Ambitious yakuza Kenji befriends harmonica-playing bartender Chuji, who moonlights as a part-time drug-dealer for the opposing gang. Their friendship is threatened by Kenji’s plans for advancement, as well as by his bodyguard’s growing jealousy of Chuji.

Director: Takashi Miike

Top Cast: Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Seiichi Tanabe, Saori Sekino, Bob Suzuki, Mickey Curtis, Tatsuo Yamada

“My beloved is coming to kill me. My important person-” A shocking erotic love suspense drawn by the genius Takashi Ishii. The first general theatrical release by Takashi Ishii, who wrote and directed the “Angel’s Heart” series. Starring Shinobu Otake, Masatoshi Nagase, and Hideo Murota. She has won numerous awards at home and abroad, including the Kinema Junpo Best Ten Leading Actress Award (Shinobu Otake) and Best Screenplay Award (Takashi Ishii).

Director: Takashi Ishii

Top Cast: Shinobu Otake, Hideo Murota, Kiminobu Okumura, Masatoshi Nagase, Ryo Iwamatsu, Koen Okumura

The story depicts the exploits of Jigoku Gokurakumaru, an invincible man with seven swords, who travels through the legendary golden country of Zipangu. The original story, screenplay, and director are Kaisho Hayashi of “20th Century Shonen Reader”.

Director: Kaizo Hayashi

Top Cast: Masahiro Takashima, Narumi Yasuda, Shiro Sano, Baiken Jukkanji

Directed by Noboru Iguchi, who later reached cult status as the director of Robo Geisha, Mutant Girls Squad, Karate Robo-Zagorgar and Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead. It follows a single adventure of Cat-Eyed Boy from Kazuo Umezu’s manga comic series with the same name. Although he befriends two kids from a local family, he is shunned by the locals as a ‘yokai’. In the end, he saves the village by tackling a supernatural threat, thanks to his fighting and regenerating abilities as well as his…miraculous saliva.

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Top Cast: Miku Ishida, Asami Kumakiri, Ryûji Sainei, Sayaka Itô

Sho and his friend Tetsurou stumble upon an odd alien artifact while walking through the woods. Then, the alien artifact breaks free of its metallic bonds and enters Sho’s body, turning him into the Guyver. With this new power, Sho must do battle with the evil Chronos corporation and their genetically enhanced Zoanoids, who seek to get the Guyver back into their labs. No one close to Sho is safe from Chronos. He must fight.

Director: Kôichi Ishiguro

Top Cast: Takeshi Kusao, Yuko Mizutani, Kozo Shioya, Hideyuki Tanaka, Steve Blum

‘If the musicians ain’t got a chance to live, then what chance has the music got?’ Dr John. This is a beautifully crafted, feature documentary, rich with colourful characters, and set in the iconic musical backdrop of New Orleans. In 2005 the music stopped, when one of the most deadly and destructive hurricanes in American history struck. The flood defences failed flooding the Crescent City for weeks. Lives were lost and shattered. Many displaced musicians felt compelled to return to the chaos and bleak confusion to play again.

GORDON LIU at his best, a gem. Two martial masters decide to take each other’s child and teach them their martial arts styles. But when one of the fathers is framed for a murder and killed, his son ends up in the Shaolin Temple where he learns the fighting skills to help him avenge his father’s death.

The incredibly secretive and mysterious Ninja technique is alive.

To restore their village to its former glory, the Kung Fu Rascals must go on a quest to find a power most…BIG. The evil Bamboo Man sends out his forces to teach the Rascals a lesson in kung fu etiquette. Who will triumph? Only the Old Wise Guy knows.

The Martial Arts History Museum has compiled a masterclass of biographies from the top martial artists.