Stranger: Mukou Hadan
Sword of the Stranger

In the Sengoku period of Japan, a young orphan named Kotarou and his dog Tobimaru steal from unsuspecting villagers in order to make ends meet. However, Kotarou is forced to remain on the run when he finds himself being hunted down by assassins sent by China's Ming Dynasty for mysterious reasons not involving his petty crimes.

Fortunately, the duo run into Nanashi, a ronin who has taken refuge in a small temple, when Kotarou is attacked and Tobimaru poisoned. Although the samurai saves the helpless pair from their pursuers, he feels that there is no need to help them further; but when offered a gem in exchange for his services as a bodyguard, he reluctantly accepts Kotarou's offer of employment—just until Tobimaru is healed and the two reach their destination. As the three set out on a perilous journey, it soon becomes evident that their path is riddled with danger, as the Ming Dynasty has now sent a terrifying swordsman after them to capture Kotarou and fulfill a certain prophecy.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

Stranger: Mukou Hadan won the award for Best Animated Feature at Brazil's International Fantastic Film Festival and was nominated for the same categories at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and 81st Academy Awards. It also won the 2009 "Menzione Speciale" recognition at Italy's Future Film Festival.

Characters & Voice Actors

116users Nagase, Tomoya (Japanese)

656users Yamadera, Kouichi (Japanese)

60users Chinen, Yuri (Japanese)

152users Nojima, Hirofumi (Japanese)

27users Mizusawa, Fumie (Japanese)

38,739users Miyano, Mamoru (Japanese)

1user Itadori, Shougen

928users Ootsuka, Akio (Japanese)

9users Takenaka, Naoto (Japanese)

1,126users Minagawa, Junko (Japanese)

Recommendations

Washi
Overall Rating 9

Sword of the Stranger is both unusual and refreshing in the way that it seemed t.

May 5, 2008 2:22 AM | 205 people found helpful

aranelcharis
Overall Rating 10

Wow. This movie has left me nearly speechless. There are scenes in it that are s.

Apr 17, 2008 2:51 AM | 101 people found helpful

Kaminari-sama
Overall Rating 8

Thunder's review no.3: Sword of the Stranger When I decided to watch Sword of.

Mar 30, 2014 8:03 AM | 85 people found helpful

ace52387
Overall Rating 9

Story: Stranger is first and foremost an action movie. Because the meat and po.

Sep 5, 2009 8:28 PM | 69 people found helpful

Munsuta
Overall Rating 10

An epic tale of a young boy on the run for his life and a mysterious wandering s.

Mar 25, 2009 12:06 AM | 42 people found helpful