Japanese movies about killers

List of the best Japanese killer movies selected by visitors to our site: Cold Fish, Cure, Split, Perfect Blue, Nobody, Creepy, Happy Death Day, The Third Murder, Mr. Long, The Relative Worlds.

In the top there are new films of 2023, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Country
Markimdb: 7.1
Genreaction, thriller, comedy, melodrama, drama, crime
CountryJapan
Duration02:26

Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. When his daughter Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store a man named Murata steps in to settle things between the girl and the store manager. Murata also runs a tropical fish shop and he and Shamoto soon become friendly. However Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrehorror, thriller, crime, detective
CountryJapan

A wave of gruesome murders is sweeping Tokyo. The only connection is a bloody X carved into the neck of each of the victims. In each case, the murderer is found near the victim and remembers nothing of the crime. Detective Takabe and psychologist Sakuma are called in to figure out the connection, but their investigation goes nowhere...

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrehorror, fantastic, thriller, drama, detective
CountryUSA, Japan
Duration02:27

Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him — as well as everyone around him — as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

Markimdb: 8
Genrehorror, thriller, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:21

A retired pop singer turned actress' sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genreaction, thriller, crime
CountryUSA, Japan

Hutch Mansell, a suburban dad, overlooked husband, nothing neighbor — a "nobody." When two thieves break into his home one night, Hutch's unknown long-simmering rage is ignited and propels him on a brutal path that will uncover dark secrets he fought to leave behind.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrethriller, crime, detective
CountryJapan
Duration01:32

After having narrowly escaped an attempt on his life at the hands of a psychopath, detective inspector Takakura quits active service in the police force and takes up a position as a university lecturer in criminal psychology. But his desire to get to the bottom of criminals’ motives remains, and he does not hesitate long when former colleague Nogami asks him to reopen an old case.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrehorror, fantastic, comedy, detective
CountryUSA, Japan
Duration02:35

    A college student relives the day of her murder over and over again as she tries to discover her killer's identity.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genredrama, crime, detective
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:43

    Shigemori is a lawyer tasked with defending Misumi in a murder trial. Misumi has previous convictions for murder and has confessed to the crime, but evidence in the case leads to Shigemori having doubts about what really happened.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genreaction, drama, crime
    CountryJapan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Germany
    Duration01:33

    Long is a Taiwanese killer known for his sword skills. After Long fails a Tokyo mission, he moves to a small town where no one knows about him.

    Markimdb: 5.7
    Genrefantastic, action, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:29

    Shin has shut his heart ever since his mother died when he was young. His childhood friend Kotori has been looking after him ever since. Now that they are in the third year of high school, and it seems like they can finally move forward, another Shin from another Japan has suddenly appeared in front of them.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genreaction, thriller, comedy, drama, crime
    CountryJapan

    Masaki, a baseball player and gas-station attendant, gets into trouble with the local Yakuza and goes to Okinawa to get a gun to defend himself. There he meets Uehara, a tough gangster, who is in serious debt to the yakuza and planning revenge.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genrethriller, fantasy, drama, detective
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:37

    Satoru Fujinuma is a struggling manga artist who has the ability to turn back time and prevent deaths. When his mother is killed he turns back time to solve the mystery, but ends up back in elementary school, just before the disappearance of his classmate Kayo.

    Markimdb: 6.1
    Genrefantastic, melodrama, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:00

    Narumi is on bad terms with her husband Shinji when one day, Shinji goes missing. He comes back a couple of days later, but seems like a totally different person, and is now gentle and tender. He goes for a walk every day. Meanwhile, Journalist Sakurai covers the story of a family that was brutally murdered, when an unexplained phenomenon takes place. Shinji Kase tells his wife that he came to Earth to invade.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA, Germany, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom
    Duration02:10

    Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries: Dominic unexpectedly gets convoluted also facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.

    Markimdb: 5.4
    Genreaction, comedy, cartoon, detective, anime
    CountryJapan

    Seigi, a martial arts trained middle schooler, often feels driven to protect the weaker people around him. One day, he defends a homeless man against some punks, and the man gives him a strange tattoo on his palm in return. The tattoo is a secret weapon produced in the arms race between America and the Serinistan Kingdom. Seigi finds himself in over his head when a powerful girl, using the same secret weapon, violently pursues him in order to retrieve it. His skill at martial arts may not be enough to keep him alive, but will he be able to learn how to trigger the power of his tattoo in time?

