sign in
register
Watch
Crunchyroll
Sword of the Stranger
Sword of the Stranger
JustWatch
Your probable score
?
Sword of the Stranger

Sword of the Stranger

2007
Animation
1h 43m
Hunted by the Mings from China, young Kotaro and his dog meet a nameless samurai ("Nanashi") who is constantly being haunted by dreams of the past which lead him to seal his sword. Among the Mings is a fiercesome Western fighter named Rarou, who desires only to find a worthy opponent. When both groups clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Mings' pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi. (animenewsnetwork.com)

Directed by:

Masahiro Andô

Screenwriter:

Fumihiko Takayama

Starring:

Naoto Takenaka, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera, Ai Orikasa, Yûki Chinen, Tomoya Nagase, Junko Minagawa, Fumie Mizusawa, Atsushi Ii, Hirofumi Nojima, Jun Hazumi, Keiko Tsukamoto

Genre:

Animation

AKAs:

Stranger: Mukoh Hadan , Stranger: Mukou Hadan

Country:

Japan

Languages:

Mandarin, Japanese
imdb IMDb
Update history
Suggest edit

Sword of the Stranger

2007
Animation
1h 43m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 63.66% from 390 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(398)
Compact view
clear
Compact view
Show
Sort
spookeyspookey
Rated 02 Nov 2008
84
80th
Well excecuted tale of kenshin-like sumarai redemption. Great action animation as always by bones. Story still lacks originality and therewith it's impact is limited to your own familiarity with the genre. Style is original however. Characters could have had a little more depth.
Rated 02 Nov 2008
troothTrooth
Rated 18 Feb 2012
78
78th
The high-quality animation really surprised me. What little I'd seen of it before watching didn't really stand out to me, but it was really slick, especially in the fight scenes. The story is kind of predictable, but still entertained me. I'm just glad it didn't have any of the over-the-top fantasy elements you see too often in anime. It could have been a live-action movie, but it just wouldn't have been nearly as good.
Rated 18 Feb 2012
eric_janeric-jan
Rated 23 Jul 2011
65
30th
This movie could have done so much better.. It had some amazing fighting scenes, but the story was very boring. I always hate it when they introduce the 'retired superkiller', they really bypass any character development that way. A must watch if you're an anime lover like me, just for the action and art.
Rated 23 Jul 2011
ocelotOcelot
Rated 29 Jul 2009
65
64th
Pretty cliche, pretty forgettable, yet, still, pretty good. There's not much to say about it other than "lol blood."
Rated 29 Jul 2009
scribScrib
Rated 08 Jun 2022
90
94th
Chiefly an accessible (and captivating) redemption story, set in feudal Japan. The central plot is easy to be swept away by; equally there are other moving parts that can be easy to miss but add so much to the experience. It spends a lot of time setting itself up and being economic on the action, then cashes in for the finale: an epic all-out battle between several minor and major characters which just couldn't be more exciting. Gorgeous animation; solid but derivative score.
Rated 08 Jun 2022
aph002Aph002
Rated 27 Aug 2021
6
25th
Good animation, forgettable story.
Rated 27 Aug 2021
ashcanAshcan
Rated 15 Jun 2021
8
52nd
can one single fight scene raise this movie several points singlehandedly? yes!
Rated 15 Jun 2021
prophet92Prophet92
Rated 15 Feb 2020
78
55th
Solid take on a basic plot with flat out jawdropping animation even almost 15 years later and a damn fine score to boot.
Rated 15 Feb 2020
mega_rubmega RUB
Rated 01 Oct 2019
86
53rd
Ava the dog did a great job acting. BRAVO AVA
Rated 01 Oct 2019
whotempwhotemp
Rated 13 Aug 2017
85
76th
Amazing animation
Rated 13 Aug 2017
vengefulkbmVengefulKBM
Rated 10 Sep 2015
90
92nd
What a great fantasy adventure epic. It may not be the most original animated movie of all time, but damn if it doesn't do everything it does amazingly well. What really sets Sword of the Stranger apart from a lot of other movies of its type, for me, is the slow development of the friendship between the two leads. Their relationship is unbelievably well-written - totally real and organic. The addition of the dog into the mix only serves to deepen that dynamic and make it even better.
Rated 10 Sep 2015
wicklebeeWicklebee
Rated 16 Jul 2015
68
64th
