing (1996)
Highest rated
High and Low (1963)
Most popular right now
Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
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 Ryûzô Kikushima's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 95th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 95th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up14
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 20 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved11
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 59/100 and the plot and story 58/100 in their films, across 19 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.
Is Ryûzô Kikushima's work okay for kids?
Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Ryûzô Kikushima work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ryûzô Kikushima's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Akira Kurosawa shares the most, 13.
Directors
- Akira KurosawaShared titles: Highest 2 Lowest (2025), Last Man Standing (1996), Runaway Train (1985), Red Beard (1965), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957), Scandal (1950) and 1 moreSee newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Akira Kurosawa
Writers
- Hideo OguniShared titles: Highest 2 Lowest (2025), Runaway Train (1985), The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957)See all 10 shared titles with Hideo Oguni
- Eijirô HisaitaShared titles: Highest 2 Lowest (2025), High and Low (1963), The Bad Sleep Well (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Eijirô Hisaita
- Shinobu HashimotoShared titles: The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957)See all 3 shared titles with Shinobu Hashimoto
- Evan HunterShared titles: Highest 2 Lowest (2025), High and Low (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Evan Hunter
Actors
- Toshirō MifuneShared titles: Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Three Treasures (1959), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957), Scandal (1950), Stray Dog (1949)See all 10 shared titles with Toshirō Mifune
- Takashi ShimuraShared titles: High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Three Treasures (1959), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957), Scandal (1950), Stray Dog (1949)See all 9 shared titles with Takashi Shimura
- Kyōko KagawaShared titles: Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Three Treasures (1959)See all 4 shared titles with Kyōko Kagawa
- Tatsuya NakadaiShared titles: High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960)See all 4 shared titles with Tatsuya Nakadai
Composers and cinematographers
- Masaru SatōShared titles: Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957)See all 7 shared titles with Masaru Satō
- Asakazu NakaiShared titles: Red Beard (1965), The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers (1964), High and Low (1963), Throne of Blood (1957), Stray Dog (1949)See all 5 shared titles with Asakazu Nakai
- Takao SaitôShared titles: Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Takao Saitô
- Fumio HayasakaShared titles: Scandal (1950), Stray Dog (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Fumio Hayasaka
Producers
- Tomoyuki TanakaShared titles: Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjuro (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Three Treasures (1959)See all 6 shared titles with Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Sōjirō MotokiShared titles: Throne of Blood (1957), Scandal (1950), Stray Dog (1949)See all 3 shared titles with Sōjirō Motoki
- Sanezumi FujimotoShared titles: The Three Treasures (1959), The Hidden Fortress (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Sanezumi Fujimoto