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genredrama
    CountryJapan

    Told from the viewpoint of the father Morio, "A Boy Called H" follows a young boy named Hajime Senoh, nicknamed "H". His father, Morio runs a tailor shop. With the onset of World War II, their family must endure difficult times. Nevertheless, H is filled with curiosity and a sense of justice. Based on the autobiographical novel "Shonen H" by Kappa Senoh (published by Kodansha, July 9, 1999).

    Markimdb: 5.1
    Genrefantastic, action, fantasy, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:53

    By the year 2050 AD, a mysterious organization called Galactor has occupied half of the Earth and threatens to exterminate the human race. Around the same time, the International Science Organization had uncovered mysterious stones that bear unusual powers. It is said that one person out of approximately eight million is able to harness the power of the stones; they are known as a "Receptor". Dr. Kozaburo Nambu gathers a team of these five lucky Receptors together. Known as the "Gatchaman" team, it is their mission to defeat Galactor.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryJapan, USA
    Duration02:09

    A lonely, chain-smoking office lady in Tokyo falls for her teacher when she decides to take English lessons. When her teacher disappears, she sets out on a journey to find him.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genredrama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:50

    45-year-old nurse and mother Yoko lives with her only daughter Tsukiko. The duo has a tight relationship that resembles more best friends rather than mother & daughter. Tsukiko's father passed away before she was born & since that time Yoko has always stated Tsukiko's father would be the first and last man she will marry. One evening, Yoko brings home 30 year old Kenji Hattori and they both sleep outside on the porch. The next morning, Tsukiko becomes confused by the situation and becomes even confused when her mother announces that she will marry the much younger Kenji. Kenji, who has dyed blond hair, used to be a chef, but doesn't currently hold a job. Tsukiko is shocked by the situation and runs over to her neighbor/landlord Saku's Tsukiko then shuts herself off from her mother and her new boyfriend. Meanwhile, people around them try to repair Yoko and Tsukiko's relationship, but there's also a secret between Yoko & Tsukiko ...

    Markimdb: 7.1
    Genreaction, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    Although the city of Fukuoka might look relatively peaceful at first glance, in actuality it houses a thriving mixture of dangerous individuals such as killers, detectives, and professional revenge seekers right beneath its surface. Among their number is Zenji Banba, a laidback and observant detective who is investigating the work of other hitmen companies in the area. However, Banba might not be the only one with a bone to pick with these organizations, as Xianming Ling, a crossdressing male hitman in the employ of one such company begins getting fed up with his lack of jobs and pay.One day, after Ling's current target commits suicide before the hitman could reach him, his company refuses to pay him even half the amount they were originally supposed to for the assassination. Frustrated, Ling requests another mission and is offered the job of taking out Banba, whom his organization believes has been interfering with their business. However, when Banba arrives at his home and finds the hitman inside, Ling surprisingly doesn't even attempt to kill him. Instead, he offers the detective another option: to join him and form a team. With the offer on the table, exactly how will Banba respond, and just what plans does Ling have in store for the underground world of Fukuoka?

    Markimdb: 7.8
    Genrecomedy, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    Sorata Kanda, a high school sophomore living in Sakurasou, the den of their academy's problem children, spends his days being dragged around by the strange residents, swearing he's going to escape Sakurasou one day.

    Markimdb: 4.4
    Genrehorror
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:40

    Following the events of Ju-on: The Beginning of the End, Mai, the older sister of elementary schoolteacher Yui Shono, goes to look for her sister, who disappeared after a year while working in an elementary school. Mai soon discovers the Teriyaki household who tells her about what happened to her sister. Mai will now uncover the dark secrets of Ju-on and will try to end the curse once and for all.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genreaction, fantasy, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:52

    Two years after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the moon that Hagoromo Otsutsuki created long ago to seal away the Gedo Statue begins to descend towards the world, threatening to become a meteor that would destroy everything on impact. Amidst this crisis, a direct descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki named Toneri Otsutsuki attempts to kidnap Hinata Hyuga but ends up abducting her younger sister Hanabi. Naruto and his allies now mount a rescue mission before finding themselves embroiled in a final battle to decide the fate of everything.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genrefantasy, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:05

    Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her - but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
    CountryJapan

    A man brutally murders a married couple and leaves the word “ikari” (“rage”) written with their blood. The killer undergoes plastic surgery and flees. At three different locations in Japan, a male stranger appears. People suspect that the stranger might be the murderer.

