A masochistic mobster meets his match in the dark streets of Tokyo. His nemesis, Ichi, is a psychopathic killer with an unrelenting thirst for bloodshed. A horrifying secret burns in his mind, and his hands deal death without mercy. At last, the shrouds of mystery are parted to reveal the origin of the monster. The city will know its greatest fear at the unveiling of Ichi the Killer.
Direction
Miike's live-action energy crammed into brutal anime.
Practical Effects
Hand-drawn gore hits different than CGI ever could.
Director
Shinji Ishihira
Chihiro Suzuki
Ichi (voice)
Shinpachi Tsuji
Jijii (voice)
Takashi Miike
Kakihara (voice)
Sayaka Ohara
Midori (voice)
Atsushi Imaruoka
Nobuo (voice)
Daisuke Sakaguchi
Hirose (voice)
Ema Kogure
Jiro (voice)
Eri Saito
Mother (voice)
Hajime Iijima
Assistant Instructor (voice)
Hiroaki Yoshida
Teacher (voice)
Isao Yamagishi
Kaneda (voice)
Kouki Miyata
Hirano (voice)
Mitsuru Ogata
Financial Officer (voice)
Toshihiko Nakajima
Store Manager (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This OVA was created to promote the 2001 live-action film, with Miike personally directing voice sessions to match his cinematic vision.
The 'origin of hero' tag is deeply ironic—Ichi embodies Japan's post-bubble anxiety about failed masculinity and economic rage turned inward.
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