A fairly rough intro that wasn't too bad, just bloody (not too much though), leading to a boring and dry middle that led to awesome battle sequences in the end. Really Bones did awesome on animating those fights, I really liked them.
Rated 16 Jul 2015
sirrobbieSirRobbie
Rated 07 Aug 2013
50
8th
Manipulative, cheesy and forgetable but with very good fighting sequences and impressive animation. As I not into this stuff, it was just annoying for me.
Rated 07 Aug 2013
zeboimZeboim
Rated 27 Apr 2013
5
47th
Brainless.
Rated 27 Apr 2013
barthalenBarthalen
Rated 27 Sep 2012
70
55th
A terribly basic story that's still worth the time thanks to the nice animation, gorgeous backgrounds and the bloody/badass battles. That final 10 minutes was pulse-poundingly delicious. Be warned, it does feature An Annoying Kid. As if you need any more of those in your life, am I right?
Rated 27 Sep 2012
frankhowleyFrankHowley
Rated 17 Feb 2012
70
56th
Great animated fight sequences
Rated 17 Feb 2012
redfalconRed_Falcon_
Rated 08 Jan 2011
66
29th
While there's nothing really unique about this film I found it to be an enjoyable anime.The action in this film is the highlight.The sword fights are well done and fun to see.The end fight between No-Name and Blonde Guy was very cool.The character development between Kotaro and No-Name was good.There backstory's are fleshed out enough to give a sense of who they are.However I would have liked to know more about No-Name.
Rated 08 Jan 2011
cruelclowncruelclown
Rated 16 Jul 2010
80
73rd
Good choreography, brilliant watercolor backgrounds, shadowed by a not so original storu and a bit crumpy storytelling especially if you can't distinguish chinese from japanese
Rated 16 Jul 2010
bootaaayBootaaay
Rated 07 Jul 2010
80
55th
Sword of the Stranger is a real visual treat. The high-octane fight scenes are lavishly animated and exude a visceral sense of speed. In terms of story it does nothing you won't have seen before, but has the definite virtue of not trying to do too much. The film is expertly paced, never once dragging or out-staying it's welcome, the characters are believable and more importantly likeable and the end result is an enjoyable anime feature that remains highly entertaining from start to finish.
Rated 07 Jul 2010
pepsi_manPepsi-Man
Rated 05 Dec 2009
2
39th
They spent so much money on the lavishly-animated action sequences that they apparently only had enough yen left over for one god damned track of music--and they're going to make damn sure you hear that same track of music in almost every single scene. This is a total genre-picture and doesn't try to be anything else, so in that sense, it's an okay way to kill some time. Still, I wish they'd have done something at least a little more unique with it.
Rated 05 Dec 2009
naikounaikou
Rated 07 Aug 2009
30
12th
Predictable and entirely unoriginal.
Rated 07 Aug 2009
excelsiorExcelsior
Rated 30 Jul 2009
15
15th
Definitely has good animation, sound and action. But everything else becomes so annoying that it detracts from the film. The writing is sloppy, lazy and poor, the plot mediocre, and the characters bland, boring and cliche. At one point, the antagonist, bored, points to a random stranger who happens to coincidentally be the protagonist and says "Let's fight". Stupid movie. At least the action keeps it afloat.
Rated 30 Jul 2009
miss_jesusmiss jesus
Rated 09 Jul 2009
61
51st
Elements of this are excellent: the animation (particularly the backgrounds) is gorgeous, the story is simple, and the film is permeated with startlingly graphic violence. But it's crippled by having one main character that's nothing but cliche and another who's completely unappealing even when he isn't screamingly annoying.
Rated 09 Jul 2009
kusanagiKusanagi
Rated 23 Apr 2009
85
86th
This has some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen animated, looks sleek, and had a passable English dub. Cookie-cutter characters didn't keep me from enjoying this action packed movie.
Rated 23 Apr 2009
nathandarkoNathanDarko
Rated 10 Dec 2008
98
98th
I love this one.I've seen it twice what can I say the Blood & Honor feeling especially at the final 10 minutes is great...between good & evil exists more than only killing the opponent !
Rated 10 Dec 2008
lauratronlauratron
Rated 30 Nov 2008
75
53rd
Decent, but rather forgettable.
Rated 30 Nov 2008
whatismynamewhatismyname
Rated 23 Oct 2008
70
77th
Great fighting sequences and overall animation.
Rated 23 Oct 2008

Collections

Loading ...

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...

Trailer

Loading ...