    Markimdb: 6.6
    Genrehorror, action, fantasy
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:36

    Garo: Soukoku no Maryu (lit. Blue Cries of the Demon Dragon) is the second film to the Garo series. The film serves as an epilogue after Makai Senki and leads up to The One Who Shines in the Darkness. The story continues after the events of Makai Senki. Having made a contract with Gajari, Kouga Saejima honors his end of the deal by traveling to the Promised Land to retrieve a part of Gajari: the Fang of Sorrow. After Kouga defeated Sigma, Gajari transported him to the Promised Land, however, his quest had unexpected results.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:16

    Following the death of the unmarried and childless Taki, Takeshi, a young relative of hers, discovers several pages of closely written lines in which the old lady has recorded her memories. This is how he learns the truth about her youth working as a housemaid and nanny for the Hirai family in a little house in Tokyo with a red gabled roof.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genrehorror, fantastic, action
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:11

    If you are chosen by the bizarre black sphere known as the Gantz, you are already dead—yet you might be able to reclaim your mortality. First, the Gantz demands that you undertake brutal missions of madness, killing aliens hidden among the population. It is your only chance and you have no choice. You must play this disturbing game. And if you die again—and you likely will—it’s permanent.

    Markimdb: 8.6
    Genrefantastic, action, comedy, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:19

    Shigeo Kageyama, a.k.a. "Mob," is a boy who has trouble expressing himself, but who happens to be a powerful esper. Mob is determined to live a normal life and keeps his ESP suppressed, but when his emotions surge to a level of 100%, something terrible happens to him! As he's surrounded by false espers, evil spirits, and mysterious organizations, what will Mob think? What choices will he make?

    Markimdb: 8.1
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:57

    After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.

    Markimdb: 4.8
    Genrehorror
    CountryJapan, Hong Kong
    Duration01:24

    Having lost her beloved father at an early age, Yuri lives with her mother and younger brother. Yuri's mother meets a new man, but they are deeply in debt and forced to leave their home. Yuri is then forced to take a job as a call girl to support her brother. One day Yuri's brother becomes ill but since Yuri has to work, she unwillingly leaves him at home. When she returns, she finds him dead in the bathtub. Her heart is scarred with regret and she suffers with a pain that will never go away. After some time has passed, Mayu, a colleague of Yuri's, tells her about a mysterious mobile app that is rumored to enable its user to talk to the dead. Yet, it comes with a warning: Never reply if the dead soul says, "I want to see you." Because she blames herself for her brother's death and will do anything to tell him how sorry she is, Yuri downloads the app and reaches out to her dead brother. Meanwhile, the app's users begin to die.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genredrama
    CountryJapan

    Ichiko (Ai Hashimoto) lived in a big city, but goes back to her small hometown Komori, located on a mountain in the Tohoku region. She is self-sufficient. Ichiko gains energy living among nature and eating foods she makes from seasonal ingredients.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:30

    Summary of the first season of the show, as seen from Rikka's perspective with new elements.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genrethriller, drama, cartoon, military, anime
    CountryJapan

    Taking place in the year 1937 on the eve of World War II, the story involves a mysterious spy training organization known as the "D Agency." The organization is established by Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki from the Imperial Japanese Army. His ideals lead him to recruit people beyond military academy graduates and personnel, while training them to become skilled agents in arts of manipulation. These agents would become a specialized team to conduct operations. One such antihero agent, under the name Jirou Gamou, goes on a harrowing mission to uncover secret documents titled "Black Notes," while battling forces from within and without his own ranks.

    Markimdb: 6.5
    Genrecartoon, sport, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:07

    "Stride," is an extreme sport that involves six people on one team who run relay races through towns. Hōnan Academy and other schools compete to win eastern Japan's top Stride competition, "End of Summer." However, Hōnan's team has shut down. First-year high school students Takeru Fujiwara and Nana Sakurai attempt to restart the club, but they must recruit six members for the team. They ask Riku Yagami to join, but he turns them down by saying that Stride is the one thing he doesn't want to do.

    Markimdb: 5.7
    Genrethriller, detective
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:00

    Akiko, a young woman, comes to Vladivostok to meet Matsunaga, a young businessman she has met in Tokyo only once. Akiko finally finds Matsunaga. However, he leaves her again, warning her not to trust strangers in a foreign country. She tries to follow him, but she is attacked by thugs and dumped on the outskirts of town.

