Lone Wolf and Cub
Kozure Okami
161973•45m•7.9/10
Action & Adventure
Ratings
🎬TMDb
7.9/10(8)
Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku. One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun. Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.
Production
Union Motion Picture Co, Ltd., Studio Ship
Language
JA
Status
Ended
First Aired
April 8, 1973
Last Aired
September 26, 1976
Networks
Nippon TV
Created By
Kazuo Koike
Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
E1
My Son and My Sword for Hire
Air date: 1973-04-08
A noblewoman who was forced into prostitution after her fiancé and family were murdered at their wedding, asks Itto to kill the man responsible, a spurned former suitor.
E2
Birds Have Wings, Beast Have Fangs / Fangs of the Wolf
Air date: 1973-04-15
Ogami Itto and his young son Daigoro arrive in a town known for its hot springs, but the entire village has been taken over by a gang of murderous bounty hunters.
E3
Ikkou-Bashi Bridge
Air date: 1973-04-22
Poisoned after a surprise attack, Ogami must face a deadly gauntlet of Yagyu assassins in order to fulfill a promise made to a dying man who saved Daigoro.
E4
The Assassin’s Road / Highway of Assassins
Air date: 1973-04-29
A meeting on the Assassin’s Road causes Itto to remember the events leading up to his wife’s murder, and why he chose to bring his son with him on his mission of vengeance.
E5
Daigoro and Omatsu / The Lowly Maid
Air date: 1973-05-06
Multiple stories interweave as Daigoro becomes lost while seeking medicine for his father and is befriended by a young woman who is being sold into service by a loan shark.
E6
Deflowering / Amya and Anema
Air date: 1973-05-13
When his father is delayed for multiple days after an assassination goes awry, a desperate Daigoro wanders off and falls into the hands of a ruthless gang of criminals.
E7
The Guns of Sakai / The Sakai Rifle
Air date: 1973-05-20
Itto is hired to assassinate a gunsmith who has reportedly developed a repeating rifle, a weapon that could completely destabilize the balance of power in Japan.
E8
The Shield and The Castle / The Castle Wall Attack
Air date: 1973-05-27
Itto accepts an assignment to stop a shipment of gold, assassinate a government official, kill an entire team of covert agents and prevent a small clan from being framed.
E9
The Endless Six Paths / Six Roads to Infinity
Air date: 1973-06-03
As Lord Yagyu prepares to send his last and strongest son, Gunbei, to kill Itto Ogami, the events of Gunbei and Itto's previous duel are revealed.
E10
Baby Cart on The River Styx
Air date: 1973-06-10
A scheming magistrate's plan places Itto in the middle of a war between two Yakuza families, one of which is lead by the daughter of the leader of the other.
E11
The Deer Hunters
Air date: 1973-06-17
While the Yagyu set a trap for Itto, a group of con artists pose as Lone Wolf and Cub and a disgraced Samurai takes on the role of Ogami.
E12
Ochiyo's Boat
Air date: 1973-06-24
As Itto waits for an opportunity to assassinate a sadistic Lord, he and Daigoro observe the life of a young boat woman who must sell herself to support the man she loves.
E13
The Mysterious Pickpocket / No Betrayal
Air date: 1973-07-01
While Itto tracks down the killers of a young woman's entire family, Daigoro becomes caught up in a policeman's hunt for a notorious female pickpocket.
E14
North to South, West to East
Air date: 1973-07-08
Itto accepts a job that will protect the location of a secret gold mine, but the task is complicated when a rival swordsman takes Itto's target's son hostage.
E15
The Night of The Fang
Air date: 1973-07-15
Itto must deal with a well-wishing doctor and a group of shadow ninja when he's tasked with killing a group of assassins who're rgeting the Shogun's lover.
E16
Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger
Air date: 1973-07-22
Itto returns to a spot on the banks of the Shinobu River where he once executed the lord of a Clan, and faces a samurai he defeated in a duel four years earlier.
E17
Asaemon the Beheader / Executioner Asaemon
Air date: 1973-07-29
Government officials convince Asaemon the Beheader, one of the few swordsmen in Japan with a level of skill close to Ogami’s, to kill Itto in combat.
E18
A Meager, Peaceful Life / Half Mat, One Mat, Two And A Half Go Of Rice
Air date: 1973-08-05
Itto meets Sakon Shino, a beggar samurai who has given up killing for a life as a street performer. Shino urges Itto to give up his assassin life, for the sake of his son.
E19
The 8 Gate Attack Formation
Air date: 1973-08-12
The Lone Wolf and Cub have their work cut out for them when a seemingly simple job turns into a deadly game of lies and intrigue.
E20
The Chrysanthemum Inn
Air date: 1973-08-19
The Lone Wolf and Cub rescue a woman who has sold herself into prostitution in order to stage her revenge on her murdered brother’s evil fiancé.
E21
Mercenary Swordsmen / The Crossing Guard
Air date: 1973-08-26
Desperate to keep their clan from being dissolved, the family of a murdered Lord fake the real killer’s murder and ask Itto to verify their false claim.
E22
Bekinoji's Tragedy
Air date: 1973-09-02
Assassins from the Kurokuwa clan stage a non-stop series of attacks that lasts for days, slowly steering an exhausted Lone Wolf and Cub into a deadly trap.
E23
Thread of Tears
Air date: 1973-09-09
Itto is hired to kill a samurai who has allegedly turned his men against Lord Norikatsu, but the true reasons turn out to be far more complex and deceptive.
E24
Concealed Letter of The Yagyu / The Yagyu Letter
Air date: 1973-09-16
Ogami mysteriously joins a group of “the unclothed”, men with the unusual job of carrying people and baggage across a river where bridges and ferries are forbidden.
E25
Daigoro's Song
Air date: 1973-09-23
After being thrown off a cliff during a battle with the Yagyu assassins, Daigoro searches for his now missing father while avoiding his family’s many enemies.
E26
Drifting Shadow
Air date: 1973-09-30
Itto tries to follow the trail left by his missing son, Daigoro, while fighting off the forces of Lord Retsudo and his Yagyu assassins.
Cast
Kinnosuke Nakamura
Ittô Ogami
Taketoshi Naitō
Narrator (Voice)
Sato Takumi
Daigoro Ogami
Ryūnosuke Kaneda
Tanomo Abe
Kei Satō
Retsudo Yagyu
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