    Markimdb: 5.3
    Genreaction, fantasy, adventure
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:03

    Two alchemist brothers go on a quest for the Philosopher's Stone after an attempt to revive their dead mother goes horribly wrong.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryJapan

    An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap, and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding are the three episodes, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    The year is 1991 and 6th grader Yaguchi Haruo only has video games to live for. He's not popular in school and he's neither handsome, funny, nice nor even friendly. The only thing he has going for him is that he is good at video games. One day at the local arcade, he plays Oono Akira, a fellow classmate but who's popular, smart, pretty and a rich girl that absolutely destroys him at Street Fighter II. Not only does he lose to her 30 times in a row, he can’t beat her at any game. Haruo can’t seem to shake Akira off as she follows him from arcade to arcade everyday after school and beats him every time. As weird as it sounds, the odd couple begins a strange bond and friendship.

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genrethriller, comedy, drama, cartoon, detective, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration00:44

    A shady bus tour of young men and women are headed to an elusive village called Nanakimura. A destination where people can partake in an utopian existence, free of the world's obstacles... or so goes the rumor. Heading deep into the mountains, the bus is carrying 30 different individuals, each harboring their own expectations and troubled hearts... What they had arrived to was an uninhabited village with lingering, faint scents of life and it was falling apart. Just what is the secret of Nanakimura?

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genrefantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:22

    A comet falling will bring about a great calamity, and in order to choose a child fated by the falling comet, the family of the "Reiken" clan with a long storied history is once again resuming its entrance examination process to find disciples. The protagonist Lu Wang, who possesses a special soul that is only available once in a thousand years, decides to take the exam, and he starts down the path toward becoming an exceptional sage.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genrefantastic, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    A man is transported through time and space to a special starship, where he and 12 other people must work out what happened.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:19

    Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is now in Kyoto, plotting with his gathered warriors to overthrow the new government. Against Kaoru's wishes, Kenshin reluctantly agrees to go to Kyoto and help keep his country from falling back into civil war.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genremelodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:37

    Rihito Sajo, an honor student with a perfect score on the entrance exam and Hikaru Kusakabe, in a band and popular among girls, would have never crossed paths. Until one day they started talking at the practice for their school’s upcoming chorus festival. After school, the two meet regularly, as Hikaru helps Rihito to improve his singing skills. While they listen to each other’s voice and harmonize, their hearts start to beat together.

    Markimdb: 4.7
    Genrehorror, comedy
    CountryJapan

    Wracked with guilt over the suicide of her sister Ai, who was tormented by high school bullies, pretty young karate student Megu accompanies a group of older friends on a camping trip into the woods: smart girl Aya, her druggie boyfriend Také, big-boobed model Maki, and nerdy Naoi. Things start to go badly when Maki finds a parasitical worm inside a fish they catch – and wolfs it down alive, in the hope that it’ll help keep her skinny! Soon after, and not so unexpectedly in situations like this, zombies show up and begin to complicate things further. After they’re attached by a crowd of poop-covered undead who emerge from an outhouse toilet, the group seeks refuge at the home of strange Dr. Tanaka and his daughter Sachi. But unbeknownst to them, Tanaka has been conducting experiments on the parasites—and the zombies!—and has another fate in mind for the five strangers from the city.

    Markimdb: 7.3
    Genrefantasy, comedy, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:00

    Clinging to an unfinished letter written by her recently deceased father, young Momo moves with her mother from bustling Tokyo to the remote Japanese island of Shio. Upon their arrival, she begins to explore her new habitat, meeting local children and learning their routines and customs. However, it's not long before several bizarre occurrences crop up around the previously tranquil island. Orchards are found ransacked, prized trinkets start disappearing and, worst of all, each morning after her mother leaves for work, Momo hears strange mumblings coming from the attic of their home. Annoyed by these creepy goings-on and her mother's refusal to believe them, Momo embarks on a strange and supernatural adventure to discover the source of the mischief, which leads her to a trio of troublesome imps: the flatulent lizard Kawa, the childlike Mame and their hulking ogre leader Iwa. Momo also learns that her visit to the island is in some way connected to her father's mysterious letter.

    Markimdb: 3.6
    Genrehorror, thriller
    CountryJapan, USA
    Duration01:30

    Three American tourists follow a mysterious map deep into the jungles of Japan searching for an ancient temple. When spirits entrap them, their adventure quickly becomes a horrific nightmare.

    Markimdb: 7.3
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:49

    Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genrefantastic, thriller, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:56

    Satoru Fujinuma is a struggling manga artist who has the ability to turn back time and prevent deaths. When his mother is killed he turns back time to solve the mystery, but ends up back in elementary school, just before the disappearance of his classmate Kayo.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA, Japan
    Duration02:17

    The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.




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